Wiping the drool from her mouth, not for the first time after leaving the dentist, Ali took her time walking back home.
The reflective surfaces around her only showed Ali's own image albeit with longer hair and smoother skin than the day before, not the watching golden eyes that she had recently become more aware of in the mirror like areas around her.
Ali still had to get accustomed to the idea that her dream the night before was real and though study of the magical world after finding out fairies were real, Ali need time to accept the new normal that was her life.
Remembering the time shortly after she first got her new teeth, after falling out with her former dentist Dr. Adler, trying herself to remove the teeth with any and every tool she could get her hand on, it wasn't until her friends and family interceded that she finally stopped.
'But then again, I wouldn't have learned boxing from that instructor at Sibs fitness if I wasn't trying to get my teeth knocked out.'
It was well after the morning rushing so the neighborhood she walked back through only had mostly empty street and mostly service car's parked, while an eagle eyed meter maid walked along the other side of the road trying to get his quota for the day.
Stopping by the surprisingly open chip shop next to the local second-hand store that had been having the same going out of business sale for the past two years, after someone damaged the shops glass window.
Ali continued her walk home now holding a bag filled with freshly finished fish and chips. Not a healthy meal, but a filling one.
The cricket pitch was full of kids playing. Even in the cold weather, the yells and screaming of exuberant voices filled the air. Ali couldn't help but smile as she walked by, which in turn felt strange with her jaw numb.
"I really need to get a handle on this. It's like every day something else happens."
Ali watched the kids play. One of the girls who was running around with her friends tripped and fell, only to get back up and continue running.
"Definitely, need to get a handle on this situation. " Ali watched for a few minutes longer then continued her walk home.
The house was still the same mess she left it in, clothing still thrown around, but Ali managed to gather most of them into a single pile and pulling the shoe off her wall where it was stuck in by the heel like a thrown dart.
With the cleaning done and the clothes now in the washing machine, Ali sat down for her early lunch.
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The meal with messy especially, with her numb jaw and saliva ready to gush forth with every other bite; but Ali was satisfied with the now empty paper that wrapped the meal.
Getting up just to get to a more comfortable location to rest didn't even cross Ali's mind while laying her head against the flat cool surface of the table.
In moments she was asleep.
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It wasn't until she tried to get to her feet for the tenth time that Ali decided she was a cat person; only to be battered back to the ice-covered tundra by Ila's robust tail once again.
When Ali thought of training, she had power rock and lots of gym equipment in mind; but is seem that the Amarok had a more hands on, or, in its case, tail's on approach to her survival training.
It seemed that Ila didn't like her former dentist and instead of talking it out, she insisted that 'her young ward need to learn how to walk' which seem to mean breaking every bone in Ali's body from the moment she entered the strange dream scape.
For what was starting to feel like days Ali had to wrestle back to her feet only for the Amarok's damnable tail to find a way to knock, pull, tug or straight up yank her back to the ice.
It wasn't until she felt something dropped next to her, after her last attempt to stand, that Ali looked over only to find a large dead caribou now resting next to her with Sesi nudging the bloody remains towards her.
“Nourishment, to build strength.” Sesi said matter of factly as she watched waiting for the young one to eat so the training could continue.
"Your mad if you think I'm eating a dead deer raw. I can barely handle a medium cooked steak much less this mess. "
Ali tried to move away, but Sesi's tail, which seemed more ambidextrous than most people's hands, held her in place.
“You don't leave until you can stand on your own feet; the only way for you to stand is to grow strong enough to stand and for that, you need, to eat.”
"Then let me cook it by a fire. "
“By fire!! Young one this is a place in between memories, legends, and dreams. My memory, my story and dream; so even if it was cooked by manthing fire, it would still taste the same as my memory of it. So stop behaving like a manthing and eat.”
Tentatively Ali stood up only for Ila's tail to tap her back pushing her into the caribou.
"Damn it Ila!" Ali angrily shouted only to realize who she was yelling at, the Amarok eyebrows raised slightly, all the while still looking at Ali.
《Young one, try it before you judge.》
Ali looked apprehensive at the dead body before her but crawling forward to the wound left be the bite marks, Ali moved her hair out of the way, leaning toward the caribou.
She took a hesitant bite.
It was like a jolt of electricity had hit, the flood of intense flavour and a wild memory of the hunt that wasn't from her made the rational part of her mind reel back but she continued to eat.
After a while Ali returned to herself the hunger abated, leaving her more relaxed and at peace than she had felt in years.
Ali took a steading breath, pulling herself away from the half eaten caribou, that at some point during the meal of caribou Ila had joined.
The Amarok looked at her almost grinning. It was only then that Ali realize she was standing, not only standing upright but with the Amarok's tail pushing at her from the back, she still manage to maintain on her feet.
《Finally, young one now you can stand, you can begin to learn how to walk.》