Marco’s POVSwiftclaw's face didn't show his feelings, and he tapped his fingers lightly on his wineglass. "It's simple, Marco. Just a different way of looking at things."Swiftclaw smiled a bit, and the light and dark on his face made him seem mysterious. "Sorry for being direct, Marco. But you're not just a prisoner now. You're in my place, and I can do anything to you if you're not helpful."His words made me feel uneasy, reminding me that my freedom here was fragile. I moved in my seat, staying determined despite the threat in what he said."Remember, I have something at stake too," Swiftclaw said seriously. "But don't think I'm weak because I'm being nice."I looked at him without fear. I might be in an unfamiliar and dangerous place, but I wouldn't be scared. "I know," I said confidently. "But I won't let you control me.""Since we're talking about secrets and different views," he started, his tone lighter but with darkness underneath, "how about I tell you a little secret?"I l
Marco’s POV In my cell, I sat down on the cold, hard floor. My mind raced as I played the talk with Swiftclaw over and over. His words, his promises, and the weight of what he told me weighed heavily on me. The puzzle pieces were spread out in front of me, and I really wanted to put them together. In the quiet of my thoughts, I heard a familiar voice. "Hey, Marco, you doing okay?" I looked up and saw Dave looking at me through the bars of the next cell. I tried to smile, even though I felt all messed up inside. "Yeah, I'm okay, Dave." Dave watched me for a moment, looking concerned like he knew something was wrong. After a short pause, he shook his head slowly. "Nah, something's not right. I've known you long enough to tell when you're holding stuff in. You want to talk about it?" I sighed, realizing I couldn't hide what I was feeling from Dave, who'd become someone I could trust in this weird situation. "It's just... Swiftclaw, you know? He told me things, things that don't make
Marco’s POVI cleared my throat and spoke to the guard with a steady voice. "We're just talking, sir. Nothing important."The guard stared at us, looking closely at our faces. He seemed suspicious, creating a tense feeling between us. It was like a storm cloud ready to burst. Dave and I stayed calm, keeping our expressions neutral."So, nothing important?" the guard asked again, sounding doubtful. He moved closer, making us feel small. "It seemed like you were really into this 'nothing important' conversation."My heart raced in my chest, reminding me of how risky this situation was. Dave's fingers twitched a little. He was nervous but prepared to act if needed.I looked at the guard, speaking with respect. "We know the rules, sir. We were just passing the time, nothing more."The guard's lips twisted a bit, still not sure. He kept studying us, maybe trying to figure out if we had hidden reasons. Eventually, he let out a grumpy breath and relaxed a bit."Alright," he said, sounding an
Scarlett’s POVMy heart thumped loudly in my chest as the door burst open, breaking the room Elara and I had taken refuge in. I held Elara's hand tighter, making my knuckles turn white. The screams outside grew louder, drowning out my thoughts.In the dimly lit room, the elders' faces showed fear and disbelief. We had huddled together for comfort and answers, but now we were frozen in fear, staring at the threatening figures that had barged in.My breath caught as I saw the leader of the menacing group step forward. It was Michael, the same Michael who had just deceived us. He had always been mysterious, but now he looked twisted and evil. His once-familiar face was filled with malevolence, and his eyes were no longer warm brown but bloodshot and hungry.The other men with him were just as horrifying, with distorted bodies, coarse fur, and bloody claws. It was a nightmarish scene, and I had to hold back a gasp.I whispered, "Michael, what have you done?" My voice shook with fear and d
Marco’s POVI'm known for being good at noticing things. I'm really good at seeing even the smallest details, and this can be very helpful in our current situation. After the scary encounter with the guard, I knew we had to be careful. Our plan to escape depended on it.For the next few days, I decided to watch the prison guards closely. We needed to be very precise with our timing if we wanted to get out of here safely. Every day, I sat in the corner of the prison yard, pretending to talk to Dave, but I was actually keeping an eye on everything around us.The guards had a strict routine. They did the same things every day, and I wanted to use that to our advantage. I noticed that they changed shifts every eight hours. This was important information because it meant that there would be a short time when the prison's security was not as strong.I watched the guards walk around the yard. They always moved in pairs - one was older and more experienced, and the other was younger and wante
Marco’s POVMy heart raced inside me as I peered into the dark, trying to see who was coming. It was too dark to see clearly, but as the person got closer, I felt my breath catch in my throat. It was definitely Michael, someone I once thought of as a friend, but who had betrayed me in a terrible way.Memories of that betrayal rushed into my mind, each one hurting like a fresh wound. I clenched my fists, feeling a surge of anger that almost overwhelmed me. All I wanted was to confront Michael and make him pay for what he did. The desire to hurt him was strong, but Dave's firm grip on my arm stopped me from doing anything.Dave whispered urgently, "Marco, calm down. Going out now is dangerous. We need to hide, or we'll all get caught and killed."My anger still burning, I hissed back, "He betrayed us, Dave! He told the guards about us. I can't just let him walk away from this."Dave held onto me tighter and looked straight into my eyes. "I know, Marco, I know. But revenge won't help us
Scarlett’s POVI woke up slowly, like a boat coming out of a foggy sea. My head hurt a lot, and I moaned quietly. Every time I moved, my body hurt, and when I tried to open my eyes, it was hard. My eyelids felt very heavy.I tried really hard and managed to open my eyes just a little bit. I saw blurry things around me, and it seemed like I was in a place that wasn't very bright. It was really dark, and there were only a few candles that gave a little light, so I couldn't see where I was.I got scared when I remembered what happened before I ended up here. Michael was really angry, there were scary people, and someone hit me on the head really hard. I touched my head and felt dried blood, and it hurt a lot.But even though I was in pain and confused, I started thinking about my baby. I worried about whether my baby was safe. I whispered a prayer to keep my baby okay.As I started to feel better, I realized I wasn't by myself. The carriage I was in was moving, and I could feel it swayin
Marco’s POVIn a quiet voice, I turned to Dave, feeling very worried. "Dave, we can't just stay here and do nothing. I can't let Swiftclaw hurt Scarlett. We need to rescue her."Dave, who always thinks carefully, put his hand on my shoulder to stop me from standing up suddenly. "Marco, I understand. I want to help Scarlett too, but we must plan this. You can't just rush in without a plan. And remember, there are guards at the prison we left. They may still be looking for us."I was upset and desperate, and it showed in my eyes as I whispered, "Dave, I know we need a plan, but I can't let Scarlett be taken away. We must find out what this 'ceremony' is and do it now."My desperation burned inside me like a wildfire. In the dark bushes, I looked at Dave with determination."Dave," I said, my voice low and intense, "I can't just sit here and do nothing. I'm going in. I have to find Scarlett and make sure she's safe."Dave held my shoulder firmly, trying to hold me back. "Marco, please, t