MaiaDamon tucks my long black hair behind my ear.‘We should go to my cave,’ I say, and he lifts me and tells me he will carry me home. I have butterflies in my stomach, and Vivian mentioned butterflies. I put my arms around his neck and rest my head against him as he walks.We sit beside the waterfall to watch the stars and admire the moon. Ember curls up on Damon's legs and soon falls asleep. With our fingers, we draw pictures in the air by forming lines between one star and the next. Damon asks me to guess what he is drawing.‘A fish?’ I guess.‘No. How you got a fish out of that, Maia, I don’t know. It was a fox,’ he says, and we laughed.The night is warm, so we undress and leave our clothes near the cave while slipping into the pool beside it. Ember sits on a rock, watching us. I flick a heap of water at Damon.‘You're in trouble now, Princess,’ he says, laughing.‘Really?’ I ask him playfully.He splashes me repeatedly before d
MaiaI draw figure eights in the water with my feet while I’m deep in thought. If Damon is telling the truth about werewolves, why is there going to be a war? Villages have been told stories that aren't true! Would the war still happen if humans knew wolves are kind? Will I have to help defend Moon Crest Valley? What happens to all the innocent people like Vivian and her children?A very broad, bulky man with black, dirty, scruffy hair appears in front of the trees. He is bigger than Damon, at least half a foot taller. He has brown eyes and doesn't look very friendly. I stand up, face him, focus and summon fireballs in my hands.‘You’re definitely the Forest Princess with those flames and those violet eyes,’ he says with a husky voice.‘Don't come any closer, or I will hurt you!’ I yell.‘No need to yell. I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to talk,’ he says, sitting down on a rock near the waterfallI close my hands, extinguishing the f
MaiaArriving in Wellmore village, Sir Hugo drapes his enormous cape over me, hiding my hands in the iron cuffs.I’m grateful for his cape, I haven’t got my olive-green cloak, and I’m freezing.Villagers stop in their tracks and stare at me with wonder and amazement.‘Her eyes!’ Someone shouts.‘It's the Forest Princess!’ Others exclaim.‘Such beauty!’ Someone else adds.The crowd forms around us, and Sir Hugo's blocking our passage.‘Move! Out of my way!’ Sir Hugo demands.The crowd doesn’t move, and more people gather.‘Maia?’ Vivian shouts, and I watch her push her way through the gathering.‘Vivian!’ I yell, in obvious distress. Many people stare at Vivian and wonder how we know each other.‘Are you okay?’ She asks.‘I’ve been kidnap-,’ I say. A sharp blade pokes my back in a warning to not speak.‘I have the Forest Princess!’ Sir Hugo announces, and the crowd cheers. ‘Her powers will protect us from the werewolves and help us win th
Alpha King DamonIn Wellmore village, we shift back into human form and quickly dress before walking through Wellmore market and taking in the happenings around us.‘I can smell her scent here,’ I tell Troy and Zayden.‘I can smell something wonderful... rosemary and lavender. Mmm…’ Troy says, sniffing the air.‘Uh, no. Her scent is violets and honey...’ I correct him.Troy is a little off, and his eyes dart around, searching.‘Are you okay, Troy?’ I ask him.‘I'm not sure. My wolf is hyped up. I'm trying to calm him down,’ he says.‘Ok. Let’s focus and pull yourself together,’ I tell him.‘Is it me, or are all the villagers talking about Maia?’ I ask them, and we pause and listen, with our wolf hearing.‘She is so beautiful. I wish I had her eye colour,’ a young blonde girl of about fifteen, with a pale blue shawl over her shoulders, tells her companion at a wooden table as they nibble on apricots.‘We are so lucky she has come to help with the war,’
MaiaIn Garnet Falls, my reception is just as loud, noisy, and boisterous as it was in Wellmore Village as I sit on the horse, properly this time, in front of Sir Hugo and can see everything. Hundreds of people gather around me, cheering and throwing flower petals at me.‘Thank you, Princess!’ They shout.I smile at their misplaced gratitude and avoid making eye contact with them.They try to hand me gifts of food, flowers, fabrics, trinkets and smelling salts. I ignore all the gifts being passed to me, but Sir Hugo accepts anything of value and packs them in the overfilled saddle sacks behind himself.‘I’m feeling anxious, it’s too much, and my head spins as people grab at my new dress and generally overwhelm me with their noise and presence. The energy inside me intensifies, and I wince in pain when the iron cuffs burn me. A few onlookers have noticed I’m in pain.‘Avoid using your powers. You’ll only hurt yourself,’ Sir Hugo says, with a ful
