Jamil
After a quick search through the woods that yielded no results, we headed back to the palace with the hearty news. So much for trying to get everyone in a better mood. "Who do you think they were? You think they..." I stopped mid-sentence but the way Ulo looked at me informed me that he had gotten my message. "I don't know." He replied brusquely. I nodded. I wasn't in a very good mood myself. Good work universe. You have successfully ruined a perfectly good mood. Getting back to the palace, we elected to go see the Beta immediately. Sure, it was the dead of night but that kind of threat could not be dismissed easily. For one, the man seemed to have known a lot about us which was unfair considering that we didn't really know all that much about him. He had not only known about Beta Green but he had also known about his son. He hadn't mentioned my name but I had a feeling that he knew exactly who I was. Blaire too. Another suspicion that I had was that he had known we would be out tonight which meant... I shook my head to dispel the thought. I couldn't afford to jump into conclusions. The guards tried to stop us but against all three children of the pack elders who were not willing to take no for an answer, they could only hold up for so long. The Beta was still in his office. I would like to say that was a surprise but from the mood I had seen him in earlier today, I'm afraid that it didn't come as a surprise, at all. As I stood before the door, I found it rather annoying that I had come here twice in a day with bad news in tow at both times. Ulo took the initiative of knocking the door. The Beta did not reply at first, either because he was asleep or he was lost in thoughts. I suspected the latter. He knocked again and this time, the Beta's faint voice reached us. "Who is there?" He asked. "It's Ulo, my lord. We have important news for you." Ulo called out as he sheathed his sword. I was surprised to find that he had carried it in hand the entire time. Little wonder that the guards parted ways before us as quickly as they did. There was silence for a moment during which time I wondered if the Beta was going to ask us to come back the next day but he finally responded with a, "come in." If the Beta was surprised to see the three of us coming into his office at the same time, he did a good job of hiding it. Right now, it was difficult to believe that he was the man who had almost ripped off my shoulders earlier. I tried not to think of that. "What are you doing here? It's late." He commented. I noticed that he had spread several more scrolls before him which he was now starting to wrap up. I frowned as I saw one that looked out of place but it was gone before I could get a better look. "We were out in the woods when we were suddenly accosted by a group of people." Ulo started which got the Beta's attention as he focused on us, his eyes narrowing into slits. Ulo went ahead to narrate all that had happened at the end of which the Beta had started to look pale again. I had a feeling that he knew who those people were but he was obviously not going to talk about it which didn't feel right, especially since we were the ones who had faced the men. The Beta remained silent, rubbing his jaw in deep thought. "Where is Indrik?" The Beta finally broke the silence. Yeah! Where was Indrik? I hadn't seen much of him since the poisoning. I turned to Ulo but he was looking at me for an answer as well. Finally, Blaire cleared her throat. "Uhm! I saw him earlier today. He was going out with his maid." "Did he tell you where he was going?" Blaire blushed as she bowed her head, no doubt haunted by a not so pleasant memory. "No! I didn't ask." Beta Green nodded. Indrik going out was not a new thing. He had a habit of just disappearing without traces and appearing much later. I suspected that he did it in a bid to call attention since no one seemed to notice him otherwise. I didn't think that worked much but he seemed to enjoy it because he continued to do it. "I don't think he is in any immediate danger but keep an eye on him, will you?" We agreed after which the Beta waved us off, telling us to go get some rest because we would have to recount what we had seen tomorrow. We were already leaving when he called us back on what seemed like an afterthought. "This man, what did he look like?" His voice sounded tentative like he both wanted to know the answer and didn't want to know because he was afraid of what the answer would be. Ulo described what he had seen while I also chipped in some parts. Blaire had been hiding for the most time so she didn't have much information to give except that "he was scary" which I thought we all pretty much noticed. By the time we were done, Beta Green was nodding and he seemed to have a relieved look on his face. Obviously, we had not met the person he was most afraid of us meeting. I didn't know whether to be happy or worried. I decided to not allow myself be any more worried than I had to be. It had been a long day for which there was no better ending than a good long sleep. Hopefully, I wouldn't be haunted by nightmares.Luna I woke up to see Indrik staring down at me. I blinked, trying to recall how and when I had ended up here. I pulled a blank unable to recall anything after the tree man. I shivered as I recalled the memory which sleep had done little to dampen. "What?" I scowled up at him when he continued to stare at me even with my eyes wide open. That, and the fact that the way he was laying so close to me was causing some un-Luna like reactions in my belly. He smiled down at me in a way that warned that he was about to say something that was pretty silly. "Don't say it." I warned but of course, he was not going to listen. "You haven't even heard what I had to say." He grumbled. "I don't need to hear it before knowing what you are going to say." I scoffed, slapping his arm which was smoothing my hair away. "Well, I'm going to tell you anyway. So, I woke up this morning and the sun was beaming on your face." He pointed an opening in the branches above the bed which I was certain had
