Luna
Indrik did not seem to appreciate my attempts to brighten his mood which included preparing bath water that was a little bit too hot. He had been so distracted that he had not noticed the rolling steam until he dipped a leg in. He retrieved it faster than a little child who had been playing with fire would withdraw once the fire burned too hot. I had been expecting a smile of sorts but the extremely cold look that I was gifted instead got me running to get more water. I gave up when my joke of replacing his robes with lady Blaire's pink gown did not work either. He just did not know much humour. I couldn't help feeling sorry for whoever his bride was going to be. Finally, I led a glum master to breakfast. He seemed to have decided that his first breakfast with the others after what seemed like ages ago would be better celebrated with a huge frown. Frankly, I couldn't blame him for that. If I had a family like that too, well... And no, I am not being sentimental. The Beta who I had deduced was like his father seemed to have been ready to torture me to death rather than save Indrik. His brother, well, Leon had almost beaten him to death. Need I say more? "I will just wait out here." I informed Indrik at the door to the dining room. The look I had gotten from the guards was already making me uneasy. If I had to bear the look of the others too... Besides, I was pretty certain that I wouldn't be welcome in there. "What?" Indrik growled, sending me jumping. He had been quiet for so long that hearing his voice startled me. "Uhm! I mean..." I started when he growled again. "You are coming with me." It was hard to decide whether he was doing this to spite me or for some other reason but it was pretty clear that I had to go with him. I tried to stop at the door but he simply grabbed me by the arm and led me to the end of the table where the others were gathered. The first thing I noticed was that the Beta was absent as were the other elders. The others that were present regarded us silently. By the others, I mean Leon who scoffed and turned back to his food, Jamil who nodded his greeting to the both of us before returning to his food, Ulo who did the same, minus the me part and Blaire who examined our joined hands with a frown before returning her attention to our food. I noticed that something was wrong. For one, no one volunteered news about the Beta or even said a word in greeting. All seemed to be especially interested in their food. Indrik didn't ask about the Beta either as he took a seat and forced me to sit beside him as well, provoking curious glances from some people but they quickly returned their attention to their plates. The maids came to serve us and I couldn't help feeling awkward. Sure, I had eaten at the table before but I had been invited at that time, besides, my master had not been present at that time. Now, it seemed like I was forcing myself into this very gloomy circle. Breakfast was a very boring affair and I couldn't be more glad when Indrik rose to his feet with a loud scraping. I rose too, ignoring my plate that was still half full. It was hard to work up an appetite in this kind of environment. Indrik took a glance at my plate before turning around and leaving. I was starting to realize just how much of a sulker my master was. Remind me to never forget his birthdays. Oh, wait, I didn't know his birthday. As I followed my master, I noticed Leon getting out of his chair and coming after us out of the corner of my eyes. A part of me wanted to grab Indrik by the arm and run as fast as I could back to safety but, where was safety? Jamil had mentioned that Leon also had a room in our quarters which meant that no place was safe for my master. Not unless he could protect himself. I continued to steal glances behind us as I hurried after my master but I could not see Leon. I almost started to hope that he was not coming for us. One thing I had learnt was that hope was no friend of mine. Whenever I dared to call on her, she reminded me of this which was why I shouldn't have been so surprised when Leon caught up to us just as we stepped out of the huge doors. He had probably delayed to throw Indrik's friends, especially Jamil off his trail. "Hey brother." He called dryly as he caught up to Indrik and placed an arm on his shoulder. I noticed that his nose looked dented. That hadn't been there the last time I saw him. Something told me it had something to do with Jamil. The thought warmed me up. "What do you want?" Indrik snapped, brushing his hand off roughly. "Growing balls, are we? I heard your wolf was finally freed. A waste, I tell you. They should have just let you die." Leon grinned darkly. Indrik's eyes narrowed but I could notice his hands shaking. He was scared. Leon seemed to notice it as he laughed. "Wolf or not, I can and will still thrash you brother. Not today though. But soon." He laughed as he sauntered off. Looking back, I noticed why he had left. Jamil had appeared behind us and was now looking at us tentatively. Indrik growled as he stomped off. I glanced at Jamil before running after my master. My mind was made up now. I was going to train my master.IndrikI was scared. More scared than I had ever been in my entire life which was saying a lot because I had spent my entire life living in fear. Fear of never being more than a weak wolf who was the butt of everyone's joke. Fear of always being tormented by my half brother. Fear of dying from a simple cold. Fear, fear, fear, that had always been a recurring theme in my life. Something that I hated but could not do without anymore than I could do without breathing. You would think I would have mastered the art of fear by now. Wait a minute, is there anything like that? Forget that. My point is, now, I felt so scared, it paralyzed me. I had only just started to get my life in order, started to reach my dreams and suddenly, my master tells me she won't be training me anymore? My whole world seemed to be crashing around me and it really wasn't a pretty feeling. And then, Leon had come along again, reminding me of my weakness and that even if I had my wolf now, I would still always be th
