Elira slept under the Heart Tree with the silver wolf curled beside her. The forest was quiet and kind, like a soft blanket wrapped around her.
While she slept, Elira dreamed.
In her dream, she stood in a wide meadow filled with white flowers. The petals tickled her ankles, and the sky above was painted with stars. The moon hung low, big and bright, just like the night before.
But in this dream, she wasn't alone.
"Elira…"
A voice called her name. It was soft but strong, like someone she missed but didn't remember. She turned around, and there—across the field—stood a girl.
The girl had golden eyes.
Not yellow, not brown—golden, like the wolf's.
The girl smiled, and her hair danced in the wind. Elira blinked. The girl looked just like her… only older. A little taller. A little braver.
"Who are you?" Elira asked.
"I'm the part of you that you forgot," the girl said. "The part that stayed quiet when the world got too loud."
Elira took a step closer. "Are you… are you the wolf inside me?"
The girl nodded slowly. "Yes. I've been waiting for you."
"Why?"
"Because you were scared before. And that's okay. But now you're ready to remember."
Elira looked down at her hands. In the dream, they didn't have scars. They glowed faintly, like the moonlight.
"I don't feel scared right now," she whispered.
"That's because you're stronger than you think," said the golden-eyed girl.
Suddenly, the flowers around them began to glow. The meadow sparkled like stars had fallen onto the earth.
The girl reached out and touched Elira's heart. It felt warm—like a hug, or a memory.
"You have magic in you," the girl said. "It's old and wild, like the forest. But it's gentle too. You'll learn to use it."
Elira looked up. "Will you stay with me?"
"I am you," the girl said with a smile. "Even when you wake up, I'll be here."
Then the wind began to blow, and the stars spun around like a merry-go-round. The dream started to fade.
"Wait!" Elira called. "What's your name?"
The girl's voice echoed as everything grew soft and sleepy again.
"Elira. Just like you."
And then—quiet.
Elira opened her eyes.
Morning light spilled through the trees, soft and golden. Birds chirped above. The silver wolf was gone, but his pawprints were in the dirt.
She sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes.
"It was just a dream," she whispered.
But then she looked at her hands.
There, in the center of her palm, right beside her little scar… was a tiny silver leaf. It looked just like the ones from the Heart Tree.
Elira smiled.
"Maybe not just a dream."
She held the leaf gently and stood up. The forest felt different now—like it knew her name.
And as she walked back toward the village, the wind carried a song only she could hear.
The part of her she had forgotten… was waking up.