The Forest of Aisling: Dream of the Shapeshifter (The Willow Series Book 1) (5 page)

“What’s that all about, Quinn?” wondered Kelleigh
as she threw the pillow she was holding to the ground.

“It’s Grandpa, he was driving home from the
Nelsons when Cryer jumped out of his truck.  She ran towards the
park.  He’s worried ‘cause it’s dark and was wondering if we could come
help him search for her.”

I wondered out loud, “Cryer?”

“Grandpa’s dog,” Kelleigh answered.

“We can help too,” added Bram, looking to Melissa
and Sinead.  “Sure,” they both nodded and agreed.

“I’ll take you back to the hotel, Willow,” said
Kelleigh grabbing her purse and keys.

“You don’t have to do that, I’d like to help,” I
answered. I wasn’t ready to go back yet; still so many things I wanted to talk
to them about.

“I suppose it’s ok,” said Kelleigh.  We all
grabbed our coats and made our way to the car.  Fitting six people into
Kelleigh’s little car was comical, especially with Bram’s long legs.  The
ride took about ten minutes and my arm was tingling from being trapped behind
Sinead.  Soon enough we pulled up to Uncle Eagan’s house.  He was
standing at his truck smoking a pipe and talking to Meriel.  He waved as
Kelleigh’s headlights hit him face on.

“Thank you for coming to help, children; you know
how I am about that mutt.” Uncle Eagan turned his pipe over and let the embers
fall to the ground then snuffed them with his shoe.  He looked up and
smiled, “Willow, you’re here, darlin’?”

“We were just introducing her to some of our
friends,” replied Quinn.

“Ah, now I’ve interrupted your fun, haven’t I?” he
lamented, folding his arms across his chest.

“Not at all, Grandpa.” Kelleigh drew near her
grandfather and took hold of his arm. “Where did she jump out of the truck?”

“Down by the park. I’ll drive over there; you
follow me,” he responded, taking hold of Kelleigh’s hand in both of his.

We all began to pile back in Kelleigh’s car when
Uncle Eagan called over, “That’s too many people in your car, Kell, you’re
going to have a flat.  Willow, would you like to ride with me?”

“Um, ok,” I said really wishing I could stay with
Kelleigh and her friends.

He opened the squeaky door of the truck and I
climbed in.  I could hear everyone else laughing and talking. Starting his
engine, he looked over at me and smiled. “All is well, darlin’?” he asked.

“Very well; I’m sorry your dog got away,” I
answered searching for something to say.

“Yes, she’s getting too old to be out trotting
around at night, especially near the park. But we’ll find her;  I appreciate
your help.”  While he spoke I thought about Dad, wondering how happy he’d
be knowing what I was doing right now. 

As we neared Killarney Park I began to feel
excited.  After all Dad had told me about the park I was so anxious to see
it, even if it was at night and we were on a rescue mission for a missing
dog. 

The passing landscape took on a completely
different feel the more we drove.  The lights from town were back in the
distance and we were completely surrounded by the blackness of the night. 
It felt much later than it actually was and I found myself constantly looking
at my phone to check the time. 

We pulled onto the gravel entrance and made our
way to the parking area.  A few cars remained in the lot. “Probably staff
working late,” Eagan suggested as he opened his door.

We quickly caught up with Kelleigh and the others
and walked about a quarter mile; then Uncle Eagan pointed out where Cryer had
jumped out of his truck.  He had several flashlights and handed them
out. 

“Let’s break up into two groups. Kelleigh, you
take Melissa and Bram and start near the park entrance heading in towards the
road to the lakes.  Quinn, you, Willow, Sinead, and I will go straight
ahead,” he said, flashing his light directly in front of us, “over in that
direction, and make our way to the lake road coming in from the east.  We
won’t look for more than half an hour. If we don’t find her then I’ll just have
to come back tomorrow.  I don’t want to keep you all out any longer than
that.  Kelleigh, do you have your phone?”

“Yes, Grandpa.”

“Good, and Quinn, you have yours?”

“I have it Grandpa.”

 “We’ll meet back here in exactly one half
hour, understood?”

“Of course, Grandpa,” Kelleigh said as they
started off on the path flashing the light in front of them.

“This way.” Uncle Eagan pointed his flashlight in
the opposite direction calling out Cryer’s name.

The moon was almost full, creating a glow which
made our search much easier.  While we walked, Uncle Eagan tried to make
small talk, asking about school, friends, and anything he thought was related
to teenagers.  He and I were together up front while Quinn and Sinead
followed closely behind.  I could make out a few words of their conversation
every now and then.  I smiled to myself because Quinn’s tone suggested
more than a casual interest in Sinead. 

In quick time we came to a more dense area of the
forest.  The trees were much thicker and a lot more brush had taken
over.  The path was somewhat overgrown but still visible in the bright
moonlight.  We took turns calling out for Cryer and then would wait for
some sort of response. 

