The Here and Now

My nostrils flared the second she walked into the bar. She was a wolf shifter like me, but her scent was different. It was old and layered with secrets. It made you long for the time when forests grew free across the land, when wild wolves still lived in Britain, and shifters did not fear detection. I never smelled anything like it. I looked up to see her sauntering towards me. She was nothing special to look at, average at best. Average height and weight, light brown hair, the only thing that stood out was her dark green eyes. They had a primitive glint to them, the kind of thing that suggested dominance in our world, a feral look if you will. I couldn’t stop the shiver of icy fear that ran down my spine. As an alpha male and leader of the welsh pack I’d never had such a reaction before. Fear quickly turned into anger. That such a nondescript slip of a girl could make me feel like a subject instead of a leader really pissed me off.



She passed my table and made her way to the back door. Before opening it she turned and gave me a mocking smile. That did it I swallowed the last of my whiskey and followed her determined to show this woman, whoever she was, just how dominant an alpha I was.



There was no sign of her when I exited the building, so I followed her strange scent. It led further down the alley behind the bar and up the fire escape. Knowing this could be a trap I moved silently, stopping near the top to taste the air for any hidden dangers. All I could smell was her, so I jumped the last few feet and crouched ready to fight. She sat on the other side of the roof watching me with an amused look on her face.



‘Very dramatic. Mikhail would be so proud,’ she said condescendingly. I had no idea who Mikhail was, but I wasn’t about to show my ignorance to some irritating female.



‘Who are you and why are you here?’ I barked simply not relaxing my fighting stance.



‘Forgive me. Where are my manners! My name is Brenna. Relax Aidenn I only want to talk. Please come sit with me. I have travelled a long way to find you and we don’t have much time to spare,’ she replied her tone playful but truthful. Her answer confused me even more. I still had no idea who she was, I’d never heard of anyone called Brenna. Her reply didn't give me any other option but to join her. A refusal would have made me look weak and alphas can never show weakness, so I joined her on the wall carful to leave enough room between us to strike if I had to.



‘Who is Mikhail?’ I asked curiosity getting the better of me. She turned to look at me her face shocked. Quickly her expression turned sad. It was a look that could have melted a thousand stone hearts.



‘I suppose I should not be surprised you don’t know. He has been away for so long. I suppose that no one remembers him is part of his punishment. Mikhail is our king. He was the first of our kind. He is also your great, great, great grandfather. At the moment he stands guard at the sands of time, trapped in a way. Punishment for upsetting the gods. I forget what he did that time.’ she muttered quickly as if embarrassed at having to explain this to me. She turned away looking out towards the horizon.



‘Look out there Aidenn son of Mikhail; do you see that light?’



I looked where she was pointing. Sure enough there was a strange glow. It looked like light was being reflected off something, but it was too far away for even me to see properly I squinted trying to make it out.



‘Smell the air pup. Take a deep breath. Do you smell that?’ I took a deep breath the air was strange, it hinted at great forests that weren’t there. It was an old scent much like hers. It didn’t belong here in the city.



‘The world is changing. it will happen so quick no one will notice. One day soon everyone will wake up and everything will be different but no one will know. No one will see. it will be as if it has always been that way.’ she moved in front of me placing her hands gently on the side of my face and bringing her face so close to mine all I could see were her eyes.



‘You must remember me Aidenn son of Mikhail. The decision can only be made if you remember.’



I felt the sharp pull of her command. There was no way of fighting it. Anger coursed through me again, it is not in the nature of an alpha to take commands. Before I could do anything she was gone.

                                                                               

                                                                                  *******



I jerked awake. I’d been having the same strange dream for as long as I could remember. It was so vivid and felt real, but the things in it were too strange to be real. Dragging myself from bed I walked to the door, the cool morning air was sure to help rid me of that strange dream. The sun was just coming up it filled the forest around me with a beautiful red glow. Sucking in the crisp morning air my feet moved automatically taking me around our camp, scanning the area for any threats. The breeze shifted and I caught a strange scent from the edge of the woods. It was like the one from my dream but fainter. It was old I took a deep breath, the scent lead away from the pack. Someone had stood there watching us before returning to the woods. Fear and anger rushed over me. Fear someone could have got so close without us knowing, and anger that they dared come on to our territory. In all the time we lived here we had never had this problem. Had we? My mind was playing tricks on me again, I was finding it increasingly difficult to remember things lately. I lingered at the trail. It was her scent the one from my dream. That sudden knowledge had me following her scent at breakneck speed. This dream had plagued me long enough. I had to know how this woman’s scent had ended up in the world of my sleep. It lead me to a narrow path down by the waterfall, a good half hour walk from our home. I’d never noticed the path before, it was mostly hidden by the bushes that grew wild everywhere and was so close to the edge of the cliff I doubted many knew about it.



