Travellers, part one chapter two

The sleep engulfed them, like a tsunami rushing over land their minds were caught and trapped together in a dream. The land around them was pure white, everything was white from the trees to the ground to the sky. There were clouds outlined in the sky only by the detailed shadows that all clouds have. The Sun was there too but all that one could see of it was pure white light. One could see that it was brighter than the rest of the land yet it wasn’t so bright that one couldn’t look into it. This is what the male was doing, staring into the sun, oblivious to the white purity of the world around him. She stood up from where she lay and when she looked around she realized that they were ontop of the tree den. The ground curved slightly as if it were a hill, there were areas where the curve got out of hand, where the curve stopped and it became a drop. She shivered at the thought of what such a drop could do to you, what bones would be crushed, what organs would be pierced. Then only did she look to her side, frowning she walked to stand next to him. Not a word had being uttered since the sleep had engulfed them. They stood silently, he staring into the sun, she contemplating the edges and then something happened that was quite unexpected, he spoke.
“The sun blinded my grandfather you know” He said softly, he didn’t seem so tired nor angry for that matter. She wasn’t angry either, she felt rather relaxed and at piece. She felt… serene.
“Did he do what you are doing now?” she asked, hinting ever so slightly that perhaps looking directly at the sun, no matter how bright, was a bad idea.
“In fact… ya” he said, still softly. His voice was deep, it rumbled through his chest and dripped like honey off his tongue. Each word lasted in her mind, fading away slowly yet leaving behind a craving for more. She wanted him to talk, she wanted him to tell her the story of his grandfather and the sun. He looked away from the sun, now looking at her. His fur was white and black, ears, muzzle and tail tipped black. In the strange half-waking dream world they were in he matched perfectly, he had not colour, nothing to taint the perfection until one looked into his eyes. They were even more vibrant than in real life, they were searing and violent. They saw her very soul, her very heart. She couldn’t help but take a step back because of the intensity. She looked down at her paws and frowned, she was no longer brown but grey. She turned around trying to get a look at the rest of herself and made a noise halfway between a noise and a growl to show her displeasure. Unlike him she looked plain a drab. Yes perhaps the grey coat was more traditional but his white and black looked superb in the surroundings. She on the other hand looked more like a grey dot on the landscape, ruining the perfection. She looked back at him her eyes angry. His expression on the other hand became a bit fearful and she took a step back.
“Your eyes…” He said leaving her to guess what they looked like. She imagined they looked a lot like his, bright vibrant and glowing. Hers would most likely be even stranger to him simply because her right one was pink her left one was green, both neon on the best of days. Now not only did she look like a drab mark on perfection she also looked like a neon sign that the humans used to mark their territory. She shook her head, unimpressed, she would have walked away but she was afraid of falling off the edge. He looked away, not wanting to anger her.
“What’s your name” He asked his voice no longer soft and peaceful but rather interested and even stranger a little bit amused. She cocked her head curiously; she had told him this already! She could feel a phantom-like anger welling up but as soon as it appeared it dissipated. It was as if the environment fed on it.
“Teara” She answered curtly, trying to hold on to the anger. Trying to be cross that he hadn’t paid attention, but how could she? He had being tired and worried for his peers. Perhaps they had even being family and he was watching them die. Why was everything making so much more sense here? Was it because she was so calm?
“And you’re… a healer?” He asked, cocking his own head and narrowing his eyes. He was having the same battle inside. Trying to hold onto his anger but it was like trying to hold onto a slippery fish. It was slid right out of his paws.
“I’m a witch.” At his looked she was prompted to add more, “But I started out as a healer”.
“The elders always said witches were dangerous” He answered skeptically.
“Some are” she replied chuckling and smiling despite her battle to hold on to her anger. She decided to let it go, after all it was so much nicer being happy and peaceful.
“And you?” He asked worriedly, “I mean you poured some glowing white water into a hole in the den and it turned black… isn’t that… well…” He couldn’t bring himself to say it, he looked away embarrassed that he had even suggested such a thing. She wouldn’t practice dark magic on the only living members of his pack left. No, no wolf would do such an evil thing. They all knew how sacred the pack was.
“It was” She said slightly embarrassed but still happy, still smiling. She felt like she should be in a field of flowers or something. Somewhere beautiful, not that this whiteness wasn’t beautiful it was just… it was too pure for her. He growled at her, anger suddenly blossoming and she looked at him bewildered, she had forgotten how most were against the dark arts. Not that they were very dark, they were simply called that because of the way they had being used. It was like calling a tooth evil if it was used to kill another wolf. It was not the the tooth that had done it but the wolf that it grew from. Same with magic.
He was still angry and he ook a step towards her, unlike the other anger this was deep rooted and it gave him a wild look.
“So you would kill them? You would destroy a pack?” He said wildly, taking another step towards her.
“No!” She said suddenly afraid, taking a step back to match his forward one. “Magic is not like that”
“Says the witch” He spat at her and took another step forward which she matched. They hadn’t being too far from the edge when they had begun, now she was getting dangerously close. The gentle curve was changing to a slope.
“Says the brute’ she spat back and another step was taken by both. Her claws scrabbled at the ground as they sought footing.
“The pack is sacred and you would kill it? You would destroy the only thing a wolf holds dear?” He said, ignoring her scraping and attempt to keep her footing. He took another step forward, yet she didn’t take one back. She was trying not to slide off of the structure.
“A pack is not the only thing wolves hold dear you ridiculous mutt, what about love? And honor? And happiness?”
“The source of packs” He said simply as if she should have known it to begin with. She didn’t agree with him, she hadn’t being raised in a pack like that. No she hadnt had the glorious childhood that most wolves were given.
