The Prophecy

"Tell me son that you're kidding me."

A giant shadow sitting on the throne bolted in his seat and gripped the wolf's head carved on its arms.

"To your shock, I'm not." Asher proclaimed still standing straight like a poll with his head bowed in front of the shadow, while his eyes were having direct contact with his eyes.

"You have completely lost your senses, my son." The shadow sighed as he threw his body back in his chair.

"Yes, I have gone mad, but how long a wolf can live without his mate." Asher blurted out the reason and no sign of reluctance showed on his face. His posture was indicting his assertiveness as he posed with his arm flooded on his back broadening his chest a few extra inches.

"My manly needs demand a partner now." He continued with his same attitude and tone without changing his notes. "And I can't take charge of the position, you are planning to impose on me until I find a mate for myself."

“Am I imposing my decision on you?” A voice shattered the silence that prevailed after Asher stopped talking.

"Yes, you are." He released his hand from his back and raked through his hair. It had become his style by now, every now and then he ran his fingers through his hair and set them on their position.

“Knowing the truth, you hide it from me, and now wished to see me on the same throne you have taken possession of for years.”

“What truth are you talking about?” The shadow finally emerged from the darkness and spoke just like a thunderbolt roared on a stormy night while grunting his teeth.

Gabriel, alpha six, stood up from his seat leaving tiny creases on the velvet seat of his chair. He had a huge physical frame with broad edgy shoulders which was covered with the grey wolf fluff, the skin of his biggest foe and he had made it woven on the shoulder of his cloak. He was the most feared wolf of his time and had turned down many foes of his and wore their skin.

A stuffed wolf head was covering half of his face as he had put on his hood, the tail of the cloak brushed the floor when he moved towards his son.

Gabriel was shocked at hearing the revelation his son had just made in front of him, but he composed his appalled expression as quickly as they popped up on his face. His hood concealed the creases developed on his forehead as he eyed his son with the countenance demanding an answer to the accusation, he levied on him.

“You knew it, stop spitting lie on my face.” He snapped at his father.

“And what was that that I knew?” Gabriel remained persistent as he threw a squinted glare at his son.

This reluctance of his father had enraged Asher, he was losing his temper as the conservation between them exacerbated and intensified. Neither of them wanted or intended a war between them. Asher was called by his father this early morning as he wanted to discuss some matters with him. He was already looking for a chance to tell him about his decision but whenever he gathers the courage to do so, his father got occupied with his own matters. Hence, he did not want to miss this golden chance as he had observed his father’s mood was quite cordial at the dining table.

“It’s better we don’t talk about it. It doesn’t even matter now. I have made my decision and no force on earth can make me change it.”

He didn't answer him and left the room after announcing his final decision.

Gabriel remained fixated on his spot glaring as if he's still standing in front of him.

His hearts stopped beating, and his soul cramped like a kid scratched on it and cramped it and threw it into the basket.

'Does he got to know about it?' he wondered. His face was fully engrossed in his thoughts as he was joining the clue, considering different reasons, but it was of no use.

'Is it really happening?'

He asked himself.

He knew it's going to happen one day.

Asher had the idea that his father would not react normally upon hearing his decision, but he had decided not to reveal that he knew the truth about him and that’s the core reason which propelled him to take this step. He was not sure about his decision at first, but he had no other option after knowing the truth other than to leave.

It was a cold night after a scorching hot summer day, Asher was peering out at the sky through his room’s window. It was a full moon night, and he was trying to decipher the patterns stars were forming in the sky. Suddenly something appeared in the sky and dissolved in the matter of a blink.

He bolted up in his bed and rubbed his eyes to confirm that he hadn’t fallen asleep but to his shock, he was fully awake. He flew his blanket aside and quickly headed towards the window and looked at the sky while rubbing his eyes again.

“Was it really not a dream?” he muttered.

He reverted towards his bed after intently staring at the sky for fifteen minutes in the hope that it will again appear, but it didn’t. The expressions of shock which minutes before probed on his face after witnessing a familiar yet strange picture on the sky, was not there and had been replaced by hopelessness, lingering on his face. 

As he sat down on his bed, he stretched out the drawer of the side table and picked out a brown envelope and opened the loose seal which probably lost its stickiness. It was a pixelated paper, a color-printed version of a female, her long raven black hair was falling on her hip and a rejuvenating smile was bloomed on her face revealing her milky white teeth. She was dressed in a golden robe, a gold pendant bearing the face of a werewolf was falling on her stomach as she was standing beside a young, brave man with edgy shoulders and round mustache, dressed up in a similar golden robe with a wolf head crowned on his head. It was the wedding picture of his parents; his father and his late mother who gave him birth.

