Chapter 15

A/N – "Shadow" by Birdy. Do it. This chapter made me fall in love. I hope it does the same for you guys.

Hope slowly wandered along the beaten pathway that curved and twisted along the bubbling brook, enjoying the soothing sound of the water as it ran over rocks and sifted through pebbles. It was night time, but somehow it wasn't quite dark. A luminous full moon lit up the sky and cascaded soft blue light all through the forest. In between the trees and plants, the small flickering lights of fireflies could be glimpsed as they danced around in the warm breeze.

When she reached a massive weeping willow standing proudly by the side of the stream, she took a moment to pause and gather in the beautiful sight all around her. In a sort of half circle around the tree was a clearing filled with soft undergrowth and an array of small flowers. Hope leaned against the tree and allowed her eyes to wander the peaceful setting, breathing in nothing but sweet-scented air.

She hadn't felt at ease in so long that she had almost forgotten what it was like. Her emotions over the past few days after waking from her long slumber were an absolute jumble. She had felt such intense sadness over Landon's death. He was supposed to have been that epic love that her mother would talk about. He certainly was her first, but their time had been cut heartbreakingly short. She would still wonder for a long time what could have been between them. Would he have been able to grant her the semi-simple and sort-of normal life that she craved? Would he have been able to re-establish her trust in people, or remind her what unconditional acceptance and love was like? Would he have been able to grant her the faith she felt she had lost in most of humanity?

Alas, the 'what-ifs' were nothing but dried up words, like leaves having fallen from the trees in autumn. They would seem pretty at first, alluring even, but eventually they would crumble to dust.

Then there was Josie…

For the life of her, Hope simply could not put into mere simple words what exactly was happening between her and the witch. Of course, she had experienced fumbling and emotive reactions to Josie before when she had briefly found herself experiencing feelings for the younger girl some years ago, but nothing quite like what was busy happening in the present. It seemed like every single day that passed only served the single purpose of drawing her closer to the siphon, and she had no say in it.

Under normal circumstances, Hope knew she could easily have fallen in love with the girl; Josie was sweet and kind and smart and strong and absolutely beautiful. And just so many other wonderfully expressive adjectives! Hope could write poetry about Josie. Hell, she could paint her a thousand portraits – each one more breathtaking than the last.

As she considered these "normal circumstances" and how quickly her feelings seemed to escalate into the stuff that sappy romance novels were made of, Hope quickly realized and had to admit that these were most definitely not "normal" circumstances. To try and explain these newfound emotions she felt for Josie through the use of words like "love" just seemed dull and insincere. What she undeniably felt for Josie was not love – or, if it was, it was most definitely not your average every day kind of love. To even compare what she was starting to feel grow and twist and blossom inside of her to the concept of "epic love" that she was supposed to have shared with Landon was even insufficient and demeaning.

This… whatever it was… it was all just so much more than mere mortal language could even describe. Deep within her soul she could feel that she was made for Josie somehow, and that Josie was made for her. Deep within her soul she could feel the puzzle pieces fall into place whenever Josie was near her. And when they touched… it felt like deep within both their souls there was an astral combustion of metaphysical proportions, interlocking their lives in transcendental significance.

She knew that when she had told Josie the story of the Greek myth of twin flames – as hard as it was to comprehend this – that it had not quite come from Hope herself. It was almost as if Josie had reached into Hope, right inside her heart, right into her soul, and retrieved the notion from deep within her. It was as if her words were Josie's words. It was as if tough her feelings were Josie's feelings. And it worked the same the other way around. Every single time Josie's heart gave a beat, Hope could feel it inside her own chest. Every single time Josie drew a breath, Hope could feel it spreading oxygen through her own veins.

Somewhere off to the outskirts of the clearing a twig cracked, ripping Hope from her reverie. It caused her gaze to snap towards the sound and focus sharply, even in the dim light. She could see the glowing copper eyes staring back at her through the darkness. The rest of the wolf's body was like a shadow – fur thick and black as night itself.

