The forest had a different feeling today.
Yesterday it had been my escape.
Today…
It felt like home.
Sunlight filtered through the towering pines, painting dancing patches of gold across the woodland floor.
Birds called to one another somewhere high above, while squirrels darted effortlessly between branches.
Everything felt alive.
I smiled to myself as I wandered further beneath the trees.
Ever since gaining my wolf, the forest seemed sharper somehow.
The air carried hundreds of different scents.
Fresh pine.
Wildflowers.
Damp earth.
Moss.
Foxes.
Rabbits.
Even the faint sweetness of berries growing somewhere nearby.
It was almost overwhelming.
My wolf loved every second of it.
Then…
Another scent drifted towards me.
Fresh water.
I stopped walking immediately.
The smell was unmistakable.
A lake.
Without even thinking, my feet carried me towards it.
“I suppose you’ve decided where we’re going now,” I muttered to my wolf.
She answered with nothing more than an excited feeling somewhere deep inside me.
I laughed.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” The trees slowly began to thin until the woodland opened into a wide clearing.
I stopped dead.
The lake was breathtaking.
Its surface shimmered beneath the afternoon sunshine like polished glass.
Dragonflies skimmed across the water.
Tall reeds swayed gently around the shoreline.
Beyond the opposite bank, rolling woodland stretched as far as I could see.
It was peaceful.
Completely peaceful.
“This place…” I whispered.
“…just keeps getting better.” Back at my old pack, the lake had been my sanctuary.
Whenever I managed to escape my chores—even if only for ten minutes—I would sneak down to the water and simply sit.
It was the only place where nobody shouted.
Nobody hit me.
Nobody expected anything.
I’d spend hours wondering where the river flowing from the lake eventually ended.
Did it reach the ocean?
I’d never seen the sea.
Not even in a picture.
Sometimes I’d imagine standing on a beach where the water stretched forever.
Maybe…
One day…
I’d finally see it.
I took another step towards the shore.
Then froze.
Someone was already there.
A boy sat beneath the enormous branches of an old oak tree, his back resting comfortably against the trunk.
He looked about my age.
One knee was drawn up while the other leg stretched lazily across the grass.
Perched on the toe of his boot…
…was a tiny robin.
I smiled.
The little bird seemed completely unafraid.
Then something strange happened.
The boy nodded.
The robin chirped.
The boy frowned.
The robin chirped again.
He folded his arms.
The robin puffed out its chest.
I blinked.
Was…
Was he…
Arguing with it?
I ducked behind a nearby tree, curiosity getting the better of me.
The robin chirped loudly.
The boy sighed dramatically.
“No.” Another chirp.
“I said no.” The bird tilted its head.
“I don’t care if it’s fun.” The robin chirped again.
He groaned.
“I’m not jumping off a cliff just because you can fly.” The robin flapped its wings indignantly.
“You’ve got feathers!” Another chirp.
“Exactly.” He pointed at himself.
“I don’t.” The robin hopped closer.
The boy shook his head.
“I’m not jealous.” The bird chirped.
“I am not!” Another chirp.
“…Maybe a little.” I clamped both hands over my mouth.
I was going to laugh.
The robin suddenly flew into the air before landing on a low branch above him.
The boy looked up.
“Show off.” That was it.
A snort escaped before I could stop it.
His head snapped towards me.
For one long second…
Neither of us moved.
Then he smiled.
“Well…” He called.
“You may as well come out.” I sighed dramatically.
“So much for being stealthy.” Stepping out from behind the tree, I brushed a few pine needles from my hoodie.
“I wasn’t spying.” His eyebrow rose.
“No?” “I was…” I searched desperately for a believable excuse.
“…observing.” He laughed.
“There’s a difference?” “Absolutely.” i said “What’s the difference?” “Spying is creepy….Observing is…” I grinned.
“…scientific.” He laughed.
“I like that.” The robin landed back on his boot.
He pointed at it.
“And for the record…” “I wasn’t talking to myself.” I looked between him and the bird.
“I was wondering about that.” He smiled.
“I can communicate with animals.” I blinked.
“Oh…” “So you’re one of the Specials, i’ve heard about, people with a superpower,I never met one of you before.” “Well there’s plenty here”, he laughed The robin chirped.
“I know.” “I’m introducing myself.” Another chirp.
“I wasn’t forgetting.” He looked back at me.
“Sorry.” “He’s rude.” The robin chirped loudly.
“I heard that.” The bird launched itself into the sky, disappearing into the trees.
The boy watched it leave before sighing.
“They’re all comedians.” I couldn’t stop smiling.
There was something incredibly easy about him.
Like he’d never learned how to pretend to be someone else.
He stood and dusted the grass from his trousers “I’m Peter.” He held out a hand.
“I’m Lilah.” His handshake was warm.
Comfortable.
Not too firm.
Not awkward.
Just…
Natural.
For some reason…
That surprised me.
Most people I’d met either ignored me completely or acted as though they were doing me a favour simply by speaking to me.
Peter didn’t.
He looked at me as though we’d simply bumped into each other by chance.
“So…” I folded my arms.
“Skipping training today?” He gasped dramatically.
“The audacity.” “I could ask you exactly the same thing.” he said I laughed.
“Fair enough.” “Nah.” He shoved his hands into his pockets.
“I usually train later, when everyone’s gone home.” “You don’t like crowds?” He thought for a moment.
“I like people….I just…” He shrugged.
“…prefer them one at a time.” I smiled.
“I think I know exactly what you mean.” He studied me for a second.
“You’ve not been here long.” “Is it that obvious?” “You keep looking at everything.” I felt my cheeks warm.
“Is that weird?” i asked “No.” He smiled softly.
“I think it’s kind of nice.” I frowned.
“Why?” “Because I grew up here…He looked around the lake….I stopped noticing how beautiful this place was years ago.” His green eyes met mine.
“But watching you see it for the first time…” He smiled.
“…kind of reminds me….For a moment…
Neither of us spoke.
A breeze rippled across the lake.
The sunlight danced across the water.
Somewhere high above…
The robin chirped again.
Peter looked up.
“I’m still not jumping.” Another chirp.
“Absolutely not Jasper.” I laughed so hard I had to wipe tears from my eyes.
I smiled….
For some reason…
My heart was beating just a little faster than before.