Never Be The Same ~ Short Story

A Short Story

I waited quietly for her, bent down and hidden behind the covering of a large, stone, statue that was covered in dust, and cobwebs filled the mouth of the beastly lion. I shifted my feet in my uncomfortableness of the low position. The reason that I chose this mission was mainly because of the high pay and how easy it sounded to me, I was quite surprised when I saw that nobody else had chosen it before me though. These days, pay had become lower than ever and only the experienced venturers such as myself were able to manage easier since I had learned more over the years and adjusted quickly to the changes.

I chose to become a venturer because I was never able to stick with a single job in my home town, and even if I could, I’d still be getting the same pay, maybe even less. But my main concern was gathering enough money by the end of the day to afford living and eating costs for my siblings that lived together back east and myself, who traveled through different cities for work.

The girl’s steps stepped softly down upon the obelisk slabs as she climbed the stairs to the red covered, Japanese, shrine. I had been instructed to come to this area and using my own knowledge, I had already set up a trap that was hidden above the first entrance to the garden where I assumed that she would walk.

I didn’t see her yet, but when she came into view, my heart quickly pumped in my chest at the thought of such a heavy trap falling onto her. Even if it wouldn’t kill her, it’s a hundred pounds would still crush her small, macilint frame. As she walked closer to it, I stared in a strange unbreaking trance as her brown eyes stared up at the building, a look of admiration and yearning shone in them. It seemed like she already knew where to go, as if she had been here more than once. Her brown and wavy hair pooled over her shoulders and behind her back. The gentle breeze had already blown most of it behind her.

I didn’t know her name or her personality, all I knew was that she had the ability to turn into a wolf through either strong emotions that she couldn’t control, or at random.

I gripped my hands tightly around the straps of my leather bag that I usually kept on my back, I felt like I needed to brace myself for the impact that she was about to take. As every second passed, the girl only came closer to her impetuous fate and the unease in myself only seemed to grow. I couldn’t watch such a young and arresting girl fall into a trap that I set myself. It just didn’t feel right.

Doing the worst thing possible, which was bolting to my feet and running for her, I threw myself at her before she could step on the concealed trigger button. We both fell hard against the ground and to make sure she fell safely, I had twisted myself enough to ensure that she fell on top.

“Are you alright?” I asked in an almost tentative tone, I was still in discomfort from the throbbing pain in my body.

She lifted her head off of my chest, staring at me for a short second before quickly scrambling off of me in alert. She stood up, immediately brushing off her black ripped jeans and dark gray sweater. After a few moments of inspecting her clothes she finally answered, “Yes, I’m fine.” She said and looked at me after I stood up again.

I ran a hand through my coarse hair and told her briskly, “You shouldn’t go to the shrine today.”

She shot me a disconcerted look, “What, why?”

I hesitated before saying, “Upgrades to the shrine.”

She looked me up and down and then took a glance around, “You don’t look like a construction worker and there isn’t anybody else here.”

Shoot. She was smarter than I thought, even if it had been the lamest excuse.

“Fine, you got me.” I sighed. “I set up a trap by the entrance to catch the wild griffin that local’s say come to this very shrine.” I said it as if it were really true and to my surprise, she took it.

“That is literally the most dumbest idea I have ever heard.” She smirked with a chuckle. “Everyone knows that griffins aren’t real.” She scoffed.

“But what if they are?” I grinned.

She rolled her umber brown eyes with a half smile, “Sure.” She then began walking away but I quickly caught up with her and asked, “What brings you here then?”

She shrugged her shoulders, still walking as we neared the corner of the shrine’s tall wall, “Just a daily habit.”

“Do you have deceased relatives here?” I asked respectfully.

“No.” She said quietly.

I glanced at her, giving her an unusual look. It seemed like I had already forgotten my true mission here. As she continued walking, I noticed that her steps seemed slow and faltered and her skin looked pale and dry.

“You look like you could use a drink.” I suggested, releasing a strap off my shoulder and stopping. She stared up at me with debilitated eyes before falling into me as I caught her with my arms. A quick pain shot through my wrist as I winced from it. I must have unnoticingly sprained it from the fall. As she leaned up against me she said softly, “I just need a break.”

