Either I am losing my mind, or I am talking to a cat and hearing its answers. And if Titan is really talking to me, is it smart to follow him? I am not sure.
If you don’t trust me,Titan concludes.Come to the fence and look who is there.
Nowmy interest is piqued, and I guess it’s no harm to do as he said. Once at the gate in our fence, I let my eyes search the gloom, until I spot a familiar figure sitting on one of the benches that are scattered around the pack grounds in case the pack members want to sit and take a rest.
“Flora?”
Now, if this weren’t all so weird, I’d feel like I was in a horror movie. Talk about creepy.
Flora stands up and comes closer. “I had a feeling Titan was up to something.”
“He wants me to follow him.”
“Well, let’s go.”
I don’t know how to feel about Titan, but I definitely trust Flora. I link Felix briefly, telling him I am heading out with his mom, with a promise to explain everything later, before I follow Titan and Flora away from home and towards the forest. I am still in my pajamas, but fortunately, Felix brought boots and a jacket for me while we were tending the pony.
Titan lets out a groan.This was not planned. But I guess the Child of Light can accompany us.
The child of light?
Flora doesn’t react to his words, and I am way too confused to ask further. Instead, I trot behind both of them until we are deep into the forest. Titan eventually stops in front of a small waterfall, which ends in a beautiful pool.
“I had suspected something wasn’t right with this place,” Flora mutters. “It always felt particularly magical, even when I was still a child, but recently, something felt off.”
I swear I see some small dots of light dance around Flora, before the waterfall stops suddenly, and behind it in the shadows, there is a… a man? I can’t see him fully, but from my position, he looks just like a human, maybe a bit taller and broader. Well, shifters are taller and broader than many humans.
“But he isn’t a shifter,” I mutter, thinking out loud.
“He isn’t,” Flora says. “You can’t leave this place and step further into our realm,” she concludes. “Or am I wrong?”
“Unexpectedly,” he mutters, “my cat brings me a deity.”
“What are you talking about?” Flora laughs. “I am just a shifter.”
The man doesn’t say anything.
“If Titan isyourcat, then you must be a demon, a human one. Interesting,” she says. “I knew you existed, but I never thought I’d meet one of you.”
“On a normal occasion, you wouldn’t, Child of Light. And I am not here looking for a fight. I will not harm the balance that way.”
Flora furrows her brows. “I guess I have no reason not to believe you. However, you don’t give off a meek kind of aura. What do you think, Gwen? Does he seem like a normal demon to you?”
“I have nothing to compare it to,” I admit, my head spinning with what I am experiencing now. Am I still dreaming? This is insane! “But if I had to guess, I’d say someone with rank.Ifdemons have ranks.”
“Of course we do,” he says simply.
Something shuffles behind him, and I swear I see a small boy. Toddler age or a little older. The demon’s dark expression softens as he turns around. He whispers something to the boy before turning towards us again.
“It’s like a gate,” Flora muses.
“Exactly. I don’t know how it opened, but it did,” the demon explains. “And some of our animals came to your world.”
“We guessed,” Flora says. “We know of one dog, one cat and one bird. Please tell me there aren't any more.”
“No, that’s the three we are missing.” His gaze wanders towards Titan. “Are you going to return?”
I left my tasks in capable hands,Titan says.You are not without support. But I have served the kingdom for a long time. I’d like to take this extended vacation.
