#shortfilm #shortfilms #shortmovie #shortmovies #shortfilmfestival #shortfilmmaker #independentfilm #filmmaking #cinema #filmcommunity #anime
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:05my mom called me a liar from the day i was born not because i actually lied but because of
00:10this
00:10thing around my neck the verity choker mom was luna of silver moon pack and she believed one
00:15thing above all lying was the mark of a weak wolf we were her daughters future alpha heirs
00:21weakness was not an option so when my twin sister emma and i were born mom clasped these chokers
00:27around our throats which had witch magic to detect lies green light means truth red light means you
00:33were lying emma's choker always green she could shred mom's ceremonial cloak and blame the cat
00:39and gem would glow a steady green not me green light believed me mom i'm hungry and flash red
00:49light the choker choked tight i shifted on instinct a small white wolf pawing desperately at the gem
00:55around my neck claws scraping against it unable to get it off i'm not lying not lying please but mom's
01:03eyes had already gone cold instant punishment mom's punishment wasn't gentle no food locked in my room
01:09no contact with anyone in the pack the truth necklace doesn't lie stella starve now study later
01:16i'm doing this for your own good after 10 years of this i started believing it too maybe i really
01:22was
01:22born wrong new year's eve everything changed mom was getting ready to take emma to the pack's bonfire
01:28celebration and that's when the pain hit like a knife twisting in my gut i collapsed on the floor
01:34my skeletal frame curling into itself mom please the choker flashed red and choked tight she looked down at
01:43me disgusted in her eyes in your dream stella faking an illness to ruin our night she grabbed emma's hand
01:51and headed for the door i wanted to howl but my wolf was too weak to answer i shifted anyway
01:57forced it
01:58a small white wolf trembling on the floor ribs heaving maybe in this form the pain would hurt less
02:04it didn't i couldn't even hold the shift i slipped back into myself without meaning to
02:09sorry mom i won't lie anymore but the pain got worse way worse the door handle turned for one
02:16second i thought mom's coming back she came back for me hurry up the bonfire is starting emma's
02:23waiting mom i reached out with a shaking hand please something's really wrong i feel like i'm dying
02:30she glanced at my neck the gem was flashing red over and over she crouched down grabbed my chin
02:37stella how long are you gonna keep this up can't you just be honest and stay here and think about
02:43what you've done dad appeared in the doorway honey should we at least leave her some food
02:51food she has a stash of snacks she bought with stolen money she won't starve lock the door
02:57when that gem turns green we'll talk but but what it's because you spoil her that she turned out this
03:05way look at emma her gem has always been green stella is a liar an alpha heiress who can't tell
03:13the
03:13truth she needs discipline but my cabinet was empty emma stole that money emma ate those snacks emma just
03:21stood there with her glowing green gem saying not me and mom believed her i tried to defend myself
03:28it wasn't me red light the choker choked tight i tried to shift nothing happened deep inside my wolf
03:37barely stirred mom locked me up for three days with nothing but water and stale bread mom turned to leave
03:44emma peeked through the door made a face at me bye sis we're gonna see the bonfire
03:49her gem glowed a steady green so pretty the door locked the house went silent i called my wolf
03:57nothing came back not even a whisper just me alone the pain was unbearable but i kept thinking mom's
04:07right the gem doesn't lie it's red so i must be lying i'm not in pain i'm not in pain
04:16i'm not
04:17in pain i kept repeating it like a prayer eventually i almost believed it the pain
04:25dulled or maybe i was just going numb i crawled to my desk i had to write that was the
04:32rule
04:32if the gem glowed red i had to pen a thousand word apology or mom would never let me out
04:39i am a liar write it down and maybe mom would forgive me maybe she'd even let me out i
04:47opened
04:47my journal pages and pages of apologies i'd written over the years sorry i lied i won't do it again
04:55but this time i wanted to write the truth my vision blurred my hand shook as i wrote mom
05:03i really love you it really hurts why won't you believe me please believe me just once the moment
05:12i finished the last word the pain vanished just gone i felt light weightless i looked down i was floating
05:22and there slumped over the desk was my body motionless the gem still flashing red around a dead girl's neck
05:30oh i'm dead and then she came out my wolf stepping out of my body like she'd been waiting
05:38all along small skinny barely holding together she looked up at me and once soft and low in the
05:48pack's old stories they say when a wolf dies young her spirit doesn't cross over alone her wolf walks
05:55beside her until they find the door together i knelt down she pressed her nose into my ghostly palm
06:02finally we were together now but i never learned how to be honest sorry mom i heard laughter mom dad
06:11emma coming through the front door tonight's bonfire was beautiful the best one yet just like our emma