“From what?” I asked, helping her to the sit on the green grass.

“This life.” She sighed with a hint of exhaustion. Her weary form seemed like it had taken on a lot of energy just from becoming a wolf which is probably what happened to her before she came to the shrine.

As I dug through my backpack, I let her rest her head on my shoulder for support as she closed her eyes, seemingly drifting off. In my bag were the necessary supplies I needed for taking care of myself, such as money, food, water, hunting tools, and a shot that I had been given by the man that formed this mission. He had enveloped it in a fancy, white and red stamped letter adressed to me, leaving a note with vague instructions saying that this girl was dangerous and needed to take the shot in order to be released from her suffering and others suffering. In my eyes, this girl was completely normal, I saw nothing wrong with her… But what if her transforming into a wolf was killing her and this shot would put an end to it, including her life? I couldn’t give her the shot now anyways, not until I had a better chance without her finding out. If her emotions went out of check now, there was no way that I would be able to track her again. I was a venturer, not a tracker.

“Drink this.” I said, grabbing the bottle out and putting it to her lips.

She reopened her droopy eyes, she was too weak to tilt her head back without falling over so I held her head for her, touching the soft and silky hair that seemed to be slightly brushed against my palm.

When she finished, I gave her a small loaf of bread and an apple that I had kept. Now it had hit me, she wasn’t here to visit the ghosts or the gods, but to eat the food and drinks that people left for them.

“Thank you.” She said gratefully after she had chewed the last bit of flesh from the apple.

“It’s nothing.” I smiled pleasingly.

“How can I ever repay you?” She asked, her eyes rounding.

“You don’t have to.” I said, putting both hands in my lap, trying to cover the red and bruised wrist, hoping that she wouldn’t look down.

“What about that wrist you’re hiding?” She asked. She didn’t even have to look down to guess.

Putting my other hand further over it I shrugged it off, “It’ll heal.”

“But it won’t heal properly without any medical attention.” She said, taking my hand off the sprained wrist.

I quickly jabbed my wrist off my lap and away from her hands, holding it behind my back, “What about a name?” I asked abruptly. “That’ll pay me back.” I chuckled nervously.

“A name?” She repeated, her brown eyes meeting mine now. “It’s Mitti.” She said shyly, quickly glancing away before going back to peering behind me for my wrist. “And no, it won’t repay you.” She stated.

With a steady exhale, I slowly took my wrist out from my back and moved it in front of her, “Fine, you help me out and we’ll call it even.”

She nodded her head in agreement and said, “Then you’ll have to come with me, angel guy.” “Angel guy?” I remarked.

“Yeah. Since you saved me, you can be my saving angel.” She grinned. “Besides, you never gave me your name.”

“Oh.” I said, blushing with embarrassment, “I’m Will.”

“Ah, Will.” Mitti said. “That’s a pretty neat name. Short and easy to remember.”

I smiled shyly, “My dad chose it.”

“What about your mother?” She asked curiously.

“Both of my parents died a few years back from a car accident.” I murmured lowly.

“I’m sorry.” She said sincerely.

I shrugged my shoulders, “Not much anyone could do about it… What about your parents?” I asked. She was already leading us back into the forest of tall, brown, dark green leaved pine trees.

“My father, he’s a lab chemist... And my mom died days after giving birth to me.” She explained in a partially dejected voice, neither of us seemed too keen on this subject.

“That sucks, I’m sorry about that.” I sighed.

“It happens.” She said and walked around a tree, disappearing behind it. I followed her around it until she was standing beside a large, dug out, hole in the roots of the tree. “This is it.” She said.

“It’s a hole.” I uttered.

“Where I keep my stuff.” She finished for me before entering the burrow.

I inspected the sides of the hole, it seemed like there were claw marks made that had been attemptedly covered up by human hands.

“Do you sleep here?” I asked from above.

“Nope.” She said, popping back out again. “I mean, sometimes though.” She confessed meekly.

I sat down on a flat rock as she sat on her knees in the dirt while she used my water and applied a few nicely smelling, crushed flowers paste to my skin and on the bruises. She then used a white cloth wrap that I had in my bag to bandage it. As she rolled it, she held my hand gently with her soft and delicate fingers. Her hands felt warm against my skin and when she had first touched me, I felt a strange butterfly like feeling in my stomach, only it wasn’t because I was nervous, it was a calm but also exciting feeling mixed.

