At the Wolf camp the situation was very intense. The entire palace had gathered for this important meeting. "Hail The King" echoed through the Hall way as the Wolf king made his way to his throne. The people in his presence included all the ministers, his children and queens. "What do we have here today? " he asked the minister sitting at his right. "My Lord, we have gathered here today to discuss about the reemergence of the curse" He bowed with a long scroll in his hand with details and particulars of the event. "And what are the developments? " He asked. "We have eye witnesses claiming the involvement of the Foxes in this" He reported. "Idiot. Ofcourse both the clans have to be involved for this curse to emerge. Do we have any lead to the offenders' identities? " He was furious. "No my Lord. None as of yet" He replied sheepishly. "No? Not even the one from our own tribe? We can't even trace to committed such a heinous crime from our own Clan and we dare to point fingers at others
Mia , though was comfortable in the ridge, she felt very very lonely. The days and nights were all alike. She had her little storage of food. Lin had left behind some books and papers to keep herself busy. But she couldn't do anything much other than overthink and worry. Some time Or the other she would take out a book and flip through, other times she would scribble something and then mash the papers and throw it away disheartened. She wanted to help Lin too. She wanted to figure a way out of the mess too.She was feeling she was loosing badly at this game of waiting. She didn't want to be a liability, she wanted to be an aid, an ally. One such lonely morning, as she paced up and down in her tiny confinement, she heard a noise. She wasn't sure what it was so she followed it to check. It took her to the opening. It was sealed with Lin's power, which was pretty strong. She saw an injured animal whining in the bush infront. She tried calling it but apparently it couldn't hear her. The a
As they got back on their feet they found themselves standing on thick smoke.The smoke was dark in places and in other it was white. It was very difficult for them to look at each other. "It is better if we keep our eyes closed" Said Xie "cut off a piece of your garment and blindfold yourselves. The smoke ahead might even be toxic. Be on your guard. Use your intuitions. " He adviced. They followed the instructions. As they proceeded carefully they could hear the sounds of sort of birds. "Boshu.Boshu.Do you hear that? I think it's sort of birds. Would you be able to communicate with them? " Lin asked with his hopes high. "No no no no no. " Boshu was mumbling. "What happened? I thought you were a bird yourself" Roe mocked him. "Boshu i thought you were scared of wolves. Now you are even scared of birds? " Lin was confused. "You don't understand. This is bad news. This is the sound of the hell bound birds of prey . This is bad news" Boshu was trembling. "Hell bound birds of prey. But i
Mia could now go in and out of the barrier with ease. Nothing bad or strange had happened yet, so she had decided to explore the area a little further. Her appetite too seemed to have increased exceptionally. She was feeling hungry most of the time and everytime she had to look for a specific type of fruit that she dreamt of. "Is it you who keeps showing me these strange fruits? Or is my imagination running wild" She was talking with her baby bump yet again. What was stranger was she did found those weird fruits as she strolled around the ridge and the adjacent valley. And every time she would think " I sure am lucky. I would die of starvation if I hadn't found it" . She would then gobble away with pleasure as if no one was watching. But everytime she ate those fruits, a pair of tiny eyes did spy on her from afar. Yet she was completely unaware of that. That day too as she strolled further away from her safe spot inside the barrier, she felt a sense of joy. It felt like freedom. Tho
Somewhere far away, there was scuffling of pages. There were books scattered all over. The room was lit with multiple candles. It resembled someone's study. It was full of books yet it looked more like someone's resting place.The ceiling was covered in some ancient calligraphy and paintings. The place looked as if it was untouched for ages yet there were signs of somebody living in traces. The lit candle tips flickered even though there wasn't any wind or breeze. The candles burnt but didn't melt. The place was as strange as the one residing there. The person was greedily going through pages of a very old and worn out looking book. He then went away for awhile and came back with another one. After awhile he went to bring another one. The pattern was on repeat mode for quite a lone time. Whatever the person was looking for, apparently couldn't be found."I can feel it. I can feel it. The time is coming nearer by the hours, but why can't I find the answers yet. Where are they hiding. Bu
"Let me tell you a story" The lady told Mia as she sat comfortably beside her "this is the story of a girl. Daughter of a proud father who ruled the kingdom in the West. She was more precious to her than his entire kingdom put together. He dotted her. She was the most pampered in the heavens and earth. There was nothing that she wished for that she didn't have. The tiniest and most whimsical of her whims were written down as Royal edicts. Soldiers would scout the three realms just to fulfil her cravings in the middle of the night. Even though the king had many sons, his world started and ended with his darling daughter. She was the Apple of his eyes. For the little girl, life was like a fairytale. There was nothing called sorrow or pain in her books. Little did she know that the rest of her life would have just those words written in every chapter and page of her existence. "She paused and took a deep breath. Mia couldn't understand whether she was catching her breath or heaving a si
