***This is probably just a one-shot thing, not going to evolve into anything extensive (nothing over a couple of chapters) unless everyone wants more***
There was darkness all around me, and the only clear thing I could see was the wooden staircase that I continued to climb. With each step, I never seemed to get any higher. Once in awhile I'd reach a turn in the stairs, but I never reached the end. Then, my senses began to pick up on something and a sense of alarm swept through my body as the aged wood of the stairs began to crack and splinter. I'd felt like this before, only this time there wasn't someone there reaching their hand out to catch me. I fell away into the darkness.
I woke with a start, a scream caught inside of my throat. Of course it was just a dream, the same dream I'd been having for the past six months. No amount of meditation before bed or intense spellwork had dispelled the dream, it just kept coming each night, as predictable and unyielding as the tide. Feeling as if I hadn't slept at all, I swung my legs out of bed and stepped into my slippers. The sky outside was still dark, the sun just beginning to peek over the rolling green hills of Scotland. A misty fog blanketed the hills, not altogether natural.
It had been five months since I left Widow's Vale, New York and moved to Northern Scotland to study at Dùbhlan Cuan with the Grey Witches. Six months since I had seen my mom, dad, and my sister Mary K. I'd left behind my friends and my family to pursue this once in a lifetime opportunity, but none of that was as hard as being so far away from my love, my muirn beatha dan: Hunter. England was not so far from Scotland, but our demanding schedules made visitation almost non-existent.
I was so proud of Hunter and the path he had taken, and I knew that we both had different paths we needed to explore in order to be able to be together in the future. So why did I feel so lonely? I padded over to the little one burner counter-top stove I had in my room, reserved mainly for tinctures, potions, and tea. I put the kettle on to boil and reached for my jacket, wrapping myself in the warmth of it.
"Meow." Dagda looked up at me reproachfully, as if to tell me that I'd woken him up at an indecent hour.
"You're fine." I cooed as I scratched him behind his ear. He purred contentedly, weaving between my legs.
After getting dressed and having a steaming cup of tea, I began my morning meditation. Despite having woken up at such an early hour, I found myself running late to my first class of the day. Some things never change, I mused as I rushed down the corridor. I paused momentarily at the top of the stairs, remembering my dream. I pushed it from my mind as I bounded down them, sure that Rhoswen was going to be really peeved.