I was on a cloud nine high.

My mind was at peace and all tension seemed to dissipate from my body.

I was surrounded by something so fluffy and smooth that I almost felt the need to cry out in relief.

When was the last time I had lain on something so comforting?

So soft.

I had almost succumbed to the sweet lull of the momentary peace when I was awoken by the serenade of birds.

Coo coo coo.

With a content purr, I burrowed deeper into the comforting softness as I relished in the warmth of the fur, ignoring the sound of the birdsong.

Wait a minute, fur? Birdsong?

With light fastening speed I instantly opened my eyes and got up from the bed. It took a moment before I could place my surroundings.

I was in an average sized den much different from the one I was placed before. The bare floor was covered with the hide of an animal that looked suspiciously like a bear.

The walls were painted a blend of white and silver designs in different shapes of icicles. Hung directly from the roof of the den drooped familiar green icicles I instantly recognized.

It covered the entire ceiling and surprisingly, without sunlight, glittered softly around the room as they reflected their own tiny green light. With this creative idea, the room would never be left dark even at night.

The beauty of the room was breathtaking.

My hands curled instinctively into something. I looked down only to find myself swimming in a large sea of white fur.

My eyes widened in disbelief.

Half of the room was ridiculously bombarded with layers of smooth, white fur which I guessed to be the sleeping area. A layer of white blanket covered my form from waist down, sufficing for the warmth I felt earlier.

No wonder my sleep felt peaceful.

Everything about this room felt so welcoming and calm that I never wanted to leave. I hadn't felt such peace in a very long time, so much so that this moment felt too good to be true.

How did I get here in the first place? The last thing I remembered was.. what?

As I struggled to remember, memories of last night played out in my head. More specifically, when I was at the pond.

When we arrived at the pond, dusk had already begun to set in. Thoughts of the red-haired devil now banished from my mind as I forced myself to prepare for what was about to happen.

I was a little anxious of the way my body will look in their eyes, thin, gangly and filled with the scars of my past. It took a second before it was replaced with cool calmness.

Lao stepped forward and peeled off my ragged clothing. I turned my head to the side to notice her reaction to my naked body, but she was unperturbed by the scars decorated on my middle back all the way down my thighs.

I didn't know what I was expecting, but her reaction was definitely strange. Who would see a body as destroyed as mine and not shrink away from me?

Lao and the other woman steered me to the centre of the pond, under which a small waterfall washed down.

She motioned for me to enter with a kind smile when she noted my hesitation. Elora stood to the side, aloof as always, while she watched my every move like a hawk.

I entered the pond and was suddenly hit by the coolness of the water. It instantly hit me over like the force of a tumultuous tide, so much so that I suddenly started shivering.

I was going to start washing myself up when Lao instantly came to my side and stopped me. The other lady drifted to my other side with a small, green vial gripped firmly in her palm. She swiftly opened the cork and proceeded to dump its contents on my body.

As the strange, white substance trickled down my body it mixed covalently with the cool water. The reaction was instantaneous. Bubbles began to form around me as the scent of lavender wafted through the air, tickling my nostrils.

I was intrigued.

Maybe this was their own form of soap?

The moment their hands touched my flesh, I instantly flinched. I didn't want anyone touching my skin. Skin contact only meant that I was going to be punished severely.

''Relax, we will not harm you. I'm just going to wash you up,'' Lao's sweet voice tried to calm me.

I forced myself to release the tension in my body as I tried to convince my mind that it wasn't a male touching me. I couldn't afford to break down now.

Memories of men severely taking pleasure from my body washed through my mind. I didn't want to remember. I didn't want to remember the pain and deep anguish.

The wall of numbness I surrounded my heart with buckled under the force of my rising hysteria until I felt a deep crack in the wall.

It's okay, they weren't males.

It's okay, they weren't males.

I repeated the mantra in my head while their hands roved over my body, forcing my self to realize that it wasn't a male's hand.

I barely registered as water from the waterfall washed away the dirt from my body. I was instead focused on keeping my hysteria down.

I didn't want the women to know what I was battling with inside of me. How everything in me protested against their touch. I didn't want them to figure out my distress because it only brought unwanted questions.

Unwanted questions that led to dark memories I certainly did not want to dig up.

It took a while but it felt like a lifetime as I endured the torturous process. When they were finally done with my hair and body, I exhaled a sigh of relief.

The woman beside me gave me a strange look. She hadn't said a word to me since we left my den and I was getting tired of calling her 'the woman'.

''What is your name?'' I asked abruptly.

She instantly froze and looked at me as if I had grown two heads. ''Name?''

''Identity, your identity,'' I reiterated. I kept forgetting that I was trapped in a time where modern day slangs weren't in vogue.

She regarded me slowly with an indecisive look as if contemplating whether or not to tell me her name.

Was that a crime in this period? To ask people for their names?

She shared a look with Lao as if to ask for permission. It was only when Lao nodded her head that she reluctantly told me her name.

''Mali.''

With that, she passed me by and made her way towards the dry land. Lao shook her head fondly while she patiently steered me out of the pond.

As I stepped put of the pond, my naked flesh was immediately harassed with the cold chill of the night. I rubbed my hands furiously against my arms as I tried to gather warmth.

It was then I noticed that time had elasped and we had already spent a considerable amount of time in the pond.

Twilight had already set in with clear skies blanketed by beautiful stars and no sign of the moon. Which was why I was surprised when the moon suddenly made an appearance.

Most importantly, when the moon decided to shine directly on me and no other spot.

Shocked gasps rang through the air. Thinking the females to be in some sort of distress, I swiftly swiveled my head to their direction.

''Is something wrong?'' I called out uncertainly.

As I moved forward, I barely registered the moon's light following me and instead, focused on the females source of distress.

What I saw was certainly not what I expected.

Elora's mouth was opened wide with her hand outstretched holding a blanket towards my direction. She was literally frozen on the spot with her eyes zoned in on me.

Lao dropped to the ground on her knees, hazel eyes glossy with tears and mouth parted in surprise with her hands raised upwards.

I could barely make out the words she was mumbling but something along the lines of 'a creator and gratitude'.

Mali was neither frozen to the spot nor was she bent over the ground. Instead she did something I never saw coming.

She gave me a full blown wink as her brown eyes twinkled with mirth. I only saw the expression for a nanosecond before it changed back to her cool expression.

''What happened guys?'' I was literally confused right now and was about to go crazy. Was there something that happened which I didn't catch on to?

They were all looking at me as if I were a fallen angel. Like an answer to their prayers, like they were just seeing me for the first time.

Elora finally snapped out of her stupor and moved closer to me. She wrapped the blanket around my shoulders which instantly brought warmth to my body.

My pleading gaze landed on Elora who with a content sigh answered my question.

''Yes, you happened,'' she replied simply.

I was sure confusion must have already made a permanent mark on my face.

Mali and Lao came to stand by Elora's side with happy expressions on their faces. Except Mali.

''You are the miracle,'' They recited in unison.

''Our miracle.''



Hmmm..

Next chapter coming up!