Chapter Ten: Black Hole:

We arrive at the den, or the cave. I remember it from the dream I had, and I'm left wondering what the hell is going on. How is this even possible? We stay far from the entrance and stake out the area.

Falcon has shifted into his skin side, but behind a tree once again. When I asked him why he does so, and I hear his response, my heart aches. To him, all he wants is to make me feel comfortable. "I don't want to scare you." I am once again floored by his empathy towards others. I am glad he was the one to find me in the woods.

"Did you see her escape in your dream?" he asks.

"Yes."

"She could have gone to another village. There is one nearby."

"Wait...you have other towns?"

"Of course. They are just off the grid. They do not live like we do. Caius has brought us out of primitive ways."

"You're saying these towns are primitive?"

"They are rather traditional in our old ways."

"So, Blanche might have made it to safety?" I ask, hoping he is correct. I don't want to get my hopes up, but it is hard not to. Just the thought of having one of Blanche's famous hugs makes my chest ache. The drug must be wearing off.

He gives me a look of sympathy, moving his arm to rub small circles on my back. It could be our connection, or Falcon just being his usual self. But I am incredibly grateful he is here.

"I am sure she made it. Try not to conjure dark thoughts."

The look in his eyes and the soft touch of his hand makes me feel like he truly cares and believes Blanche is safe. So, I nod and turn my eyes back towards the cave entrance.

"But...what if she is inside and we just leave?"

He doesn't respond, his Adam's apple bobbing back and forth. He is frightened at the thought of going inside, and it causes the ache in my chest to increase.

"Need help, princess?"

I flinch and turn around, expecting Caius to be standing there with a smug look on his face. But all I see is the portrait of the forest.

"Caius?" I say, and Falcon looks at me in surprise. "Pardon?"

"He can't hear me. Only you can."

"I can hear Caius in my head!" I shriek.

"He's talking to you now? Ask him what we should do," Falcon says this with the most normal expression I've seen yet. It is like we are talking about tablecloths.

"Ask me for help. Comes at a price, though."

I shake my head in anger and disbelief. "He is an asshole and I'll just ignore him."

"But...Blanche?" Falcon nods in the direction of the cave and I sigh in defeat. He's right, again.

"Okay, what is the catch?" I ask Caius but receive no reply.

"You need to hold the stone, remember?" Falcon points at the onyx stone.

I do what he says and hold the stone in my hand. It is cool to the touch, even though it was sitting against my warm chest. I feel much calmer when I do this, as if the stone is helping me through the stress.

"I'm doing enough. Just help us," I hiss, and I can immediately hear his chuckle.

"I could sense your distress earlier. I didn't realize it wasn't that important..."

"Caius!" I almost yelled but kept quiet.

"What?"

I jump when Caius suddenly appears next to us, his arms folded over his chest and back leaning against a tree. He smirks, liking how much power he has over me. He leans down and points towards the cave, "You want me to risk my life and check it out?"

I go to nod but stop myself. What kind of person am I? I can't even believe I keep asking people to risk themselves for me.

"He's not really here," Falcon assures me, nodding towards Caius. "He has the ability to use apparitions, remember?"

"You're such an asshole!" I point at Caius, who only rolls his eyes at my anger. "Why did you make us come here ourselves if you could do it yourself?"

"Because she isn't my cousin. And I wouldn't be able to physically help her if I'm in my shadow form. Do I even need to explain myself?" he sighs and rubs his face.

"I'll go in and scout their den. Stay put," Caius tells us—well, more so me.

He is gone for quite some time, and I wait, heart beating a thousand thumps per minute. Falcon says nothing, and neither do I. I just stare at the entrance of the cave with anticipation and fear lingering in my chest. I have so many emotions going through me at this moment. Even though I don't care for Caius that much, I appreciate him speaking to me when I was stressed. I still don't know how he knew that, but I can hypothesize a reasoning behind it—another weird thing to do with this necklace.

I hold onto the stone in case he needs to speak with me, to tell me he's found Blanche. But all I hear are my racing thoughts, and the breathing of the forest around us. The branches above us sway and crack like old bones, and the creek nearby flows down the mountain. It is loud, possibly because it is so quiet. The animals, or whatever life exists in this forest, are nowhere in sight. Not even the sounds of birds singing can be heard. The Nightcrawlers are in control, and the animals know better than to wander here. It's just us. The ones stupid enough to come here and risk all.