When she finished, she held my hand up, giving it a last good look.

“This looks good.” I complimented, bringing it away from her hand and up to my nose as I sniffed the strong flower essence.

“It should heal within a few days, give or take.” She said, throwing the rest of the paste into the dirt.

“Are you not going to need that in case you get hurt?” I asked.

“No, I have more.” She said, but it sounded like a lie to me. Maybe she didn’t realize it until after she had tossed it.

“So your name,” I began. “Mitti. It almost sounds like Mini to me.” I smiled teasingly. “And you are pretty short.”

Mitti glimpsed at me as she rolled up the white cloth again. “I guess it’s just a coincidence.” She diminished with a short laugh.

“Probably.” I agreed.

She looked at me and handed me the rolled up cloth, “So are you going to get your trap back? I believe the sun’s about to set soon.”

“I can get it later since people only go to the shrine on very rare occasions. What about you though?” I asked. “Do you have a place that you can head to for the night?” If I was going to inject her, it would most likely be when she was sleeping… but what if I couldn’t? The question rung in my head like noisy, continuously ringing bells.

“Yeah, I have a place in mind” She said, softly grinning at me.

“I can accompany you to there.” I said consideringly. There wasn’t anywhere for me to go home to anyways. Home was hours away from this city.

Mitti put her hands behind her back, “I like that idea.” She said and began walking, leading us both deeper into the forest.

As we walked, we made conversations about the city she lives in, how much she loved the ocean, and more about her father until I asked, “Where is he now then?”

She shook her head as she took a deep breath in, “Well, he chose science over his daughter’s life.” She sighed as she held her pinky finger in her other hand, repeatedly pressing down on it until it turned red and then releasing it.

I moved sideways as we walked, coming in closer to her side until we were inches apart. We had already been walking for about half an hour, and I could see the white grained sand in the distance of a beach.

“How did he do that?” I asked, trying to be thoughtful. The only thing that I most likely dreaded was making her upset or worse, becoming the reason that she turns to a wolf. Yet at the same time, I was still curious about so many things, such as if she was just as beautiful as a wolf as she is now, or if she had always been a werewolf.

“When I was younger, I was playing in the ice and I fell in the cold water.” She started, slowing her pace down. “My dad had told me not to slide on it, but I saw other kids doing it and I thought it looked fun. But then it cracked, and I was the unlucky child. They weren’t able to find me until about six minutes later, the doctor’s thought that I had died but my pulse was just barely there. My father had a project that he had been working on, so when the doctor’s announced me dead, he gave the serum to me in hope that it would save me- only it didn’t.”

I stared at her, completely baffled. “How could it not have saved your life? You’re still here on this earth. You look alive to me.”

She glanced up at me, “Maybe I’m not as alive as you think I am.” She shrugged.

“And what? As long as you’re here, that’s all that matters.” I told her.

She nodded her head, pulling her gray sleeves down further, “Perhaps you’re right… or you could be wrong.” She said smugly.

“Well, that doesn’t matter now. Does it?” I asked, taking off my backpack so I could take off my brown leather jacket. “Here,” I said, wrapping it around her shoulders. “That should keep you warmer.”

“Thanks,” Mitti said, wrapping it more closely around her. “It’s good to have company for the first time… God, it’s been so long.” She breathed.

I could agree with her on that.

When we finally made it to the beach, the sun had already set below the blue waves, turning the sky that met by the ocean line a ravishing, heavenly, bright orange color blurred with purple, and bright blue swiped up above us with a few wispy clouds.

“It’s so gorgeous.” Mitti sighed in awe.

I felt my shoes dig into the soft sand, “It’s almost irresistible.” I remarked.

“If that’s not pleasing enough to you, then what is?” Mitti asked, still looking at the beautiful array of colors before us.

I didn’t answer her question at first but feeling shy I replied, “You.”

Mitti turned her head to me, her entire face burned bright red now. When she opened her mouth, no words came out. She then looked away but I felt her hand barely brush against my own. I looked down towards my arm to see that she had put her palm facing my hand, her fingers were separated apart leaving big spaces between each of them.

