Chapter 4: Dreams and Desires
"It's the same as before..." Sapphira's voice was barely above a whisper as she walked within the woodlands, following the same path she had so many times before as it lead her deeper into the woods. Eventually she arrived like always at a small clearing full of flowers, the fragrance of them filling her nose as the sunlight streamed down in thin rays through the tree tops over head. Sparkling clear water rippled lightly within the pond at the center of the small field of beautiful blooming flowers as the warm spring breeze flowed around Sapphira.
"Nothing has changed at all, not in all these years and yet still something about all of this feels strange." The next moment Sapphira's gaze was drawn to her right as her sensitive ears picked up the echo of footsteps coming through the woods and she readied herself taking a small breath. She knew what was coming next, it was always the same thing every time with this dream, shortly her older sister and Sapphira herself would emerge as children into the clearing that they played in all the time when they were younger. This same dream had haunted many of her nights since the death of her sister, a memory of her childhood, of a special time they shared together in a secret place.
Leaning against a nearby tree, Sapphira smiled warmly at the comforting feeling she got from this dream, it was wonderful seeing her sister again like this even if only for a short time until she woke up from it. But the sight that greeted her when the pair of figures emerged from the woods it caused Sapphira's eyes to open wide with shock and she stuttered out a curse almost unable to believe what she was seeing. "What in the hells of the underworld is going on?"
She easily recognized her younger self, but the figure holding her hand as they entered the open area was not a childhood version of her sister. It was a boy, a young wolf-kin boy with a kind, gentle smile upon his face, deeply golden eyes so lively as he happily smiled at the younger Sapphira who smiled back at him shyly. Sapphira stared at them both, confusion within her gaze, and as the two sat upon the edge of the shimmering blue water. She noticed another figure on the opposite side of the children. "It can't be... What is he doing her?"
"I was going to ask you the very same question..." Lucian emerged from the shadows, his towering wolf-kin body exposed all except for the portion covered in the silvery white loincloth draped around his waist. This was not the dream of his childhood that Lucian remembered. In that dream he had come here to play with another wolf-kin girl. It was a dream he had been having a lot during these past few years. Strange as it was to see that the girl who was there with his own youthful version was not wolf-kin, it felt right in his heart, as if this was how the dream was truly meant to be.
"Is it not bad enough you dominate my thoughts while I am awake, now you intrude upon my dreams as well?" Sapphira looked down at the children who were smiling playfully and seemed to be chatting, unable to hear their words which were silenced. This bothered Sapphira, as she wanted so badly to hear what they were saying. She could not understand it, but a feeling was swelling up inside her heart, as if the scene of the two young ones enjoying the company of one another was meant to be. "This was a dream where my sister and I shared happy moments together as children in this place and yet she has been replaced by someone else."
Turning toward Sapphira Lucian said, "That is me, but how can this be and how can we have had dreams so alike and now suddenly be together in them?" Lucian could not hear their words either and it bothered him because the two of them looked so happy together and he could not ever remember seeing himself this happy during the dreams before. His eyes looked back at Sapphira, admiring how beautiful she looked with such a graceful elegant body, slender and yet supple at the same time, dressed in only a sheer creamy white cloth that revealed her figure slightly. He held back a growl of desire as he looked down to see the pair of children now embracing each other warmly, such a sweet innocent look upon their faces as they spoke without making a sound Lucian could hear.
"You both feel it don't you?" Lucian and Sapphira turned in surprised as Lady Akisha appeared as a ghostly figure standing next to the children, the smile on her face cool as she looked over them. "Both of you know the dreams you have been having were meant to truly be this dream, but now is not the time for you to hear the truth these young ones are speaking."
Sapphira started to ask her what she meant and Lucian was about to do the same when the world around them began to grow fuzzy, fading slowly from their sight into a world of darkness. The entire scene started to dissolve and a light began to poor down from above the illumination revealing a world of images swirling around Lucian and Sapphira before everything suddenly went dark. "Both of you will awaken to the truth soon enough..."
"Lady Sapphira?"
Sitting up suddenly at the sound of someone knocking on the door to her bed chambers, Sapphira looked around slightly upset for a moment over the dream before answering back. "What do you want?"
"I come bearing an important message from the High Council of Elders milady which they requested I bring it to you immediately." Sapphira grumbled as she slowly slipped out of the bed, wrapped a nearby robe over her bed attire and then walked to the large set of doors. The guards on the outside of her chambers heard her footsteps and opened the doors allowing Sapphira to step through them. The young messenger looked down, and held the letter up to Sapphira who took it and retreated back into her room without a second glance.
