The sun hide behind a cloud as a group of friends all sat to rest under the great oak tree, on their carers property. They had been friends for what seemed like forever. The oldest boy, Ryan, age sixteen, lay back against the tree, his brown eyes closed and dark brown hair blowing in the gentle breeze. The second oldest boy was quite different. He sat talking to a girl whom he cared for more than anything in the world. His blue eyes full of love as he ran his fingers through his blonde hair. His name, Connor, he’s also fifteen though he and Ryan don’t act their age. The girl, Aura, whom Conner sat talking to, has her brown hair in a ponytail and her brown eyes full of excitement. Conner has never told her just how much he cares for her.

The other two girls sat chatting about what they can do next. The one closest to Ryan, Karen, has long red hair and blue eyes the other, Lillian, has blonde hair but blue eyes also. Karen nudged Ryan as he made to lean against her. He landed with a thud on the hard ground. Lillian burst into laughter which made Connor and Aura turn to see what happened. Aura lay back on the soft grass and stared up at the sky, hands behind her head. Conner lay down next to her and asked,

“Do you ever wonder what it would be like to fly and be free?”.

“All the time”, Aura said with a smile as she moved closer to him.

“When we were younger I always wished I was an eagle, so I could soar over the mountains and rivers”, she said, her eyes out of focus, thinking of the past and all its hardship.

“I always thought of you as a beautiful dove”, he said with a side glance at her.

She smiled and made to get up but Ryan stuck his foot out and tripped her, she landed on top of Conner, her face an inch from his. The rest burst into laughter as Aura got up, her face red, her heart beating a thousand miles an hour. For the few seconds she had stared into his eyes she had seen so many things, they seemed oddly familiar. Fire burned Connors heart as she stood up. He craved the warmth of her body against his.

They stood at the edge of the dark forest and with a faint shudder from Aura, Lillian asked,

“What’s up with you today, Aura? You were so strange before breakfast”

“I don’t know Lill”

Aura replied with a step backwards. Connor walked up beside her and put his arm around her. She turn around and hugged him.

“It’s alright Aura. What’s wrong?”

“I’ve got a bad feeling about today. Like nothing will be ok”

He held her tight, with a worried look on his face. The others all looked at each other before Karen said,

“It’s ok we won’t let anything happen and we’ve been into the forest heaps of times and nothing bad has ever happened”

“I know”, she replied letting go of Connor.

She nodded to the group and took a step forward.

The sun shone through the tree tops as they move forward towards the river. Ryan and Karen were walking up ahead with Lillian close behind. Aura and Connor walked slowly arms around each other.

“Connor?”

“Yes?”

“I had a nightmare last night”

“I know you were talking in your sleep and you were tossing and turning. You almost feel out of bed. What was it about?”

Aura sat on a log and Conner sat beside her.

“It was about us”

They sat in silence for a second.

“Everything I dreamed about has happened today and I really don’t like what comes next”

“Aura, what happened next?”

She lowed her voice to a whisper, as if it would not happen if she whispered it.

“There was nothing I could do. It just happened too fast. It will happen too fast”

Her voice broke as tears fell from her eyes. He held her tight. The others were gone, too far ahead to be called back. So he sat there and held her, for how long he did not know. She stopped and said,

“I can’t lose you”

“You won’t. It was just a nightmare. None of it’s real.”

A low growl had arisen for somewhere close to them. Connor knew in an instant what it was. He had studied cougars for a while now and knew their growl well. He froze and Aura felt him tense up. She stopped crying and was about to ask what was wrong when the growling grew louder. It was exactly like her nightmare. It was too ate to run the beast had crawled out from behind the bush and was prowling around them. The beast hissed and lunched its self at them. Connor pushed Aura out of the way just in time but it was too late for him. She screamed and run towards him. The animal fled and Connor stumbled and feel. The cuts across his chest were deep, to deep for him to be saved. Aura laid across him, tears streaking her face.

“You can’t leave me”, she sobbed.

“I won’t”, he replied weakly, “but there’s something you need to know. I love you, always have and always will”

“Oh Connor I love you too”, she cried as she grabbed his hand, “We have to go, we have to get help”

“No”, he said, “This may be hard for you to understand but this was meant to happen”

“No, no it’s not we’re meant to be together”

“But we will. I will always be with you”

And with those last words he was gone.