Continued from: The Great White North

Sam was never that interested in drugs before but he did have a strong opinion on trying everything at least once and if Raina was going to partake in it he figured it wouldn’t do anything harmful to his body so after Naveed took a sip Sam was up next. He set the cup down for a second as he looked around and waited for something to happen, the first thing he noticed was Naveed falling backwards drooling, “Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea…” said Sam quietly as his hands started to shake. Slowly at first but then they started to pick up, he didn’t know why but he couldn't control their movement. Looking around he was scared and that's when the full effect of the drink kicked in.

Without realizing it Sam who was now in a drugged daze stood up and turned away from the group and found him self walking in the direction of the forest which was a long ways away but he felt his body move into a run as the everything behind him turned into darkness. The area behind him was pitch black as his body was being pulled foreword away from the darkness. He didn’t know why but he was supposed to stay away from the darkness, something in there was lurking and waiting for him, waiting for him to be overcastted in the darkness. His heart rate started to speed up, as he noticed the darkness was covering the white landscape and sky to his sides and above him.

The cliché of running towards the light at the end of the tunnel didn’t occur to him as he continued to run away from the everlasting darkness that seemed so intent on absorbing him and pulling him into the darkness. The white in front started to blur away as Sam tripped on something and found he looking down into the snow.

He found himself alone and dark as he looked up and he sighed as he turned his body into a sitting position, “Not the first time I am alone…” said Sam to himself as he looked around in the darkness, and despite himself being immersed in the darkness he was surprisingly calm. ‘I don’t hate the darkness…’ thought Sam as he laid down to look around for some light, ‘I grew up in the darkness…’ the thoughts continued as small images appeared before him of him watching a younger version of himself sitting in the corner of his small cell stabbing the wall with an ice pick, ‘despite me being surrounded by so many people I was always alone… me and the darkness…’ as a light appeared as a door opened he watched as his younger self ignored the food that was placed before him wishing he could be free to do what he wanted.

Memories of him running through thousands of scenarios and meeting faceless people only to return to that small cramped cell passed before his eyes. “Already lived those once… I don’t need to relive them again.” Standing up and turning his back to the memories playing over again Sam started to walk away to find himself face to face with an older man.

“Running away I see?” said the old man in a hoarse tone he was relatively short, a man who was clearly near the end of his life from the way he shuffled towards Sam. “Been running for a long time if I remember correctly… how long has it been two years since you tried and put that behind you?”
Sam stared at the old man’s hunched over frame and the slow motion moves as the man shuffled through what he assumed was water for with every step he took a small rippling sound resounded and echoed throughout the darkness. Slightly on edge and aware of every movement made by the old man Sam tensed up slightly, “How do you know that?” Sam asked the old man as he slowly got into a fighting stance, “Pump the breaks and relax, I know more about you than you know about yourself, your love of small furry animals your hatred for the D.M.V. even how you really feel about yourself…”

Relaxing and looking to the older man who was now grinning ear to ear Sam looked upon him and said, “Thought the spirit guides are animal…” ”Says who? Why can’t I be a human? Would you like it better if I looked like this…” Sam watched as the man leaned forward and set his hands on the ground next to his feet and slowly morphed into a gray wolf. ”This better?” the man asked Sam as he looked from side to side and shrugged not sure what else his spirit guide was capable of.

Watching his spirit guide walk forward Sam blinked still in disbelief, “Potent…” Sam said as he was referring to the drugs that Raina had given him to give on this quest to begin with. ”Potent indeed, now young one our time hear is limited there are things I have to show you…Hurry!” Sam blinked as the wolf started to run in the opposite direction that Sam wanted to go the wolf made a Beeline for Sam’s memories things he wished he didn’t have to remember.

The sound of water echoed throughout the darkness as lights started to appear but unlike normal lights the lights quickly moved back and forth becoming images, of long forgotten moments in his life that he would rather have forgotten, “Seriously! I lived all these moments over and over again! I don’t need to see them…” as they approached the first memory Sam had when he killed someone, the wolf changed back into an old man and said, ”You remember the first time you knowingly killed someone? You were seven years old,” the image played for Sam and the old man like a movie clip and reluctantly Sam watched.

