Bryan and I were jogging through a small English countryside as the sun rose, transforming the dingy light into warm, soft hues. My feet were in time with Bryan's rhythm. More colours than anyone has ever been able to recognise could be seen in the stretch of greenery, and they were visible to all eyes. The earth continued to roll as it always had, perhaps believing that space and time were the same and that it extended both across the aeons and out to the distance. Bryan and I started to slow down and take a walk over the trail that had been laid over it. As we did, we felt a thrill of excitement for all the options that lay ahead, each one filled with explorations.

"See, you're already becoming a pro in this," Bryan smiled at me barely shedding a droplet of sweat.

"It's actually quite fun once you get fit, I guess," I agreed as I took a sip of my water.

We remained motionless for a while, admiring the lovely surroundings as we let our heartbeat slow down. Having never been there before, the countryside was truly beautiful. We were faced with a landscape that was unique in every way, curved and shifted like a perfect fingerprint. The sight was unlike anything else in the entire world, as was the case with the natural environment. The land's inclination and slant, the flora's shapes and variety, the constant shifting sky, and the breeze were something a city dweller will never experience. Each day was a brand-new moment in time since no two days could ever be quite the same in that given spot.

"The Spring Formal is coming up," Bryan leat out as he broke the silence between us. "Any plans on going?"

Unfortunately.

"Sam asked me if I'd accompanied her," I responded as we slowly made our way back to the university at a leisurely pace.

"Sam?" he asked as he turned his head to look at me. "What did you say?"

"I said yes. I don't really know why I did it though," I chuckled as I raised my eyebrow. "Will you be there?"

"I first need to find a date and since you're actually going, I should pick up my pace," he said with a smile as he pulled out his phone and unlocked it using face recognition.

"Don't you have a girlfriend?" I asked abruptly and quickly covered my mouth. "Sorry, that's your business."

"Nah it's cool," he sighed as he hit a small rock with his foot. "My ex broke up with me after the car incident."

Bryan looked hurt as he recalled the memory. "Why did she break up with you?"

Bryan took out his phone, looked through his photo gallery, and then smiled when he clicked on a picture. "Probably because I looked this way," he said as he handed me over his phone. When I looked closer at the picture, it was pretty awful. His entire face was covered in blood, and nearly every portion of his body was cast in plaster. His front teeth were knocked out, and I suddenly realised why his teeth were perfectly straight.

"Fuck, how did you survive that?" I asked, still shocked at what I was looking at.

"If I believed in a God, I would thank him, but I'll take this incident as my spirit animal watching over me," he said with a slight grin on his face.

I've always thought that humans are protected by spirit animals. A spirit that will genuinely guide and guard us on our journey. A spirit that, as we adopted their behaviours, expressed our inner personalities. I was brought up that way, and until that point, I assumed I was the only one who had faith in them.

"You believe in your spirit animal?" I questioned as I tilted my head to the side, looking over at him with a frown.

Without hesitation, he responded, "Of course. Each one of us was gifted with a spirit animal. Mine is a bear and yours is ironically enough a wolf. Wolves are quite an intimidating spirit to have, that's why I know how to respect your personal space."

"I've never come across someone that believes in the same thing I do," I said with a shy grin on my face.

"You'd be surprised how many people believe in it here. Back in America, it's only things you hear in books," he continued as he picked up his pace to a slow jog.

The air was filled with a kaleidoscope of scents as the dandelions smothered the fields. From the skies, thin light beams fell. Sparrows with swaggering breasts sauntered over the grass. The peaceful setting was invigorating to the soul. The grassland had a crisp pear scent and as we moved from the countryside into the city, all of this beauty evaporated.

I was rather surprised to see Sam stroll past me and toward the professor as I sat in Calculus. As far as I'm aware, she wasn't registered for this course. Sam handed the professor a piece of paper while they spoke in a low voice and exchanged some words. Sam appeared to be very at ease and confident. Sam took a seat next to me as the professor continued the lecture.

"What are you doing here?" I whispered as I watched her pull out the textbook for Calculus that had hardly been folded.

While she placed her stationery on her desk she answered, "I just switched modules. I know it's kind of late, but having a perfect score comes with its perks."

"What are you majoring in?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Financial Economics," she smiled as she opened her textbook.

Perfect score? Why did she need help with Economics then?

After the professor excused us, my bed waited for me in perfect liberty. It didn't take me long to fall into my daily nap as I collapsed onto my bed.

I never checked to see if the bars of my prison cell were genuine because I had considered it to be true for so long. I was rendered helpless by the screams coming from adjacent cells and was unable to even open the door, It was now spring and when the brilliant morning sun glistened in, I stood and held my hands on the bars. After a brief sight of misery, I pushed with all of my might, leaving the jail cell behind me on a hill. The outside gave it a modest, pathetic appearance. I got out of bed after spending so much time in the dark and let the sunlight embrace my face as my black hair fluttered in the wind. The brick walls had the words "fear" and "remorse" engraved onto them. I threw my head to the sky in relief, knowing that all I had to do to be set free was to finally overcome those inner demons. The shadow of a man crept up behind me and as I stared him deeply into his amber eyes, he pushed a sharp blade into my rib cage and soon left me out to die.

I gasped as I woke up. Soaking wet and parched. I frantically looked at the time only to realise I'd been sleeping for an hour. It felt as if I was trapped in that nightmare for hours. I gathered my thoughts and headed over to the bathroom to take a cold shower. As the water run down my back, my mind was occupied by the nightmare.

Why was Arlo in my dreams? Why wasn't the white wolf present in this nightmare like he usually is?

"Wolf?" a strong voice called as I turned off the faucet.

"What's up?" I asked as I wrapped a towel around my waist and walked out of the shower.

Bryan smiled as he looked over at me and said, "Guess who's got a date to the spring dance?"

"Who?" I asked confusingly.

"Me, you dumbnut. I asked that cute girl, Erika from House Justine," he smirked as he filled up his bottle of water at the sink.

"Erika? Isn't she a bit too... preppy?" I snarked as I pulled on some briefs under my towel.

"I wouldn't say she's my type, but I just did it so that I don't have to third wheel with Jared and Dante," he said as he let out a chuckle.

"Are they like together or something?" I asked out of curiosity as I pulled a shirt over my head.

"They've been friends since they were born... literally. Their mothers shared a room when they were pregnant. As far as I know, they're just friends," he nodded as he followed me toward my dorm room. "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow at the dance then?" he smiled as he waved me off.

"Shit, it's tomorrow?" I gasped as I opened my phone with all my reminders. "Fuck I have nothing planned out yet, thanks for reminding me!" I frantically said as I closed my door without waiting for his response.