Jamil Morning broke with me still asleep which was rather unusual for me. Usually, I was out of bed before the crack of dawn. But today, I probably would have continued sleeping till noon if a knock had not woken me up. I groaned lazily as I stretched my limbs. The knock came again, forcing me out of bed. I stumbled over to the door in nothing other than a black trouser. Opening the door, I was surprised to find Blaire standing there and even more so to find that she looked more of a mess than I probably did, but then again, I couldn't see myself through a second set of eyes. Her chocolate brown hair had become all tangled and messy making me feel sorry for her as I imagined her trying to tackle that forest. Her face did not look much better with red looking eyes and eye bags. Her nose was running and her mouth looked like one of her lip paints had gone rogue and traipsed aimlessly all over her mouth instead of her lips. Her blue gown looked she had wrested it from a couple of deer
UloSometimes, I wondered if my temperament was a curse. Growing up, I had always been the most quiet of my friends, even more quiet than Indrik who had the most right to be quiet amongst all of us. Not so comfortable with people, I found it more comfortable to be in the company of books and weapons. Those did not seem so complicated. With books, I could easily travel into worlds where I had a measure of control. With weapons, I could focus on my weaknesses and home them into strengths. As long as I trained hard and well enough, I was certain to be good enough some day. This was not the same with humans. I could spend an entire year studying humans only to fall flat again as they brought up a side of them that I never knew existed. Books had their own twists and turns as well but at least, those had a resolution. Humans never did. They always seemed to manufacture a thousand more problems for every single one that you manufactured. Hearing Blaire's voice at Jamil's door, I had jumped
Ulo I daubed at my eyes, hoping that no one would be able to see the height of my humiliation. Crying? Seriously? I wished I could punch the living daylights out of my own body. "Yo, bud. You're okay?" Jamil came rushing over. "I'm fine." I snapped not feeling up to the task of dealing with Mr perfect at the moment. "Let's go." I continued, still daubing at my eyes and hoping it would be gone before we reached the palace. It would be really embarrassing to appear before the council looking all weepy. The entire way to the palace, I kept thinking of all the ways in which I could start up a conversation with Blaire and clear the air within us but it all ended up starting and ending within me. Then there was Jamil too who was only trying to help while I kept shutting him down. All of these were really starting to give me a headache so I was relieved when we appeared before the council and were asked to give our reports. We reported what we had seen and then watched as the counci
Luna There is a place for being a good teacher and there is a place for having good equipment and a perfect training ground. I had no idea who the children of prophecy were but I promised myself to say a very big thank you to them when we finally met them. My initial plan had been to train with Indrik for a short while but the process had gone so smoothly with trees set in place to match the exact thing that we needed. Indrik found it strange but I knew that the trees were helping us. When he needed to pull himself up, there was a branch just perfect for that. When he needed obstacle courses, there were just enough low hanging branches between trees to allow for that. Whatever we needed, the trees provided. Even the staff with which I had whacked his behind a couple of times now. By the time we decided to rest, the day had been far spent and we both collapsed, exhausted, to the patch of green grass that definitely did not appear out of nowhere to the middle of our training field.
IndrikI just had the best day of my life! That was something I knew without a doubt. Sure, I was super hungry, and every single muscle in my body ached but within my sternum, my heart raced with the enough euphoria to equal that of a man who had just finished a whole barrel of good beer. No, don't ask me if I drink. I don't. I gave up after drinking one glass once and waking up at the edge of the river and my pants might have been wet as well. Some of us are just too pure to be found drinking such unseemly things, I guess. No! I'm not trying to make my weakness seem like a virtue. What am I saying? It isn't a weakness. You know what? Forget I mentioned it. I was finally fulfilling my lifelong dream and nothing could stop me. It could be my imagination but I could already feel myself growing stronger by the day. Despite all of these, I still needed to eat though if I did not want to pass out with exhaustion which was why I was glad when Luna made a beeline for the kitchen as soon as w
IndrikFor someone who had had to give up on a lot of things, among which were my respect as the first son of the Alpha, my place as a wolf, my place as an elder brother to mention just a little, I wasn't exactly enamoured by someone who did not know the right time to give up. I know all about the difference between love and obsession and I was willing to bet my least favorite robe that this woman was becoming obsessed. I hated obsession. And besides, there was that other matter. I had barely stepped into our quarters when her unmistakable fragrance wafted over the air to me. You could never miss the mix of flagrant spices which I loved when they were used in appropriate proportions. Rosewater, Lavender, among other scents that I couldn't place. Seriously? Now, I didn't know all that much about female rituals but I was pretty certain there were some rules about mixing these scents. This was clearly a total violation of all of those rules. I tried not to think of my room continuing to
Veronica"A maid?" I exclaimed as I made my way out of the room, trying my best to staunch the tears that would not stop pouring. Indrik was really going to replace me with a maid? I, the heiress of the Light Crest Claws Pack was really going to be replaced by a maid. I chuckled. Of course not. There had to be a mistake of sorts. He was probably just teasing me. Trying to make me want him more by showing that he had other options. That had to be it. I straightened my shoulders already starting to feel better. Outside, I ran into Blaire who turned up her nose making me want to smash it in. "I'm guessing you've seen him? How was your meeting?" She asked, a mocking sneer on her face. The temptation to hit her hard enough to send her sinking straight down to Hades grew stronger. "It went very well, thank you." I muttered, forcing a smile to my hurting cheeks. I hoped that my eyes had cleared enough as to not let her see any evidence that I had been crying. That, would be very humiliati