The ride in the stars was as enchanting and magical as it sounds. One would get to choose from the few exotic soul animals that would help them complete this voyage with ease and comfort. Then a path would be laid out to connect the land with the heavens. This was no ordinary road. It was made of the finest pearls, with gems and precious stones scattered all over. It was luminous. It shone with a brilliant gleam made up of several colors at once. To prepare for the ride one had to take the purifying shower under the souther spring in the northeastern mountain. Though the journey was a nocturnal one, it diverged beyond time after the first space bent. As a result, the voyage lasted for almost around three days and nights instead of just one night. It was an experience of a life time. This bent in space took place only once a year, hence everything had to be prepared before even the start of the completions. Both the winners was super excited about it. But little did they know that this
Nanako opened her eyes to utter horror , finding herself without clothes, tucked comfortably beside the naked Jin. She freaked out. But before Jin could open his eyes, she collected her scattered garments, got dressed and left the place in a hurry. No sooner than she took a few steps she could hear voices cing her way. She hid behind s structure to let them pass. Instead they stopped too and their voices grew loud and clear."You think it worked" Asked one voice."It's full proof. Brother Jin is going to be thankful to us for the rest of his life" Said another."What if jhe gets angry? " Was another curious voice."No he wouldn't. Wasn't he the one who placed the bet on the first place. " Assured another."Come on. Come on. Let's not waste time and go catch them in action. " Said another."Go.go.lets go. " The chorus faded as the crowd got going.The words pierced Nana's heart like a sharp blade. She didn't know how to react. What a disgrace she has been. She swore in her mind to stay
Fast forwarding a few years:Merindale tried to tuck her hair back with her muddy hand, painting her cheeks with mud in the process. Akata rolled over on the other side of the field as he saw her. She had not noticed that he was coming. “ What's so funny? ” she pouted. “ Nothing. I just saw the cutest flower amongst all the flowers in this field. ”Merindale instantly melted. How many times would her man make her fall for him, over and over again. She knew she was blessed and she cherished him. “ Now come on, you worked enough. Wash your hands and come and get some breakfast. I made some fresh pancakes. ”Merindale jumped up at the mention of pancakes. According to herhe made the best pancakes in the world. “ I'm coming, ” she literally jumped over the bushes, trying to hurry up when a certain whoosh of the air made her fall back. She rolled her eyes. The triplets were there again. They never left the two of them alone, barging in their peaceful mortal life, away from the hust
Akata's brows furrowed as the God in front of him pulled out what looked like a luminescent moon from his pocket. The moon swam around Akata, finally coming to rest in front of him, floating in the air. With one swing of the God's hand, Akata saw movements inside the orb. “ Father… ” Akata flew towards it, grabbing it with both hands. He could see Lin, inside the orb, fighting for his life in the midst of those Night Crawlers. He were all over him, in the count of thousands. “ Father… father… you are alive? ” Akata grabbed the orb and shook it violently, smiling through his tear. “ Father, I am coming. Don't worry. I will save you. ” His head swing at the God beside him. “ How do I go to this place? Tell me! ” He demanded. The God smiled at Akata. “ There will be no need for that. I can bring your father completely unharmed over here. Right now. But it will depend on your decision. ”Akata looked at him with suspicion. “ What decision are you talking about?”He asked . “ You
Merindale felt a little nudge at her feet when she looked down she saw a very familiar face. But she wasn't expecting to see that face in this realm. “ You! You are that ghost from my school. What are you doing here? Am I dead? What happened to aunt Mia? “ She paused momentary but didn't wait for the girl to reply. “ Shit! Don't tell me. Are we in the Celestial Realm? ” She looked around amazed, finally realising the heavenly beauty around that place. “ But you are a ghost right? Did they kidnap you as well? ” Merindale quickly turned back to her. The little girl shool her head and for the first time she spoke. “ I am Arawan. I am daughter to Mia and Lin, Akata's sister. ”Merindale’s eyes were about to pop out. “ Akata has a sister? ”“ I was in my mother's womb when the Celestial Beings brought us here. They kept my mother in her Soul form ever since. I was born as a Celestial Creature, devoid of a physical body, just like all the other beings born in this realm. ”Merindale c