IndrikWords could not possibly begin to express how much joy flooded my heart when Luna told me that but another thought stopped me cold. "When you say that, you mean..." I gulped, not having the heart to put it into words. "Are you going to show me or not?" Her face was expressionless, leaving me dangling precariously on the precipice of uncertainty. "Uhh... alright." I muttered. It wasn't like I had that much to lose anyway. Well, except for the fact that I was taking her to someplace that no one else, not even my closest friends, was privy to. "So, should we go now?" I crawled out of bed. "No!" She made a gagging face as she looked pointedly at me. I looked down and would have crawled into the earth if I wasn't held back by my skin. I looked like a mess. My robes had become so soaked with dried sweat that white lines snaked across it like cobwebs. My hair felt like it had been glued to my head with tree sap. Everything about me felt sweaty and dirty. "You should go get yoursel
IndrikAs I led Luna through the winding paths that I had only ever walked by myself, it felt rather surreal. Like I was exposing a part of myself that only I had ever known. A part that I had been too scared to share with anyone else. And the most scary thing was that I did not care. If anything, I wanted to show her even more. Wasn't sure she would want to see more though judging by the hay straws that had threaded their way into her hair. Stepping out of the oaken door that led out of the other end of the palace, I stared at the row of tall, thick trees that formed a green and brown wall several feet away. I was hit, as I always was by the ethereal aura that filled this place. It had the ambience of a place that had been left untouched by anyone, both human and wolf for a long time. I could see signs of this place having been used by someone or some people before, a four feet wide entrance that was flanked by tree stumps that led into the heart of the trees. This entrance was easy
LunaWhen my master led me into the horse stables, I thought, "of course! What better place to have a hideout that no one else knew about than in the stables." (I mean, most people preferred their horses when they were outside, looking prim and proper and ready for a ride, not when they were here, reeking of hay, and well, horse. You would understand if I don't want to go into details about what the 'horse' part means. Not that I minded horses, I mean, I did stop by with Lea for a quick greeting.) Then, he had continued right on to the last stable and pushed in. I had hesitated, wondering if my master had meant horse fundament when he mentioned a hideout. Then, he had walked over to the wall and pushed a door open. I had been so shocked, I had gotten a mini vertigo. Sure, I hadn't really been a frequent visitor of the stables but I had taken in the compartment after he went in and could have sworn the door hadn't been there a second before. "You coming?" He had called, extending his
LunaI stared at Indrik like he had suddenly grown two horns before turning my attention back to the grove and studying them for any signs of them being damaged. I frowned as I noticed a break in the line of trees to the center of the grove. Where there were supposed to be trees, there were creeper plants instead. They had grown very thick and were barely moved by occasional gusts of wind but their presence still stuck out as what they were, a piece of skin that had grown to replace a wound. My heart bubbled with anger as I glared at Indrik, trying my best to keep my temper in check. "What did you do to the trees?" I growled. He stared at me in confusion but I was in no mood for that as I hissed in irritation. "Why did you cut those trees?" I asked again, barely able to hold back from hitting him so hard in his face as to send him back into a coma. "Oh, that." He started casually then froze as he realized I wasn't joking. "I found it that way. Promise. I have tried my best to not to
BlaireIf my chest were like a sack, I would cut it open and remove my heart. If my heart were not so good at serving two goals, pumping blood and making big deals out of nothing, I would have removed it and crushed it into a thousand pieces. If my heart could be removed, I would wash it clean, turn it inside out and wash it clean again before returning it into my chest. Maybe then, I would stop being hunted by these terrible emotions. Maybe then, I wouldn't feel so strongly about everything that I saw. Maybe then, I wouldn't spend every day stewing away in my own tears, but sadly, all of these are but thoughts. My body is made of flesh and bones, thoughts and feelings, things that were not so easily expunged. I sat in the swing, my legs dangling just above the ground, my head resting on its arm, my hand holding its weight. To say I was lost in thoughts would be an epic understatement. Right now, emotions were swirling within me like an overheated pot of thick soup. Each bubble sent
Blaire"What are you doing out here?" A voice asked, nearly sending me rolling out of my swing. For a very blissful moment, I thought that the voice was Indrik's. Maybe I wasn't so pathetic after all. My cheeks warmed as my heart started to beat like a drum being beaten by several hands in perfect rhythm. My lips curled in a brilliant smile as I jumped out of the swing and turned around certain that he had learned his mistake. His maid had shown him her true colours and he had returned to me, the only one who would ever truly accept him with open arms. I could barely hold my legs from knocking against each other in my excitement."Ind..." I started, opening my arms but the rest of the words died in my throat as I spotted the person who had spoken. I dropped my arms and my face froze as an involuntary scowl settled on my face. "Ulo!" I called coldly, the name rolling off my tongue like food that had undergone a major existential crisis in the kitchen. "Sorry!" He muttered, his hands s
Jamil"Are you sure about that?" Beta Green asked, his face looking even more tired in the nightlight. We were sitting in his study, a small room that smelled like books and oil and books. I held back the urge to sigh as I stared out the window and saw the moon beaming brilliantly on the earth. For the umpteenth time, I wondered why wolves could not be like the celestial bodies. Forever fixed in the firmament, not having to worry about having to fall from their perch in the heavens. Come rain, come sunshine, come winter, come autumn, you could always bank on them to be there. If perhaps, it was too cloudy and the sun or moon did not show, you could be certain they would be there the next day. There was no guile or pretense with them, just simple duty. It was not so with wolves. Unlike the animals which we take most of our attributes from, we seem to be more interested in our individual gain than the good of the entire pack. We didn't care who got betrayed, hurt or even died so long as