The Whispering Waters

Slis pressed her bare feet against the cool pine needles as she crept toward Silver Lake. The morning mist hung low over the crystal waters, making everything look ghostly and strange.

"I shouldn't be here," she whispered to herself, but her grey eyes couldn't look away from the shimmering surface.

A low growl echoed from somewhere behind the trees. Slis froze. Her ginger hair caught the filtered sunlight as she slowly turned her head. Through the shadows, she glimpsed a pair of golden eyes watching her.

The wolf stepped into view—massive, with dark grey fur and scars across its muzzle. Instead of fear, Slis felt something odd stirring inside her chest. The wolf tilted its head, almost as if it were studying her.

"Hello," she said softly, surprising herself.

The wolf's ears perked forward. For a moment that felt like forever, girl and beast stared at each other across the misty forest floor. Something was different about this place.

Morning Secrets

The wolf stepped closer, its paws silent on the forest floor. Slis stayed perfectly still, watching those golden eyes that seemed almost human.

"You understand me, don't you?" she whispered.

The wolf's ears flicked forward. Then something impossible happened—words formed in her mind, clear as her own thoughts.

*The lake calls to you, young one.*

Slis gasped. "Did you just...?"

*You hear because the waters have chosen you. Few can speak with us.*

A distant sound made them both freeze—voices echoing across the water. Through the trees, Slis spotted bright orange tents and the flash of morning joggers stretching by the shoreline.

"Campers," she breathed.

The wolf's golden eyes darkened. *They must not find what lies beneath the surface. The lake's secrets are not for them.*

Slis felt something shift inside her chest, like puzzle pieces clicking into place. "What secrets?"

*Touch the water. See for yourself.*

More voices drifted through the morning air. The campers were getting closer to the water's edge.

"They're going swimming," Slis realized with growing alarm.