A single drop

Kael is in the middle of a strange dream. Kael does not know where he is. Instinctually, he attempts to look around, but he sees nothing.

At first, he thinks he is blindfolded. However, his arms are unresponsive when he tries to reach for his face. Furthermore, he cannot move the rest of his body.

Kael tries his best to take stock of the situation. He turns to his other senses: hears no sound, smells no smell, and tastes no taste. Concerns flash by at his increasingly apparent isolation from his surroundings.

He then notices something even odder. He cannot even feel the orientation of his body. In light of the absence of his sense of balance, Kael decides to check his sense of touch.

There is no feeling of air on his skin, no weight of his clothes on him, not even the feeling of gravity on his body. Kael panics, or he tries to. After all, he cannot feel his body, including his body's response to panic. The only signs of panic are his quickened thoughts.

His sense of panic quickly grinds itself away. Kael finds it hard to pick up the will to fight when he has absolutely no tools at his disposal. So Kael rests there, waiting for anything to happen.

Soon, Kael faintly feels something. Kael believes he has been feeling it all along. The sensation is barely there, making it very difficult to notice it.

He feels surrounded by warmth. At least, he wants to call it warmth. He has no reference for comparing the temperature. All he knows is that the feeling is comforting.

He basks in the only feeling that corroborates his current existence. As he does so, Kael finds the sensation familiar. He knows he has felt this feeling before. Right on the cusp of his consciousness' recollection, his eyes shoot open.

The comfort from his dream rapidly fades away as sensations flood his previously unoccupied senses. Kael's night vision kicks in, and dark twilight suffuses the sky outside his window. The brightness in his room seems many times brighter than his dark dream.

Kael fell asleep last night before he could cover himself, and he feels slightly chilly across most of his bare body. However, his senses instead focus on the weight and warmth coming from his right.

A sweet scent fills his nostrils, and soft breaths roar in contrast to his dream's deathly silence. Kael turns his head to his right and sees Melinda's lovely face resting on his shoulder directly in front of him.

Evidence of last night, her flowing brown hair splays everywhere in an untidy mess. A few strands tickle Kael's bare shoulder.

Barely moved since last night, her right arm and leg continue to drape across Kael's body. Melinda's large breasts smother Kael's right arm, and Melinda's entire body presses into Kael's right side. Due to the chill, Melinda's body instinctually hugs Kael tighter for warmth.

The pressure reminds Kael of the events of last night. He remembers caressing her lovely body, feasting his eyes on her curves, and tasting her various nectars. The memories in concert with her wonderful mounds cause Kael to heat up.

His eyes lock on her lips, and a desire to ravage her unsuspecting body rises within him. When he trains his eyes on her lips, he notices her relaxed smile. It is a smile of pure contentment, and Kael thinks it is the happiest he has ever seen her.

Kael feels guilty that he almost ruined such a peaceful scene with his wanton desires. He decides to leave before the heat in his body grows out of control.

Kael's left arm reaches over Melinda's body and grips the smooth silk covers the two ignored last night. He pulls them over Melinda's body to keep her warm.

Then he tries to wriggle free of Melinda's embrace. Only after a long struggle does Kael finally manage to liberate himself.

He gets off of the bed and wraps the rest of Melinda in the covers. After she is a silky worm, Kael stretches his naked body. Despite the brevity of Kael's rest, he feels incredibly invigorated.

Kael dresses in some loose-fitting dark clothing. He looks back at Melinda. Despite being unable to see her nubile form, Kael's desires heat up. He swiftly exits his room to get some fresh air to calm down.

Outside, several breaths of fresh chill air quickly cool Kael down. It is too early in the morning for any activity, so Kael is the lone presence. Finally having peace, Kael's thoughts drift towards last night.

He doesn't think of the lovely moments before falling asleep, but rather, the part leading up to them. He remembers that Melinda originally came in to try and comfort him, but his despair led her into the carnal acts of last night.

