Sometime in the early morning…

  “Ahh,” I gasped, waking up, sweating heavily in my motel bedroom. The aftertaste of alcohol was still present on my tongue from drinks with Linkin only a few hours ago.

  Thud, thud, thud, my heart pounded against my ribcage. My brain felt cloudy as I tried to process what was real and what was a dream. Was it a dream? Snippets of that weird creature bombarded my thoughts, and I hadn’t even seen this cat snake with my own eyes. This was the first time since I arrived in Canis Falls that I dreamed of my spirit wolf. Kalia said my dreams about my spirit wolf were called dream walks. It’s an advanced part of my mind link ability. Lately, it felt like my ability was blocked somehow from my dream walks with my spirit wolf. This whole time she was being chased by some supernatural creature that seemed familiar. I think I read about something like it in the library. I scrambled out of my blanket mess over to my laptop, sitting on the desk. Opening it, I scrolled back through my notes on the research Felicity and I did.

  Endless scanning and scrolling continued until I finally saw my side notes about the local myths. “Mishipeshu is a creature who transforms from a lynx to a snake-bodied cat with bison horns under the light of the moon according to the local natives.” That was it. “The viper cat…”

  At some point, Felicity stirred from her sleep and joined me next to my glowing computer screen in the dark. “What’s this about a viper…cat did you say?” Her voice sounded tired as she yawned looking over my shoulder.

  “Fe, I finally saw her, but she was being chased by this viper cat called Mishipeshu.” I summed it up for my exhausted friend.

  She shook her head. “I have many questions, but I feel like this is an after-a-cup-of-coffee conversation.”

  “Probably,” I admitted.

  “Great. I will start on the coffee, and you continue your frantic computer scrolling.” She turned away from the computer and began her routine at the coffee station.

  I gave her space to wake up while I searched the internet for more information on the Mishipeshu. Most sites described the mythical being as a dragon-like cat. This creature likes to drown its victims with its powers to create waves, rapids, and whirlpools. Sometimes the Mishipeshu will even break the ice in the winter to pull victims into the depths of the lake. “This thing is insane.”

  Felicity returned to my side with her steaming hot coffee in hand. “Are we still talking about your viper kitty?”

  “Yeah,” I responded, leaning back in my chair. “This beast was chasing my spirit wolf during my dream walk last night. Actually, I am not sure how she survived the rough waters she was in, but she ended up on the shores of the lake this morning.”

  “Is it possible the scaly cat is the reason you and your wolf have been disconnected?” Fe theorized.

  Another supernatural being able to block my spirit wolf from me? It sounds like a good possibility. There are many supernatural creatures around Lake Superior, so anything is possible. All this supernatural magic crap was nothing more than an impossible concept for me a few weeks ago. Sure, I imagined fantasy worlds full of beings with magical abilities like any other creative writing major. It doesn’t make this fantastical supernatural stuff any more believable. These were beings that could defy the laws of biology and physics at the same time. What kind of animal could transform into another? The answer is a mythical one. Yet, here I am on a journey to become the impossible even though all I ever wanted was to have a normal life.

  “It’s possible,” I finally answer. “Magic makes the impossible possible.”

  “Well, we have to go to the preserve this morning, but we could try walking around the lake later to see if anything looks familiar. You might recognize something from the dream.” Felicity looked down at her watch to check the time. “We have to leave in thirty minutes if you want to meet Clara on time.”

  “Oh! Right, we get to see Winter today.” I cheered.

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  Meeting a wolf was exciting since I started having these dream walks. I hope Winter can help me understand my wolf spirit better. My spirit wolf was being hunted by the Mishipeshu, so I needed to find her before it was too late. Her escape from the creature was impressive, but how long could she keep it up? I wasn't entirely sure, but I think my spirit wolf saw me in her vision last night. If we meet, will she reject me out of fear? "No," I mutter to myself. We have to bond with each other, or we both could end up dead.

  “Are you still doing okay, Korinne?” Felicity asked me as she was getting dressed for the day.

  “I am adjusting,” I sighed, getting up from the desk. “Last night was kind of fun.”

  Felicity froze and looked back at me as I reached for my duffle bag next to the bed. “Did you just say that you had fun at a bar?”

  “Yeah,” I kept my response short. I didn’t want to make a big deal about it. Yes, I had fun. Yes, we were in a place full of people. Yes, the nosy cowboy did make me laugh. Yes, this was abnormal for me, but I did have a buzz most of the night.

