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