Episode Two Hundred and Thirteen: Answers?
At least this ti I knew it was a dream.
A forest surrounded , much like the one that I stared at frequently outside the living room windows. Tall dark trees stood all around , with a light dusting of snow and a cold breeze that brushed across my bare arms. At least my feet were covered with my aweso boots, and I still wore my magical fanny pack.
I turned and found a trail started right behind , so I marched down it with my arms wrapped around my middle.
A dog barked in the distance, and then one appeared running down the trail in my direction. Tongue lagging out of its mouth, a golden retriever ran toward without a care in the world. Yet, he ca right up to with a goofy grin, sniffing.
“You shouldn’t be here, I think...” said the dog softly in my head. “I must get you ho... A mission for !”
My mouth dropped open, though I shouldn’t have been too surprised since the Cat spoke inside my head.
He nudged my foot before I said anything. Then he glanced up at , then at the trail, like he expected to follow. He stepped in that direction and the trail widened a bit. It was no longer narrow and winding through the trees. Instead, wood chips expanded on either side like a nice maintained running trail in a park.
As soon as I took a step to follow, he started moving a little faster.
“Yay, mission going well!” His tail wagged in the air as he almost prancing along the path.
The trail suddenly sped up, even though we weren’t moving that fast. The trees passed by quicker, almost like we were traveling in a car or train.
Then a clearing popped up in front of us with a small cottage sitting smack dab in the middle. Smoke rose from the chimney, and the surrounding gardens were covered in at least a foot of snow.
“Hmmm... not here...” he said, tail dropping with his head cocked to one side.
The breeze ca again, making shiver.
“Can we warm up in the cottage?” I asked, hoping he understood . My fingers were beyond cold.
Taken from , this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
He glanced at , then the cottage, before padding in that direction. The door opened at his approach. Warmth rushed out as I stepped inside right after the dog.
A fire blazed in a large stone fireplace with a large dog bed next to it. A small cat curled up in one corner of the big bed. Everything except for the hearth remained fuzzy.
I shivered a couple of tis as I stepped closer to the fire, still wondering why I was here.
“What do we have here?” asked a soft older voice.
I spun around to find an old woman sitting down in the rocking chair.
“Mission!” ca from the dog, who wagged his tail at the woman and nudged her knee. “Slls like mission.”
She rubbed behind his ears and studied . “You are a long way from ho...”
“I am, though I’m not sure where exactly I am,” I replied. I let my arms fall, but didn’t know what else to do.
“Sowhere in between.” She nodded. “Though, maybe not as far from ho as I first thought. You have Fate abilities.”
I blinked, then slowly nodded. “Yes. I asked a question before I went to bed and I ended up here.”
“Then this is your answer,” she said with a smile as the dog padded closer to the hearth. She chuckled as golden light coated the tips of her fingers. “Each of us does what we will with our abilities. Though all of us help the tree in our own way.”
The dog spun around and barked. “!”
“Yes, even you.”
“The dog helps the tree?” I didn’t know why that stood out to more than the fate magic surrounding her fingers.
“Man's best friend!” Again, the dog's voice echoed inside my head. “ help!”
The woman chuckled again. “He takes on tasks as they co up, usually to help those who need a friend.”
The edges of the room blurred even farther, sneaking closer to the fire and the dog. The woman faded from view first, until all that was left was the two of us, the dog and I.
The dog tried to step closer, but sothing stopped him.
“Misson!” He whimpered, pushing his nose against so invisible wall to reach . His ears drooped and he pawed at the ground.
“It's okay, you completed your mission,” I whispered.
His eyes went wide before he faded completely, and I woke up in bed.
Moonlight stread in from the skylight, and to my surprise soft snores rose from Indigo’s cat tree. She must have co in after I went to sleep, since she’d stayed up studying.
I pulled the blankets up and cuddled them close.
That hadn’t felt like a dream at all. It felt like I’d wandered sowhere else.
The door creaked open, and I reached out with my magic, touching the Cat.
He padded inside, and hopped up on the edge of the bed. He visibly relaxed when he noticed awake. But he said nothing as he just curled up next to my pillow.
I rolled over, pulling the blankets close again. Either dream or sothing else, now I knew. Those with Fate abilities helped the tree to the extent they wanted.
Even if they were dogs.
#
Concern drifted along the floorboards, almost like a mist as I stared down at my tree. It broke through the hazy sleep that surrounded , and I leaped from the cozy box I slept in. My tree remained the sa, and I took off to Sable’s door.
It opened at my approach, but didn’t swing open, so it couldn’t be too concerning.
As soon as I poked my head in, snores ca from Indigo, and Sable lay on her bed with blankets all around her.
Safe and sound.
I leaped up on the edge and padded closer, sniffing to try to figure out what happened. A faint hint of dog drifted through the room, though that shouldn’t be possible.
Sable lay awake, though I did not know what to say. Or how to ask why I slled a dog in the room, though even that faded away quickly.
Not knowing what else to do, I curled up as the feeling of concern faded from the floorboards. Nothing had happened to her under my watch. Nothing would happen to her. She was safe.
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