Merindale's eyelids fluttered, battling the weight of slumber, as her mind groggily began to piece together the fragmented memories.Her thoughts spiraled in a dizzying whirlwind, voices echoing in her mind. "Where... am I” She murmured as she gradually awakened, her senses swimming hazily. She tried to touch her head because it hurt badly. But her hands weighed down with the weight of the shackles that seemed to be made with light. Merindale tugged at them realizing that she was a captive. But with every tug, those fragile looking shackles became heavier by the seconds. Merindale immediately gave up because she understood that she was making it worse. Her predatory senses kicked in and her eyes began to search for a way out. It took some time for her to adjust her gaze to the overwhelming light condition in the Celestial Realm. She shifted her weight and tried to sit up but she could only position herself on her knees. Her body felt exceptionally lightweight. She could almost
The Wolf Queen stood in the front, looking down at the flame leaping with its vicious tongue towards them. “ Can we believe this woman? ” Roe asked her brother. Xie placed a hand over Roe's shoulder and said, “ I can see something is different about her.I am no saint. Let us give her a benefit of doubt. There is no other knowledge that we can implement at the moment. Let's see if her method works.” “ But what if she tries to manipulate us again? What if we lose more … ”Xie pressed her hand, “ Watch… ”.They saw their mother slit her wrist and then she made a drop of that blood fall in the furnace.The fire reached the height of the heavens. It's color turned the darkest crimson and then it dropped down to its normal height. The fire changed its color a couple of times, matching Lin's changing eye color. And then something miraculous happened. The fire split from the middle, creating a way for them and everyone looked at each other in surprise. “ How did you do that? ” Roe aske
Akata and the old wolf queen helped Xie inside the Bird Tribe. He looked devastated. And the birds scattered here and there at his arrival. Roe rushed to the site and was shocked to find her mother and brother together. “ What brings you here mother? ” Roe lunged at her but she held up her hand. “ I know you don't trust me but I had nothing to do with this. It's about Merindale… They took her as well. ” she spurred. Roe had no time to gasp as they hurried inside with Xie who was almost on the verge of exhaustion. His eyes fell on Lin who was hurdled in the corner. Xie freed himself from everyone's grip and literally ran at his feet. “ Forgive me! ” he began to sob uncontrollably. “ Merindale was right. I never tried giving you my best. I always thought about the safety of my family and my kingdom first but look at the cruel twist of fate. I have neither a kingdom nor a daughter. ”He turned at his mother, “ Turns out I took after you,mother… Is it true that you cheated on m
The soldiers flew on either side, startled as Merindale swung the door to her father's chamber open with a loud kick. Her eyes were blazing with fury as she stormed in, her cloak billowed behind her like a tempestuous wind."Father," she spat, her voice was a mixture of anger and betrayal. "Why did you do this? Since when did you become a coward?” she huffed. “Merindale? ” Xie and Ruby were in their bed. They sat up as she entered. “My dear girl…where are you coming from? What happened?” Ruby tried to ask.“ Don't try to act like you have been doing over the years. I know everything. I saw uncle Lin and what you did to him.”Ruby opened her mouth but Xie raised a hand. “ I acted for your well-being. You cannot fathom the dangers lurking beyond our realm. I know what I did might not have been the best thing to do but that was all I could think of at the moment and as the Wolf King and your father, I am entitled to my decision." He concluded. "Enough!" Her fists clenched as she pac
Boshu was sobbing profusely as he saw Lin's motionless body. He held his hand and cried like someone who had lost everything. “ Forgive me! ” he could barely utter through his whimpers. “ Forgive me for not being able to be with you when you were suffering at the lands of your own people. Forgive me for being so engrossed in my own life that I… that I… ” he was almost on the verge of vomiting because he was crying and drooling so much. “ Papa! Take it easy. Your friend can't hear you. Let him come around first. ” one of the triplets patted his back. He had been guilt ridden for living in ignorance for so long. Besides he had never seen Lin in such a vulnerable state, be it any battle. Akata walked in at that moment. Boshu immediately wiped his tears at his arrival. “Don't worry. He will be up and running any moment, young man. ” Akata watched his father from a distance, smiled at his uncle and then left. Everything about his present situation was overwhelming. It was too much
“ What's going on? Is he not Akata? How the hell did your brother banish him? Why does he call himself Leo? ” Boshu poured his heart out but Roe stayed quiet. “ We need to go back. Let's take Akata to the Wolf territories. We don't have a proper facility to give him the required care. I need to talk with my brother as well. Things don't seem right at the moment. You stay back and take care of the kids, I will leave with him immediately.”*****At the Wolf Kingdom -Roe might have left her lands for love but her land never stopped loving her. Every leaf she stepped on rustled in greeting. Dust danced in the air, and every stone she trod upon seemed to echo a silent welcome.There was a stir amongst the guards as she walked through the gates, with Akata in her arms, going straight towards the palace. The soldiers standing tall and vigilant, softened at her arrival, acknowledging her with a respectful nod. It was as though the very essence of the kingdom recognized her, embracing he