35 days until final transformation...

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WEEKS passed by in a blur, and soon, a month had passed. Yet, Artemis was still trapped within her monstrous form- it was the longest she had ever stayed in this body. But, she didn't feel as miserable as she had all her life- the wolf distracted her from any negative emotions, replacing them with positive ones as they dived and played and chased each other till dawn's rosy fingers touched the night sky. 

She had come to call the wolf: Friend, since it seemed as if he didn't have any other name. The nagging familiarity still tugged at the back of her conscious, but she still couldn't figure out who this creature was. However, she had come to trust him a lot. 

As dawn's golden-pinkish glow illuminated the starry sky once more, the wolf turned and winked at Artemis, his glittering green eyes sparkling like diamonds, before he padded silently away. 

Artemis felt a memory pulling at her mind, wanting to be noticed, but she stubbornly shoved it away. Birds started to chirp through the trees as the sun's first morning rays streaked across the colorful sky. Growling resonated from a nearby buirkienbush.   

All of a sudden, her fur started to tighten, and she collapsed on the ground, body heaving as drool streamed out of her convulsing mouth. Her blue eyes started to shrink painfully back into their eye sockets. Fangs shrunk back into her mouth, turning into human canines. the drool stopped running out of her mouth as the thick black lips, turned cherry red and shrunk to a normal size. Her ear grew full once more, and reverting back to its original look. Fur sunk back into her body as she writhed on the mossy, spongy forest floor. Her clothes popped out of her skin and within a few minutes, she was back to her human body, stretching her toes and wriggling her fingers as she lay on the ground, panting as sweat rolled down her exhausted face. 

 Multicolored curls splayed out on the dewy, green ground, Artemis stared straight ahead, looking at the ring of forest that surrounded her rising up to meet the sunrise. Her circlet glowed. 

"Hey." A deep, soothing voice echoed across the clearing. Tromping footsteps indicated that the speaker was coming towards her. 

Artemis bolted upwards, eyes darting everywhere, and almost hit her head on the person's leg. Slowly, her silvery-blue eyes drifted upwards to greet a familiar, handsome face. 

Falkor. 

And as beautiful as ever. 

Lightning crackled once again within her hands as her emotions spun out of control. 

He stood there, grinning down at her, wisps of black hair curling around his ears as his gorgeous eyes sparkled in amusement. "Missed me?" 

Artemis struggled to breathe as she sat there, captivated, gazing into his deep green eyes tinged with gold. Her face turned tomato red. "Uh... duh... wha..." 

Falkor playfully cocked his head, a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. "What was that?" 

Artemis swallowed painfully as her palms started to sweat. "I..." The fact that she was named after a maiden goddess who swore to never marry or to never love a man amused her- and made her feel self-conscious of herself. 

"Yes?" 

Her eyes strayed from his face and into the woods beyond. After a long moment, they snapped back onto his own like a magnet. A second passed and they narrowed. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" 

Falkor chucked, then guffawed, then bursted out into a full-blown laugh. When he finally quieted, he answered, intense eyes glittering, "May I ask the same of you?" 

Artemis shook her head. "No, you answer me first." 

The boy grinned, amused. "And why is that, my lady?" 

Artemis's voice caught for a second when he said 'my lady,' but she responded indignantly, "Because I asked you first." 

Falkor mock-sighed, then sat down beside her. "It's a long story."

Artemis looked at him attentively. "I have all the time in the world." 

Smirking, Falkor exclaimed,  "I'm sure you do." Running his hands through his jet-black hair, he continued. "I grew up in a different village, far away from here- in a place called Legestralvia." 

"Legestralvia," Artemis whispered to herself. The name sounded magical, like fairies and enchanted forests. She tried speaking the name again, her tongue lolling the 'a' and the 's' together. 

Falkor gazed at her, another smile playing at the corners of his full mouth. Artemis locked her beautiful eyes with his. "The story?" She quipped. Croaks and screeches resonated in the leafy background. The low hum of a bright green,  grass-covered knollfrog filled the crisp air, it's poisonous, red, bulbonus gills  popping out with each breath it took. 

Falkor went silent. A shadow grew across his handsome face. The forest held its breath as the trees waited for his response. "I..." He paused, the words hanging in the air enticingly as he exhaled. Artemis leaned forward expectantly, eyes shining with curiousity. "Actually, I don't really want to talk about it." 

Groaning, Artemis retorted, "But you just said that you would!" 

Falkor shook his head slowly, the dark shadow gone. "Nope." A smirk grew across his face. "I never did." 

"B-But! Y-You said!" The exasperated girl sputtered, spittle flying out from her gasping mouth. 

The boy seemed to be enjoying this. He playfully raised an eyebrow. "Said what?" 

"That you-" 

"Said it was a long story," Falkor interrupted. He casually leaned back, leisurely stretching his long limbs and leaning against a rotting stump dotted with yellow toadstools the size of his hand. 