06:20perfect in every way i'd never heard her sound like that when she talked about me i floated toward
06:26them my wolf patting silently at my side moving on instinct i wanted to help them take off their
06:32cloaks that's what i always did mom my arms passed right through her body like wind is it so cold
06:40here
06:41is the harthy out i stood there staring at my transparent hands my wolf pressed against my
06:47leg and looked up at me with sad eyes right dead wolves couldn't hug the living shall we go and
06:53see
06:54stella she hasn't eaten yet still the good cop i looked at mom hopefully if she found me dead would
07:01she
07:01be sad would she regret it she won't starve she is a werewolf not a human pup this whole fake
07:10sick for
07:11attention thing is out of control i laughed bitterly mom wasn't wrong werewolves heal but i hadn't been
07:19able to in a long time last winter the choker left bruises that stayed for days that hadn't happened
07:25before i reached for my wolf she was still there but the warmth never came she was too hungry just
07:32like me mom never noticed she only ever looked at my neck for one thing the gem and whether it
07:40was
07:40red or green mom pushed open my door didn't even turn on the light just for a second her eyes
07:47flashed
07:47gold her wolf might have known mom didn't listen in the dim glow from the hallway she saw me slumped
07:53over
07:54my desk i looked like a skeleton hadn't moved still putting on an act you're 10 years old not five
08:03grow up mom i'm not playing i'm dead look at me touch me i'm freezing she couldn't hear me
08:11she only believed what she wanted to see emma squeezed past her held up her choker with that
08:17smug little grin look my gem is green stella's is still red she's lying even in her sleep that's my
08:25good girl ignore the liar let her stay there maybe she'll learn how to be honest should we at least
08:33put her in bed it's freezing put her in bed look at that red gem still lying come on leave
08:40her we have
08:41to visit grandma tomorrow the door locked again i floated next to my corpse my wolf curled silently
08:49at my feet staring at that single point of red light in the darkness mom if you just stepped closer
08:55if you just touched my hand you'd know i was ice cold but you didn't you believed the choker not
09:02the daughter you carried for nine months that night a rat crawled out of my empty cabinet i used to
09:08scream
09:08whenever i saw rats but now i just floated by the ceiling watching it scurry across my dead body
09:15the rat bit into my toe i didn't feel anything my wolf charged at it anyway and passed right through
09:21landing on the other side she turned back to look at me confused lost i pulled her close and buried
09:29my
09:29face in the fur of her back it's okay you can't feel it anymore it'll be over soon she let
09:36out one low
09:37growl then went still against me finally no more pain for either of us the next morning sunlight
09:45streamed through the window no warmth reached my body in the kitchen i could hear mom making breakfast
09:51the smell of roasted meat crept under my door my favorite but mom always said liars don't deserve
09:58meat so i only ever got steamed vegetables she was clanging the pots extra loud on purpose trying to
10:04tempt me out trying to make me give in and apologize for things i never did in the old days
10:10i might have
10:11caved i might have confessed to anything for one bite of roasted meat but i don't need food anymore
10:18stella still hasn't come out yet dad asked reading the pack notices she is so stubborn she can eat or
10:25not
10:25i don't care emma walked to my door and made a big show of sniffing the air then she screamed
10:34dramatically mom stella's room smells like poop did she poop in there i floated by the door watching my
10:42sister with a bitter smile my wolf sat beside me ears flat eyes low the hearth was burning hot after
10:51just one
10:52night my body started to rot mom stormed over pounding on the door stella who does that the
11:00toilet is right there did you sit on the floor to spite me i remembered being six i had food
11:07poisoning
11:07couldn't make it to the toilet in time mom didn't help me clean up she made me stand outside pointed
11:14at
11:14me and told the neighbors look at this she's such a mess she can't even use the toilet herself now
11:21she
11:21thought i was dirty again leave her let her sit in her own stink but dad stood up frowning that
11:29smells
11:29really bad i should check could it be a dead rat or something my heart if i still had one
11:36leapt dad please
11:38open the door i'm right here just turn the handle and you'll see i'm not moving i waved my transparent
11:46arms frantically my wolf ran straight to my bedroom door willing dad to open it dad's hand touched the
11:54door handle his hand froze one was pounding at the front door a pack elder urgent business dad's face
12:00went pale he grabbed his cloak the border there's an emergency he was already out the door i froze so
12:07close one second away if that knock had come one second later i would have been found maybe then i
12:14wouldn't have rotted alone that afternoon mom took emma to the pack market the house was empty except for
12:19my corpse when they came back that evening loaded down with food and gifts from the market the smell