There is moss covering large boulders in front of the cave, and I find myself drawn to the darkness of the entrance. It reminds me of a black hole, sucking the light and life from whoever comes before it. Each time my eyes wander the cave entrance, I feel like I see movement, but it's only my eyes playing tricks on me. A gentle fog flows from the black swell, as if the cave itself was living and breathing. It probably is.

We are useless right now and it bothers me right down to the tips of my toes. Falcon smiles at me, but it doesn't reach his eyes. He can feel how scared I am, and how worried I am for Blanche. My anxiety flows through the central connection of invisible threads between us. Our link to one another. I'm left breathless by the contact of our hands.

"What's taking him so long?" I bring my other hand up to my mouth and start biting down on the tips of my fingers. Not my nails, but the fleshy tips. I don't bite hard enough to bleed, but it calms me.

"He's most likely checking every nook and cranny of the den. Don't worry, love."

"What if he's just standing there pretending he's looking?"

Falcon's eyebrows rise, and then he nods as if the thought was entirely possible. He squints his eyes at the cave and then shrugs.

"I cannot consider that. I've known Caius long enough to know that he is a gentleman," Falcon nods to himself.

"You're blind," I almost laughed, but my anxiety prevents me from doing so.

What if he comes back and says she's dead?

I don't have time to ponder on that thought, as I see something moving at the cave entrance.

Caius.

He smiles at me, but then shakes his head. He seems happy that my cousin isn't there.

And I am too.

I smile back.

He nods at me and then disappears. His entire body fades away like the swirl of cream in coffee as it blends into the dark. He doesn't even say anything.

But I end up hearing his voice inside my head again. "She wasn't there."

"How do you know? You don't even know what she looks like."

"I have a connection to you too now. I can see her in my head because she's in yours."

"Y-You can read my mind?"

Falcon shakes his head "what is he saying now?"

I ignore him and wait for Caius' reply.

"No. But when your emotions are at your strongest, I get glimpses of what you're seeing or thinking about."

I groan and cover my eyes with my hands. This can't be happening.

"I suggest you check out the Crimson village. Falcon knows the way. Catch you later, princess."

I no longer feel his presence in my mind—or the numbing sensation over my scalp. He is gone or hiding in the recesses of my mind. I know he is there, but he is not as in tune with my thoughts as he was previously.

I'll never get used to this.

"He said to go to the Crimson Village. Is that the one you were speaking of earlier?"

Falcon nods.

"Then let's go there."

He goes to stand behind a tree again, but I stop him.

"You can shift here."

His Adam's apple gulps and he licks his lips. "Are you sure?"

"Well, I should start getting used to you doing it. It is extremely weird, but it is part of you. You've done so much for me. The least I could do is let you be yourself." I am surprised by how mature I am being in this moment. Or idiotic. I can't tell.

He stands and moves away from me, giving himself space to change into his wolf. He starts shaking, and his shoulder blades are the first to start cracking. They flinch and twist, and I find myself reacting badly to the sight of it. I watch on with a horrified expression, but also with great interest. I have never seen something so raw and powerful. I watch as strands of fur start sprouting from his skin, and long claws grow from the tips of his fingers. He is groaning and in pain but trying to be as quiet as he can. His eyes open, and they glow a piercing gold.

Stunning.

Within seconds, his wolf stands before me. I barely seen the change, it was that fast. His ears stick up, listening to the sounds around us. He whines and leans down, raising his tail in the air. A small rabbit surprisingly bolts from inside a fallen hollow log, and his eyes glow even more. I raise my hand to stop him, but he takes off running.

"Come here!" He growls, digging into a small hole covered by ferns and broken twigs. The rabbit's home. I find it odd that the animal lives so close to the monsters that would devour it in seconds. I thought the animals were gone from these parts, but I guess they've adapted to hiding.

"Falcon!" I look back towards the cave, hoping he didn't make too much noise. It is still daylight, but I don't like being so close to the den. My aunt's body is there...Or what is left of it. A tear falls down my cheek and I quickly wipe it away before Falcon sees. The mourning is officially trying to start.

I look and see the rabbit in his jaws. "Lunch is ready." I can barely understand him with the bloody and obviously dead rabbit in his mouth. He looks happy, tail wagging back and forth like an excited puppy. He still looks cute, even with his mouth all bloody.

I'm weird.

"I'm not eating that."

"Suit yourself," he smiles before dropping the dead rabbit on the ground and digging his fangs into its flesh.

"You're more animalistic when you're a wolf," I mention, but he either ignores me, or does not hear me through the sounds of his fangs gnawing on flesh and bone.