In the distance I could hear Kelleigh and her
group calling. They were much more vocal than we were so if Cryer were anywhere
near, I thought she’d be drawn to their area.  After a short while, we all
stopped chatting and concentrated our efforts on the search.  Quinn
stepped back a bit from Sinead and walked backwards, flashing his light on the
path behind us.  Uncle Eagan scoped the path ahead with his light and an
occasional whistle.  As we pressed on we found ourselves deeper in the forest
with the sounds of nature becoming much louder: the chirping of insects and
frogs, calls from winged creatures overhead, branches and leaves blowing softly
in the cool evening breeze.

Uncle Eagan stopped for a moment to catch his
breath, “Not as young as I used to be,” he puffed as he hunched over resting
his hands just above his knees. Clearing his throat he called for Cryer and
flashed his light ahead a few feet.  There in the light’s beam stood the
little grayish-white terrier with a nervous look on her face.  “There you
are, you silly girl!” called Uncle Eagan excitedly as he rushed towards the
shaking pup.  Cryer quickly looked behind her, yipped, and darted off to
the left, back into the woods.

“Cryer!” screamed Uncle Eagan as he rushed off in
her direction.  Quinn quickly took flight and bolted ahead of Eagan, all
the while flashing his light.  “Try to cut her off in front, girls,”
yelled Uncle Eagan as he struggled to keep up with Quinn. 

Sinead and I made a big loop over to the
left.  I could see Quinn’s light in the distance and quickly cut over to
the right in hopes of boxing Cryer in.  Luckily the moonlight created
enough illumination that I could see ahead of me since I wasn’t carrying a
flashlight.  I kept track of Quinn’s light and stayed to the right of it,
trying to pass it and get in front.  After several minutes of running,
Quinn’s voice began to grow faint; he seemed to be getting farther away and his
light was less visible.  I called out but got no response.  After
running a few more feet I stopped to see if I could make out their
whereabouts.  A large boulder stood to the side of me so I climbed it
trying to catch sight of a light or hear their calls.  Nothing.  I
called out again and waited for a response.  Again, nothing–no lights, no
sounds, just quiet.

I stood there alone in the dark, enveloped by the blackness
with now only a sliver of moonlight peeking through the clouds. 
Uh oh
,
I thought, trying not to worry,
calm down, you’re ok
.  After all
the camping trips with Dad, the most important thing I had learned was that if
you get lost you’re better off staying in one place and letting yourself be
found rather than trying to find your way out. Given that this forest was
totally new to me, to stay put only made sense.

 I called out to Uncle Eagan one more time,
and after not getting any kind of response, decided to make myself comfortable
on the boulder.  I found a flat spot and sat down.  The chill of the
evening air was wrapping around me so I pulled up my hood and put my hands in
my pockets. 
Ah! My phone
. I had totally forgotten that I had
it.  I entered the number and tried to call Kelleigh but no luck. No
service.  “You’ll be ok, Willow,” I imagined Mom saying, and then heard my
own voice saying it. 
I know,
I thought,
just chill
.  I
tried not to focus too much on my surroundings, but it was hard not to. 
The forest started taking on a whole new life.  It felt supercharged with
some inexplicable kind of energy. 

The moonlight once again surfaced on the forest
floor with the passing of the clouds.  I stood up and looked all around
me, watching the stray beams of light dance on bits of ground and
branches.  Leaves were gently falling and swirling in and out of the
light. 

A familiar image crossed my mind. Then suddenly, I
panicked; my heart began to race as I swirled around and around, staring deeply
into this forest I had never seen before…or had I?  I’d never been here
yet somehow, now…I knew I’d seen this place before. I smelled it, heard it, ran
through it, felt it, was a part of it! 
Oh my God
, I thought as I
spun in circles, my eyes piercing the depths of the woods,
Oh my God, this
is it!  This is the forest in my dreams!

I breathed in deeply and closed my eyes; the smell
filled my nostrils, damp leaves, moss, the scent of tree bark along with
indescribable organic scents, like animal smells. Looking up, the light was as
in my dreams; the forest took on the same blue-green glow as the moonlight
streamed in.  The clouds moved just as I had seen them those times before
my conscious self had seen them.  And then the sounds: the crackling
branches in the distance, the tumbling rocks from the hillside, and, faintly at
first, but soon growing in volume, the yips and yelps came. 

Along with those sounds, something came over me–an
uncontrollable urge to find their origins–the need to move, to run, to seek.  
Along with the desire to locate the resonance came a loss of myself. I no
longer felt aware of who I was or even where I was...I just, was.  And so,
slowly at first, I began jogging towards the magnetic sounds of the
woods.  My pace quickened from a jog to a full-blown run, my leg muscles
expanding and contracting, my lungs filling, and my heart racing.  My body
felt lower to the earth, connected to the ground.

The reverberations became hypnotic, drawing me,
commanding me to come to them.  Then, just as before, all those times in
my dreams, I came to the clearing in the woods, the area bathed in the glow of
the autumn moonlight.  Also as before, the sounds ceased for a moment as I
looked around the clearing.