Artemis found herself tracking his every move. She shook her head to clear it. "You are so..." She started, secretly also enjoying the game. 

"What?" He turned to look at her, white teeth gleaming. "Handsome? Good-looking?" Cocking his head, he mock-pretended to think. "Or how about... hot?" 

Artemis pretended to look very much surprised. "I was thinking more of woodsy. You know- the outdoorsy type." 

Falkor shrugged. "I am that too." 

"You are insufferable." 

"You're impossible." 

"You're big-headed." 

Falkor cocked his handsome head again. "I am quite big-headed, but I suppose... that is one of my more...  attractive traits." Placing both hands behind his head, he exclaimed teasingly, "That's why all the ladies love me." He winked, sparkling green eyes glinting with mischief. 

Artemis stopped breathing, blushing from the roots of her hair to her toes. But, ugh, he is so cocky. She froze. What's wrong with me? 

Smiling smugly, Falkor leaned in close. "What? Nothing to say?" 

Artemis rolled her eyes. "You are so conceited." 

Falkor dramatically placed an overly trembling hand on his heart. "What?" He gasped, pretending to be emotionally wounded. "Surely I am not!" 

A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth as she looked down at the grassy ground. Falkor stared at her with a burning, searing intensity, his beautiful face turned serious. 

This boy... one minute he was serious and intense,  the next minute... well, many things. 

His deep, comforting voice broke her swirling thoughts. "I was hoping..." He shifted, uncomfortable. "I was, well... hoping that you could take me to that duck pond... I've never seen one in this forest before." A blush crept up his tanned cheeks. 

Artemis blinked. Once. Twice. A third time. "Oh!" She blinked again for a fourth time. "That! Yes! I was going to show it to you, but then I decided to stay here because I thought you wouldn't like it, and so I was going to stay here then show it to you after thirty minutes to maybe an hour? I really like ducks, they're really cute and I bet you'll like the duck pond-" She stopped, just noticing that she had been babbling and that there was no duck pond that she could take him to. 

Falkor shook his head, greatly amused. "Well, Artemis, lead on." 

—_—_—_—_—_—_— 

Even though it was midday, the Galixen Forest was as dark as night. Strange noises echoed all around them, sometimes right in front and sometimes right behind them. Glinting eyes stared at them through the ominous gloom, changing colors every time they blinked. But, Artemis wasn't scared; she and the forest were one and the same. 

They had left her little meadow and were headed towards the 'duck pond.' At least, Artemis hoped her instincts would lead her on to a place that looked somewhat remotely like a duck pond. 

She had not even explored half this forest; more like an hundredth. This forest was so monstrous in size that Artemis still wouldn't be able to see it all even if she constantly explored within her whole lifetime. 

"Just a couple more minutes," she exclaimed, her voice quiet. 

Falkor looked around thoughtfully. "I've never been in this part of the forest before." 

"Well, maybe that's why you've never seen a duck pond in this forest before," she snapped. 

As if pausing from his thoughts, Falkor stared at her, his fiery gaze making it hard to look away. He cocked an eyebrow in question. 

"Sorry, I'm just nervous, that's all." Nervous to see your reaction once you realize I've been lying to you, she thought. For some reason, she really cared about what this boy thought of her. Shaking her head, multi-colored curls flying about, she muttered to herself. "It's probably just because he's the first real human I've ever really met." Looking backwards, she gazed at him. And because he is so annoyingly good-looking.  

Tilting his head, Falkor smirked. "What are you looking at?" His eyes danced playfully in the smoky shadows of the spooky forest. 

Artemis's eyes snapped back to the front. "Nothing." 

Time lapsed into silence, with only the hooting and growling of the monsters prowling within the dark recess of the tangled trees accompanied them. 

A pillar of sun danced across Artemis's face. They were in a different section of the forest again. The Galixen Forest was made up of different regions, each with different time zones, seasons, and climates. The sunlight reached this part of the forest, shafts of golden light touching everything and giving it a soft glow. Silver motes chased each other in the crisp, pungent air, twirling like snowflakes before settling back onto the brown, bog-covered ground. Twisted, bright green vines criss-crossed over their sweat-covered heads, sticky amber sap dripping onto their hair. A nearby waterfall was heard from the distance, steady and loud; the sound faded as they walked further away. The swift and steady twinkle of a stream grew stronger as they drew closer and closer to the source. 

"Almost there." Artemis exclaimed, curiosity ringing within. She looked back to check on Falkor. He stood there, staring at something in front of her, transfixed. "What?" She asked, fear mounting in her chest. He shook his head, raising his muscular arm and pointed, his mouth gasping like a fish. 