12:24had gotten worse mom gagged the second she walked in stella are you trying to turn this place into
12:30a den of inequity she didn't even open my door just grabbed cloth strips and sealed the gap at the
12:36bottom if you want to stay in there and make disgusting stew zoos don't stink up my house she
12:41patted her hands together satisfied then went to prepare dinner i stared at that sealed door my wolf
12:46pressed her nose against it and whimpered once so that's it i'm worth less than a venison dinner by day
12:52three even the cloth strips couldn't contain the smell mom was arranging fresh wildflowers trying to
12:57cover it up but the stench of death is unmistakable sweet rotten oily she cut a rose stem too hard
13:04a thorn pierced her hand she snapped in her mind i was doing this on purpose not bathing poop on
13:11the floor
13:12hiding dead rats in my room all to piss her off all to defy her authority as luna she grabbed
13:19a rolling pin
13:19from the kitchen storm toward my room i'm done with you you disgusting little brat time you learned
13:26what real pain feels like i floated in front of her waving my arms desperately don't come in mom
13:34please please even though she never loved me i didn't want her to see me like that but she walked
13:40right through me ripped the cloth strips off jammed the spare key into the lock the door flew open the
13:46smell hit her like a wall she stumbled back retching stella what are you doing she saw me still slumped
13:54over the desk back turned not moving to her this was the ultimate rebellion i'm talking to you she
14:01marched over raised the rolling pin but stopped she wanted to see my face first wanted to see my
14:08get up she grabbed the back of my shirt grabbed my skin the moment she touched me she froze through
14:14the
14:14thin fabric her hand didn't feel warm flesh she felt cold hard dead meat the kind of cold that seeps
14:21into your bones what but momentum carried her forward she yanked crash my body stiff as a board
14:28toppled backward taking the chair with it and there was my face blue black eyes bulging features twisted
14:34in agony dried foam and blood crusted around my mouth around my blackened neck the verity choker hung
14:41lifeless the gem dark no red no green just silence my journal slid off the desk fell open at mom's
14:49feet the last page stared up at her mom my stomach really hurts the choker is wrong i'm not lying
14:56please don't punish me mom screamed not a wolf's howl a raw guttural shriek that tore through her throat
15:03she stumbled backward slammed into the bookshelf a clay pot shattered but she didn't seem to feel the
15:10pain she just stared at me eyes wide unblinking no no no no this is not real stella get up
15:20stella
15:21get up get up i'm not mad anymore stop scaring me her hand reached out trembling to touch my arm
15:30the second her skin made contact with my corpse she recoiled like she'd been burned that cold was
15:36too real lisa from next door heard the screaming and went straight to the pack healer when she saw
15:43what was in my room she collapsed in the gate within the hour heavy boots on the floorboards
15:48the pack healer and a handful of pack warriors crowding the entrance mom sat on the floor a warrior's
15:55hand on her shoulder she's speaking it she's always lying it doesn't lie i'm just teaching her
16:04no one responded they all looked at her like she was a monster the pack healer crouched next to my
16:10body he muttered under his breath severe malnutrition organ failure this puppy has been starved for at least
16:17a month he carefully tried to remove the verity choker but it had fused years of tightening had pressed
16:24the leather deep into the skin of my neck damn it he had to use tools to pry it off
16:30even dead my soul
16:31flinched my wolf lifted her head and long raw desperate the kind of howl that should have shaken
16:41the walls no one heard it no one flinched we were already dead a warrior picked up my journal started
16:48reading his face went from neutral to horrified mom's eyes locked onto that book that's her confession
16:56she admits she lied look she wrote it herself the warrior pushed her back wrapped the journal in cloth
17:05and took it we'll report it to the council that's when dad got home he saw the pack healer and
17:11the pack
17:12warriors crowding the doorway saw the body wrap being carried out saw the long cord that sealed
17:19away my entire life his legs gave out he collapsed on the doorstep emma stood nearby sobbing in confusion
17:28she pointed at the discolored verity choker on the table why does stella have a black collar and i have
17:34a
17:34green one see she held up her neck the gem blinked its steady green it was grotesque the council elders
17:43arrived before dawn mom straightened when she saw them even now even with my body three days cold and
17:50rotting her luna instincts kicked in she lifted her chin squared her shoulders it didn't work today
17:58they started questioning mom in the living room mom grabbed the verity choker off the table like it was a
18:03lifeline test it that choker proved she was lying red gem means lie i never abused her the choker told
18:14me
18:15i was just educating her the council elders looked at her like she'd lost her mind the pup shows signs
18:23of
18:23extreme malnutrition months of starvation aphelion multiple old injuries consistent with prolonged