 I became aware of the fact that I was
standing in the only patch of light.  Following the beam I looked down to
the ground and there, illuminated, I saw what surely made my heart stop. 
I was staring down, not at my own feet in sneakers, but two large paws, covered
in dark gray fur.  I circled around and looked back to discover two back
legs and a large tail.  I turned again in disbelief and pawed at the
ground, unsure of what was happening.

My senses were heightened and I became aware of
being surrounded.  Looking up, I saw the wolf pack I had seen those many
times before, closing in.  I felt a deep vibration in my chest and heard a
low growl come from deep within me.  I let myself go completely with the
instincts that were taking over.  I faced the encroaching pack, and stood
my ground.  I felt the skin around my mouth stretch and reveal my teeth in
a vicious snarl. The pack quickly backed off, moving slowly back into the
woods.  As I turned I saw why.  The large gray wolf that had appeared
in my dreams was moving towards me.  Instinctually I knew I needed to
cower down, to be submissive. I sensed a power deep within the wolf. 

I looked up and found myself being toppled
uncontrollably to the ground.  The gray was on top of me, its eyes
piercing deeply into mine.  I felt it trying to communicate.  The
hypnotic lock of the wolf’s gaze was broken by the sound of a screeching bird
overhead.  The wolf looked up and released me, then let out a low
howl.  I rolled over and stood up, eye to eye with the creature. 
Footsteps and voices were upon us now as the wolf nuzzled close to me, almost
affectionately, its eyes holding tightly onto my own just before it turned and
ran into the woods.

 I shook my head and watched in wonder as my
giant paws suddenly became the sneaker-clad feet I had known.  Lifting my
bowed head I looked toward the direction of the incoming voices as my eyes met
the disbelieving stare of Quinn, who was shining his flashlight on me.

 “It’s a lucky thing Quinn heard that bird
screeching, it’s what led him to you, Willow,” panted Uncle Eagan, trying to
keep pace with everyone.

Quinn continued staring at me, wide-eyed. 
Thankfully, he was being quiet about what he saw, probably because he wasn’t
sure himself.  And being in the middle of everyone, walking on the path
back to the cars, I wasn’t sure what had just happened either.

“Wait a minute,” Kelleigh stopped and looked
around, “where’s Bram?”

“He was with us when we started running over
here,” Melissa replied.

“Braaaaaammm,” yelled Melissa.

“Really, Melissa? Do you think that’ll do any
good?” Quinn asked shaking his head.

“Oh, wow, how stupid of me.”

“It’s ok, Mel, we all have done that one time or
another,” Sinead offered.

Kelleigh was waving the flashlight in the air in hopes
of Bram seeing it.  We were just about to split up and go on yet another
search when Bram stumbled out of the bushes, looking disoriented.  Quinn
rushed to his side and began signing his questions. “He says he just got turned
around, that he’s ok, not to worry.” Bram let out a low moan and shook his
head. 

Sinead walked over and offered him a drink from
her water bottle.  Bram gulped it down, then splashed his face, his eyes
meeting mine as he wiped the excess water from his brow.  A faint smile
crept across his lips.  I felt a chill as we locked eyes, wondering where
he’d really been.

“Well, now, since everyone is accounted for let’s
be off, shall we, before someone else disappears,” Uncle Eagan said
breathlessly.  The excitement of the last hour was taking its toll on him.

 Once we made sure Uncle Eagan and Cryer were
home safe and sound, Kelleigh suggested taking me back to the hotel.  I
was more than ready; my shoes were muddy, I felt like I had been rolling around
in the dirt – which I guess I had – and was in serious need of a shower. 
I sat next to Bram and fought the urge to look up at him. I had a feeling that
he saw more out there in the woods then he was letting on.

 Quinn sat up front but kept turning back,
engaged in a conversation with Bram.  It was all sign language this
time.  Bram said nothing in voice, only with his hands, so I had no idea
what he was talking about – which was ok because I was lost in my own thoughts.
We pulled up to the hotel and Quinn offered to walk me up to the room so
Kelleigh wouldn’t have to find a parking space.  I said goodnight to
everyone, then looked at Bram so he could see my face.  “I’m glad you’re
ok.”

“I’m glad
you’re
ok.” He smiled and gently
touched my hand. I felt the warm flush on my face again and was relieved to know
we were in the dark.  That feeling of déjà vu swept over me, leaving me
wondering what it was about him that was so familiar.

Quinn and I walked quietly to the entrance of the
hotel.  He held a door open for me, all the while keeping his eyes to the
ground.  We stepped up to the elevator.  He didn’t say a word, just
pressed the button. Once inside, he turned and tried to speak but just
stuttered.  When he regained got control of his tongue, he paused the
elevator and asked, “Willow, am I quite mad?”  The look in his eyes was
one of complete confusion. 

“If you are, Quinn, then I’m right there with
you,” I said, feeling as confused as he looked.  We stepped out of the
elevator and sat down on a bench in the hallway.  “Wh– what happened out
there?” he asked, his blue eyes staring.

“I wish I knew.”

“But… but, you were a wolf!” He quickly turned his
head to see if anyone was nearby.