Judging by her sad tone followed by resolute behavior leading up to the moment, Kael is sure Melinda gave up something last night. Her words suggested it had something to do with their mother-son relationship. However, Kael does not have any idea what it exactly is. After all, they are still mother and son.

Unable to figure it out, Kael thinks back to the start of everything. The moment when he failed to awaken. The memory dredges up the hurt feelings from last night. They aren't soul-crushing, thanks to Melinda's efforts. However, her efforts only numbed the pain.

After all, it is not easy to get over an event that permanently affects his life. Kael's hopelessness and inadequacy nag at the back of his mind. Tension builds up within him, no release for the rapidly growing stress within. So he runs.

Kael starts in a jog out of the town, but his speed soon ramps up into a sprint. He swiftly bounds over the meadows, covering them at a breakneck pace.

Kael does not know why he is running. He might be trying to escape the heavy reality that he will forever stay in Brenner. The world where he will never untangle the knot in his heart. He might also be trying to vent all his feelings on the ground beneath his feet. No matter the case, Kael cannot stop.

Soon, the Starry Forest looms before him. He knows that it is dangerous without his hunting equipment, but he barges in anyway.

The sparse trees at the edge of the forest soon transition to a maze of wild growth. Kael deftly navigates over gnarled roots, his sprint unimpeded by the shift in terrain. While he dodges most, a few branches manage to flick across his face leaving behind some scratches to his flawless face.

Kael's body is on autopilot as thoughts churn in his head. He is only aware of things in his direct vicinity. With no clear direction, Kael heads deeper into the forest.

Kael appears to have an endless reservoir of stamina, having made a long trek purely through sprinting. Kael would likely continue to run if not for the sudden cracking sound beneath his feet.

Kael immediately looks down and sees a moss-covered log. The log is from the trunk of a tree with its roots still intact. It is wedged in a small canyon and suspended above a rushing river below.

The thick base of the tree is on the opposite side of the river from where Kael is. The part Kael steps on is rotten, and it breaks from the force of his sprint. Kael's foot catches the inside of the log, and the impact frees it from the cliffs' grip. He tumbles down into the river along with it.

The log smashes into some rocks, but the part holding Kael's foot remains relatively intact. Kael smashes his right shoulder into a rock, and the impact dislocates his arm. The pain finally jolts Kael from his mechanical trance from running.

Unfortunately, his awakening comes too late. Kael's body hits the water right as Kael sharply inhales from the pain. He inhales a large amount of water into his lungs, and the current drags the log and him along.

Kael feels his throat closing up, and the strain sends his brain into a frenzy. There is a tightness in his chest from all of the fluid. Kael can instinctively tell that he needs to evacuate the water from his lungs.

Kael tries to grab onto rocks as he passes by them. However, he cannot hold on to the slick rocks due to the strength of the current. The liquid in his lungs prevents him from expelling bad air from his body, and weakness quickly fills Kael.

Kael desperately wants to emerge from the river, but the log's grasp pulls him down away from the river's surface. Hollow from decay, it fills with water and loses its buoyancy.

In addition, Kael cannot orient himself in the chaotic waters. He frequently hits a rock before rolling off its side. Kael's dizziness makes it hard for him to think straight.

Kael feels his body tense up. Despite the obvious consequences, he has a strong urge to take a breath. Kael needs to expel the water from his lungs to buy himself some more time to act.

In desperation, Kael slaps himself on the chest to force the liquid out of his lungs. His uninjured arm moves sluggishly through the water. Deprived of oxygen, he cannot work up the strength to hit with any semblance of force.

Despite his will solely focused on forcing the liquid out of his lungs, his arm slows to a halt until it limply floats in the river. His eyes fail, and his vision fades to black. He can feel the dark embrace of the water pull him towards unconsciousness.

In this moment of desolation, Kael feels something amidst his failing senses. He feels a faint intimate connection with the water lodged in his chest. It makes him feel like speaking to the water.

