OOC: For those interested….this is the beginning of Mikala’s return. Not sure where this will go, but it’s a nice beginning…

 

Mikala sat on the hill overlooking the stedding. She’d hoped that things would have changed too much for her to come back, that with one look she could leave and not have to have to face a past she’d tried so hard to forget. But to forget was not as easy at it seemed when she left the stedding. This place was her home, as familiar to her as her own face, as familiar to her as the wolf lying next to her.

 

“What am I doing here SilverRose?†she asked as she absently stroked the wolf’s thick fur.

 

Home…………

 

The word resonated in her mind as images coursed through her. Her cabin. Owen . The library. John. The archery range. Wall. The waterfall. Snipets of a life she had run from for her own sanity. A life she had run from for the safety of those she cared about the most. A life she’d not stopped thinking about since she left without a word.

 

She squeezed her eyes tightly shut, hoping that the images would fade. But they didn’t. They only grew stronger. The feel of the Stedding weighed on her, her skin tingling at its touch. Soon the memories came. Memories of a time she’d spent years blocking from her mind…but no longer. They came unbidden, and Mikala was helpless to stop them. At her side SilverRose let out a low whimper…..

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

“Mika! Stop! Mika!â€

 

“….Mika, what is it? What’s wrong with you?â€

 

“You can never run from me…â€

 

It had all started with the headaches. Soon the headaches turned to nightmares, nightmares so horrible that the Dream was lost to her. A man so vile that the mere thought of his name made her skin crawl.

 

Where had it all gone so horribly bad? When had a nightmare, a dream, taken her life away from her? When had this all sent Mika running into the night years ago? There were no answers for Mikala, only more questions. Questions she knew she would never have answers to, for she would never…never…tell anyone what she had seen in the Dream that had sent her as far from the Stedding as she could go.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Mikala breathed deeply, letting out long, slow breaths. Letting go of the memories that tried to consume her. Again, her gaze feel to the stedding. She knew it wouldn’t be long before others knew she was near. But she wasn’t ready to face them just yet. Wasn’t ready to explain where she had been and why she had walked away from her family…why she was back now.

 

SilverRose nudged her leg…..

 

…Home……

 

Once more the visions of the Stedding, of the life she had known, ran through her mind, but this time she let them come. “Home,†she whispered to the wolf. “It’s time isn’t it girl?†The question was posed more toward herself than the wolf.

 

The sun rising over the Stedding hills while dew drops fall softly on the untred ground signaling the beginning of a new day…

 

Mikala let out a little chuckle as she raised her eyebrows at the wolf, “Yes…Dawn of the Morning. I know the name as well as you SilverRose. It’s mine after all. But you’re right. It is a new day. It is time…†Mikala stood and brushed off her pants. Picking up her pack and her bow, she inhaled deeply, then one step after another she made her way toward her past…and her future…..

 

To be continued…….

The sun fell slowly over the mountains casting a soft shadow over the stedding. Mikala sat on the rise near her cabin, not yet daring to approach it. It looked just as it had when she left.

 

Seeing her house brought memories that had her chuckling to herself.

 

“Mika, what do you call this?â€

 

“What do you mean what do I call it Owen? It’s soup.â€

 

“Soup? Soup? Mika, there are a lot of names for what this could be, but soup is not one of them……â€

 

The smile on her face was wide, but never touched her eyes. There was a sadness there that she wondered if even time could erase. Step by step she made her way toward the cabin. She opened the door and walked through the threshold to her past.

 

As she walked through the small space, she ran her finger through the years of dust that had accumulated there, much like the dust that had accumulated in heart, in her mind.

 

“Too long Mika, you’ve been gone too long. How do you explain that?â€

 

She sat down hard on one of the chairs surrounding her table and was reminded of the last time she was here.

 

“I think there is something you need to share with me Mika, I don’t think I have ever seen you this disturbed before.†Mika squirmed in Owen’s grasp, and so Owen took his arms from around her. Slowly Mika raised his head, her tear stained checks glistening in the moonlight, like a silver waterfall. “I can’t tell you, I won’t tell you!†Mika jumped up from the tree trunk and sped off into the night. With one cry of “Mika!†Owen was off after her…..

 

She shook the memory away and let her head fall into her hands as tears fell into her lap. With a deep breath, Mika wiped them away and began the task of cleaning up the years of dust. She knew that soon she would have to make her presence known, if it wasn’t already, but facing the Wolfkin was something she wasn’t prepared for just yet.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Mika stood back and admired the improvement the cabin had made in the few short hours she had been working on it.

 

Home…

 

Once again the word resonated in her mind, and once again she was reminded of all she had left behind…..and all she had run from.

 

“It’s been a long time Mikala.â€

 

The sound of his voice caused her breath to catch as she turned around. “Owen,†she whispered his name as she took in the all too familiar sight of him. She took a small step toward him, “Owen……â€

It always amused Owen the way people seemed surprised that he could creep up on nearly any of the Wolfkin, it was almost as if they did not acknowledge all his years of experience as a Ranger. He knew this was not true, he knew they relied on the Rangers, and the Leader of the Rangers, but even so, they still did not seem to realise just how good he was when he put his mind to it.

 

“You would think by now you would not be taken so easily off your guard Mika, especially as you have been away from us for so long.â€

 

With almost feline grace, Owen moved across the room, he was going to stand in front of his friend, a friend he had thought lost to them, but something flashed across her face, almost to quick for anyone to notice. Anyone, that is, that did not know her as well as he did. Although they had never been lovers, and never would be, there had been closeness between them that allowed each other to notice the small things that others missed.

 

Instead of putting his arms around her, Owen simply made his way to one of the chairs and moving some items out of the way, sat down, making sure he did not stab himself with his own sword, something that many forgot when sitting down in a comfortable chair. “So Mikala, are you running from something or running to something?â€

 

Again there was a flash of emotion, like a spark from an ember, only to die immediately. “I think it is a little of both judging by your reaction to my question.†Sighing, Owen kept his gaze on Mikala’s face, not wanting to look away, but not sure his scrutiny was welcome either. Her face was showed signs of wariness and tiredness, both of which could be easily explained away as the effects of being out of the Stedding for so long. The world outside was still not a place where there kind could walk without fear. Mikala seemed thinner as well, almost as if she had burnt away any flesh that was not serving a purpose, not that there had been much to lose, Mikala had always prided her self on her appearance, and had spent many an hour running with Owen and the Rangers to improve her endurance and strength.

 

“Do I need to alert the Rangers, will we now face an invading army come to seek revenge for some misguided deed of yours?â€

 

Owen

 

The WhiteWolf

 

Ranger Leader