“Where am I?” I lifted my eyelids slowly to see…absolutely nothing. There was only darkness as far as the eye can see. I emptiness chilled to my very soul and I felt as light as a feather being taken by the breeze.

“Hello” I shouted into the black veil, receiving nothing back but an echo. I kept shouting, hoping for an answer, until my voice went mute.

‘What the.’ My lips were moving, but no sound came from them.

“Eli” I heard a faint voice call from beyond the oblivion. I looked in every direction for the owner, but there was no one there.

“Eli” it came again, this time a little louder, followed by a small speck of white forming in front of me and gradually growing larger until it overpowered the darkness.

I grunted in pain and was forced to hold my arm over my eyes to shield them from the brilliant light.

“Eli” I cracked my eyes open to see all the colors of the rainbow slowly coming together to create an image. I looked into the picture to see the bench at the park that me and Lacy sat on together not too long ago. The sky was dotted by the thousands of stars and the full moon, covering the area in a soft white light.

“ELI!” I whipped my head in the direction of the scream that I instantly recognized.

“Lacy?” I asked, and then saw a scene that both terrified me and made my blood boil.

There was Lacy, being dragged into the back of a van, and 2 large Grizzlies struggling to hold me back.

“LACY!!!” The other me screamed and broke free from their grip. I watched as he elbowed both of them and ran towards the vehicle. The doors slammed shut before he reached it and the van sped off into the night.

“NOOOOOO!!!” He cried and fell to his knees. The furs that were holding him retreated into the woods, leaving me and myself alone in the area. All I could do was stand there in horror at what has just transpired before me.

“What…the hell” I muttered as everything began to fade away and the light disappear until, once again, I was surrounded by the darkness.

“Why didn’t you stop them Eli?” I heard Lacy’s voice all around me.

“What?”

“You let them take me Eli. I thought you loved me, that you would protect me, why did you let them take me.

“Ignore it Eli, it’s all in your head, it’s not real” I told myself as the disembodied voice repeated itself.

“WHY ELI, WHY!?!?”

I threw my hands over my ears to block it out, but the intensity of the voice broke through the barriers and I cringed in pain as it threatened to bust my eardrums.

“You failed Eli, you were weak, and you will never see your love again” another voice laughed evilly.

I felt the tears streaming down from my eyes and I gritted my teeth before releasing an anger filled cry.

***************************

“LACY!!!” I shot up and started gasping to bring down my adrenaline. I looked around to see that I was back in my room. I felt the tears running down my face and I was covered in sweat.

“Calm down Buck, it was only a dream.” I closed my eyes and started breathing in deeply until my heart returned to a steady beat. The sun shined through my blinds and I heard the happy chirps of the songbirds.

“Guess it’s time to get up…definitely ain’t goin’ back to sleep.” I threw off the covers and jumped out of the bed, then I tossed on a shirt before opening the door and walking to the kitchen.

“Mornin’” I told the wolf, that I called mom, standing by the stove after taking a seat by the island. Unlike dad, she was a pure, snow white, furred Arctic wolf that contrasted Chris’s dull gray. She’s the sweetest person you’ll ever meet, always looking to help or comfort people, and her patience with people far surpasses Chris’s and my own put together.

“Good morning sweetie, how did you sleep?” She asked with a content smile.

“I’ve slept better” I yawned tiredly as I struggled to stay awake.

She turned around to look at me. “How come?”

“…I don’t wanna talk about it.”

“Are you sure?” She looked at me worried.

“Don’t worry about it mom, its nothing I can’t handle.”

“…Okay honey…so tell me about the young lady you’ve been seeing.” I froze on the spot with a fork full of eggs halfway off the plate and my eyes went wider than a snakes jaw.

‘How did she…?’

“A mother always knows dear” she chuckled. “Now please, enlighten me.” She leaned forward, placing her elbows on the counter, and held her muzzle in her paws.

“…Um…well-” I was saved when my phone rang, telling me to go get ready and pick up Lacy. “Sorry, I’d love to tell you, but I gotta go get ready and head out.” I backed out of the kitchen and went back to my room to get ready.

‘That was to close.’

***************************

‘What was that dream all about?” I asked myself after driving for 15 of the 20 minutes it takes to get to Lacy’s house on the other side of town.

‘It felt so real.’ That’s what confused me the most. I don’t believe in visions or all that other crap, but it couldn’t have been a coincidence. ‘What if she really is in danger, what if she’s taken from me, what if-.’ I shook my head to clear away those thoughts.

‘Yer over-thinking it Buck, I’m worrying about a future that hasn’t happened and, very well, might never happen. Stop stressing over it, the only thing you can do is wait. If it does become real, then you protect her to the best of your abilities. Just don’t think about it, focus on today.’ I told myself as my voice of reason took over.

I relaxed back in the chair and saw Lacy’s house coming up. I pulled up to the curb and honked the horn to let her know I was here. After about 10 minutes, there was a pretty little vixen sitting beside me in the passenger seat.

“Hello beautiful” I smiled and pulled her into a kiss.

“I missed you love” she said as we separated.

“I missed you to baby…so what do wanna do?”

“What do you want to do?”

“Hmmmm…why don’t we just drive off and see where the truck takes us?”

“I don’t care where we go, as long as I’m with you” She smiled sweetly and took hold of my hand.

“I know the perfect spot for us to be alone.” I pulled her hand up to my lips and kissed the top.

“Sounds lovely” she blushed lightly and closed her eyes before leaning over the console and laying her head on my arm.

“Well then, I ain’t one to keep a lady waiting.” I said as I shifted back into drive and headed to the spot where I knew it would just be me and my little furball.