‘Mrs Fields, this is Maia. Maia, this is Mrs Fields, my Head Housekeeper. Please escort Maia to her room, the room next to mine. Get the staff to tend to her wrists, and tell the cook to make whatever she wants for dinner. I will be accompanying her then,’ King Fenris says.‘Yes, my Lord,’ she says, curtsying and taking my hand.‘Maia, I have some urgent matters I need to tend to. I’ll join you for dinner, and we can discuss the war and so forth,’ he says kindly.‘Yes, I’d like that. Thank you,’ I say.Mrs Fields leads me up the grand staircase, along a lengthy passage, and into a stunning bedroom, with a Queen-sized four-poster bed and a balcony. I run outside through two open doors and admire the views.‘The view is breath-taking,’ I tell Mrs Fields, and she chuckles.‘It is indeed. We’re very blessed with excellent views here,’ she says.The skyline is bordered by a row of tall and large trees on the horizon. The training fields are just visible in the distance beneath them. A beau
Alpha King DamonIn Garnet Falls, we tie our horses up to posts in the sheltered, wooden stables behind the local tavern and go inside. We wait at the bar to be served, and when the bar-mistress is free, we book two rooms for the night.‘We men can bunk in with each other, and the ladies can have their own room.’ I say.Vivian nods. It’s late, a storm is brewing outside, and we’re starving and exhausted. We sit in a quiet corner of the room, near the fireplace, minding our own business, drinking beer, and eavesdropping on the conversations between the villagers.‘It was so rude of the knight to leave with her like that. We had gifts for her too, but she was a rude, entitled girl,’ a young woman with brown eyes, red hair in a messy bun, in a black shawl, tells her companion.I scull my pint to try and stop my wolf from letting out a growl at the woman's disrespectful words towards my Luna.Vivian stands up and walks past the ladies and orders some pin
MaiaWaking up, I’m alone in my room. I think of Damon. Does he know where I am? Will he come for me? Has he been lying to me? Or does he truly love me? I miss him. I stare at the maroon-coloured walls of my bedroom and their gold wainscotting and revel in how luxurious my room is. The sun is shining through my windows. The maids didn’t draw them last night because they didn’t want to wake me.There is a knock on my door, and Jewel and Leah let themselves in, and stand near a chest of drawers, holding a basket with a washcloth and some salve. Leah has an olive-green, floor-length, long-sleeved gown and places it on the bed.‘We’re here to help you bathe and salve your skin,’ Jewel says. I smile.‘Please, come in,’ I tell them, and I fling the covers back off my legs to get up. Jewel pulls the nightie over my head and throws it on the bed before leaning over a wooden tub and pumping the water.Jewel is struggling with the pump. She stops for a moment while she catches her breath.‘Here
MaiaDamon stands up and faces everyone.‘Let this be a lesson to us all, we must not fear each other, and we must embrace and accept each other's differences. Do this, and we can live together in happiness,’ Everyone cheers.Hugo approaches.‘I hear you’re looking to hire a nanny?’ Hugo asks. Damon and I both look at each other and burst into laughter.‘Hugo, I think we have a position more suitable to your liking that needs filling at the castle?’ I say.‘Oh, what position would that be?’ Hugo asks with keen interest.‘I'm looking for a knight, but he must be the best and most loyal knight I could ever ask for. So, what do you say, Sir Hugo?’ I smile at him.Sir Hugo looks at me with the greatest respect and kneels before me. ‘It would bring me the utmost honour to serve you, my Queen Maia, and you Alpha King Damon if you would have me?’Damon smiles and nods in approval.Hugo walks away proudly.The Orc children run up to Hugo and playfull