18:31that's just discipline that's teaching her to be honest then she did something insane you don't
18:39believe me fine i'll wear it watch it'll be green the leather pressed against her skin cold sticky that
18:52was my blood she took a deep breath tried to calm herself she needed to prove she was innocent
18:58needed to prove her way of raising an alpha heir was right she held up the gem eyes wild listen
19:05i'm
19:06rachel i'm stella's mother this is the truth the absolute truth the gem flashed red mom's confident
19:15expression shattered i said truth i am rachel i never abused her i did it for her own good
19:28i love her and suddenly she remembered me 10 years old gasping as the choker tightened around my throat
19:37biting my lip so i wouldn't make a sound is this what it felt like why is it red i
19:45am telling the
19:45truth turn green you're broken you're setting me up but the gem kept flashing like it was mocking her
19:52you're a liar you're a liar you're a liar enough this is just a bloodstone i've seen it before it
20:02changes
20:03color with body heat fear pain anything that makes your heart race temperature rises it burns red that's
20:12all it does no witch magic never was think about your daughter ruptured appendix organ failure the pain
20:22must have been unbearable she was terrified and what did you see a red gem so you punished her more
20:30which made her more scared which made her temperature rise which made the stone turn redder
20:40you are luna you are supposed to protect every wolf in this pack you couldn't even protect your own
20:47daughter you ignored her cries for help you starved your daughter to death mom's world collapsed she sat
20:56there staring at the flashing gem on her own net and finally understood for 10 years every red light
21:03wasn't because i was lying it was because i was scared scared of her anger scared of being misunderstood
21:12scared of eating food that made me sick i was in pain pain that made my heart race and cold
21:18sweat pour
21:19down my face i was desperate desperate for a hug for her to hold me the way she held emma
21:26every signal
21:27from my frightened heart she had interpreted as proof of my lies no get it off
21:37i'm not lying i'm not she tried to shift fur rippling across her skin bones cracking but the leather
21:45cinched harder around her throat the moment her neck began to change she snapped back into human form
21:51gasping i can't get it off stella take it back i'm sorry it's all my fault this little bit of
22:01choking
22:01and she was already breaking mom i suffered for 10 years the council elders needed evidence for judgment
22:11so they opened my journal in front of my parents february 14th sunny mom put celery on my plate i'm
22:19allergic my throat swells i can't breathe i said i can't eat it but because i was scared of making
22:26her
22:26angry my body ran hot the gem flashed red the choker tightened mom said i was picky lying made me
22:36eat the
22:36whole plate that night i threw up blood my throat felt like it was on fire i shifted to ease
22:43my pain
22:44mom saw it and said i'd snuck berry juice that i was faking the choker tightened for 10 more minutes
22:52mom's hand flew to her mouth she was shaking violently she remembered that she really did think
23:00it was berry juice she didn't even look closely just turned away to read emma a bedtime story that
23:07was blood from a swollen torn throat june 1st pups day emma shredded mom's ceremonial cloak emma's
23:16heart is always calm her gem stays green i tried to explain but i was scared of being hit my
23:24body ran
23:24hot red gem choker tightened for 10 minutes it hurt so bad but i didn't cry because crying makes your
23:34body run hotter and mom thinks that means you're not sorry so i held my breath pretended it didn't
23:41hurt mom said see she doesn't even blink she's definitely faking it dad couldn't take it anymore this
23:49man who had always put the pack before his own family chose duty over his daughter for 10 years
23:56you monster what did you do that was your daughter you treated her like a stray blood at the corner
24:05of
24:05her mouth not my fault not my fault it's her it's emma emma's gem was always green emma was a
24:13good one
24:14if it wasn't for that green light making me trust her i wouldn't have believed the red light so much
24:19this is emma's fault that little princess everyone who protected one of the council elders walked over
24:26gently removed the green verity choker from her neck took out a blade pried the gem loose right there
24:34it rolled onto the table still glowing green steady unchanged the elder picked up the stone
24:41a glowstone that is all your younger daughter's choker was always going to shine green no matter
24:49what she said did or lied about it would never change your so-called verity choker was a fraud
24:58that was her truth for 10 years that was the evidence she used to convict me a common glowstone
25:05that put me in hell while emma lived in paradise so i wasn't a liar i i laughed laughed until
25:13i cried
25:14turns out ghosts could cry too the elder turned to the last page of the journal his voice broke the
25:20handwriting was a mess clearly written while dying mom if i die will the choker stop glowing red or if
25:27it
25:27turns green will you hug me then i'm not lying i couldn't heal myself anymore my stomach hurts so
