Chapter 16 Flesh, Fur, And Fractures

• Zara is deep into the trance in Deen’s study, being drawn into a world out of the ordinary, taking away not just her gaze but also her soul. Her fingers caressed the dried oil strokes of the wolf’s fur, but further, in her mind, it was more than paint. The fur carried intense warmth, coarse but comforting to the skin on her face. She was there; wherever it was, she was there, leaning on the massive creature’s body. The dark velvet night cloaked in the fog and the shadows as the earth trembled under a deafening silence. It was not just a painting; it was real. She was in the moment, living in the moment.
• Suddenly, there was a shift as the world spun in chaos, cracked at the seams, as she snapped into the next image. Zara gasped for air as she blinked, trying to see through the fog as the painting dissolved like wax, moving in a hazy motion. Steadying her sight, she saw herself, bleeding and limping, as she was coercively dragged by an invisible force deep inside a dark forest. A feminine figure, dressed in a black cloak, stepped out of the void. Even though her form seemed familiar, she was faceless, her voice slicing through the silence like a sharp razor.
• “She cannot find out. No, she can't.” The unidentified woman said.