Chapter Three: "You're pretty!"
"Raven?' Rowan moaned as she was roused from her sleep by a voice in her mind. Be safe little one. We will find you soon, the voice said, and she knew it was Raven's. "Aneko?" Rowan asked, sitting up. The white wolf was nowhere to be seen and Rowan had herself half way convinced that she had imagined her. Her injuries were healed now, and she tried to stand shakily. She heard a bark and felt teeth pulling her back down. "Aneko!" Rowan giggled.
The wolf was washing her again, starting from her face and was at her shoulders when Rowan brushed her off. Rowan's cloths were now dry and she pulled them on once again. The cave was surprisingly warm, and Aneko was holding a loaf of bread, which she had probably stolen from the village. Rowan accepted the food gratefully. Aneko was watching, her yellow eyes widened with motherly warmth and concern.
"Arf!" Aneko barked, and Rowan took that to mean, 'Eat kid!' As soon as Rowan had finished, Aneko was cleaning her face and hands again. Rowan accepted the bath grudgingly.
"You're pretty," Rowan said. Aneko responded with a loving whimper. The wolf turned and trotted towards the cave entrance. "No, don't leave. There's a crazy fire demon after me. I'm afraid to be alone." The wolf came back and sat next to Rowan, wagging her tail. Rowan took in a deep breath and she began sucking her thumb, which she usually did when she was nervous. The white wolf wrapped her mouth gently around Rowan's arm and pulled her finger out of her mouth. "You sound like Raven," Rowan pouted. Aneko gave a chastising bark. Rowan thrust herself back, her back roughly hitting the floor of the cave. Deprived of one source of comfort, her thump, Rowan began to sing.
"Another day has almost come and gone
Can't imagine what else could go wrong
Sometimes I'd like to hide away somewhere and lock the door
A single battle lost but not the war (Cause)
Tomorrow's another day
And I'm thirsty anyway
So bring on the rain
It's almost like the hard times circle 'round
A couple drops and they all start coming down
Yeah, I might feel defeated,
I might hang my head
I might be barely breathing - but I'm not dead, no
Cause Tomorrow's another day
And I'm thirsty anyway
So bring on the rain
I'm not gonna let it get me down
I'm not gonna cry
And I'm not gonna lose any sleep tonight
Cause Tomorrow's another day
And I am not afraid
So bring on the rain
Cause Tomorrow's another day
And I'm thirsty anyway
So bring on the rain
Bring on the rain
Ooh
No It's not gonna get me down
I'm not gonna cry
So bring on the rain…"