As I rounded the last corner bringing me just behind the thick curtain of water I spotted her. She looked exactly as she had in my dream. She even had the same strange clothes on. She turned to look at me



‘You came! There’s hope for you yet! Do you remember me Aidenn?’ her face was bright and I could see hope in her eyes. I pushed my hand through my hair. None of this made sense my mind was whirling trying to find an explanation.



‘I've been dreaming of you.’ I answered finally ‘You wore the same strange clothes. There were huge buildings and lights that seemed to glow on their own.’



She smiled at me. The smile was a little sad as if she had somehow failed.



‘It wasn’t a dream Aidenn. it was a memory from three days ago’ she looked at me expectantly. I frowned at her what she was saying was impossible.



‘I know it seems impossible but the world has changed. This is how it was centuries ago. Please come and sit with me this story is long. I must tell you the whole thing if you’re ever to understand. That’s if you want to understand of course’



I went over and sat with her I felt at peace, comfortable. which was strange given this woman had haunted my dreams and spoke of things that were impossible. I should have been running the other way, but for some reason I stayed. Something deep inside me needed to hear this story. Needed to understand. My mind was full of questions none of which made sense. plus I was having difficulty remembering. Maybe this strange creature could answer all these for me. She sighed and looked away she seemed to be struggling for where to begin. 



‘This is the world is as it was eons ago, before man walked the earth. Why they are still here I do not know. maybe it has something to do with the fact they have evolved so much.’ She glanced at me to see if I was listening ‘Anyway I digress. It has returned to the way it was when the first shifters walked the earth. When angels and demons were here with no animosity between them. The war between good and evil had yet to begin. There was a strange balance to everything back then.



One angel, Selma and a demon, Malice fell in love. There was no animosity between the races back then they often ran and talked together, but it was not permitted for them to be together in “that” way. Given their very different outlooks on life this was not something anyone thought possible. They must have been together a while before anyone found out because the next thing we knew Selma was pregnant. The gods were furious as was Lucifer. This was an abomination a being that would be neither good nor evil but both at the same time. Malice came to the shifters begging for our help but we could do nothing. We are powerless against Gods. we tried explaining that all this had come from love. We fought long and hard by Malice’s side, but the Gods would have none of it.

They killed her and the child. Malice for his part in the crime was made to watch. With her dying breath she declared they would find a way to be together. That the sands of time would stop and reverse to before her death. That she and Malice would once again run and laugh and love. We didn’t know it at the time, but that was the first ever prophecy. When angels declare the impossible possible, or when they decree things that would defy any odds it becomes a prophecy that can, and will take place. The gods withdrew the angels from earth after this, and Lucifer withdrew his demons. He left Malice though, and posted four others to guard him.



Malice cried for four days and four nights his tears pooled over her body and created four sharp crystals. Demon tears are such strange things. He gave us the crystals, a reward of sorts for trying to aid them. We heard he went mad in his grief, killing any who he came upon and burning forests to the ground. We presumed that the other demons had killed him, but from recent I learnt they merely trapped him.

Malice escaped his prison. Furious that his brothers had imprisoned him for so long, he took the crystal tears and hunted them. Not many things can break through a demons skin, but the crystals are one. As I've said before demon tears are strange things. They hold such power, as does demon blood. When you combine the two anything is possible. Including Selma’s prophecy. The light you saw on top of the building that night was the last demon being killed. When his blood combined with the crystal it gave Malice enough power to make his dream come true. He returned here to be with Selma. I’d almost forgotten how beautiful this time was.’



She paused to look around as if she could see through the thick curtain of water to the forest that surrounded us. ‘Things are becoming unstable though. Selma didn’t finish the prophecy and time is fighting against itself unsure which way to go. Soon night will last for days. Events will start repeating themselves, and that is just the beginning. Only a modern wolf that has lived and been happy in both worlds can break this curse. A son of our king Mikhail the guardian of time. You must choose our world Aidenn, look deep into your heart where are you truly happy? In this paradise or the dream?’



I sat in silence for a long time dwelling on everything she had said. There really was only one choice.