Patty Liu - Silent Reflections

“Shhh… I think I heard something,” Princess Wendy quietly announced when they had made camp by the river. The sun was still out and bright over their heads but they had all gathered to get some rest.

Wolf turned his head around and sniffed the air. “I don’t smell much, princess. Actually I just smell you. You and some other human scents. That’s strange. I also smell you too, Tony. But it’s not coming from you.”

At that moment there was a rustle in the bushes and two people appeared from behind the bushes. Wolf began growling and he narrowed his eyes and snarled. Tony quickly jumped up and put his hand up.

“It’s all right, it’s all right. It’s just the two guards that we had traveling with us earlier in our journey,” Tony explained.

“Yes, Sir Antony. We are so overjoyed to find out that you have broken the spell. We immediately tried to track you down so we could continue our journey with presenting the princess to our king,” one of the guards said.

Wolf finally relaxed and snuggled up to the sleeping form of Virginia. The guards, Tony, and the princess began to whisper amongst themselves and Wolf soon fell asleep listening to their muffled voices.

Wolf woke up with a start. It was late in the afternoon and the sun was setting quickly. Tony and Princess Wendy were both sleeping on the ground and the guards were propped up under a tree also snoozing the afternoon away. Pip flew into their little camp area and cooed loudly. No, that wasn’t what had woken him up. He thought he had smelled something but now the scent was gone. Something wasn’t quite right. He could feel it.

“Wolf? Is everything okay?” Virginia had awakened when she felt Wolf’s body tense next to hers.

“Hush, my little dumpling. Nothing is the matter,” he lied. “I think we should wake everyone up now and get going. We need to cross the river still.”

Virginia nodded and quickly woke everyone up. She knew Wolf had lied about nothing being wrong but she decided to just let Wolf keep his secret. He would tell her when it was the right time. Her guard was up, too, now that she knew Wolf was worried about something. She and Princess Wendy gathered up their belongings and the men put out the fire.

They hired a large rafting boat by the river. An old man had said that he’d take them across for he had to visit a young lady that he had befriended just the other day. They agreed. On the raft, the travelers tried to rest again. Princess Wendy nodded off while sitting up next to a water barrel. Tony also fell asleep and his snores could be heard practically across the river. The guards slept with their mouths wide open as if catching flies. Virginia laid her head on Wolf’s shoulder and she began to think of everything that had happened.

“Wolf?”

“Hmmm?”

“Where do you suppose Melody is now?”

Wolf wrinkled his forehead and he peered down at Virginia. “I wouldn’t have a clue, sweetie pie. Why are you asking about her?”

“I don’t know. I was just thinking about what the shoes had said that first time. You mknow, about blood being shared.”

Wolf sat still and didn’t say anything.

“Do you suppose? I mean, you knew that the evil queen had been my mother when you first smelled me. Do you think you could smell it now? I mean, I don’t know what I mean. I am so screwed up.” Virginia buried her face into Wolf’s shoulder.

“Huff, puff. Honey biscuit, you know what you are talking about. You are going to have to let the answer in and accept it. Just know this, I am here for you no matter whatever happens. And I will believe in you also. Do you know why?” Wolf said, raising Virginia’s face to his level and gazing into her blue, blue eyes. Virginia shook her head even though she knew the answer already.

“Because, love of my life, you are my entire being! You are my soul mate. I know I have my quirks that rake on your nerves. I know I get quite tiresome too at times. And I will understand when you would want to leave me to get some peace. But My Virginia, there are some things that you are going to have to realize and admit it or else you’ll be a lost little girl forever.”

Virginia was at a loss for words. She didn’t know what Wolf was trying to get at. Did he want her to admit that she loved him? But he already knows that. He doesn’t need proof. Did he want her to admit that she somehow knew that she was related to Melody by blood? Dear God, just the thought scared the life out of her. How could she be related to Melody? The girl was perhaps just a few years younger than her. But she remembered that the aging process could be quite different in the Nine Kingdoms. She didn’t really know how the process worked but if Melody was related to her then she must find out how. And finding out how was scaring the daylights out of her.