Of course, Kael's current predicament prevents such an endeavor. Instead, he merely thinks a sole thought towards this connection. Leave.

In response, Kael feels a rapid drain on something within him. He does not have the time nor the cognizance to analyze the sensation. Something else soon diverts his attention.

The water in his lungs vibrates before suddenly shooting out of his lungs. It forces its way up to his throat. Kael's mouth opens, and it shoots out his nose and mouth. The water burns his nostrils on the way out. However, the peculiar events are not over.

A force pushes all the water around Kael away from him. A rapidly expanding sphere of space devoid of water surrounds Kael. The water in the log on Kael's foot strains against the log's interior. The rotten wood cannot hold up and splinters into pieces from the internal force.

Soon, there is a twenty-foot sphere that segments the river in two. Kael takes a deep gasp of air with water finally cleared from his lungs. His eyes open wide, and his vision is no longer dark. In front of him, he sees the water from the river build up behind an invisible curved dam.

This scene only lasts for a split second before the draining sensation within Kael stops. The invisible dam seems to disappear, and the water behind it surges forward. On both sides of Kael, the water rushes in to occupy the vacant space. It crashes down on him from both sides, and the force of the collision creates a vortex.

The vortex churns Kael around in a circle before flinging him out of the river. Kael soars for a bit before slamming down onto a rocky riverbed on his back. After landing, Kael enters a violent fit of coughing.

When his coughing finally dies down, Kael is free to think. Kael retraces the events that just happened. He thinks back to when he was about to fall unconscious, and he raises his left arm above his head and stares at the back of his hand.

Specifically, he stares at the beads of water lingering on his hand. He recalls how some force repulsed the water away from him. Wanting to know if it was a fluke, he focuses on the beads and wills them to gather. Slowly, several of them crawl their way toward a single focal bead of water.

They pool together on the back of his hand into a drop. It is about the size of a coin. After the gathering, it can no longer adhere to Kael's skin and splashes onto his face. The refreshing feel of the water focuses his mind as if awakening Kael from a dream.

Kael chuckles a little before breaking out into crazed laughter. His laughter eventually turns into short exhales of breath, and a tear rolls out from the corner of his left eye.

Kael knows the only explanation for the events just a bit ago, but he still finds it hard to believe. More than that, he wonders why he had to go through all that despair yesterday.

Did Annette trick him? He finds that train of thought hard to believe. There is nothing for her to gain from doing so, and he feels that he has correctly judged her character. Perhaps something did go wrong with the ceremony yesterday.

There is no reason for Kael to explore all possibilities. He only needs to count his blessings at this fortuitous outcome.

Kael's arm falls, and he feels like resting. He tilts his head back on the ground with his eyes closed, ready to nod off. Suddenly, he opens his eyes and sees two upside-down verdant green ones staring back at him.

"Lola, how long have you been there?"

Lola stands a foot away from Kael and looks down at him. Her two black tails flick slowly like whips from side to side. She licks her lips before letting out a low clicking sound that seems like a purr. She pads her way until her face is next to Kael's and begins to groom his face.

"Pfft, alright, alright. That's enough." Kael rolls out from Lola's assault and scrambles up onto his feet.

"How did you even know I was here? We aren't supposed to see each other until snack time," Kael says with a smile on his face. He kneels to scratch Lola behind her ears with his left hand. The affection forces Lola onto her butt as she enjoys Kael's attention.

With his mind on the topic of food, Kael realizes something. He looks up and sees the sky bright with sunlight. Sunrise has already passed, and he realizes it is getting close to breakfast time.

"Oh no! Lola, can you lead me out of the forest?" Lola lets out a low rumbling roar in affirmation.

Kael lets out a sigh of relief before standing up. He grabs his right wrist and pulls it straight in front of him. When he feels the ball of his shoulder pull out, he pushes and snaps it back into its socket. He rolls his right shoulder a few times to shake off the pain.

"Come on, Lola. Let's hurry."

Lola turns around and stretches before sprinting into the woods with Kael in tow.