[-------]

Several minutes pass and the girl finally awakes, looking around nervously as she sees before her a whole pack of large wolves in the dozens surrounding her, some of the younger cubs are playing around, their furs ranging from brown, black, different shades of gray, but only one had the same colour as her, an ashen-white shaded she-wolf with emerald-green eyes. Noticing that the girl is awake the ashen-white wolf and the largest of the wolves, having dark-grey fur and piercing red eyes, they both stare for a moment at her before looking at each other and begin approaching her. Sensing an imminent danger due to her injuries from before she begins to quickly crawl backwards towards one of the trees. But she stops when she notices that the two wolves don’t have any hostility in their eyes, and looking down at her body she is shocked by seeing that her injuries are fully healed.

“W-w-wh-wait! Before you eat me, please let me drink some water. What are you saying, they are wolves, they won’t understand?” The girl frantically says out loud to herself while the wolves stare at her in wonder.

Putting her hands in front of her in a makeshift protection she continues moving backwards, but to her surprise the two wolves stop in their track and look at each other in confusion.

“Did this girl hit her head during her fight with the boar? Either she is really stupid or doesn’t know that we can talk.” The dark-grey furred wolf asks the ashen-white wolf.

“Hey! I’m not stupid. Huh, wait! Did a wolf just talk? Am I hallucinating from shock?” her panicked mind can’t understand that a wolf can talk like her.

“That’s just what I said, we can talk to you for we are blessed by The Huntress, and you smell of the same essence as her. My name is Freki and I’m the Alpha of this pack, this here is Vala, our strongest shapeshifter and the one who healed you.” Freki explained.

“So… Who exactly are you and why do you have a similar essence to The Huntress?” The Dark-grey wolf asked with a hint of irritation on his tone.

“I-I- I don’t know, I just woke up randomly in the forest and foraged for food before I was attacked by the boar and now just woke up surrounded by random pack of wolves who can speak. No, I don’t know who this huntress is, I don’t know who I am, where I am and what my name is. Thank you for saving me but I can’t help you.” The girl shouted in anger at the wolves and herself for her mysterious appearance in the forest.

“Girl, you don’t have to be mad, it’s just that you have a similar essence to her and we thought that you perhaps knew the whereabouts her. We have no intention of harming you, for you may be a puzzle piece to her location.” Freki explained, no longer irritated but instead trying to consoling the emotional girl.

“You said that you don’t have any memories, can you recollect what you remember to me and Vala. Perhaps by explaining to somebody something will be remembered, “Freki suggested, now trying to help her feeling a sense of responsibility for the distressed girl.

Staring at the wolves no longer with anger but instead with confusion and uncertainty. A sense of security filled her mind while looking at the two powerful wolves and thought that she at least could explain what she did know.

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Recollecting her experiences with waking up suddenly in the forest with no knowledge of whereabouts and who she is she began looking around for food and water and found some berry bushes and a small river. But suddenly during her foraging a wild boar attacked her and nearly killed her but she successfully slew it before she fainted due to blood loss.

“And the rest you know, you found me near the boar and saved me from probably certain death.” The girl finished explaining her story and the two wolves looked at each other in shock.

“Girl, that really is bad luck to run into a wild boar during your hunt. Can you try to remember anything before you woke up in the forest?” Vala asked, trying to help her.

Looking over at the ashen-white wolf she quickly nods her head and closes her eyes in concentration. Focusing for a few moments nothing comes up but suddenly a sharp pain pierced her mind and she crashed down on the ground, unconscious.

“What happened?! she was fine when she told us about her story. Why is she unconscious and in pain!?” Freki exclaimed loudly, his voice heard by the pack and they headed over towards the alpha and Vala.

[-------]

The girl wakes up on the floor of a seemingly endless black void, no light is visible but floating fifty metres in front of her is a series of dots and lines separated from each other in an illogical pattern she couldn’t comprehend.

Walking towards the pattern of lines and dots she looks at the tattoo on her arm, looking for any resemblance between the two, when suddenly one of the dots on the pattern and her arm lights up in a bright light and she instinctively clutches her hand around the tattoo trying to suppress the pain. However, the sudden pain in her arm is too much and she scream out in pain.

However, instead of losing consciousness due to the pain a warm sensation flow through her body as the dot on her arm light up even brighter in a red, infernal light as a small phoenix suddenly is summoned in front of her.

“W-wh-who are you?” The girl asks, shocked by the sudden appearance of the fiery animal.

“Master!! I’m so glad to finally meet you! My name is… who am I? Master give me a name!” The girl listened to the small phoenix exclamation. She focused on the small animal, being around fifty centimeters tall, with fiery feathers blazing with a strong light and an intense heat emanating from its body, the only word the girl could think about was beautiful.

“Hi little friend, what do you mean by master, do you know anything about me?” The girl asked, sensing that this small animal maybe have a connection to her lost memories.

“I really don’t know, but I’ve always existed here and waited for you, you are my master and you have to give me a name!” the small phoenix happily shouted into the void, finally being able to meet its master.

“Okay… I really don’t understand but I don’t have a name as well so how about we give each other a name, as a sense of trust to each other?” The girl asked the phoenix with an odd feeling of family between the two.

“Alright master! What do you think of Dike? I don’t really know why but I think it fits you!” The phoenix exclaims proudly causing the girl to let out a small chuckle.

“Hmm… Dike, I like it! So, my name is Dike and your name shall be Ambrose. Nice to meet you!” Dike happily called out, Ambrose following along with a joyful chirp.

“So, Ambrose, when I return to my body how will you follow me to the real world? I imagine you aren’t trapped here anymore.” Dike asked curiously.

“Master you don’t have to worry about that, I exist in your soul and reside there until you call on me and I will gain a physical body.” Ambrose chirped happily.

“That is great news! Let’s try to find a way back to Freki, Vala and the others so we can share this information with them” Dike proclaimed, joyful of the idea that she perhaps is getting her memories back with the help of this huntress Freki and Vala are speaking of.

Talking with Ambrose for a moment Dike suddenly dart her eyes towards the big pattern where suddenly one of the dots lights up in an intense burst of light and Dike’s consciousness warps back to her real body in the forest. Sitting up right she looks around but her body stiffens in horror at the sight of the whole pack of wolf’s bodies scattered across the forest glade, bloodied and torn to pieces, even the cubs have been killed by what looks like a tornado of murder.

Shocked by the scene of chaos Dike slowly whispers Ambrose’s name and the small phoenix is summoned, sensing the panicked emotions of its master Ambrose flies between Dike and the bodies as a protective shield.

Dike can feel her heartrate hastily increasing as she begins hyperventilating by the sight and stench of blood and mangled bodies.

“What happened while I was gone?” Dike asked herself in her mind, not being able to comprehend the scene in front of her.