Chapter 5

I woke up feeling so rested that for a moment, I wondered if everything had just been a dream. Until I realised I was in my human form, lying next to Luna. I scrambled up and frantically looked for my clothes, embarrassed by my state.

Luna stirred and sat up.

“You see, she let you come back.”

She smiled, seemingly not bothered.

“What’s her name…?”, she asked.

I paused for a moment. She was right, the wolf had let me return to my human form. I hesitated before I said,

“Diana”

“That’s a nice name”

She smiled and reached into her bag, taking a poncho that she threw at me.

“And my clothes..?”, I asked hopefully, but she only laughed.

“You chewed on the ones that weren't already ripped to pieces”

I sighed and wrapped it around me.

“So will I need to wear this forever?”, I pouted and watched her poking the embers with a stick before she placed a metal cup of water on them.

“No”

She shook her head.

“At home you can wear what you want, but here in the wild.. You may need to shift suddenly and then…” she chuckled. “You know what will happen.”

“Why here…?”

She went quiet for a moment.

“You might meet a Spectre. But don’t worry, your spirit form can fight them.”

I shivered, remembering her telling me how she’d killed the one who attacked me. She sighed.

“More will come sooner or later…”

“Why…? I thought they had stopped coming after the Fall?”

She shook her head.

“It is a long story, and a lot of knowledge was lost at that time… Something in our world attracted them. We destroyed most of them, and after the Big Blackout, it has been less, but they might still come, and we don’t want to take any chances”

Suddenly, fear crept into me, and I imagined all those dark stories my grandpa used to tell me. Diana stirred in me, nagging me to seek the comfort of the pack. I leaned into Luna, and she put an arm around me… It felt nice, and safe… For both of us.

“Don’t worry. If they do, we will be ready. You’ll be able to sense them now when you have Diana in you.”

She smiled.

“From where I come, many people want to have a spirit in them for that reason”

I looked at her, surprised. Someone wanted to be like this?

“So you…?”

She shook her head before I had a chance to finish my question.

“I was more like you…”

“I am sorry, Luna… I shouldn’t have...”

“It is okay.. I understand what you feel”, she smiled and put a piece of meat on the embers. “Let’s eat something first”

“And then what…?”

“I will go back to the relay server. The database might have survived the Blackout… That’s why I came here in the first place”

I looked at her, confused.

“You know, the place where I found you”, she smiled. “Do you want to come?”

I shivered, remembering the dark corridor and the Spectre that had lurked there.

“It’s okay, I killed it. The place is safe.”, she said, and took the food from the fire.

“How did you know about it?”, I asked as we ate.

“The sergeant back in our settlement had a map. It wasn’t a secret before the Fall.”

I stared at the food. I had never heard anything of this when I still lived in my settlement.

“Maybe I should try to go back…?”, I whispered.

“Don’t, Diana… You know what will happen if you do.”

I sighed. She was right, I couldn’t. I felt tears rolling down my cheeks.

“It will be okay…”

She put her arm around me. It wasn’t fair. My home was gone.

“It will get easier with time”, she whispered.

I wiped the tears from my cheeks.

“You think...?”

She nodded.

“It will…”

She got up.

“You don’t need to come to the relay server if you don’t want to”

I felt Diana stir within me, seeing her pack prepare to leave.

“No, I’ll come with you…”

She smiled, and I got up and followed her into the hills.