Chapter Fifty Six: Awoken

                                    

                                          
I dreamt of strange things that 'night' after I'd been forced to sleep.
                          
Strange, twisted dreams that I had no fear of, most likely because of my sleep state. They teased reality until I had no sense of what was real and what was only drifting thoughts.
                          
When I awoke, the first thing that came to mind was: I'm not dead.
                          
I mean, isn't it great to wake up after possibly being kidnapped and to find out that you're still breathing? I think it's a good thing.
                          
Sitting up, I looked around the dimly lit space. A single lantern swung from the ceiling, revealing a host of objects in the room. There was cold stone beneath my paws, a blanket or two folded beside me. Somehow I'd shifted in my sleep, ending up in my wolf form. I stretched and shifted again, getting to my feet. A small, empty bookshelf sat to my left and a desk with a pen and paper to my right.
                          
All of my belongings were still on me, so I set out to find the others. I noticed that the bandages were gone and all that was left of my wounds were faint scars. Assuming that the others had been brought here with me, I stepped out of the cave. The one I had been stuck in was a part of a trio of caves branching off of the main tunnel.
                          
I checked the closest cave first. In there were a few blankets and nothing else. I tasted the air and found the scent of smoke and mint familiar. 
                          
Ash.
                          
Puzzled I looked around the room again, seeing if I missed anything. 
                          
That's weird, I thought. I know he's in here, but where...?
                          
I looked down at the pile of blankets. If I squinted my eyes, I could just make out that the pile was rising and falling ever so slightly in the shadows. Almost as if it was breathing. Or something was breathing under the pile.
                          
Gently moving the cloth aside, I saw a dark shape huddled in sleep.
                          
"There you are," I murmured.
                          
It looked like Ash was put in the same sleep as I had been, only he hadn't worked yet.
                          
I carefully nudged him, rustling his soft feathers in an attempt to wake him. He dozed on. I said his name a few times, even removing all the blankets and pushing him a bit. Nothing worked. 
                          
There had to be an enchantment or magic of some sort involved with this.
                          
Fear wormed its way inside me. What if Ash never woke up?
                          
I shook my head. No, I'd find a way to fix this. He was always helping me, it was my turn to help him. After all that he's done, it's only right...And I couldn't just leave him like that. My heart wouldn't let me.
                          
"Sorry about this beforehand," I told Ash. I cupped my hands and lifted him. His talons gripped even in his sleep, and I sat him up on my shoulder. "I have to go find the others."
                          
I was slightly reluctant to find Sora, but she was apart of our team. And for some reason, when I saw her before the competition, she was looking more and more sorrowful. Almost like she felt some kind of regret or that she was hiding something. I had to watch my back around her.
                          
I found Sora in the last cave. Like the others, she had shifted and was lying on the ground, asleep. I nudged her in the shoulder slightly.
                          
"Hey," I said in slight annoyance. "Wake up."
                          
Unlike Ash, she awoke instantly, springing up into a hostile position. Then she saw that it was me and relaxed, a look of relief crossing her face.
                          
That's weird. I thought she hated me.
                          
Nevermind that, because I certainly don't want anything to do with her.