25:35much like knives next life please don't make me wear the choker please i just want to be a normal
25:43pup
25:43i want to eat mom's roasted meat mom stared at the broken glowstone on the table that truth magic she
25:49trusted without question a worthless stone because of that stone she spoiled emma for 10 years because
25:57of that cursed red light she tortured me for 10 years
26:04mom started laughing her voice cracking worse than crying fake all fake
26:15i killed my most honest pup and i worshipped a liar she lost her mind for real this time my
26:24death became
26:25the talk of the entire pack lisa the neighbor who had sent for the pack healer told
26:30everyone what she'd seen every wolf knew by morning luna had starved her own daughter to death
26:38monster murderer she doesn't deserve to be luna stones flew at our door the word killer carved into
26:47the wall the council convened within the day the verdict was swift dad lost his alpha title no wolf would
26:55follow him now my grandfather the former alpha read out the judgment himself he didn't look at his son
27:02once dad walked out of the council hall and never looked back he took emma and left the pack that
27:08same
27:08night emma was a bad seed sure but she was still his blood before they left emma tried to take
27:15her green
27:16choker dad stomped on it why the hell would you want that piece of trash emma cried as he dragged
27:22her away
27:23mom got out of the dungeon the healer said she had lost her mind the council locked her in the
27:29home
27:29instead the one that still smelled like death her mental state deteriorated fast she refused to take
27:36off the red choker she would tighten it herself whenever the guilt got too heavy she said choking was
27:42the only thing that eased it it was her self-imposed punishment i floated in the darkness my wolf curled
27:49beside me watching her unravel day after day she'd talked to the empty corner where i used to stand
27:55stella i brought you some food no celery today it's all roast just how you like it but there was
28:02no food
28:03there was nothing just her hands cupped around air she'd pretend to set a plate down her hands shook
28:10the gem flashed red she was anxious guilty falling apart she smiled but her eyes were empty the gem is
28:19red mom is lying liars don't deserve food she pulled the choker tight with her own hands let it choke
28:27her
28:27her body convulsed against the cold floor it hurts so much is this how stella felt i'm sorry mom started
28:36reenacting my diary entries i couldn't eat celery because of my allergy so she forced herself to eat
28:44spoiled food until she vomited blood then swallowed it back down i was locked in isolation so she locked
28:52herself in my old room lights off and bowed to my portrait until her forehead bled over and over blood
29:01on
29:01the floor late at night she'd see the red glow of the bloodstone reflected on the wall to her it
29:08looked
29:08like my bloody eyes were watching she kept punishing herself the wounds healed slower and slower her wolf
29:16exhausted by months of self-torture slowly fell into a deep sleep mom didn't care she scrawled on the back
29:23of my journal i'm sorry i was wrong red means pain red means love please come back and say it
29:31hurts hurts
29:32one more time i'll save you i promise too bad i'm dead dead wolves can't cry for help eventually the
29:40new
29:40alpha intervened mom's self-harm had gone too far she'd nearly choked herself to death with her own hands
29:47he ordered her to move to a small hut at the far edge of the village locked from the outside
29:53someone
29:54posted to watch her day and night she was the strangest woman they'd ever seen nobody knew where
30:00she'd found it a frayed red cord tied around her own neck her homemade choker if anyone tried to remove
30:08it she'd snap at them teeth bared snarling wild-eyed don't touch me stella's watching she'll be
30:17angry if you take it every time the guard called her name and brought her food mom would grab the
30:23red cord and pull it tight against her own throat convulsing screaming red light red light don't
30:31punish punish me i'll eat i'll eat even if the food was scalding hot she'd gulp it down burning her
30:39throat wouldn't spit it out she was reenacting my final moments living my hell on repeat years later
30:47emma grew up without guidance and with a trail of shame behind her she drifted from pack to pack
30:53stealing to survive no one would take her in when she ran out of options she remembered mom was still
31:01alive she slipped back into the silverman pack under the cover of night not for love for money
31:08hey crazy lady dad's dead give me whatever you've been hiding emma stood there face hard eyes full of
31:16contempt she looked at mom's hollow broken form and spat on the floor it's disgusting give me what i
31:25want or i'll send you to meet your daughter for a moment mom's cloudy eyes cleared she looked at emma
31:32and suddenly remembered that choker that always green glowstone that decade of deception
31:40it's you you lie you're the green light that wasn't there you killed stella give her back to me give
31:49her
31:49back to me the last shred of maternal love twisted into something feral mom lunged grabbed emma by the
32:03mother's throat emma thrashed but couldn't break free from a mad woman's grip the guards rushed in pulled
