Ch. 56: Step Forward?

CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX:

I dreamt about wolves. I was one too. And we ran through a forest on a dark night. Starlight all that speckled the sky above between the tops of countless trees. It was freeing and wonderful. At full run it felt like flying. I ran closest to a gray wolf with golden orbs in its eyes. It was never far from me even when I strayed a bit from the group. If I slowed, it slowed, and when I ran at top speed around stumps and tree trunks, it followed close behind. But never in front. It never led. Whether it was faster than me, I didn’t know. It never tried to run faster than me that I know of. I felt kinship with the wolves all around. They felt like family.

When I woke up it was nearly 9am. I had slept through the night and felt really rested. My joints ached a bit, neck stiff. Likely from all the previous nights of sleeping terribly. But I felt warm and safe for once in a long time. I remembered the day before. The tears, the nap, the dream. The tree lighting, the wal