Artemis turned, and her silvery-blue eyes widened in amazement. The ground had turned from wet and boggy to a lush green grass. The trees had opened up into a clearing. Cherry blossoms crowned the little meadow, their branches arched protectively over grassy, yet rocky river banks, and fading out in the distance as a colored mush of lavender. The blossoming pink, red, and orange, flowers painted the illusion of each silvery branch on fire. Large toadstools were dotted here and there, glowing orange and yellow, each having a unique pattern on each of their broad heads. Exotic flowers of every shape, size, and color nodded to an almost nonexistent breeze that ruffled Falkor's wispy black hair. Some had ruffled lavender petals as delicate as china, while others had large, thick, and rubbery petals the color of ink. Each one had a vivid color in the center of all the petals. Red and yellow. Black and white. Lavender and baby blue. The colors were endless. 

In the middle of it all lay a tiny, still, lazy stream, red lava flowing in replacement of water. The orange, reddish lava glowed like the embers of a fire, blazing like a shooting star. A miniature lava waterfall spilled out into the stream. Pillars of shifting sunlight hit the lava, the colors blurring together into one so that it created the illusion of lava greeting the sun and the sunlight becoming the lava. As the stream progressed, however, the fiery liquid mellowed out into water as clear and as still as glass. Smooth gemstones littered the stream's rocky banks like seashells on a beach. In the center of the river, between the lava and the water, lay a tiny island, right in the middle of the opening in the trees. A gnarled old tree grew up into the sky, lava and water tunneling into its trunk carving rivets within the wrinkled bark. Chrips from unseen birds sounded from the cherry blossoms as the loose, soft petals twirled to the fertile ground.  

"Wow," Artemis whispered. She didn't have anything else to say. "Wow." 

Falkor just stared. "This is not a duck pond," he muttered, almost to himself.

Artemis sheepishly shrugged. "Yeah... about that, I didn't really see a duck pond." 

Grinning Falkor exclaimed, "Oh, I knew, I knew all along. I was just wondering where you would take me." 

Artemis nodded, surprised. She was learning more and more about this boy every minute. 

"Do you..." Falkor jutted his chiseled chin towards the island. 

"Yes." 

They walked quietly to the edge of the banks, careful not to touch the lava. 

Artemis looked at the island, out in the middle of the water. "Uh..." She gestured cluelessly to the island. She could jump that distance, easy, but she didn't want her secret to be let out. 

Falkor laughed. "Follow me." He waded out into the water side of the stream up to his waist, a foot from the island. Grinning, he waved his hands in invitation. "Come on! It's not deep." 

Artemis shook her head. She didn't know how to swim, but she wouldn't admit it. "I don't like swimming," she replied.

"I'll catch you." He looked at her, his eyes serious. 

Sighing, the girl shook her head, this time in defeat. "I don't know how you managed to convince me but..." Closing her eyes, she tensed her legs and jumped into Falkor's waiting arms. 

Looking up, she saw that her face was inches from his own. "Uh..." Artemis said intelligently, a blush filling her cheeks. Seriously, what is wrong with me! 

Falkor pulled her even closer, eyes intense. "See, that wasn't so bad." He smirked. 

They were so close, Artemis could feel his breath wash over her face in a breeze that made fluttery things start up in her stomach. "Uh..." She said again. Gazing into his face she mentally shook herself. What are you doing?  she thought. 

It took an enormous effort to pull away, and when she did, she saw a tiny frown flit across Falkor's face. "We-" She swallowed, ripping her eyes away from his face. "Best be going." She grabbed the trunk of the old tree, pulled herself up, and sat down against it. 

Falkor followed, sitting next to her. "So..." He drawled, nice and slow, "I quite like this place." He smirked again, winking at her.  

Artemis felt his eyes drilling into her and tried to ignore it, letting her gaze travel across the beautiful scenery that spread in front of her like a blanket. "So do I. I never thought that a place like this could exist in the Galixen Forest." 

"Neither did I." 

They fell silent for a few long moments, listening to the chirp of the birds rustling in the branches and staring at the trees. 

"I have this curse," Artemis blurted, suddenly feeling closer to him. 

Falkor looked at her attentively. 

Well, it's too late to go back now. 

"It's hard to explain." Artemis didn't want to tell him about the curse, just that she had one. "But, its one of the reasons why I live here- in this forest." 

She stared at a cup-shaped yellow and pink flower by her arm. "Its one of the reasons why I don't have a family, and why I'm always alone." A tear fell from her cheek and onto the flower. "Its my biggest burden to carry." Her gorgeous eyes wandered to the grassy ground. 

Falkor shifted closer. Fingers grasped her chin, and it took her a moment to figure out that it was Falkor. He gently tilted her head so that it was facing him, not the ground. "Look at me." She obliged. "We are going to find out a way to break this curse." His large, warm hand grasped her own. "And we will break this curse." 

Artemis had never had someone in her life wanting to do that for her. "I..." She didn't know what to say. 

"Friends?" Falkor asked, a hopeful tone in his voice. The birds ceased their chirping. The forest went silent.

But, Artemis already knew that had happened long ago. "Yes." 

He squeezed her hand and didn't let go.