“Perhaps to you” she said, her fear becoming sadness. Her memories were something she fought so ahrd to forget and yet here it was as if she embraced them. She could remember every painful detail. He took another step forward and she couldn’t help but take one backwards. The slope became a cliff and her claws grabbed at the hard packed dirt that made up the white mound. Time seemed to slow down as she desperately tried to gain a foothold. She could see his face slowly change from anger to shock, his maw opened and he yelled but the words did not reach his ears. Her paws were now falling back from the gritty, sandy surface, a few seconds passed and she was looking at the sky, floating down to the ground. It felt slow but she knew it was going so much faster. She could still see his face over the edge, moving in slow motion as he yelled. He had being angry with her but he hadn’t wanted her to die. It made her a little bit happier somewhat, yet perhaps she did deserve death? She had deviated from the norm her entire life, perhaps this was the gods’ punishment? Then she remembered she was In a dream, could one die in a dream?
Suddenly time sped up, things moved too fast. She didn’t know whether she was falling or rising, the world was turning and moving and jumping and then she fell. She knew she had fallen because she felt the hard bump of the ground jolt through her body. It felt as if she had fallen from a meter not a couple of stories. Her eyes were open and she lay on her side, she saw a white wolf land in front of her, her wing folding and then disappearing. Wait, wings? Wolves didn’t have wings. Birds had wings, bats had wings even a few lizards and fish had wings but not wolves. No wolves didn’t have wings. She blinked looking again, no this wolf didn’t have wings.
The wolf turned and looked at her. She was as white as the world around her, looking back even the male had a grey tint. This wolf was so white she practically glowed. Looking beyond the white wolf she realized she was back on the roof of the tree-den. She stood up shaking herself. The male rushed up to the glowing white wolf and she snorted, angry he hadn’t come to her first. He had almost killed her! He should have being begging for her forgiveness.
“How did you do that?” He exclaimed, walking around her, looking for something. It was almost as if the wings had not being a part of her imagination. He then whirled to look at Teara, “She saved you! She picked you up and flew right over my head!” Okay so perhaps the wings had not being imagined.
“I wouldn’t have needed saving if you had just listened to me” She growled before turning her head to the female and bowing ever so slightly in thanks. “I owe you my life”
“Well if you hadn’t-“ The male began but was cut off when the glowing white female cleared her throat. They both looked at her, a little bit guilty as if they had being two children stealing from the cookie jar.
“You owe me your life, I intend to take it” She said to Teara, the female took a step back suddenly worried. Had this mad wolf saved her only to kill her again?
“You owe her your life” She said to the male and he bowed his head guiltily. He had just about pushed her off the edge.
“Which means you owe me yours as well, I will take that too” She said with a proud grin. “I put you two here hoping you would sort your differences out! Except you continue trying to kill each other!” SHe then said, her smile abruptly changing to a look of irritation. “You two are like children” She said simply and then she began to sing. Both the male and Teara recognized the song from when they had fallen asleep.
“This is the song of strife and life,
And of how the Taker’s deeds weave and grieve.
Let us sing of the age old creed heralding greed and need and deeds.”
She could see the white wolf singing but her voice had faded away as was the land around her, colour was starting to return and then there was a moment of blur and they were standing in the clearing where she had first attempted to attack the male. Teara’s fur changed from the drab grey back to its brown, their eyes all lost the unnatural glow and the white female changed. Her underbelly, underparts of her tail and chest fur became purple. Not bright purple but rather a washed out almost grey-ish purple. She smiled at Teara’s look as if proud of herself for whatever had just happened. Yes Teara was a witch but this, this was magic she was unaccustomed to and perhaps she should be afraid but she wasn’t. No she was just curious and it showed.
“So I am the Guardian. Defender of the realms” The purple and white wolf said with a grin and then cocked her head, it was time for the other two to share their names.
“Teara” she said immediately grinning and she sat down and looked at the male. She still didn’t know his name, he had avoided the question earlier… actually when he had asked he hadn’t being talking to her at all.
“Seth” He said, looking tired again, he shook his head unimpressed. This magic was not for him. No he had wolves to look after. He wasn’t willing to dabble in this stuff that could kill him or worse, it could deem his soul imperfect, marked and dangerous. It could lock him out of the afterlife. He shook his coat to get rid of the dust and he turned around and walked off. The two females watched him, Teara frowned angry at his stupidity or at least she considered it so while the Guardian cocked her head to the side curiously. When Seth was gone the two turned to each other. The Guardian shrugged and Teara calmed down a bit.
“So…” Teara began looking curiously at the creature who called herself the guardian. “Your name is the guardian?”
“No, that is simply my calling” The purple and white furred fea answered she smiled at Teara and then looked after Seth. She beckoned to Teara and the two began walking to the strange tree-den that his pack claimed.
“So what is your name?” Teara said a bit bewildered, why would someone not share their name?
“You can simply call me the guardian” she answered with a regretful smile, almost as if the information was being withheld for Teara’s own sake. Teara looked away suddenly feeling a bit guilty, the name hadn’t being  shared for a reason. Perhaps the female was running from a painful past, perhaps she simply didn’t agree with her name or perhaps she had being cursed? They walked on silently, Teara musing over what the Guardian had said and what it meant. Her mind then stumbled upon another thing that she had not asked.
“What did you mean about Seth and I being… yours?” She asked hesitantly.
“I have claimed you, you are mine. You will travel with me wherever I see fit to go” the Gaurdian said, Teara cocked her head utterly confused.
“You cannot do-“ She broke off remembering the guardian’s power. Was this a threat? Were Seth and her trapped and tied to this female for eternity? Was this female the monster she had felt when she first entered the territory?