32:10her off emma stumbled out of the hut terrified they're all insane she bolted into the forest she didn't get
32:18far rogues the kind that haunted the borderlands preying on anyone foolish enough to run through the
32:24trees alone at night emma never saw them coming by the time she did it was too late she survived
32:32barely both legs shattered beyond repair she'd never walk again meanwhile mom was strapped to her cot
32:40staring at the ceiling tears streaming in her dreams she finally saw me i was 10 again no choker
32:48white dress smiling mom she reached for me crying with joy stella but the moment her hands touched me
32:57i burst into ash no she woke up screaming if she'd been wearing that choker it would have been blood
33:05red eternal torment i stood in the void watching it all mom strapped to her bed emma in a wheelchair
33:13begging on the market dad drunk and dead in some gutter i felt nothing no satisfaction just a flat dead
33:22calm my wolf padded over quietly she didn't howl didn't nudge just pressed her head against my hand
33:29and held it there in the distance a door of light appeared soft steady waiting i looked at my wolf
33:37she
33:38looked at me yeah time to leave this life was too bitter nothing worth holding on to i floated to
33:45mom's hut one final time she looked ancient hair completely white frail as paper she sent something
33:51her cloudy eyes focused on a point in the air right where i stood stella is that you her trembling
33:57hand
33:58reached into the emptiness mom destroyed the choker i don't believe in it anymore come back please i'll
34:04cook for you no salary i'll buy you new dresses not emma tears rolled down her face i looked at
34:10the red marks on her neck from the frayed cord i i reached out my cold ghostly finger touched her
34:17forehead this was my final mercy sleep mom in sleep there's no pain her eyes fluttered shut she slumped
34:24into a deep dreamless rest a breeze blew through the hut the old journal on her cot flipped open
34:30the last page my dying words stared up at the ceiling but below it in shaky handwriting were new
34:37lines written by mom during a lucid moment next life let me wear the choker let me be the liar
34:43punish
34:44me however you want just don't leave me i stared at those words felt nothing too late repentance means
34:51nothing to the dead mom i don't hate you anymore but i don't love you either let's not meet again
34:57i turned away my wolf was waiting in the distance the door of light still glowed soft steady patient
35:04i looked at my neck the phantom verity choker still there even in spirit form the nightmare that had
35:10changed me for a lifetime i grabbed it it shattered into nothing i felt weightless free no red light no
35:17hunger no lies just freedom my wolf pressed against my side together we walked toward the light i didn't
35:24look back morning came a guard pushed open the door rachel time to eat no response she walked closer
35:31mom's hand clutched the torn journal a single tear crystallized at the corner of her eye she crouched
35:36beside her held two fingers beneath her nose nothing she was gone passing through the door wasn't violent
35:43no spinning no chaos just warmth like sinking into a spring stream i looked to my side my wolf was
35:50gone
35:50i didn't panic i pressed my hand to my chest and there she was steady warm then i heard her
35:56voice not
35:57a whimper not a whine clear and bright and full of life like the first time we met run i
36:03shifted four paws
36:05hit the ground and i ran through forests that smelled of pine and rain through cold shallow streams that
36:11splashed silver around my legs through meadows i had never seen but somehow knew my white fur caught
36:17the light my paws were sure my lungs were full my body was strong no choker around my throat no
36:24red light
36:25no hunger the lingering ache in my soul the phantom pain of 10 years started to fade with every step
36:32i ran
36:33toward brightness behind me old life dissolved like a worn photograph left out in the rain mom's final tear
36:40the red glow of the choker blood on the journal pages gone i didn't look back that 10 year nightmare
36:47was finally truly over when i opened my eyes again i was tiny wrapped in soft blankets someone was humming
36:58a woman's voice gentle off key but full of love her fingers brushed my cheek the scent of wildflowers
37:06not the cold clinical distance of my old mother not the silence of someone who only touched me to
37:12punish i blinked up at her she had kind eyes a soft smile she cradled me like i was made
37:19of glass
37:20grace is awake honey come quick our daughter just opened her eyes a man appeared tall a little awkward
37:29but his face lit up when he saw me he touched my tiny hand with one finger his voice was
37:35deep warm
37:37hey grace i'm your dad
37:41grace not stella no weight no chains no red light just grace a name that meant something light
37:50something cherished this house was small but warm full of light cartoon painting on the walls flowers by
37:58the window sunlight pouring through the windows warm on the floor i realized fast this family was nothing
38:05like the last one they never forced me to do anything there were no chokers no red lights no punishments
38:13for things i hadn't done i grew learned to crawl to talk and when i was three mom made a
38:21stew with
38:21celery the green stalks in the bowl triggered me i flashed back to choking throat swelling vomiting
