Episode 20

After running for a long time through the dark and damp tunnel, Christophe slowed down, and I thought he was tired.

I took advantage of his ability to communicate with me with just a touch and squeezed his soft fur, while suggesting in thought that we stop for a moment to rest. He snorted at me, without taking his eyes off the path, as if to say that we couldn't waste time.

He seemed to be uncomfortable with something, and I felt the tension in his steps. He growled at nothing and jumped into the air so fast I didn't understand what was happening. We were separated for a moment and then he hugged me tightly with his big hands. His body cushioned the fall and slid through the mud with me. I realized he was naked and wondered where the hell he had put his clothes.

"I need you to run," he whispered in my ear, snapping me out of my reverie. "They're here."

"But what about you—" he put his hand over my mouth and shook his head, asking me not to say anything.

"They don't know who I'm carrying, but they suspect it's the chosen one. You need to run and turn right at the fork."

I affirmed, and Christophe took his hands off me to let me go. I still dared to look back one last time, but I saw his body contort as if it were breaking, and I was so startled that I dropped the flashlight. He howled when he was already back in his wolf form.

Trying to be quick, I picked up the flashlight from the ground and illuminated the dark path ahead of me, searching for something besides a huge tunnel of earth, but that was all it was. We had just passed through a corridor filled with interconnected tunnels, and I believed the enemy was coming from one of them. I took a deep breath and ran in the opposite direction of my white wolf.

My heart was pounding as the backpack bounced on my back. I felt my breath escape my body, but I didn't let my feet stop.

It wasn't long before the path split in two, and the wind blew cold and strong there. A sharp, sinister howl startled me, motivating me to follow the path Christophe had directed me, for I feared being surprised by anything at any moment.

Behind me, I still heard a crash coming from the wall I had just left behind, which made me quicken my pace. The paws beating behind me were almost catching up with me, and when I tried to illuminate my back, I saw nothing there.

It was the invisible things.

I noticed a light in the distance and focused on it, looking for the way out. Until I heard the raspy moan of the creature behind me. It was then that I tripped over a pile of dirt and fell.

I dragged my body across the cold, wet ground, feeling panic set in. But nothing hurt or caught me. When I ventured to illuminate the darkness behind me, I saw only Christophe with his fur soiled with earth and blood, as well as his mouth from which the liquid dripped.

He looked at me tenderly with his blue eyes, and I realized his concern. Quickly, I gave a thumbs up, flashing a friendly smile, showing that I was okay, and he nodded towards the light that shone at the end of the tunnel.

I got up from the ground and tried to wipe off some of the mud. My jeans were torn and soaked with mud, they were going in the trash. After taking a deep breath, I turned and continued walking.

I finally reached the end of that ordeal, and incredibly, the tunnel opened into a majestic arch formed by two huge trees, where a gigantic forest opened up.

I looked inside and then outside, trying to understand how my grandfather's house had become that whole expanse of land.

Two large silhouettes had emerged from the trees, slowly walking towards me. They looked like they were coming from some kind of party in fancy suits, and at that moment, I felt my body tremble with fear.

"Chief!" the taller one shouted, and Christophe let out a snort that I suspected was a greeting. But before I could say or do anything, a sharp claw grabbed my white wolf, dragging him violently into the tunnel.

"Christophe!" I screamed, unable to contain my voice. Once again, I heard a raspy growl and several paws beating in the darkness.

An anguish in my chest told me it was my white wolf who was in danger. The two strangers who came from the trees ran up to me with abilities similar to Christophe's. One of them held me tightly by the arms, preventing me from going to the chaos, while the other lunged into the tunnel, letting out a loud howl and stripping off his clothes along the way. It didn't take long for several wolves to emerge from all sides, heading for the darkness.

"What's happening?" I asked the one holding me, and he cleared his throat.

"I need you to calm down, Luna," said the boy. "They're going to bring him to you. I promise."

My chest burned at that moment, as if a despair was taking over me, to the point of making me want to go there. If it weren't for the boy holding me, I think I really would have gone, even though my head insisted that this was all crazy.

The terrifying sounds had echoed non-stop. Wolves howling and destroying each other made me even more distressed. I tried to contain the pain, but it only left me when everything went quiet. And that alarmed me for a moment.

I thought I had lost all my senses because he had died in that confrontation, and the last thing I wanted was someone dying for me. When the people came out of the tunnel carrying Christophe's body, my heart stopped for a moment.

"If one heart stops, so does the other."

If that was true, and at that moment, I was really hoping it was, then he was still alive. I was alive and well. He was alive and well.

The boy loosened his grip, releasing me so I could run to the body those people had placed on the ground. There were men and women there, but no clothes, and Christophe was on the ground. Lying on the grass with deep bites and scratches.

"Oh my God," I hugged his body, and he did nothing.

Not a joke, not a funny snort, not a stolen kiss, no reaction.

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