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Bedroom ➝ (view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)]
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It was the same dream, it always was. The one that continued to plague Nyx even in her waking hours, the dream that stole her sleep and left her trembling in fear. A few visits to the therapist had done very little and here she was again, alone in the forest waiting for the nightmares to come. The forest was always silent in the dream, a deadly still that was both eery and unnatural. Nothing like the woodland setting of Montana, the trees alive with birdsong and the undergrowth crackling as animals scurried over leaves. The silence here was deafening. Turning a full circle rewarded Nyx with only the notion that she was completely and utterly alone. Nothing moved, nothing sounded and it was as if the entire world was dead around her. For all she knew it could be.

But this part of the dream wasn't the cause of the fear. By comparison the deathly silence was almost comforting because what was yet to come was far more sinister. Nyx could feel it now, growing and building, starting tremors in her body as the air raised gooseflesh on her bare arms. The first sound split through the air like a knife sending an icy chill up Nyx's spine. It was a pained sound, the howling cry of a dying wolf. Her wolf to be exact. In the real world both her and the wolf were indistinguishable, Nyx was the wolf and they were one and the same. In the dream world they were two separate entities and that was perhaps the most frightening conviction.

In an instant Nyx was running, bare feet scarred by the earth as she raced between the trees. It was instinctual. The dream always reached the same conclusion. Nyx had chosen not to run once before and the alternative had been far worse, frozen in the forest as the screams of the dying animal threatened to drive her insane. The only comfort she could take was that the dream would eventually end and she would awaken in her bedroom afraid but unharmed. And so she pressed on, hair flying as she slipped between the trees following the desperate howls of the creature that shared a part of her soul. The screams reached a crescendo as Nyx tumbled into the clearing, her breath bursting from her lungs as her golden eyes sought out the familiar silver body.

In a moment Nyx was on her knees, her skin grazing against the earth as she slumped on all fours beside the writhing wolf. The animal whined as Nyx gathered the slender body up in her arms, clutching the wolf's head to her chest.
"It's okay, it'll be alright..." Nyx whispered the soothing words, bracing herself against the earth as she waited with baited breath. That's when the pain came. The white hot fire that seared through her very being, scorching her nerve endings and burning her very soul. Nyx closed her eyes, gritting her teeth as the agony consumed her. As hard as she tried not to- tears began to fall from her golden eyes, streaking her cheeks. The wolf shuddered in her arms and blinking through bleary eyes Nyx saw the featureless man enter the clearing.

He always appeared when the pain began to spike, when the tears in her eyes masked his identity and she couldn't make out his face. Nyx blinked rapidly, trying as she always did to see his face, to find someone to blame for the dreams. She never succeeded though and more tears pooled as the fire seared through her. Nyx always wondered if the man was her father, if the entire dream was a metaphor for his death and the pain that had caused. Her father wouldn't have hidden from her though and he wouldn't have caused this kind of torture. Nyx grit her teeth, her fingers buried into the fur of her wolf. Even now as she begged herself to wake up Nyx knew it was pointless, the dream always ended at the same point. She had to endure the pain and then...then she had to die.

Through blurry eyes she saw the man lift his hand, light erupting from his fingers. Flames arced high in the air, catching light to the trees above and burning the clearing around her. The fire licked at the grass, smoke rising into the air as the embers took hold and seared over the ground. As the smoke swirled the man vanished and Nyx was alone once again with her wolf. The trembling creature giving one final howl before collapsing limp in her grip. Nyx held the wolf close to her, hands shaking as the warmth seemed to seep from fur, chilling her to the bone. Even in the heat of the fire she was freezing. The flames rose high around her and Nyx breathed deeply, feeling the choking heat of smoke in her lungs. A grey fog seemed to swirl in her vision and then the darkness came. She didn't even feel herself hit the ground.

Nyx's golden eyes flew open as she gasped for air, clutching at the soft pillows as her vision was filled with the familiar panelled bedroom. She lay there amongst the soft furnishings as her breathing retreated to a steady rhythm, her heart thumping against her rib cage as her fear ebbed slowly away. Waking from the dream was almost as bad, gripped by the fear that she had actually died and that the wolf was no more. Nyx reached for the glass of water on the nightstand and took a good long gulp. The water was tepid but it helped to soothe her, the burning was still imprinted on her, she couldn't feel it but she remembered it as if it were happening all over again. Nyx needed to get out of the apartment. Even in the huge open space of her bedroom she felt trapped- an unease that had plagued her ever since that fateful night eight months ago.

Nyx shivered and threw off the covers, clambering out of bed and thrusting her arms into a thin wool sweater. The sun was already in the sky, the dappled light filtering through the window and casting shadows on the wooden floor. Nyx knew she ought to be training, the others had probably already risen, eaten and been to the gym by now. The thought of food made her stomach rumble, Nyx was ravenously hungry. That was at least one bonus that came with the wolf blood, the ability to eat whatever she wanted and not put on a pound. A smile touched her face as she dumped half a pack of bacon in the pan and flicked the coffee machine on. Soon the kitchen was filled with the smell of coffee and bacon, the two scents mingling in the air. Nyx sniffed appreciatively as she sandwiched the rashers between two slices of bread and scarfed it down, barely giving herself a chance to chew the food. The coffee was scalding but the burn was bearable in comparison to the fire from her dreams, she drank it quickly before dashing off to get ready for the day.

Less than half an hour later she stood at the door, fumbling for her keys in her bag. Nyx was dressed in sports wear, skin tight leggings and a loose t-shirt. She figured it would be best to get some physical training in before she lost the entirety of the morning. Finally getting her fingers around the keys Nyx left her apartment, locked the door behind her and headed off to the gym for some much needed training.