38:28blood i stumbled backwards shaking tears came without permission mom immediately put down her spoon
38:35crouched pulled me into a hug grace what's wrong you don't like celery i couldn't speak
38:43just shook my head sobbing dad knelt too rubbed my back hey it's okay you don't have to eat it
38:50can you
38:51tell us why their eyes were patient gentle finally i choked out it hurts my throat makes me bleed they
39:01didn't say the verity choker doesn't lie they didn't accuse me of faking they took me to the pack healer
39:07immediately turns out i really do have a celery allergy after that celery never appeared in the
39:14house again mom added it to her market list grace's allergies celery she checked every time she shopped
39:22i lay in her arms that night smelling wild flowers and realized this is what it feels like to be
39:29believed love isn't measured by a stone it's listening even when the story sounds impossible when i was four
39:36dad took me to the pack healer for my first health check there was a blood draw i saw the
39:41needle and lost
39:42it flashes of the choker tightening around my throat flashes of starvation i screamed clung to dad's leg
39:50the healer sighed i couldn't stop shaking don't punish me i'm not lying
39:57dad immediately scooped me up sorry she's not ready we'll come back another time on the walk home
40:02dad didn't scold me for being weak he just asked gently grace did someone hurt you before i buried
40:11my face in his shoulder tears soaking his shirt mom joker red light i couldn't explain it clearly
40:19but he listened nodded it's okay dad's here now no one's ever hurting you again from then on they
40:29took me to the pack healer regularly not for blood draws just to talk she has been hurt be patient
40:35with
40:36her my parents never complained never made me feel like a burden they bought me a colorful necklace but
40:42never forced me to wear it this is just a pretty thing grace wear it if you want take it
40:47off if you
40:48don't we'll love you either way slowly i started to heal i could say i don't like this without fear
40:56i could say i'm scared i could say i want that i didn't have to worry about my heart racing
41:02being
41:03proof of a lie i started sharing my stories with them i cried when i didn't get a toy i
41:09laughed when i
41:10got praise i was finally just a pup a normal loved pup when i turned seven i started at the
41:17pack school
41:18there was a girl in my class annie sullivan she looked exactly like emma same eyes but her hair
41:25was shorter and she was timid scared the first time i saw her my heart clenched flashbacks emma's smug grin
41:36the green light mocking me i stepped back instinctively annie noticed she looked down voice barely a whisper
41:44i'm annie do you want to be friends her tone was so careful so desperate to please just like
41:53i used to be i glanced at her neck she wore a simple choker with green gem my stomach turned
41:59later
42:00i found out annie's mom was strict too demanded honesty locked her in her room without food when
42:07she made mistakes one day annie accidentally knocked over the teacher's ink pot she was trembling too
42:14scared to admit it i saw her face red rimmed eyes barely holding back tears i remembered myself at that
42:22desk writing i am a liar over and over i walked over took her hand annie it's okay accidents happen
42:33let's tell the teacher together she won't be mad annie looked at me shocked but mom says liars are bad
42:40wolves being honest isn't about never making mistakes it's about owning up when you do and even if you
42:47tell the truth you shouldn't be punished for it if the teacher gets angry i'll stand with you if your
42:53mom gets angry come to my house my parents will help i gave her the courage i never had she
42:59confessed
42:59the teacher forgave her told her to be more careful next time from that day on we have been best
43:05friends
43:06i brought annie home to meet my parents she saw how warm they were how they didn't yell didn't punish
43:12little things i told her you don't have to make everyone happy you're allowed to feel things
43:20say things one day annie's mom came to pick her up from school she saw us together and her face
43:26twisted
43:28she grabbed annie's hand did you mess up again is grace covering for you annie immediately looked down
43:35silent i stepped in front of her looked at the mom in the eye ma'am annie didn't do anything
43:41wrong
43:42she's a good pup you shouldn't always assume the worst
43:49she's scared of you the mom froze looked at me then at annie's tear-filled eyes her expression softened
43:56that night she called my mom thanked her said i'd opened her eyes over time annie's mom got gentler
44:04started listening instead of yelling and annie she blossomed confident happy i watched her laugh
44:12freely one day and felt this warmth in my chest i didn't get saved in my last life i suffered
44:18alone
44:19in the dark but this time i could save someone else i could stop another stella from happening
44:25maybe that's the gift my past life gave me the ability to see pain and to heal it when i
44:31was 10
44:31my parents took me to visit grandma there was an old oak tree in her yard its branches spread wide
44:37casting shade over the whole garden i sat beneath it watching sunlight filter through the leaves
