The night has fallen thick and fast. Velvety darkness shimmers around us. The air thrums with vibrant scents of the heather. Starlight filters through the sycamore branches to dapple us with silver.

I sit against the sycamore tree, enchanted. The forest feels magical, alive with nature’s forces. There is an energy of life, through silence it flows, through the chirping of the cicadas, through rustle of the grey leaves, through the moon light that slithers through shadows and engulfs us in its soothing embrace.

Olly’s low snores mingle with the sounds. She is peacefully asleep with her head in my lap. I sit against the sycamore with my back against the rough trunk, but I cannot feel it. My eyes are wide open, yet I am not awake. It is some kind of trance.

My body that was hurting like hell all day long, has suddenly stopped paining. It’s light as a feather, floating through the air on the whims of velvety wind. I am weightless, painless, breathless.

I am flying, rushing through the dense dark, feeling the wet grass under my feet. I do not feel weakness. My body is strong, lithe. As it runs, it gathers momentum, sleeking through the undergrowth with the agility of a panther. My eye sparkle as power surges through my veins. The dark is no longer a hindrance. I can see and hear far. Even the minutest of the sounds is clear in my ears. My senses are sharp as the forest whispers its secrets to me.

Those are now my secrets. The forest is me and I am the forest, we are but one. I cannot tell where I end nature begins. We beat with the same beat, thrum with the same ardour.

I fly through the slanting bushes with wind in my leap. Ahead, I see water, its sparkling surface reflecting a full moon.

I slide to a halt as I reach the edge of the water and look up. The silver round orb enthrals me.

What is it about the moon, I do not know. Wisps of white clouds are floating across it, keeping it company. I have never seen it look so divine, it seems to ooze a gentle power that directly reaches my heart.

I do not know what is happening, some spirit has possessed me. Nature’s vibrance rushes through my veins, a surge of strength I have never experienced in my waking dreams. My heart hammers in my chest but there is no pain, no anxiety. No fear touches me. Death is far away as life embraces me willingly. It’s a sensation I cannot explain, as if I have drunk some elixir. The moonlight that touches me infuses me with it.

Come hither my darling… I am waiting for you.

A beautiful lull clouds my brain as I hear the call. It’s an ethereal voice, not from this world. It’s neither a man nor a woman. Yet its clear, musical, inviting.

Mesmerized, I stand at the water edge as the orb reflects in my eyes. Its silver rays caress me as I drink its elixir.

Time stands still. The treetops have stopped swaying. The stars don't twinkle.

Behind me a twig cracks to break my reverie.

I turn. A great silver wolf steps out of the shadows on to the pebbled waterfront. It’s silvery fur glistens in the moonlight, its tail is erect. Its grey eyes watch me unflinchingly. For the second time in the night, I stand transfixed.

Who are you? A voice sounds in my head. This time its male. It is deep with a gravel that sends shivers down my spine.

I am Diane. Diane Winters. I answer solemnly. I had to answer. There was no question of disobeying or distrusting.

Do not lie. He says.

Lie? I frown and shake my head. I do not lie. I am Diane Winters, daughter of Selene Winters and granddaughter of Adele Winters. That is all I know about myself, and it is all true.

He shakes his head and steps forward. His beautiful head tilts as he surveys me. His soft silken fur shines in starlight. Mesmerized, I am about to step forward when I notice another presence.

On my left side, far on the bank, is another majestic creature. It’s large, muscular, and fearsome. It’s coat of midnight black ripples in the night air like waves on the dark ocean. Its aura is not divine like the silver wolf, but more earthy and menacing. It stands on the far bank, watching me with its piercing emerald eyes. It's dark aura ripples over the water to hold me in thrall.

Spooked, I take a step back. It’s a menacing presence, threatening and commanding. Power oozes out of it like heat of desert sun. I can feel my reins slipping. No more am I in charge of myself.

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Fear sweeps me, but it’s laced with a seductive excitement.

Confused, I stare. Who is this wolf? Why is he here? And why has the silver wolf disappeared upon his arrival?

For the Silver wolf has vanished. I do not know the reason and for now I am unconcerned. All my senses are trained on the dark menace that stands before me. It needs answers. I can feel a question coming.

“Diane Winters, wake up!”

“I am awake.” I answer in my head. “And I can see you. Please tell me, who are you? What are you?”

"I say get up, lazy bones! I don't have all night!"

Huh?

“Danny!! Wake up for god’s sake. Are you okay? Please don’t die on me!!”

This time I recognise Olly’s voice. My eyes snap open. Olly is crouching on my side, shaking with fear. In front of us are some dark shapes – men.

I blink in confusion. So my dream is ended. I am back to reality, and we are surrounded by men, again!

There are six in total, with one in the front being their leader.

