Dreams can be funny, fleeting and enigmatic. Sometimes joyous, confusing, troublesome or downright terrifying. They say dreams are the subconscious mind’s way of working out problems. Some believe dreams are a window to another realm. Others swear dreams can provide glimpses to future. A few people can remember their dreams with vivid detail, while others forget as soon as they are awake. But all agree; dreams are strange.
Tell that to the strange man observing/guiding Julie Stovall’s dreams.
Running through the woods surrounding Moon Lake, Julie was clearly terrified; she was being hunted. Gasping for breath, it was clear those hunting her were toying with her like a cat does to a mouse; letting her get within sight of the lake but jumping in front of her, causing Julie to run deeper into the woods. The were’s were laughing as they played with her; drinking in her fear, denying Julie the only safe place she could head to.
On land Julie Stovall was not much stronger than the average human. Despite being a were; her true strength lies in the water. Julie was wer-mermaid. When fully transformed; her feet and legs fused to one long tail with goldfish scales, her hands webbed for added propulsion when swimming above or below the surface water. Able to breathe, hear and speak normally even while underwater. Features quite useless when running for her life.
Julie stopping as she was gasping for air; her muscles burning from exhaustion. She could hear the three chasing her growling as the slowly came closer to her. Stuck in front of a large pine tree; the three weres approach. Each displaying their claws and baring their fangs; snarling at her.
“Did you think we were just going to lie down for you?” Julie seeing the were talking was a were-panthress; grey fur with russet highlights and menacing green eyes. Julie knew it was Frieda snarling at her; but it was the eyes that drove the wer-mer cold. Julie never seen Frieda with green eyes ever.
“You made a stupid choice in trying to attack Eric with this,” A black furred were hybrid tossing a silver knife with an ivory handle at Julie. Also Female and displaying green eyes the same shade as Frieda; Julie figured this was Spencer. The werewolf/panther/feline hybrid flanking her so she couldn’t run.
“Julie you should have left us alone,” the third were approaching; clearly a male and also a were-panther. But seeing him with a pure white coat of fur and also green eyes; Julie lost all self-control and emptied her bladder out of pure fear.
“You tried to turn me into a wer-mer,” The white were-panther growls; “TWICE! Both times you failed.”
“Fuck,” Julie panting; “Eric, is that you?”
“You know its me,” Eric growling as he comes closer; “you tried to stab me with silver! While I was still looking human.”
“Did you really think,” Frieda and Spencer snarling in unison; “that we wouldn’t feel our mate in danger?”
“Mate,” Julie looking confused; “two girlfriends? feel?”
Eric laughs menacingly; “got my own little were-panther pride going, thanks to you.”
“Thanks to me,” Julie asking; “what are you babbling on about?”
“You cheated on me,” Eric now inches from Julie even as she cowers from him; “with a were-otter. Did you think I was just going to forgive you for being unfaithful?”
Before Julie could answer and before Eric's clawed paw could strike her, she sits up from her bed panting; drenched in sweat and reeking of urine. About to get out of bed to clean up she is stopped cold as someone in her room speaks to her.
“Not much point in washing up. You’re still dreaming.”
“Who said that,” Julie looking terrified; “show yourself!”
“Has anyone mentioned you have a voice that could wake the dead,“ the strange man stepping out from the shadows; “and not in a good way.”
“Who are you,” Julie scared; “what are you doing in my room? MOM! DAD!”
“Oh will you shut up,” the strange man looking exasperated as he shifts the dream to random playground; with him standing by a slide while Julie is on a swing set looking gobsmaked; “you are still asleep in your bed, but you are still dreaming. As for my name, it’s not important, but what I have to say is.”
“How- what,” Julie looking stunned; “how-“
Rolling his eyes; the strange man once again shifts the dream to another place; the inner chambers of the elder council building.
“You’ll be standing trial here tomorrow,” the strange man speaking; “statue 1A charges, don’t think for a minute your attorney Brett Smithson will produce a miracle for you like she did with your assault charges.”
“And you know of a miracle for me,” Julie looking at the man suspiciously in front of her.
“There isn’t one,” the strange man responds; “you sadly have made your bed. Now you must, as they say; lie in it.”
“Pffft,” Julie snorts; “like I’m going to let that happen.”
“Petulant to the end,” the man looking unamused; “Even after what you were just shown.”
“Excuse me,” Julie still being flippant; “shown what?”
“Eric, Spencer and Frieda hunting you,” the strange man answers; “it’s a possible future you might be facing.”
“Any way to stop it,” Julie now looking co-operative.
“Let the council pass judgement on you,” the strange man answers; “plead for leniency and make peace with Eric, Spencer and Frieda.”
“Fat chance,” Julie snorting in disgust; “I’m not rolling over for anyone. Least of all those three.”
“you are making a big mista-“
“To hell with your threats,” Julie interrupting; ”to hell with whatever ultimatum you have on your lips. If you won’t help me get my revenge; then to hell with you!”
The strange man glares at Julie, as the dream shifts to The Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii. The strange man grabbing Julie and leaning her over the caldera; keeping her from falling by grabbing her hair, his shadow taking on a draconic appearance as he leans in and whispers in her ear.
“Hell; if such a place truly exists is exactly where you are destined to be.” The strange man deeply growls as he lets go of Julie’s hair; allowing her to plunge into the volcano.
Julie screaming in terror as she feebly places her arms in front of her head trying to shield her face from the searing heat. Closing her eyes as Julie feels the inevitable fiery death; she is shocked as she is lying on a cold concrete floor. Getting up to survey her surroundings, Julie is greeted with a sobering reality. Surrounded by three concrete walls with no window and a metal door with a small observation window up top and a narrow slit for a food tray; Julie knew this to be an isolation cell.
“Get use to this new environment,” the strange man speaking through the observation slot; “you are going to be here for a real long time.”
The opening slams shut; causing Julie to shiver as she notices the pajamas she was wearing replaced with a dull grey jumpsuit. Banging on the door demanding to be let out; not knowing no one can hear her. Julie determined to break free, smashes her head onto the metal door.
Sitting up on her bed once again; Julie immediately turns on the lamp at her bedside, bathing her room in a soft glow of light from a single sixty watt bulb. Seeing no one in her room; Julie breathes a sigh of relief.
“What a dream,” Julie breathing hard; “dam if it didn’t feel real. The heat from the volcano, it felt like I was actually there.”
Julie getting out of bed to a smell that made her scowl, “great,” turning around to see the wet stain on the sheets and on her pajamas; “I really did wet the bed.”
Sighing; Julie rips off the sheets and tosses them in the laundry chute. Grabbing her bathrobe and heading to the bathroom; Julie removes her soiled night clothes and heads into the shower to clean up. Thinking of the dreams she had, Julie had only one thing in mind.
‘Like hell I’m going to be locked away,’ Julie thinking to herself; ‘first opportunity, I’m escaping. First to Puget Sound in Seattle, then a swim to the Tropics.’
Finished cleaning herself; Julie puts on her bathrobe and heads downstairs, with her parent’s already in bed and fast asleep, she looks to see the were-fox guards are still outside. Knowing she can’t leave the house without them knowing in an instant; grabbing a soda from the fridge Julie sits on the living room sofa. Afraid to go back to sleep she just sits their staring out of the window and seeing the winter wonderland currently denied to her. Sipping her soda in an attempt to stay awake; Julie soon fails and slowly falls back to sleep.