44:42my wolf dozed inside me warm and content then i saw her an old woman white hair hunched over a
44:50walking
44:50stick wearing a faded blue dress the second i saw her face i froze she looked exactly like rachel my
44:58old mother grandma noticed me too walked over slowly her eyes were hazy but there was something familiar
45:04in them something heavy what's your name child grace she repeated it softly grace that's a beautiful name
45:11she reached out like she wanted to touch my hair then hesitated pulled back like she was afraid of
45:17disturbing something sacred my mom came over studied her mom this is our daughter grace so she was my
45:23grandma in this life too over the next few days grandma watched me constantly her expression was
45:29unreadable one morning she brought me a bowl of roasted meat grace eat up this used to be your
45:34favorite i stared at the bowl in my last life i wrote in my dying breath i want to eat
45:40mom's roasted
45:41meat and here was grandma saying those exact words tears blurred my vision this wasn't some distant wish
45:48anymore it was real right in front of me i picked up a piece bit into it tender sweet perfect
45:55grandma
45:55smiled a tired guilty smile that night lying in bed with my wolf curled warm inside my chest i thought
46:03about rachel's last words next life let me wear the choker let me be the liar punish me however you
46:09want
46:09just don't leave me i thought about her final tear the torn journal i didn't hate her anymore
46:15hating someone is like locking yourself in the past chewing on pain forever this life's warmth had
46:21already washed away the bitterness i just felt sad sad that she only understood too late real love was
46:28never about stones or punishment we stayed for a month then went back home before i left she held my
46:34hand
46:34grace live well be happy her voice was soft but heavy with meaning i nodded you too grandma i watched
46:41her walk away and i felt nothing no anger no grief the grudges of my past life were like fallen
46:48leaves
46:48blown away by the wind i wasn't stella anymore the girl locked in the dark choking on a lie i
46:54was grace
46:55sterling surrounded by love free at 13 i graduated from pack school got into the best academy in the region
47:01my parents took me to the lake for a picnic to celebrate i stood at the edge of the water
47:06wind
47:07in my hair the scent of pine and cold water on my skin i stretched out my arms feeling the
47:13freedom
47:14for a moment i saw her my ghost self floating desperate to hug someone but passing right through
47:21grace what are you thinking dad handed me a drink i smiled just i'm grateful to be alive to be
47:27with you
47:28both mom pulled me into a hug silly girl we're the lucky ones no one said anything we all just
47:35shifted
47:35at the same time like we'd done it a hundred times before we ran together through the trees through the
47:41shallow edge of the lake water spraying silver around our paws eventually i slowed down turned and threw
47:48myself at them we tumbled into the grass together mom nuzzled her head against mine dad licked the top
47:54of my head with lazy affection i pressed into them both and stayed there breathing hard warm all the
48:01way through i looked up at the sky through the canopy of trees i didn't need to prove i wasn't
48:06a liar
48:07anymore i didn't need to fear a red light i could laugh cry speak freely i had parents who loved
48:13me a
48:14best friend a healthy body a bright future this was the life i died wishing for that night i wrote
48:21in my
48:21journal not the blood-stained confessions of my old life this one was full of happiness growth love i
48:29wrote today we ran by the lake mom and dad shifted with me without saying a word we tumbled in
48:35the grass
48:35like pups i thought about my past self that little girl locked in a room choking in the dark desperate
48:42to
48:42be loved she'd never believed that i could be this happy mom and dad loved me they taught me that
48:48honesty
48:48isn't something you punish out of someone it's something you grow with patience and warmth annie
48:54is my best friend now she laughs freely she speaks without flinching grandma is getting older but her
49:01eyes are warm when she looks at me my wolf grows stronger every day with her beside me i feel
49:07at ease
49:08i don't hate anyone anymore i don't cling to the past those painful memories are like paw prints in the
49:14mud
49:14i don't want to see them again but they taught me to cherish every step forward i know my old
49:20mom
49:20sister and dad got what they deserved and i finally broke free i found real freedom i don't want to
49:28see
49:28them again i don't want to relive that life i just want to be gray simple happy loved the lake
49:35was
49:35beautiful life was beautiful i closed my journal looked out the window moonlight shimmered on the water
49:41through the trees my wolf stirred softly inside my chest warm steady i smiled this life i finally
49:48became who i wanted to be no red light no starvation no lies just love freedom happiness and those scars
49:56from my past they became part of me proof that i had survived proof that darkness no matter how long
50:02it
50:02lasts cannot swallow you whole not if you keep moving toward the light the road ahead is long but i
50:09will walk
50:09walk it with courage with joy towards something even brighter
Comments