As she continued to look away still, I laced my fingers between her and we both closed the open gaps as we held tightly onto each other.

After a few moments of breathing in the fresh salty air, and having my hair blown back by the strong wind, I used my sprained hand to brush the hair back behind Mitti’s ear.

“You are probably the greatest person I have yet to meet on this planet,” I whispered. I could feel the burning in my cheeks as they blushed even more.

She turned her head back to me and tilted it slightly, “But why, Will?” She asked me. “I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to touch someone more than now.”

“I don’t know why,” I whispered, tracing my finger across her soft pink fleshed cheek. Touching her seemed to be the greatest thing I have ever felt in my life. I have truly never felt more alive. My heart was pounding in my chest, like a gun firing on repeat and my entire body seemed to burn up like a fever but at the same time, it all felt good. As if this, us- was perfectly right.

She tightened her hold on my hand, “Don’t leave me yet, Will.” She said leaning her head onto my chest.

“I can stay the night if you want,” I said the words as I ran my fingers through her soft hair. “I don’t have a home to go to anyway.”

“Good.” Was all she muttered.

As we stood there for our last moments together, we both savored every single second we got. It was like our energies suddenly collided and formed into one giant source of flowing electricity.

“But there’s something I need to tell you,” Mitti said, releasing my hand and taking her head off me.

“You can tell me, and I’ll listen.” I agreed, even though I already knew what she was going to say.

She tried to look me in the eyes, but something inside her seemed to keep fighting it. Suddenly, her facial expression completely changed, turning to an immediate look of fear. Mitti fell onto the sand, her fingers gripping into the rocks, “You have to go.” She said instantly as she began choking.

“No! I’m not leaving you, Mitti.” I said urgently, rushing to her side.

“Please, Will!” She begged, staring up at me with wide, fearful, eyes. “Remember these eyes, they always stay the same… I will come back for you.” She said before turning back and gagging, spitting onto the sand.

Her whole body contracted as I heard the cracking of bones as they shifted beneath her skin.

“It’s going to be alright,” I said, putting a hand on my jacket that she still had over her.

Minutes later, she had shredded out of her own skin and was in the appearance of another animal completely.

As I had thought, she really did hold the exact gracefulness and beauty as a wolf.

She panted in her new form from her own exhaustion. The dying light in the sky made her dark brown fur almost appear black. The wolf shook herself off, my jacket fell of her back as she did so and her sharp brown eyes flicked towards me as she jerked her head sideways.

Her lips slowly drew back into a snarl as she bared her pearl white fangs at me.

“Look into my eyes and try to remember, Mitti. If you can’t remember yourself, then remember me. Remember us.” I breathed, trying to remain calm as she continued to growl in a low and threatening tone at me. Every hair along her spine seemed to perk up, making her appear much larger than what her bony figure really was.

She barked at me once and backed away, but her eyes showed a deep regret within them. They really had stayed the same.

“No, don’t go yet.” My voice came was hoarse from the dryness in my throat. But she still continued walking backward in the sand, her tail dragging along the floor and drawing a line.

She then stopped and turned to the side, staring at me one last time before sprinting down the beach.

I watched her bound further away, her paws kicking up sand as she ran at full-speed and the wind hitting her fur, making it cling to her skinny body until she was nothing but a blur in the distance. An impenetrable memory that I’d never be able to wash from my brain.

I picked up my jacket and held it close to me, it was still scarcely warm and still smelt dominatingly of Mitti. I breathed in her earthy, sweet- almost like honeysuckle, tranquility and for a few moments, I was able to rewind time and live inside my own memories that I had shared with her.

…

I had spent the night trying to find Mitti, hoping that she’d show up somewhere in the forest as a human. After hours of searching, I decided to wait it out and found a spot along the beach to sleep, using my jacket as a blanket for the night. Since summer had come, the night’s had become warmer and I no longer needed to waste my money on hotels.

When I woke up, I found myself burning up from the sun’s bright rays. Lifting my jacket up, I used it as a shade as I rubbed my eyes with my free hand.