  Felicity stood there in her rainbow, unicorn bra and jeans staring at me like I grew a second head. I kept moving, getting on a green shirt and black jeans. Slipping on my Converse sneakers, I noticed she hadn’t moved, and I tossed a pillow at her. She playfully yelled at me as I switched to braiding my hair. Fe tossed the pillow back at me while she pulled on her dark blue v-neck top. One ballerina bun later, Felicity was ready to go with her second cup of coffee and a Poptart. I followed suit with my Poptart and an apple juice from the mini-fridge.

  We headed off to the nature preserve under the bright sunny morning. In the car, Fe questioned me about my interactions with Linkin. She’s now convinced that I like him, but I told her it was nice just to talk with someone new without feeling overwhelmed by my enhanced senses. I had briefly considered drinking in the evenings just to relax from the day’s stimulus, but that didn’t seem smart when I was living off my inheritance that my parents left me and the possibility of addiction hanging over my head. Fe eventually convinced me to go out with Linkin and everyone from last night again next week. The conversation lasted the whole drive to the preserve.

  Almost an hour later…

  Clara had Fe and I just outside the gate as she called out to Winter. A white wolf with a cream-colored patch stretching across the wolf’s back headed toward us. He had amber-colored eyes. His tail wagged happily when Clara was only a few feet away. Winter was about up to Clara’s stomach. He pranced around her like she was a pack member. It was adorable. Clara called us in, so we slipped through the gate and closed the latch.

  We approached Clara slowly. It was only seconds later that Winter noticed our presence. He looked at cautiously, taking a step back from Clara. He scented the air, keeping his eyes on us. Following my instincts, I kneeled on the grass and made myself look as small as I could. Winter sneaked forward sniffing the ground, watching me closely. In an instant, Winter and I locked gazes as he trotted up to me. He gave me a final sniff before rubbing himself up against me. I was in total shock as this big, wild wolf was suddenly tackling me with dog kisses and nuzzles. Fe replicated my motions and Winter greeted her for a moment before knocking back into me like a steamroller.

  “Wow, he likes you,” Clara commented. “I haven’t seen him try to snuggle with a new person before.”

  I was gently rubbing Winter’s belly like a happy puppy. “I am as amazed as you. This is my first time meeting a wolf.”

  “Well, I guess you are a dog person,” Felicity snickered. Winter looked at her and whined like he was insulted by her comment, causing Clara and me to giggle. “Sorry, Winter,” Fe apologized to the big fluffball. “I mean a wolf person.”

  Meeting Winter was better than I imagined. Would it be this way with my spirit wolf? I thought about her and her pack. Each one of her multicolored, furry family members floated through my mind. I wonder if their fur was as soft as Winter’s. Winter gave me a knowing look like he could sense my thoughts. Could I mind link wolves too? Our gazes were in sync when I felt a connection snap in place like a strumming feeling in my brain.

  Winter, can you hear me?

  Yes, almost human. He blinked at me.

  Almost human? I asked curiously.

  You are and aren’t human at the same time. Winter stated simply.

  I guess. I agreed. How are you so good at speaking?

  It is not me. It is your power that makes my voice understandable. Winter said, coolly.

  Good to know. I have a lot I want to ask you.

  Yes, almost human. I can tell, but our time is short. My human will want to leave soon. She always does. Winter whined a little.

  Right. I looked back at Clara and Felicity talking beside us. We needed to be quick. Winter, have ever seen a black wolf with a white crescent moon on her shoulder?

  Ah. The one my human calls Crescent, right?

  Yes.

  She hasn’t been here for many moons now, but she used to visit. You may still find her near the falls in the forest south of here. There’s less game there, but the caverns behind the falls are ideal for hiding.

  How did you know she was hiding?

  Almost human, the whole community in the woods knows the viper cat has marked her for death. The falls may provide her a haven for a time, but the beast after her won’t stop until she is dead.

  “Hey, Kori, are you ready to head in? There’s a summer camp visiting today, and we need all hands on deck to be ready for them.” Clara touched my shoulder to get my attention. “Are you okay?”

  My face must have been shocked as I processed what Winter had told me. “Um,” I blinked, searching for words. “Sorry, I think I zoned out. You need help with summer camp kids?” I made myself stand and walk toward the gate.

  “Yeah,” Clara continued about the summer camp kids.

  I looked back at Winter who watched me closely. Thank you, Winter.

  Be careful, almost human. Many forces are looking to stop you. I wish you luck. With that, he turned on a dime and bolted away.