Flame's POV
My whole body stiffens as explosive wolves' voices begin to howl inside my head and all around me. I forcefully push myself away from Ethan with my eyes tightly shut and my hands over my ears in a bid to block out some of the noise but it is useless.
It feels like a parade is going on inside my head. Throngs of angry wolves running and howling in unison. Threatening to render me insane. I manage to open my eyes when I feel Ethan's firm hands shaking my shoulders...
His lips are moving but I can't hear what he's saying over all the howlings and the paws beating hard on the wall of my skull.
"Make it stop! Please make it stop! It's driving me crazy! I'm about to go insane! It is painful. Feels as if my head is about to explode" I cry out
to him in desperation.
He looks frantic with worry for me. His lips are still moving, uttering words he had no idea I can't hear. That is it. He's not doing anything to stop the voice. Can he even hear me?
"Make it stop!" I shout through the mind link this time but there's no change in his expression. I don't think he can hear me as I can't hear him.
He can't help me. What was I expecting him to do anyway? Reach inside my head and stop the imaginary rowdy parade going on inside there.
This is it then. Unless Martha's sorcerer cousin can help me then this is it for me! I'm finally going over the edge! Mental!
Just like the way it suddenly began, it stopped and I collapse back into my chair. Ethan immediately stands and hurries to sit beside me.
"Ash. Ash, are you okay?..." I heard him this time. "What is going on with you? What is wrong with your head? Why did you suddenly grab your head? Talk to me please, you're scaring me..." He asks all in one breath but I feel too exhausted to talk. Even if I can talk, what will I tell him? I can't answer what I don't know. I also want answers myself.
Instead of talking, I lay on the couch, curled up with my head placed on his lap. The suite cabin is well air-conditioned but I'm hot all over, my body radiates heat making beads of perspiration appear on my forehead to form droplets of sweat that ran down both sides of my face and trickled down my spine from inside my hair
"Ash..."
"I don't know!" I finally manage to say in a shaky voice. "Please - Can you please just hold me? I am scared." I bare it all.
"Okay..." He replies as he adjusts the couch into a bed. Then he gently pulls me from his lap, securely wrapping his arms around me with my head resting on his chest.
"You're hot. How can you be this hot when the cabin is well air-conditioned?" He whispers with concern over the top of my head but I don't answer him. I'm thinking to myself...
'What just happened to me? Why did I hear those howling wolves? Does the noise have anything to do with my strange wolf?...' I keep wondering about questions I have no answer for.
Ethan starts singing softly out of nowhere then. He rubs my back as he sings. I don't recognize the song he's singing but it sounds nice, his voice deep and soothing, his heart beats like sweet rhythm lulling me into relaxation
When I open my eyes, Ethan has stopped singing. Did I fall asleep? I wonder
"Ethan?" I call to see if he's fallen asleep himself
"Hmmm..." He replies
"Did I fall asleep?"
"Yeah. It's been..." He paused to check his wristwatch. "Forty-five minutes."
"Oh my, I'm sorry!" I say and immediately sit up. How could I be so comfortable sleeping in a man's arms? What if Martha wakes and sees us together like that?
He chuckles
"I must have snoozed for a few minutes myself so It's no bother. I like the feel of you in my arms, anyway."
I feel my face heat up and I immediately look away from him, focusing my attention outside the window.
"Thank you." My voice comes out like a croak and I clear my throat. "Thank you for comforting me."
He nodes
"How are you feeling? Are you good now? "
"Fine - I guess." I turn to give him a brief smile but wince instead when lightning-like pain flashes through my head.
"Are you okay?" He asks, frowning with concern
I node
"I'm fine now. Thank you."
"What happened, Ash? You really gave me a scare, I must admit. I almost woke Martha up since I don't know what to do with you."
I look toward the bed where Martha is sleeping peacefully, oblivious to what is going on with me before turning back to the window
"Thank you for not waking her...
Please, Ethan, I don't want her to know about this. I don't want her to worry about me any more than necessary."
He nods, "I understand. So care to tell me what happened to you?" He asks softly
"I wish I could tell you what happened, just that I don't know myself! It's hard to explain. One moment we were... You know..." I awkwardly cleared my throat. I'm not comfortable talking about what we were doing when the howling happened...
"All of a sudden there was this deafening noise in my head. I couldn't hear past it. When you talked, I just saw your lips moving. I didn't hear what you were saying. It was just the deafening noise like throngs of wolves were howling a protest inside my head...
I don't know what happened to me, Ethan! Am I going crazy? Can my strange wolf cause me to lose my mind because it feels as if I'm losing my mind!" I earnestly ask even when I know he can't help me
"You aren't losing your mind. How can you be losing your mind when you're perfectly making sense with your conversation?"
"Am I really!?..."
"Yes, you are!... You know what, don't think about it anymore. Come lie down. You're stressed and should be sleeping, not worrying." He stands up from the couch bed and gently pushes me to lie on it. You've been working all day. You should sleep some more so your brain will rest
"I don't think this has anything to do with stress Ethan, I know what I heard!"
"And I believe you. Even though I couldn't hear what you heard, I saw you were in pain, saw how you held your hands over your ears. But there's no need to stress over it right now, just rest. Maybe Martha's sorcerer cousin will be able to help with an answer or a solution, whatever that's best okay?"
"Yeah, maybe," I reply, smiling thankfully at him. I don't know when I slept for the second time. The next thing I know is Martha standing over me, gently shaking me awake.
"Ash, wake up! We're here"
I open my eyes.
"We are?" I ask since I can still feel the train moving. "But the train hasn't stopped yet!"
"Yes. We will arrive at our stop in about five minutes. I just woke you up, maybe you might want to use that bathroom and freshen up before we alight?"
"Yeah, sure!" I smile and get out of bed. "Hi..." I say to Ethan as I make my way toward the bathroom and he smiles back.
A man that Martha introduces to us as her cousin's husband is waiting for us at the train station with a car. And about ten minutes later, we arrived at a two-story building house that is much like Martha's cottage but instead of the vegetables and flower garden, this garden was sectioned off with different kinds of plants and herbs.
The man leads us to the back of the house where a woman sits, grinding something inside a small, white porcelain mortar. Immediately she sees us approach, she pushes the table she's working on aside and hurries towards us. She and Martha hug like it's been long since they saw each other last
Martha's cousin looks like she's Martha's daughter instead. She looks like she's in her thirties. A vivacious beautiful mixed blood with wild curly brown hair and a smile that is much like Martha's
"Hi... I'm Lilly." She introduces herself to us as soon as they break off their hug, not giving Martha the opportunity to make the introduction.
"Come have your seats... I'm sorry we couldn't offer anything other than coffee and tea..." She says apologetically as shows us to an already set table that had coffee and tea urns plus some cups on it. "The urgency of your visit didn't allow us to do more."
We each say our 'Thank you for having us at such an odd time' before having our seats. I haven't even settled in my chair when she stretches her hand to me...
"Come, Ash... Walk with me" She takes my hand and gently pulls me out of my chair, leading me out of the gazebo.
"I understand you're in a hurry. Martha told me you have to be back at work by 6 am."
"Yes..." I reply and smile in appreciation. I came to see her for answers about my wolf and not for the coffee and chit-chat anyway
Lily holds my hand till we arrive at her garden where two cozy swing chairs are placed.
"You don't look like a sorcerer," I say after we've both sat down. I've been curious about her since I first laid my eyes on her. I don't know what a sorcerer is supposed to look like but I don't think they're supposed to look like a retired beauty queen.
She laughs... "I am glad to hear you say that because I'm not a sorcerer.