Switched Fates

Wounds of the Heart

Elodie stood overlooking the vast wilderness in front of her. 4 more hours and I'll be at the edge of the Silver Thorn pack's territory, she thought. This is the riskiest, stupidest thing I have done in a very long time, but I can't not go.

Every full moon for the last 12 months she had felt a she-wolf's immense pain. She could feel her howling in pain in her chest and her head. It was so strong, there were many times Elodie was close to passing out from it. The she-wolf had to be using her hidden enchanted cabin, for refuge, every full moon. She had to be. There would be no other way she could be connected to someone like this.

Although it had been 7 years since Elodie had stepped foot in her cabin, it was linked to her soul. It was a part of her. She should have disenchanted it. But the painful memories she would have to relive to undo her spell, she just couldn't bring herself to do it. Not to mention that the cabin itself was now in werewolf territory and werewolves have an extreme distrust, if not immense hatred, for witches. She couldn't blame them though. Throughout history, witches were often apart from covens, or under the control of another worldly creature who would use their powers to wage horrendous wars and commit unspeakable crimes against any being that was not on their side. Elodie had experienced this first hand. Not against werewolves though. She had never encountered them. Witches were also known to be completely outside the moon goddess's realm. Meaning they often caused a lot of trouble for werewolves, such as losing or being separated from their destined fate and mates.

Elodie sighed as she made her way down the mountain side. Carefully stepping over the logs and branches that crossed her path, there was a soft chill in the air. She was grateful she wore appropriate clothing - with her black hiking boots and long black hooded coat. The potential complications and dangers that arose from getting involved with a she-wolf and her pack were too many to count. Elodie couldn't just not do anything. She had to try. She could feel the she-wolf cry out in desperation for someone to come and save her. And Elodie knew she was the only one who could do so. Her cabin was impossible to find, completely cut off from the rest of the world. She created it as a sanctuary, a home, during the hardest time of her life.

The sun hit her eyes as it started to set, piercing light though the branches of the forest's canopy. She knew she had drawn closer to the pack territory’s border. Sneaking into werewolf territory, meant she was basically signing her own death certificate. She thought about contacting the pack’s alpha directly and trying to explain the situation, but she doubted a stubborn, powerful alpha would ever give her the time of day. She remembered her mother telling her about the Silver Thorn pack when she was a child. How they were immensely aggressive and dangerous and never to go anywhere near them. Unfortunately for her, public records listed that their territory has drastically expanded, both in their occupied land and members over the last 5 years. Putting her cabin just on the border of their territory, when 5 years ago they were nowhere near it at all.

I will need to create some protection for myself, she thought. Otherwise, the wolves would tear me to shreds before I even hit the boarder. She pulled an old lantern from her shoulder bag. Marking it across the base with her fingers, with runes for protection, shielding and stealth. She hummed a melody to activate the spell and the lantern lit producing a green glow. This would hide her scent and her tracks. Making her almost completely invisible to wolves. She could still be seen physically. But wolves were known to use just their sense of smell to recognize people, create memories, hunt and track. So it definitely reduced her risk of being caught, although it did not completely eliminate it.

She pondered as to how this she-wolf found her cabin. It must have called to her. She must have been experiencing immense heartbreak, Elodie thought. That was the reason she created the sanctuary all those years ago. To escape an immense heartbreak and keep her safe.

Elodie held her green lantern up to her face and pulled her black hood to cover her head. Her long brown loose curls were mostly hidden by the hood of her coat. The sun had completely set, and she had just stepped onto the territory’s borders. The full moon shone above her head. She heard the wolf patrols, but they did not approach her. Most likely due to not being able to sense her at all. Her heart was beating so fast. She constantly had to tell herself to breathe, and to slow her heart rate. Not only to keep calm, but because wolves can smell fear, and even though her lantern hid her scent, she did not want to risk it. She needed to remind herself that there was always the possibility that they may be reasonable. That they would let her help the she-wolf and then be on her way. . I'll get to the she-wolf, help her, disenchant the cabin, and they hurry out of there. She thought.

Pain suddenly erupted from her, pulling her to the ground. Her chest felt as if it was tightening around her lungs. Clutching her chest, she dropped her lantern. The she-wolf was inside her cabin and suffering. Elodie could feel her pain, it was radiating through her chest, making it hard to breathe. She was so close, she thought. I have to get up, I have to get to her.

She breathed through the pain, trying to push it out of her and remain composed. She raised her head and directly in front of her, bearing their teeth, was an enormous brown and white wolf with glowing yellow eyes.

The brown wolf slowly started to move towards Elodie, snarling and bearing his teeth completely. "Please" she trembled, from pain and from fear. " I'm here to help the she-wolf, the one that's in pain. I can help her. Please, that’s all I want to do". The wolf suddenly stopped advancing, and his ears perked up. Elodie swallowed. Maybe they could help each other. This wolf knew what she was talking about. He must be looking for her too. But he would have known the she-wolf's scent and the she-wolf wasn't in the cabin the entire time. Things weren't quite adding up. Elodie took a deep breath and stood up, she lifted her lantern. "This way" she whispered, trying to conceal her fear and her pain from the wolf who was now quickly walking alongside her.

He was enormous. His back was at the same height as her shoulders. His eyes were bright yellow, just like the full moon. He had brown fur with white fur across his stomach and on his paws.

Elodie eyes started to move across the landscape. She knew where they were, she knew this place well. She could get to the cabin from here with her eyes closed. The smells of the forest and the ground beneath her feet. Even after all these years, they were so familiar. All the memories of her old life start coming back. Tears started to form as she knew what was to come, she was going to have to relive the memories of this place. She had to if she was to undo her spell. The spell that had kept her pain dormant for almost a decade.

She took a deep breath and started to sing a lullaby, what was meant to be his lullaby. The melody swirled around her and echoed off the trees and through the leaves of the night. As she sung, ghost-like images of her past life were brought to life around them. She remained composed. They continued to walk forward as the ghosts of her past played out around them.Releasing her memories and feelings of this place. That she had locked away. She saw herself chopping wood, another one picking herbs and flowers and heading for what was emerging in the forest in front of them, a little wooden cabin. There was garden surrounding it and by the garden gate she saw herself pregnant, smiling and rubbing her belly. Elodie gasped in pain and her wolf was walking next to her whimper. She had been so taken aback by seeing her past self that she had almost forgotten about the majestic wolf walking beside her, or that she almost instinctively placed her hand on the wolf's back. She quickly removed it. The mirages faded as Elodie finished her lullaby. And the cabin still stood. "She's inside" Elodie whispered to the wolf.