I could feel the sand from the night before, crunch against my feet as I shifted myself to sit upwards. The scorching sun hit my face again and that was the only thing that got me to my feet.

As I walked down near the shore, I thought about my failed mission and how I wouldn’t get my pay now. I had already wasted a week of my time searching for her. Mitti was gone, not a single trace of her left and my starving siblings would have to wait even longer for food.

Hanging my head low, I was on the edge of giving up and taking a ride back home when I heard a female shriek in the forest. Lifting my head back up again, I sprinted towards the sound, ignoring the dehydrated throbbing in my head.

It eventually stopped, but I continued to run, pushing my legs faster against the forest floor. I leaped over a fallen tree, swerving right as if my feet had a mind of their own. I then stopped and listened, hearing Mitti’s voice I followed even closer. Pushing aside a big bush of ferns, I saw her laying on the ground, in the same clothes as yesterday but they seemed ripped even more so. Her hair looked dark and tangled as it hung limply down. When she heard my steps, she turned her head, “Stop, Will.” She choked. “He’ll kill you.”

In the corner of my eyes, I could see a tall, lean man holding a silver flashing knife with a gun in his other hand. He wore a gray suit with a red tie and square glasses that reflected the sun’s lights that managed to seep in through the tree’s leaves.

Clenching my fists I yelled out, “Get away from her!”

The man stared at me and blinked, “So you’re the boy that I hired… You clearly couldn’t follow a single instruction of mine.”

I tried to scramble to Mitti’s side but he quickly pulled the knife up, “Wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

I stared at him, completely livid. “Who the hell are you?” I asked.

“That doesn’t matter.” The man muttered under his breath. “What matters is that she gets this shot.” He then raised the gun up, pulling the trigger back.

“Please, father! Don’t do this.” Mitti entreated. “I promise I won’t leave you again.”

“You can’t promise that!” He suddenly shouted. “This will fix you. It will clean up the mess I have made.”

Mitti’s eyes held a look of defeat as she glared up at him, the life that she had been fighting for, was completely drained. “I don’t need to be saved.” She sniffed before letting her head drop again.

“But you do, my dear.” Her father said before shooting the gun.

Before I could reach her, the bullet shot inside her shoulder and red, thick blood spilled out of the wound.

In a heartbeat, the thoughts and memories came flooding back through my head, from the moment that we met to holding each other on the beach and stroking my hand through her brown soft hair.

No matter what we did or how we went about it, we would never have enough time. But at the same time, time was an endless thing. This was the fate that her father had promised her, and he made sure that it happened.

I gripped her body tightly to my chest, brushing her hair from her face. “I’ve made a huge mistake. I’m so sorry, Mitti...” I said, choking back the tears as a lump formed in the bottom of my throat.

Mitti shook her head, “I’m glad I met you.” She said with a vague smile as a tear streaked down her face. “It’s been a hell of a ride, Will… It was actually nice having someone around for the first time in my life.” She said weakly.

I shook my head, trying to press down on the wound with my hand but the blood kept spilling out.

“It won’t help.” Mitti sighed. “You have to let me go.”

I stared at her, finding the real last moments that I’d have to feel her as I breathed her in with every breath I took.

“I can’t just let you go. Not yet. I’m not ready to.” I whimpered humanly. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to.” My heart beat faster and faster, speeding like a train inside me as I briskly leaned forward, pressing my lips gently against hers. The words were stuck in my throat, but now I felt like all of them had finally been released, and she understood each of them completely. Her mouth was as soft as a rose’s petal brushing lightly against mine as the burning heat of our faces formed together in a mix. As my shoulder touched her chest, I could feel the beating of her heart begin to slow so I raised my head up to look at her once more… She was clearly the most exquisite being I had ever found on this planet.

“Promise you’ll never forget me.” She said, trying to fight against her slowly diminishing body to stay awake.

“I won’t. Ever.” I promised her. She gave me her last, smallest smile before fading away, her face fading to a pale white as she exhaled the breath that would be her last.

I fought back the tears but couldn’t help it when they came pouring out like a waterfall. I clutched onto her tighter than ever now, sobbing into her shirt. But she was finally free now, free from the suffering that life had bestowed upon her small shoulders.

I will never be the same again. Not after meeting her.