7 - DRACULA'S CASTLE

Aurora trotted over to a particularly large black wolf, their greetings a series of barks and nuzzles.  The black wolf then dipped its head and nudged something into the snow with its snout.  Aurora picked it up carefully in her mouth and padded back to me. It's a crocheted strap necklace with an ocean blue diamond-shaped pendant.  Aurora nudged it closer to me, placing it gently at my feet. I crouched down, bringing myself eye level with the magnificent creature.

I scooped up the necklace from the snow.  "Is this for me?" I held it up, the diamond shaped pendant catching the dancing light of the Aurora.  Aurora's tail thumped against the snow in a way that definitely looked like a "yes."

"Thanks, girl!" I grinned, pulling her into a hug.  She was surprisingly soft for such a big creature.

I pulled back from the hug and held the necklace up to my chest.  "How's it look?" I asked Aurora, even though I knew she probably wouldn't understand a word. Being able to talk to animals was, like, totally a Princess Sofia thing, and let's be real, that was not happening!

Aurora let out a long howl, like she was trying to reply.  Too bad I couldn't decipher wolf speak.  I scratched behind her ear, and she let out a happy huff.

"I wish I could understand you," I sighed.

Aurora turned and started walking back towards her pack, her head held high.  This was goodbye.  She belonged in the wild, running free under the dancing lights.

"Goodbye, Aurora," I called after her, a lump forming in my throat.  "And hey, try to stay out of trouble with hunters, okay?"

"Bye Aurora!"

She looked back at me and Fern one last time before rejoining her pack. Soon, they were just a blur of fur disappearing into the snowy landscape.

I slumped back down in the snow, gazing up at the sky.  Fern scooted over and leaned her shoulder against mine.

"She's like the Aurora," I whispered, watching the vibrant lights dance above.  "Beautiful and amazing, but something you can't hold on to. All you can do is cherish the memory."

Fern patt my shoulder gently, and we both sat there in comfortable silence, lost in the magic of the night sky.

[FLASHBACKS END]

***

A CURIOUS glint sparked in Tyler's eyes. "Wanna know what Aurora said in her howl?" he asked, referring to the video we'd just watched.

My heart thumped with excitement. "You can understand her?" I blurted, scrambling to turn off the camera. "What did she say?"

A gentle smile played on his lips. "Of course, I'm a wolf, remember? Apparently, she said, 'Your kindness shines brighter than that pendant you wear. Never let the darkness dim your light.”

My heart tugged.  "That's so sweet! Thanks for translating, Tyler." I scooped up my things, a thoughtful frown creasing my forehead as I zipped my bag shut.  My fingers brushed against the familiar pendant.  "Do you think this necklace has anything to do with, well, everything?" I asked,  "Maybe it's why I'm here?"

Tyler's gaze followed mine to the pendant.  "Possibly," he admitted.  "But even if it is connected to everything, would you be angry with Aurora?"

"Absolutely not!  Honestly, if I hadn't ended up here, I would probably have eaten sharks right now if ever the plane crash on seas. Plane crashes aren't exactly known for happy endings."

Tyler absorbed this silently, a thoughtful crease forming between his brows. Yeah, whatever! Exhaustion finally caught me up, and drifted me off to sleep. I curled up with my bag as a makeshift pillow.  Maybe someday, the pieces of the puzzle would all click into place.  But for now, sleep needs me.

A gentle nudge from Tyler stirred me awake. Fuzzy sleep clung to me as I mumbled a confused, "Why?"

"We're at the pack house," he whispered.

I sat up, blinking the sleep away. My jaw literally dropped as I look in the surroundings. "Woah, are you sure we're at the right place?"

"Why?"

"This looks more like Dracula's castle than a pack house," I blurted out, eyes wide.

"What did you expect, a treehouse?" One of the guards was unlocking the carriage door. He glanced at me with a smirk.

"Well, no offense, but I figured maybe... a cave? You guys kinda give off 'creature of the night' vibes."

He let out a low growl, clearly annoyed. But I shrugged, unfazed. A giant castle nestled deep in the woods as their home? This pack must be loaded!

"Wow," I breathed.  This place had to be ancient!  And seriously impressive.  There were smaller houses scattered around the grounds too, probably for other pack members.  They were nice enough, but compared to the castle, they looked like dollhouses.

Excitement bubbled up in my chest. "I wonder if my room is cute!" I chirped, earning a laugh from both Tyler and the grumpy guard.

"Right, princess," he drawled, bowing sarcastically, "Since you're our prisoner, you get the royal treatment – a dungeon cell with a cozy wooden bed and a stunning view of the iron bars."

My eyebrows shot up again, and I crossed my arms.  This grumpy wolf was really getting on my nerves.  "Hey, if you're sad about not having any friends here, don't take it out on me! We're practically strangers," I pointed out, turning away with a smirk.

Unlike Tyler, I wasn't weighed down by a collar or chains.  They probably figured I wasn't much of a threat.  Seriously, what could a tiny human do against a pack of werewolves?  Escaping these guys would be like trying to outrun a speeding car.

"Granur," a man that looks like the head guard called out to the grumpy wolf.  "Take the prisoners to the basement.  We'll decide what to do with them later tonight."

So that was his name, Granur.  Fitting, with that perpetually grumpy look on his face!

A few other wolves approached the other prisoners, ushering them towards the basement.  The grumpy guard started lumbering towards me, but I darted out of reach before he could even grab me.

He let out a frustrated sigh, looking at me like I was a particularly stubborn puppy. "Listen. Are you gonna walk to the basement yourself, or do I have to carry you?" He snapped.