Aira was still sitting on her bed, her body trembling. Her breath had yet to stabilize. That name—Fenrir—kept swirling in her mind. The dream felt so real. She could still feel the cold wind on her face, the rumbling of the ground shaking beneath her feet, and the sharp gaze of those yellow eyes. But what disturbed her the most were the words of the wolf.
"Princess... your time is almost here."
"What does it mean?" Aira murmured softly, her eyes still fixed on the window. Outside, the night sky looked calm. The moonlight reflected off the puddles in the small street in front of her house. However, that tranquility only made her thoughts more chaotic.
She lay back down, trying to close her eyes. But the shadow of the black wolf kept haunting her thoughts. No matter how hard she tried to ignore it, the cold feeling and that heavy voice still felt real. After tossing and turning for almost an hour, Aira gave up.
"I can't sleep," she muttered softly, wiping her face.
Aira glanced at the clock on her wall. It was almost two in the morning. The little house was quiet, only the sound of soft snoring from Mrs. Santi's room next door. Aira got out of bed, her feet touching the cold floor. She grabbed the worn sweater hanging on a chair and wrapped it around her body. For some reason, her mind seemed to urge her to go out. She didn’t even know what she was looking for.
Her steps were slow as she opened the front door. The night air felt sharp against her skin, but it didn’t stop her. She walked outside, past the rain-soaked small street. She kept walking aimlessly, letting her thoughts wander.
However, when she was almost at the edge of the small forest behind her house, Aira stopped. A faint sound came from the trees. A deep, low growl.
Aira swallowed hard. Her body tensed. "Who's there?" she asked, her voice almost trembling.
There was no answer. Only silence, interrupted by the gentle rustling of the wind through the leaves. But, as if something was calling her, Aira felt her feet start moving forward. She cautiously approached the forest, each step feeling heavier.
When she passed the first tree, the sound came again. This time, clearer. It sounded like a large animal exhaling.
"This... this can't be real, right?" she whispered to herself. But despite the mix of fear and curiosity in her heart, she couldn’t stop walking.
In the middle of the forest, Aira stopped. The moonlight filtering through the gaps in the leaves illuminated a small area in front of her. There, standing, was a large wolf with jet-black fur. Its eyes gleamed yellow, just like what she had seen in her dream.
Aira froze in place. Her body went stiff. She wanted to run, but her feet wouldn’t move. "You... who are you?" she asked in a soft voice, barely audible.
The wolf stared at her intensely. "I am Fenrir," it replied, its voice deep and heavy, echoing in Aira’s ears. "We’ve met before, Aira."
Aira shook her head quickly. "No, that’s impossible. This isn’t real. You... you only exist in my dream. I must be dreaming right now."
"This is not a dream, Princess," Fenrir said, stepping closer. Its steps were so calm, yet full of authority. "I am your protector. And the time is drawing near."
"Time for what? What do you mean?" Aira took a step back, her body trembling. She didn’t understand what was happening, but the large wolf made her feel small and powerless.
Fenrir looked at her deeply, as if trying to read her mind. "You are the heir of the Kaela bloodline, Aira. Your destiny is far greater than you think. But for that, you must prepare."
"I don’t understand. Kaela? Heir? I’m just... I’m just a normal girl. I don’t even know who I really am," Aira replied, her voice starting to shake.
"And that’s why I’m here," Fenrir answered, its voice softening slightly. "I will guide you, but you must trust me. Our world is in danger, Aira. And you are the key to saving it."
Aira shook her head. "No. This doesn’t make sense. I don’t understand anything. I don’t even know why I’m here. I can’t... I can’t be what you say I am."
"You can," Fenrir said firmly. "You just haven’t believed in yourself yet."
Aira wanted to argue, but those words silenced her. There was something in the tone of Fenrir’s voice that made her feel... small, but also important. As if, for the first time, someone was seeing something in her that even she couldn’t see.
But the fear was still there. "Why me? Why should it be me? I have nothing. I don’t even know who I really am!"
Fenrir stared at her with patience in his gaze. "Because you are the princess of the Kaela bloodline. You carry the blood that has long disappeared, and that power is inside you, even if you haven’t realized it."
Aira wanted to ask more, but before she could, a rumbling sound came from the distance. The ground beneath her feet started to tremble, just like in her dream.
"What’s that?" Aira asked in panic, her eyes searching for the source of the sound.
"The time has not come," Fenrir replied as he stepped back into the shadows. "But I will always be here, Princess. When you’re ready, I will return."
"Wait! Don’t go!" Aira cried, but the wolf had already disappeared among the trees. The rumbling sound slowly faded, leaving Aira alone in the forest.
Aira ran back to her house, her breath ragged. She didn’t care about the twigs scratching her skin or the mud clinging to her feet. When she reached the front door, she paused for a moment, trying to calm herself. But her heart was still pounding.
After a while, she opened the door quietly and entered. The house was still silent. Mrs. Santi was probably still asleep. Aira quickly went into her room and shut the door tightly. She sat on the edge of her bed, trying to understand what had just happened.
"This can’t be real," she whispered, hugging her knees. "The wolf... Fenrir... none of this makes sense."
But even as she tried to deny it, the events felt so real. More real than any dream she had ever had. And Fenrir’s words kept echoing in her mind.
"You are the heir of the Kaela bloodline. Our world is in danger. And you are the key to saving it."
Aira shook her head. "I can’t. I’m just Aira. I can’t even protect myself from Luna, let alone save the world."
But deep inside her heart, she felt something stirring. A feeling that was strange, yet strong. A feeling that told her maybe, just maybe, something much bigger was waiting for her.
Outside the window, a pair of yellow eyes glowed in the darkness. Fenrir stood among the trees, watching the small house from afar.
"She’s not ready yet," he muttered quietly. "But our time is running out."
And with that, he vanished into the shadows of the night.