Return...
6: Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow I woke up to find myself alone. Fang had once again left his shoes and shirt, but rather than worrying, I smiled at the sight of them. I could vaguely remember last night, but to me, the magic of this entire journey seemed to hold no bound of time. I glanced over to my left and saw that the fire was still burning, but to my sadness, the glorious stars had resigned. Perhaps I would never see them again. After a little while, Fang returned, smiling when he saw me. He had an armload of blue berries with purple spots. When I cast sight on them, I realised just how long it had been since I'd last eaten, and I gladly accepted them in to my grasp when he approached the rest stop. "What are they?" I asked, popping one in to my mouth as I asked. It burst a delicious juice all over my mouth. By then, I didn't even care what they were; I just knew that they were really good. "They're called Cancer berries; they're very good." He replied, smiling and resting on the steps of the tree-porch. "Aren't you going to have some?" I asked, chewing another. It was as good as the last, if not better. Fang shook his head, looking out in to the distance. "They're poisonous to werewolves, but you can eat as many as you want." "Aren't you hungry?" I asked. He chuckled again, a well-intended laugh that I had grown used to. "No, I ate last night." I decided not to ask, although I had a faint idea that he had eaten something living. Being a werewolf and all, he probably could only eat meat. "Fang," I asked, "Back in that clearing, how did you change in to a wolf? I thought werewolves could only change on full moons." He looked less cheerful, gazing back at me. "No, we can change when ever we want; it's on full moons that we get out of control, and wake up not remembering who we killed or where we are." "That's awful," I exclaimed, sympathizing. "Well, I've grown used to it. Besides, that's why I'm here, you know. I got cursed here by Juniper because I was killing so many humans." I wanted to accept that, but somehow I still couldn't understand how somebody like Fang could be a mass killer. Well, it was all truly out of his control on full moons anyway. "Fang, did you- I mean, is there a way to break the curse?" He stood up, turning from me, his muscular body seeming very swift. "Yeah, but it's not very likely." "Well, what is it, though? We might as well try it! I mean, you don't want to be here, alone forever, do you?" He looked back at me. I knew that he didn't want to be here forever, despite how beautiful it was at night; no one could live somewhere forever, could they? Fang shook his head. "Of course I don't want to be here forever, but I have to!" He sighed, shrugging. "I guess you might as well know; the only way to break the curse is for me to find true love." I knew he was blushing, and I would have blushed, too, but he continued. "I told you it was impossible. I mean, the only girls here are trainees who are terrified of me, and they never stay." His sober eyes met mine. "In fact, you're the only girl I've met here who didn't run away screaming when you saw what I did in that battle. You stuck with me, even though I�m a beast." I walked over and put my hand on his shoulder, trying to be as formal as I could. I still didn't want to signify any deeper of a relationship than what we had. "You saved me. Of course I stayed. I've never had a friend before; it's always been write, work, pay apartment bills. I didn't care about people and they didn't care about me. I didn't know my family, so I though nothing else was worth knowing either.'' I paused, smiling at him, returning his sober eye contact. ''They were all Mortals. That's why you're so wonderful." We both stood there, I removed my hand, and Fang stepped down from the terrace. "We should get going; we're almost to the border of the Dark Woods, but we have to hurry. Everything here moves around every night, so you never know where it could be tomorrow." I followed him, catching up and walking alongside him in the dead forest. The trees grew more sparse, the sky clear and cerulean. Once, Fang's hand brushed against mine, but he never took it. Just as well, I thought. Finally, the silence was broken. "Fang, did you ever go to school?" I asked, looking father in to the endless trees. He breathed out a relieved laugh, looking out with me. "Kind of. You see, I grew up in the middle ages, so I didn't really get a chance to go to school. Nobody really did back then, anyway. But I did get a chance to go to collage for two years, later on. I studied to become a doctor." I couldn't help it; I burst out laughing, shaking with each breath. He looked at me, one eyebrow raised, bewildered. "What's so funny?" "You're a doctor." I chuckled, but finally gathered myself and stopped laughing. We both matched each other's stride, the crisp leaves dangling on the skeleton trees and falling to our feet. Feeling no need to carry on conversation, we walked on in quiet contemplation. The day passed by, filled with mystery in every crack and corner of the woods. Fang pointed some things out to me as we walked, like a tour guide. There were even a few flowers, all black, of course, and he swooped one up and tucked it in to my hair. I blushed, but didn't say anything. I just appreciated it. After many hours, we reached an ending point; the trees ended in a thick line, a paved street reaching across in a never-ending stretch. There was a small blue house nestled on the border of the empty road. "That's Juniper's house," Fang informed me. "Which means that we're at the border of the Dark Woods." "Does that mean-" I breathed hard, "I can go back?" "Yep," Fang said, trying to sound casual. "Well, I guess I'll see you." He turned round, obviously trying not to make the goodbye harder. I felt my heart beat faster, urging me to make the decision. "Wait!!" I cried, grabbing hold of his arm. He faced me, his eyes dark and glossy. "Please, try to come out," I pleaded. Fang looked at me for a moment, then said, "Okay." He backed up, running at top speed toward the portal that had appeared, blue and aquatic, swirling rapidly. He screamed in pain as he hit the portal, a blue electric current surging around his body. He fell back, hair mussed, gasping for air. He gazed up at me through half-opened eyes. Suddenly, I had an idea. At the time, I wasn't even thinking of the way the curse could be broken, but somehow I thought that a little Earth Guardian power help might get him through. I extended a hand to him. He slowly pushed himself up, grasping my hand tightly, brushing himself off casually. I looked him in the eyes; he returned the look, confirming everything. I walked cautiously in to the portal, grasping Fang's hand for dear life. I felt a small tug at his hand, but the golden aura around me came back, and he followed me in, tumbling on top of me. We both lay on the pavement of the other side, laughing victoriously. The golden glow had gone, but I felt something warm in my breast linger. Fang and I lay there, his warm body on top of mine, and after a moment we both realized what was going on. Fang leapt up, away from me, blushing. I gathered myself from the ground and felt my face burn a profuse crimson. "You got me out! You broke the curse!!" Fang cried, hugging me tightly. "Don't do that!" I yelled, blushing even deeper. Fang slipped his arms off me, and it wasn't until later that I remembered that the curse could only be broken by Fang finding true love.