“Wakey wakey, little humans. Chop chop. We don’t have all night to sing you lullaby,”

“Are you not humans?” I ask snarkily. I am still half asleep, and angry my wolf-dream is broken. I so wanted to chat with the dark wolf.

“We are of course, but we get to choose most of the times,” he snickers and is joined by chuckles from all around us. “And as to you, be quick and get up. We have a long way to go if we are to reach there in time.”

Reach where?

We scramble up to our feet. Olly is hanging to me desperately and my arm hurts with her weight. She is still shaking, and I too have begun to tremble. Who are these people and what do they want? Are they here to kidnap us?

He pulls out a cigar from his pocket and lights it. In the flare of the momentary fire, I get a glimpse of his features.

He is the second blond man from this morning. The one who wanted to kill us. I gulp.

“Who are you and what do you want?” I dare to ask.

Before he answers me, another man interrupts.

“We need to get going Jeff. The Chief wants us back asap.”

‘Jeff’ takes a puff of his cigar and blows out the smoke in our direction. Olly starts coughing. My hackles raise.

"Would you please care to explain who you are and what do you want from us? As far as I remember, you are done 'helping' us this morning. Then why are you back?"

I hope they are not here to kill us. I do not want to be buried in a desolate forest, with nothing to mark my grave. No one will know once there existed a girl called Diane Winters who loved maths and sketching. And these goons will definitely go unpunished, it is clear from their demeanour.

Olly shivers beside me. I grab her hand protectively.

The man shrugs with a bored expression, then answers all my questions in one go.

“Well, as you now know, I am Jeff. Jeff Stevens. The one you saw this morning was my elder brother Gabe Stevens. The one who just spoke is my twin, Billy Stevens. There are more Stevenses, but you’d get to know them in time. For now, let’s go to the base. My father wishes to see you.”

My heart has begun racing. Finally, things are falling into place.

“Are you related to John Stevens? Are we going to the military base? Is John the chief there?”

“Something like that.” He blows another puff on me and turns back on us. Annoyed, we follow him as the rest of the group falls behind us in a circle, chuckling and shaking their heads.

*****

We walk for like hours. My body hurts like hell, I realize my wolf dream is well and truly over. Olly is dragging her feet behind me. She is not much used to walking, she is a gym baby.

I only fare slightly better. I am better at walking, it’s the only exercise I can do without straining my feeble heart. Long morning walks, occasional swims and general activity is how I keep myself fit.

But I realize I need to change my definition of fit. Walking in the wild is not the same as walking on smooth city pavements. The ground is uneven, riddled holes and knotty undergrowth. It’s more hopping from one mound to another. We keep stepping into muddy bogs cleverly camouflaged by green moss. A couple of time I put my foot down only to bring it up without my shoe.

I mutter a curse under my breath and call out Jeff.

“How much longer? Don’t you guys use some military Jeep or something? At this rate we won’t reach until sundown.”

He turns back to give us a look.

“Nearly there.”

His ‘nearly there’ takes two more hours. As we reach, the trees suddenly give way to a large clearing. There in the middle of the forest is a large brick and mortar compound. It’s surrounded by a deep trench, currently empty of water but I see jagged points of sharp rocks protruding. The gate we enter through is solid steel, at least ten feet wide.

I straighten up as we walk a paved path to a large building in the centre of the camp. People are out and about. I see men, women and children of all ages. Some stop to ogle at us - two freaks dressed in rags and looking like loonies. I am splattered with mud, owing to my fall this morning when I misjudged a bog. Olly is no better. Her face is purple, plastered with dry mud. The men around her are paying her all the attention but for the wrong reason.

Olly glares when a little kid catcalls and cackles at her. I keep my face straight.

We near the building and halt at the little flight of stairs that would take us up. At the top of the steps is the most imposing man I have ever seen. Tall, muscular, with silver flecked hair. An aura of absolute power emanates him. His eyes are dark as midnight. His lined forehead gives away his age as do the grey streaks at his ears.

His face takes a soft yet faraway look as he gazes at us. His eyes flit from me to Olly, then back to me, yet he does not speak.

There is a hush around us. The sun is hot on our head. We stand at the bottom of steps while the others gather around. It feels like these people are not used to visitors.

“Hi, I am Diane Winters, and this is my sister, Olivia Winters.” I crack a smile to break the uneasy silence. “You must be John Stevens? I do not know if you received the message, but we are here to see you on account of our grandmother.”

The man stays silent. Instead, a tall woman comes forth. I had not noticed she was standing beside him in the shadows.

“Welcome,” she smiles as she climbs down the steps. He long silk robe floats behind her in the wind as does her sleek auburn hair. Her face has an regal aura, kind yet stern. She is amazingly beautiful.

Beside me, Olly straightens. The lady gives her a nod.

“Welcome Olivia, and Diane. I am Phyllis Stevens. Please follow me and I’ll show you to your rooms.”

***** *****