Chapter 144: Chapter 144: behave yourself
**
Something warm and rough dragged across her cheek.
Amelia frowned, trying to turn her face away, but the persistent creature followed her, licking her again with what seemed like far too much enthusiasm.
"Stop that," she mumbled.
The licking continued.
Her brows drew together, and she slowly forced her eyes open. Bright sunlight flooded her vision, making her squint as she lifted a hand to shield her face. For a few seconds, everything looked blurry. She could feel soft grass beneath her back, a gentle breeze brushing over her skin, and something large standing over her.
When her vision finally cleared, she found herself staring into the face of a massive white wolf.
Its pink tongue was already coming toward her cheek again.
"Don’t you dare."
The wolf ignored her warning.
"I mean it."
The beast paused, its ears lifting at the sound of her voice. Then it gave her another enthusiastic lick.
Amelia let out a groan and pushed its enormous muzzle away with both hands. "What is wrong with you? Have you forgotten how to greet people normally?"
The wolf’s tail swept happily across the grass.
Despite herself, Amelia laughed. She sat up, rubbing the damp spot on her cheek while the wolf pressed its head against her shoulder, seemingly pleased that she was finally awake.
"All right, all right. I’m fine." She scratched behind its ear, and its eyes half-closed in satisfaction. "You can stop trying to wash my face now."
She looked around.
The sight before her made her hand pause against the wolf’s fur.
Lush green meadows stretched as far as she could see, dotted with flowers in colors so vivid they almost seemed unreal. Crystal-clear streams wound through the grass, catching the sunlight as they flowed between gently sloping hills. Far beyond them, towering mountains rose toward the sky, their peaks disappearing into the clouds.
It was beautiful.
More than beautiful, actually. There was a strange peace in the air, something she hadn’t felt in a very long time.
Amelia drew a slow breath and let her gaze travel across the landscape. She wasn’t surprised that her prayer had worked. She had known where she wanted to go, and the ancient powers of the Forbidden Forest had answered her call.
The Divine Beasts Territory.
But the relief she felt lasted only a moment before she remembered the others.
Her smile disappeared.
"Wait. Where are the rest of them?"
She turned in a quick circle, searching the meadow for any sign of Enzo, Reid, Dean, Amy, or Caleb. There was no one nearby.
Her stomach tightened. They had all fallen through the portal together. They should have ended up in the same place.
Unless they had left before she woke up.
Amelia grabbed the wolf’s muzzle and looked straight into its eyes.
"Where are they?"
The wolf tilted its head.
"Don’t give me that look. You know exactly what I’m asking." She patted its cheek impatiently. "Take me to them. Now."
The wolf rose to its feet at once, lowering its massive body until its back was within easy reach. Amelia climbed onto it, gathering a handful of its thick white fur to steady herself.
The moment she settled into place, the wolf surged forward.
The wind rushed past her face as the wolf raced across the meadow, its powerful legs carrying them over the soft ground with effortless speed. Amelia leaned forward, one hand buried in its fur as she took in the familiar scenery.
The Divine Beasts Territory looked exactly as she remembered it.
Crystal streams ran between flowering meadows, while clusters of ancient trees shaded the paths winding through the land.
And the seasons were just as extraordinary as ever.
Spring blossoms covered one region in a sea of pink and white, while golden autumn leaves drifted through another. Farther away, snow crowned the mountains in an endless winter, and where she is, the shimmering heat of summer with a wide stretch of sunlit land.
The four seasons existed side by side, each occupying its own part of the territory without interfering with the others.
Then the wolf slowed as a wide cave came into view.
The entrance was large enough to accommodate several enormous beasts at once, and the rocky ground around it was scattered with patches of grass and flowering vines. Amelia could hear voices coming from inside.
One of them was Caleb’s. "Back off! I’m warning you!"
Amelia closed her eyes briefly.
Please don’t tell me he’s doing something stupid.
A deep, rumbling growl followed.
The wolf needed no further encouragement. It raced toward the cave, and Amelia slid from its back before it had even come to a complete stop.
She hurried inside.
The first thing she saw was a massive brown bear standing near the center of the cave. It was easily several times larger than an ordinary bear, with thick brown fur and claws that could probably tear through a tree trunk without much effort.
Caleb stood several feet away from it, his body tense and his hands raised as though he were preparing to attack. His clothes were still damp from the river, and his hair stuck to his forehead. Whatever had happened between their arrival and this moment, he looked as though he had already decided the bear was trying to kill him.
Amy stood between them with one arm stretched out, trying to keep Caleb from moving any closer.
"Would you stop it?" she demanded. "It hasn’t even touched you!"
"It’s a giant bear!" Caleb snapped, looking at her as though she had lost her mind. "What exactly do you expect me to do? Wait until it decides to eat me?"
The bear gave a low huff.
Amelia pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Caleb."
He turned at the sound of her voice so quickly that relief flashed across his face before he could hide it. That relief lasted only until he recognized her.
"Where the hell have you been?" he demanded. "And where did you bring us? How did we even get here?"
Amelia walked straight past him, placing herself between him and the bear.
"This is the Divine Beasts Territory. Behave."
Caleb stared at her.
"The what?"
"The Divine Beasts Territory," she repeated, giving him a pointed look. "And unless you want to spend your first day here getting mauled, I’d suggest you stop threatening the creatures."
Behind her, the bear lowered its enormous head and gently nudged its nose against Amy’s back.
Amy stiffened. Then, her outstretched arm slowly dropped, and she turned her head to look at the massive creature beside her.
The bear nudged her again, this time with enough gentleness to seem almost curious.
Amy hesitated before lifting her hand. Her fingers sank into its thick fur as she cautiously rubbed the top of its head.
The bear’s eyes narrowed contentedly. A small smile touched Amy’s lips. She looked almost surprised by it herself, as though she hadn’t expected something so enormous to be so gentle.
"Oh," she murmured.
Amelia watched her for a moment, then glanced at the bear.
"See? It isn’t going to eat you."
Caleb shoulders remained tense, and he still eyed the bear with suspicion, but he lowered his hands.
Amelia took the opportunity to end the discussion before he could change his mind.
"Come on. The others should be nearby."
She turned toward the cave entrance and spoke quietly to the bear. It responded with a low rumble before lumbering after her and Amy without the slightest sign of resistance.
Caleb looked as though he had several questions fighting for the chance to leave his mouth, but Amelia was already heading outside.
The wolf was waiting where she’d left it. The moment Amelia approached, the white wolf lowered itself to the ground again, making it easy for her to climb onto its back.
She settled into place and looked toward the bear.
"Take them to the garden."
The bear lumbered forward, following them out of the cave.
Amy fell into step beside it, occasionally glancing at the creature with a look of quiet wonder. Every now and then, she reached out to touch its fur as though she still couldn’t quite believe it was real.
Caleb noticed.
"You didn’t look surprised when Amelia told us where we were," he said at last.
Amy kept her eyes ahead. "Did I?"
"Yes. You looked..." He paused, searching for the right word. "Intrigued. Almost excited."
"Maybe I was."
Caleb slowed slightly, giving her a sharper look. "Did you know she was going to bring us here?"