The Shack

Walking down the hallway, Gretchen looked over the murals of the Great War and looked into the faces of the kings and soldiers as they fought off their enemy. She followed the sound of the man the guarded the library speaking the old language and eventually came to the rounded wooden door. It opened slowly in front of her and as she stepped through it, her foot landed on the cobblestone road outside the castle. Gretchen turned back briefly and watched as the doors shut behind her, then continued to follow the voice.

The Sentry didn't even acknowledge Gretchen as she walked past him and out the gates. While she walked the dirt path into the forest, Gretchen pulled her sweater snuggly across her body. She wasn't sure of the date anymore because time moves differently in the realm, but she figured it was some time in late fall by the smell of the leaves. The night air was chilly, even for a hot blooded Lycan like her. Not a time to be wandering through the darkness all alone, but there she was anyway letting the voice lead her. The woods were eerily quite except for the commanding sound of the mystery man narrating her journey.

Gretchen could smell the faint scent of a fire burning, and the run down stone shack with a thatched roof from her visions came into view.

Her balled fists rubbed the condensation from the small, broken window, then Gretchen peeked inside. The only furniture that sat inside was a table with two chairs and a small stove in the center of the floor for warmth. Gretchen pushed the door and opened it carefully.. The floor was dirt covered with some blankets sewn together into a bed near the stove. It couldn't have been very warm or dry laying on the cold ground.

Steam poured from Gretchen's mouth as the frigid air hit her hot breath. She checked the stove, but the fire was just embers now. She looked around the room for wood or coal, but there was none to be found. As Gretchen sat down at the table, the young couple who owned the ring came through the door. The woman was heavily pregnant, so Gretchen got up from her chair to allow her to sit. Her husband led her to the chair and waited until she sat, then he knelt before her and rubbed her hands in his to warm them.

Gretchen felt horrible for imposing on such a sweet, young couple, but she couldn't just leave them like this. They were, really, just children still, it wouldn't be right to let them suffer out there in the cold world all alone. It was obvious that they didn't have any food or firewood left in their tiny home, and she 's definitely not in any shape to be without those things right now. She could take them back to the castle. Gretchen was certain that Daniel wouldn't mind, he's been nothing but kind to her even when he had no reason to be. Gretchen tried to speak to the couple, but no matter how much she tried to move her mouth, no sound came from it.

It was painfully clear that the young man didn't want to leave his wife, but he needed to go collect more wood. After kissing her, the man hesitantly left the shack. Gretchen knelt down beside the woman and put her hand on hers. Gretchen could feel the fear and desperation in the young woman's chest. Suddenly, the girl grimaced in pain and clenched her teeth. She was quickly drenched in sweat and although she screamed, nothing could be heard. The girl fell to her knees on the floor. Gretchen went to her side and tried to help her as the girl crawled to the makeshift bed. Gretchen realized quickly that the girl was in labor. Gretchen looked to the door and knew she needed to let the girls husband know, but she didn't want to leave her alone.

As she labored there on the dirt floor, Gretchen stayed by her side. Although the girl didn't know she was there, Gretchen tried to comfort her as she cried silently and writhed around the floor in pain. Gretchen noticed movement out of the corner of her eye and when she looked over her shoulder, she saw the man standing in the doorway, his eyes wide with horror at seeing his wife as she was. He dropped the wood from his arms and came to her side quickly then pulled her close against his chest. Gretchen tried to tell them that she was going for help, that she'd bring food and a healer right away as she ran to the door. When she stepped out of the shack, her foot landed back into the hallway of the castle.

Gretchen turned around to go back to help the couple, but the door to the library slammed shut and the bolt locked. Gretchen pulled and pushed against the handle, but it was sealed with a spell and no amount of force could open it. Gretchen dropped her head and closed her eyes at the thought of that poor girl having her baby in a freezing cold shack.

When Gretchen opened her eyes again, she was laying safely in Damien's arms with her head on his chest. She wiped away the sweat from her brow and sat up in bed. Her heart was still racing and she breathed heavily as she fanned her face. Gretchen blew out through her mouth and blinked away the vision as her lip quivered and tears fell down from her eyes. She covered her mouth with her hands as she began to sob, trying not to wake Damien. "I'm so sorry," she whispered between sniffles.

