One day, Reena—the red wolf—looked at me with quiet concern.
"What is your plan?" she asked.
I couldn't answer right away.
For a moment, I just stared at the ground, letting the silence press against my chest.
"I want to live," I finally said.
Then I turned to her and tried to smile, but my eyes were already filling with tears.
Because I knew.
I knew how hard that truly was.
To live.
To stay whole.
To keep breathing in a world that keeps breaking you.
"I don't even know where I belong anymore," I whispered.
"This Forbidden forest—feared by everyone—has become my home.
But until when? How long can I hide here?"
Reena's ears twitched slightly as she stepped closer.
"What is it that you really want to do?" she asked gently.
And for the first time, I felt the weight of that question settle deep in my heart.
As I fell silent. I knew Reena knows that I am still confused.
Reena never forced me to answer right away.
As days passed, we slowly learned more about each other—sharing our names, our stories, and pieces of our lives that we had never told anyone else before.
But something inside me kept whispering that Reena hadn't told me everything about herself.
There was a part of her story she was still hiding.
Still… I didn't ask.
The same way she never forced me to answer whenever I wasn't ready.
Sometimes, she would try to convince me to live there with her—
to live a quiet life in the heart of this Forbidden forest,
a place where no one could ever reach us…
where no one could ever hurt me again.
Days passed, and as time went on, I wanted to listen to Reena.
I wanted to live quietly the way she wished for me to live.
While I stayed with her, she became like a mother to me.
And she truly did become my mother figure—something I had always longed for.
Every day we spent together, I began to dream of a life where we were together always.
But my past refused to let me go.
The nightmare of my life kept haunting me.
During the day, I could do whatever I wanted.
I could smile. I could pretend I was free.
But at night, I would wake up again—dragged back into the memories of what happened to me.
Over and over, I would feel the fangs of the Lycans and the hyena.
The sensation of my blood being drained.
The tearing of my flesh.
I often woke up to pain that wasn't really happening anymore…
but still felt unbearably real.
I felt it—every shard of it.
The event was gone, but the pain remained.
Physically and emotionally.
Their cruelty had carved scars deep inside me.
One night, Reena was awakened by my scream.
I was thrashing and shouting.
In my dream, I was back in that same night again—clear as crystal.
Repeating.
Again and again.
I was there, running once more.
Being chased.
Being mocked.
Begging for my life.
"Please! Stop! Please have mercy!"
It felt real—so real that I reached the same part of the dream where I always woke up:
the moment the hyena ripped into my flesh.
The pain felt so real that it jolted me awake.
"Jane! Jane! Jane!"
Reena shook me urgently.
I woke up with my eyes wide in terror.
"Ahhhhhh! It hurts! Stop! Please stop!"
I was drenched in sweat and tears.
Reena looked at me with pure sorrow.
She couldn't do anything.
Even without a human face, I could see the pity in her eyes.
I could feel her sympathy.
We sat in silence for a long time.
A tear fell from my eyes as I slowly calmed down.
"Tell me, Reena… how can I live with this nightmare peacefully?
How can I keep living with a life like this?
Every night… I pray that I can sleep soundly, that maybe—just maybe—my nightmares won't return.
I want to live, just like you want me to…
but I'm afraid I'll lose my mind long before I ever reach that kind of life."
I told her through tears, staring at her helplessly.
She let out a deep breath.
I knew she understood me.
"What do you want then?" she asked.
"I want to get revenge," I said firmly.
"I want to hold onto my hate… so I can live.
So I can keep going."
She didn't say anything.
But she didn't need to.
I knew she understood.
And right then, I made my decision.
I would go after those bastards.
The Lycans.
After everything I said, Reena remained silent for a moment.
She only looked at me—her eyes calm, understanding. Then she stepped closer and said,
"I'll help you with your revenge. I'll train you… and I'll stay with you until you succeed."
Her words hit me like a shockwave.
"No! Reena. This is my fight. I don't want to drag you into my mess."
But she shook her head.
"No, Jane. I've lived too long running from things. Let me help you. And besides… I have something I need to face too. Your revenge—it's something I must confront as well. I can't explain it right now, but someday, you'll know."
I felt the conviction in her voice—steady, unshakable.
And in her eyes… I sensed something else. Hatred. Pain. A past she was still carrying.
Reena is still a mystery to me. Why she's here in the Forbidden Forest, why she chose to accompany me, what goal she truly has—I don't know.
But I didn't ask. I know she'll tell me when she's ready.
I nodded, giving her a small smile.
Somehow, I felt more driven toward my goal.
I know that I have someone with me now.
I am no longer alone.
It's hard to trust, I know—
after everything I've been through,
after all the suffering I endured.
But I still did it.
I trust Reena.
She saved my life.
Even if we haven't known each other long, I know she's someone I can trust.
And even if I fail…
it's fine.
It always happens anyway.
And that night, I fell asleep beside Reena with a clear goal burning in my mind—a purpose sharper than ever, and a strange new comfort knowing I no longer carried it alone.