He kept that picture in his side-table drawer and whenever something bothers him or the memory of his mother strikes him, he used to fetch out this picture and talk to it about all his worries. Today, he wasn’t worried about anything, but he had seen a view on the sky which compelled him to go for it.

Her mother was still looking young, but the picture had become old and started to wither. He wondered each time he looks at the picture about his mother and how would she have looked if she survived enough to experience old age.

“Was that you, Mum?” a low whisper resonated in the room.

Asher spoke to the picture while caressing the face of her mother.

“I am sure, I wasn’t sleeping. I was fully awake, and it was you.” he continued susurrating with little pauses as he was wondering about the why. Why his mother’s face appeared in the sky like this because never before it had happened to him.

Busied in conversing with his mother he didn’t realize that when he slid out the picture, a folded piece of paper slipped out and fell on the floor right beside his left foot. It was only when he bent over to put that envelope back in the drawer his stare fell on the paper.

‘It wasn’t there before.’

‘Where does it came from?’

Creases formed on his forehead as he was gazing at the floor on the paper. He quickly leaned forward and picked it up. He was bewildered at the sudden appearance of this paper now. No one dares to visit his room in his absence, so there’s no chance that someone might have arrived there and dropped this paper for him. He remembered it clearly that it wasn’t there some time ago when he went to look out from the window.

He moved the paper near the lamp and started reading it in its dim light. The letter was poorly scribbled with some hieroglyphic sandwiched in the paragraphs. He tried to read it:

“My beloved son,

I am overwhelmed to see your progress and growth. I am proud of seeing you from the heavens. The way you will be taking your responsibilities, sharing the burden of your father in organizing the pack, protecting them, and providing them with the best.

I knew from the very first moment when I saw your face after giving you birth that you’re different. Indeed, you’re different, different from your sibling and all other wolves of the town. The spark you’ve in your eyes and the sign that you bore on the back of your neck are what make you different.

I am writing to you, to inform you, because I feel it necessary as your father has decided not to disclose this secret to you. But you should know this if not now then might be in the future.

After your birth we were worried about the sign that you possess on your body, your father consulted many symbolists, but no one was familiar with this sign. He was worried but I am not. Until one day we came across a nomadic wolf, who was just passing by but dropped in our home.

Your father had a great fight with him, but it was the first time he was turned down by someone. Impressed by his strength and power, your father invited him on dinner when he met you and suddenly his face grew pale. He read the sign and take your father in separate.

That night your father didn’t sleep nor did I. Next morning, he told me the whole thing and asked to keep it a secret. I kept my promise all my life, but I know one day you’ll have to know this.

The nomadic wolf prophesied something that night about you, and prophecies are always not good. So, it is in your case. According to him, you possess a revolutionary soul, you’ll bring the biggest unexpected and unaccepted change in the history of wolves and vampires.

Yes, you have read it right. He didn’t say anything specific about the kind of change, I think he kept something hidden from us too, but it’ll going to be something neither them nor we can accept. Moreover, he said that your mate will bore the print of your paw on her left arm and only the girl with that sign will be your mate. Every other girl you choose will have a fate confronting death.

Your mother, my son, will advise you to not ruin the life of any other girl knowing the truth. Instead, put your feet in your shoes and get out in search of your mate because now is the right time to do it.

I hope you’ll be able you find your true mate soon.

My love and prayers are with you.”

A thin film of perspiration coated his face as his hair drenched in it caked on his forehead, he folded the paper with his fingers and slid it in the envelope. His head was floating with questions, and his eyes stuck on the brown envelope were searching for their answers. He sat there for some time wondering about the letter, the prophecy, the sign he bore on his neck, a girl, with a print of my paw, his mate.

 He made bullets of things mentioned in the letter as if trying to concise the matter to solve the biggest mystery of the century.

‘A sign I bore on my back.’ this point clicked his mind, he stood up fast, headed towards the mirror placed in the corner of his room across the bed, and started to unbutton his shirt. He twisted his head and cornered his orbs to get a single glimpse of the sign but alas! His sight couldn’t reach the exact location of it.

“Ugh!” he let out a frustrating sigh and stomped his feet on the floor. He was becoming anxious to see the sign he bore for so many years and was unaware of its presence on his body.

“How it can be possible that I bear something on my body and never happened to know about it?

He pondered as he put on his shirt, he walked toward the window again and looked up in the sky. The stars of this mystery twirled around his head as a realization stumbled on his mind.

He had opened the envelope many times before but never before that paper slipped out, then how it came out tonight.

‘Was it there already or Mum came to put it in it tonight?’ he wondered while gazing at the sky.

That night put the key in the hole, and he started his search to solve this mystery that would complicate not only his life but would make everyone around him under its fire.