The sudden loss of warmth from his side made Damien's eyes snap open. He pushed himself up and put his arm around Gretchen, then she turned and put her head against his chest. "What's wrong, my love? Is it another nightmare?"

Gretchen breathed deep through her nose and shook her head from side to side as she tried to hiccup back her tears.. "No, not really. Not for me anyways."

Damien kissed her bare shoulder. "What do you mean?"

"My ring. The kids from my vision. It was just...It was just so sad."

Damien lifted her chin to look at him. "What did you see? Tell me everything."

"Umm...I was walking through the woods, following that voice from the library, and I came to their little house. He had to leave to go get firewood and she went into labor. I was trying to help her, but she couldn't hear me. It was awful, she was doing it all alone."

Damien looked down at the bed then bit his lip. "Was there anything else?"

Gretchen shook her head no, then sniffed back her tears and wiped her face. "No. When her husband came back , I went for help but the door shut behind me and I couldn't go back."

Damien looked back to Gretchen's face and smirked. "I told you, the ring would start revealing more to you if you opened yourself to it."

"But I didn't. I was just sleeping."

Damien pushed her wet hair off Gretchen's face then said, "Your mind is still fractured, Gretchen. It's getting better, but there's still a way to go. You won't allow yourself to fully see everything for whatever reason. In dreams, you have no choice in the matter. Your mind does as it wishes and you can't control it. All those reasons fade away and you're just left with the truth."

Gretchen leaned back into his arms as he laid her down beside him again. "I wish I could go back in time and help them. They had nothing. No food or furniture. Their house was freezing cold and she was about to have a baby. It's heartbreaking." Gretchen's throat burned as she closed her eyes tightly.

Damien kissed her forehead and said, "I know, but those days are long gone for them. Don't be sad for them, they're in a better place now."

"How do you know that? Those poor kids. I just wish I knew that things got better for them."

Damien sighed and rubbed his fingers up and down her arm. "They learned their lessons. They're wiser now. It's the same for us all. That's why it's so important that you remember everything, Gretchen, even the unpleasant memories. You need to know everything so you don't relive the same errors. Do you understand?"

Gretchen nodded. "So, what adventures do you have planned for me today? Not the library again, I hope."

Damien huffed through his nose as he grinned. "No, not today. In fact, I'm afraid I have some business to attend to this morning. I'll be here in the evening, though."

Gretchen groaned before she snuggled closer into him. "Can't we just stay here?" she asked as she wrapped her arm around his chest.

Damien pushed her over to her back, then straddled her legs. "Believe me, Gretchen, nothing would make me happier than staying her with you beside me all day." He leaned down and kissed Gretchen's lips tenderly. He wanted one last taste of her to hold onto before he was forced to leave her behind in bed. "I promise to make it up to you this evening."

Damien pushed himself off Gretchen then slid out of bed. Gretchen rested her head on her hand as she watched Damien pull on his clothing. Every perfect muscle and curve twitched and stretched as he moved. Damien smiled as he heard Gretchen's thoughts and he peeked back over his shoulder. "You don't make it any easier to go when you show me things like that."

"I'm just wondering how much longer you're going to torture me. Not that I don't like having you down between my legs, Damien, but it's just not the same."

Damien pushed his feet into his boots then came back to the bed and lowered himself over Gretchen's face. "Tonight, Gretchen. Tonight," he said softly as he drug the back of his fingers down her cheek.

Gretchen pulled down her brows as she looked for the answers in his eyes. "Why tonight? I thought you were making me wait."

Damien grabbed his shirt from the chair and pulled it over his head then let it fall over his abdomen. As he looked back to Gretchen, he pushed his dark wavy hair back off his face. "It's the full moon tonight. It's the perfect time, don't you think?"

If all of Damien and Daniel's visions, research and calculations were correct, tonight was going to be perfect in more ways than one.