The scene was set it was in a training room one that had become like a second home, mats covered the floor as he held a small dagger in his hand. The dagger at the time was the first time Sam ever lifted a weapon other than his fists before. The small version of Sam cried out, “I don’t want to do this…” as he set the dagger down on the ground as gently as he could, “I don’t want to fight…”

The clip stopped as the old man now with a cane in his hand tapped it one on the water they were standing on. ”Now you see what you did right here?”
Sam looked from the large frozen screen and looked to the old man who was once again beaming Sam shrugged and said, “I don’t know, I said I didn’t want to do it…” blinking and feeling the cane from the old man upside his head Sam yelled, “What the hell did you do that for?” to which the old man replied ”Didn’t have a reason at that moment it just seemed like something that needed to be done…” Tapping the water again with his cane the clip started up again.

Blood ran down his side as Sam let out a cry, never before did he feel something like this, never before did he see a color so red. It was warm against his side and his small bare chest did nothing to try and stop the bleeding. Seeing the knife again Sam raised his hands up for protection and with a bright blue flash the man before him with a dagger was no more…

The clip ended and the old man looked to him, ”Well, we both know how that one ended don’t we Sam?” reluctantly nodding Sam sighed and said, “Big mess, ice soaked in blood covered not only his body and the floor but, myself was drenched in it…” nodding the old man let out a small chuckle and said, ” A big mess enough to traumatize any child that age, but you were different, you just shut down emotionally for a time then come to terms with the whole “Greater Good” Garbage they had been feeding you for so many years…

Knowing exactly what the old man was talking about even now Sam had great difficulty showing his emotions and truly being him self, but of course if some one called him on it he would be in go into denial about it. Gazing out into the now darkness as clip faded into the darkness, “So what now? Another trip down memory lane?” Sam asked sarcastically as he turned his back to the old man.

Letting out a small chuckle the old man replied ”Think you had your fill down memory lane for today besides you're a few miles from you friends I think, maybe a nice walk before our time runs out?” Turning around Sam nodded to the old man not sure if this was a trap or not and said, “Alright as long as we start heading back to my friends…” ”Ha, friends… unlike most of the illusions and delusions you grew up with friends was one thing that remained your true north if you will…”

The walk back remained mostly in silence only the sound of the transformation of the man turning into a wolf could be heard as he quickly caught up with Sam the sound of ripples becoming more and more frequent, ”You ever notice how you make friends so quickly?” looking down to the wolf walk at his side Sam asked, “What do you mean?” having some idea what the wolf was talking about yet no idea where he was going with the conversation. ”Didn’t you wonder why your spirit animal is an wolf?” “Or old man?” Sam added quickly in a teasing tone, ”Or old man, but seriously it’s slightly ironic, you can be surrounded by people yet be completely alone, the term lone wolf becomes literal with you and me, think it’s funny really…”

The old man wolf had a point, even when he was surrounded by people he didn’t always feel at home, revenge was on his mind, even if it was buried from time to time it was constantly on his mind the childhood he could have had, the relation ship with his brother who he would never see again and the love he would never give or get from his mother and father. ”Before I go…” a cool air formed around Sam and his spirit guide as six figures of ice formed around them. Blinking at the fact that he had no control over them Sam looked to the figures and cracked a grin, ”Think, even in the toughest times a helping hand makes it easier to hunt...” Looking down at the wolf Sam smiled and said, “Thank you when I want to hunt for food I’ll bring some friends.”

A loud hoarse laugh could be heard from the old wolf as Sam’s ice minions became fully formed and gathered behind the wolf who was still laughing, ”You know what I mean, even the strongest of wolfs need a pack to fall back on…oh and I’ll stop by from time to time to point you in the right direction, you have a tendency to become a stray…” Sam nodded and looked down at the wolf patted him on the head and the two stared deep into each others eyes and then with a quick movement the wolf and the ice wolves turned and ran off into the distance only to stop just as they were about to pass out of Sam’s vision to let out a loud howl.

Grinning and feeling the connection with his spirit guide, through back his head and howled at the moon that came into view that lit up the darkness around him. As he came back to reality slightly lost due to his journey.

Continued in: The Great White North