Feeling Brave [OPEN]

[Enya]

OPAL THOREN

"With thoughts entangled
How could it ever felt so real?
Is there a place more lonely than I feel within
Could I have seen?
Could I have known?
I just took it as the truth
Everyone with a friendly face
Seems to hide some secret inside...

The night was calm and tranquil. Stars glistened like diamonds as the moon slowly climbed the horizon. Frogs and crickets alike sang a tune only they knew. Opal was glad she had taken the night off from studying to go for a walk. So much was going on and everything seemed to go by in a blur. One minute she would be walking and the nest she would be knocked down in the dirt all the while wondering what had happened to her. The cold breeze nipped at her skin but Opal did not seem to mind. She continued to walk toward the lake, her senses on high alert. She did not like to be crept up on and surprised like a field mouse. She was not prey but a hunter.

A soft sigh escaped the small girl. There were times when she appreciated the solitude and the cold but tonight she felt different. Opal glanced around warily, still slightly paranoid that someone was attempting to follow her. Opal had always been distrusting of people ever since her last boyfriend that had played her like a puppet. She had been young and in love. Isn't that how those melodramatic plays and books always started? Opal snorted and smiled subtly. The book twilight popped into her head and she could not help but laugh quietly. Just a pair of star-crossed lovers. Bella might as well have died, wish she would have... Opal thought harshly but the grin was still stuck on her face.

The shrill cry of an owl shattered her thoughts. Her head whipped toward the sound and instantly she adopted a defensive stance. As usual, Opal was skittish and nervous. It was not like the forest scared her but she always thought someone was following her. Of course, no one knew that she was an animal shifter. The only people that knew of her was her pack but that should not matter. They were one of her. Yet, Opal still felt the unease coiling in her stomach. She hated what she had become after her ex split but there was nothing she could do. This was who she was and it suited her some what.

The lake was still and placid when Opal approached. She glanced around before she crouched down on the shoreline. A couple of fireflies had sprouted up before her, their soft, yellow hue twirling about in the dark. She smiled as she watched them flutter around. It reminded her of a dance. Carefully, she reached her hand out toward them...

SNAP!

A deep growl escaped from Opal as she froze, her wolfish instincts kicking in. Silently she cursed herself for not melting into her other skin, at least she would have been left alone in wolf form. She knew the creature was large and she also knew that it was a human. She snarled with dislike and she felt her canines grow as the wolf inside her threatened to spill out. "Who's there?" Opal stood up, her eyes narrowed as she spotted the shadowy figure along the tree line. "Show yourself," she almost growled, but kept her inner-wolf in check. Normally she would have probably hid but not tonight. Tonight she was feeling a bit cheeky.

...Always there to remind me
To keep me from believing
That someone might be there
Who'll free me and never leave me"

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