Chapter 12

• I woke up the next morning, tired and weak. I was wearing the same gown as yesterday. It was the only thing I had presently. There was this dream I had; I was trying to remember it, but it was futile. It was as if the memory of it had been wiped off my mind with just some hazy remnants to hold on to, which was yielding me nothing. I tried to dig deeper into my mind, but the result was still the same. I don’t usually dream; I could go a full year without having a single dream. Which was why this particular one nagged at me, and through some quite strong instincts, I had this feeling it was an important one. This dream was significant, but why couldn’t I still remember it?
• I looked out the window; it was still dark outside. I didn’t know what time it was because there was no clock in the room, but I was certain it was a new day. Everywhere was still quiet. I heard only the occasional chirping of crickets and a very distant howling of werewolves, or maybe it was just normal wolves; I was not sure. I closed my eyes and tried to go back to sleep, or maybe I was trying to conjure up the dream; I couldn’t tell. I sighed and rolled on my back, looking for a comfortable position that would easily lull me back to sleep, but I remained awake with just my eyes shut. After a few more minutes of position changing, there was still no success. I sat up and brought up my knees, hugging them close. I stared blankly at the wall, my thoughts running wild, but none made sense. I kept staring blankly at the wall. I was having a feeling, but I couldn’t tell. When I changed another posting, this time getting up from the bed and pacing the room, I chalked it up to restlessness. I was restless, and I couldn’t fathom the reason why.
• A few minutes later, I went back to the position of sitting back on the bed and staring at the wall, my legs crossed, my hands tapping on each leg. My eyes started drooping close; I rested my head on the wall, and I didn’t know when I fell asleep in that position. I was running, panting, and huffing. This place was cold; it looked like a forest, but with... snow? Everywhere was white and cold. I kept running, with a low growl behind me. This beast was chasing me, determined to catch me. But somehow I managed to be ahead; it sometimes got close, but with some kind of ability I couldn’t understand, I lengthened the distance once more. It became a kind of programmed happening, where the beast got close and instead of grabbing me, I always eluded it and ran faster. Sometimes I got tired, sometimes I didn’t. This was all surreal to me. I couldn’t understand why I was running; I just knew that I wanted to get away from this beast, who seemed relentless. I wasn’t sweating; with all the sprints and leaps, my body didn’t break out in sweat, not even a bead of it. I was still in that running state when I pulled out of the dream, opening my eyes against the blinding light in the room. I was surprised to see I was sweating despite the cool air coming from outside through the open window. The day was brighter now; it was finally the break of dawn. But I didn’t move; I sat up, pondering this strange dream. Why was I being chased by a beast? I couldn’t remember how it looked or the color of its fur, but I knew it had scared me. Was that a werewolf? Or some other kind of beast? If it was a werewolf, who was it? Who had changed into their animal form to chase me with the intention to harm me, probably kill me. The beads of sweat were slowly drying, and as the morning breeze wafted into the room, I felt its wispy caress on my face and body, as if it were mopping up every sweat and replacing it with a breezy calmness. I lost myself in it for a moment, so I stood and went to the window. Unlike the one in the cell, this wasn't that high; it was considerably low. I could easily see everything from here. Why had the Alpha given me a room with such a window? Does he trust me not to run or escape? Or was he just certain that even if I tried to pull something like that off, I wouldn’t be successful? That I couldn’t even if I tried? No matter the reason, I was still grateful for this allowance. The view was beautiful. If I had found myself on this land in a different circumstance, I was very certain I would have enjoyed the place wonderfully. Nonetheless, even with the rules I’d been given and even though I was going to be treated like a castaway, I would always enjoy the fresh morning air and the view before me.