Hope was startled, but instantly intrigued. She wasn't afraid; she could sense she didn't need to worry.

The wolf slowly inched along the outside of the clearing; gaze locked with Hope's own with every step of every paw. It seemed to absorb the sight of the tribrid with curiosity.

Hope carefully moved closer, slowly walking from her spot against the tree to the middle of the clearing; her fingertips brushed along the flowers growing up to her thighs. She was painfully aware of every one of her senses in that moment and every single signal they rippled through her nervous system. The crickets chirped in rhythm to the swishing of the wolf's tail. The same breeze that ruffled its fur caused the hairs on Hope's skin to stand on end.

The atmosphere was charged with an exceptionally primeval energy.

Finally, the wolf stepped into the clearing and towards Hope, allowing the girl to fully take in the magnificence of the stunning creature as its ebony fur shone in thick wisps in the ethereal light of the full moon. Hope's breath caught in her throat even though her chest felt like it was expanding into eternity.

She dropped to her knees before the animal.

The wolf lowered its head and allowed the scent of the earth underneath them to fill its nostrils. It seemed to huff at the air, then sniff, and then slowly approached the tribrid.

Once it reached Hope, it lowered itself before her and gave one low whine while its ears fell back onto its head.

Hope's heart skipped a beat for what felt like forever as recognition set in.

Josie…

She knew she had seen those eyes before. She had seen them flash brightly at her when they so nearly fell into that kiss outside the witch's room. But how was this even possible? Was this really happening? Was this a dream?

All Hope really knew in the moment was that she was being drawn into an unbreakable connection with the wolf-girl before her. There was no fighting the sheer magnetism between them and absolutely no hint of a desire to even try.

She lifted her hands to Josie's face and raked her fingers back through the thick black mane, letting them dig themselves into the silken fur of her neck as she silently kept their eyes locked on one another. Then, once she could feel the sheer warmth and joy radiating from the wolf rush over her, Hope closed her eyes and bowed her head, allowing Josie to do the same and press her forehead against the tribrid's.

The connection established in that second was explosive as it expanded throughout the entirety of the universe. Every atom of Hope's existence morphed into Josie's existence and back again, as if they shifted in and out of each other's bodies – as if their souls reached into the other and just… fused together into one otherworldly entity.

Hope knew somehow that she had experienced this moment before, and thus instinctively knew what to do next. She lowered her head before the wolf and swept her auburn hair from her neck.

When Josie marked her it sent a jolt through her entire being. Her excitement coiled inside of her like a spring that was about to shoot loose.

Within seconds Hope's clothes fell in shreds to the ground as she shifted, her spirit bursting forth from within her.

They stood, nose to nose, Josie the Yin to Hope's Yang, both in the denotative and connotative sense.

From tip to tip, they finally allowed their faces to brush into one another, burying their noses in each other's necks, deeply inhaling the other's scent and life essence itself. They brushed tightly up against each other, shoulder to shoulder, allowing themselves to sink into the pure ecstasy of oneness.

They were home.

After a few long moments of sinking into the significance of their bond, they started lightly whining and yipping at each other playfully. Josie gave a high-pitched bark and pawed at Hope's muzzle, causing Hope to playfully nip at Josie in return, catching the tip of one ear gently between her teeth. This led to Josie throwing her weight into Hope, as if trying to knock her over, but then quickly sprinting away. Hope was soon in hot pursuit as they bound excitedly through the trees and remained at each other's heels.

The ran together for the rest of the moonlit night, as if though they had been doing it their whole lives, and would be doing so for the rest of their life together as a reunited singularity.

When they grew exhausted, they fell into the soft grass of the clearing and curled up together amidst the flowers, all while the slowly setting moon watched over them. They would take a few lazy minutes to groom at each other, licking one cheek here or nibbling behind another ear there. When they lay their heads down to sleep, Josie let hers rest on top of Hope's, allowing as best they could that their blood pulsated together in the same rhythmic beat set by their hearts.