MaiaI run towards all the children and tap a little orc boy on the shoulder.‘Tag, you’re it,’ I giggle and runoff.He chases me, laughing.‘I'm going to get you,’ he yells.Ember comes running up to me, leaps onto my chest, and knocks me to the ground. I playfully grab him and lift him into the air above me.‘Ember, I think everything is going to be okay now,’ I smile.Sparkles begin to swirl around Ember. He is suddenly too heavy to hold. Different colour swirls engulf him, then two arms appear, then two legs and long red hair. Ember falls flat onto me as my arms can’t hold his weight anymore. Our foreheads bump together on impact.The girl before me is very pretty and around my age with beautiful long hair like mine, but in a lovely shade of red. Her skin is fair, with cute freckles across her nose and cheeks. Her eyes are green, and she has a cute little nose.‘Maia!’ She yells in excitement and wraps her arms around me.‘Ember, is that you
MaiaMy body trembles. I can't lose Damon. I can’t let King Fenris kill him! Flame begins to erupt from the ground beneath my feet, and everyone steps back in fear. The ground shakes vigorously as the harsh wind blows dust, debris and leaves around. The sound of thunder roars in the sky, and lightning whips through the clouds. My breathing becomes heavy, and the elements become stronger and more ferocious with each passing moment.I’m now engulfed in a ball of flame, wind, water and debris, and it’s only growing bigger.I try to calm my emotions to tame my powers, but I have lost all control of the elements. I know everyone here is now in danger of being killed.‘Run,’ I yell to the warriors and soldiers.‘What is she doing?’ King Fenris yells as he steps back, still holding the knife to Damon's throat.‘Everyone needs to move now, or you will be killed. I think she is losing control of her powers,’ Hugo shouts to everyone. Hugo helps an inj
‘Maia, the war is about to begin. The army is waiting for your order to march forward into battle,’ Troy says.I nod and run ahead. I am now in front of the army of warriors. They wait for my command.‘My people,’ I yell.They all immediately kneel.‘As your Luna and Queen, I stand here today to fight by your side, free our Alpha and our King, and free everyone from the wrath of King Fenris!’The warriors and villagers all cheer and roar. They begin to thump their chests with their fists in a beat of war. It’s the same beat I heard in the dream I had.I turn and start running towards the forest. I raise my right arm and create a ball of flame.‘Charge!’ I yell. They run into the forest following my lead, still beating their chests in rhythm.We are in the forest, and I can see the army of soldiers charging toward us. The wolf warriors shift into their wolves. They are huge, at least three to four times the size of a regular wolf. They lunge at the soldiers, some yelp in pain as spea
Alpha King DamonWe pass through Wellmore and can see the army up ahead. King Fenris and his army set up camp outside the forest.‘King Fenris looks angry about something,’ Hugo says.‘I wonder what has happened? It won't be long until nightfall, we can watch them from here, and as soon as it’s dark enough, we can move closer and find Maia,’ I say.Hugo nods.‘I will go into the camp first. Hopefully, they haven’t noticed that I haven’t been around,’ Hugo says.We sit and wait until nightfall.‘Alright, Alpha, I'm going in. If you don't see my signal within the hour, then you can suspect something is wrong. Otherwise, if you get my signal, you know it's clear to sneak in,’‘Hugo,’‘Yes, alpha?’‘Thank you for helping me save Maia,’Hugo smiles,‘Whatever you say, Alpha,’Hugo walks towards the camp.It has almost been an hour since I saw Hugo.‘Come on, Hugo, what's going on?’ I say out loud to myself.Finally, I see Hugo’s signal. I quickl
MaiaIt’s early morning. King Fenris unchains me from the chair and waits for me to stand up. After a moment, he realises I have no intention of moving.‘Maia, get up now.’ He yells. I keep my head down. My cheek still hurts. All I want is to be in Damon’s arms.King Fenris takes my arm and drags me from the tent to his horse. Despite my best efforts, my emotions cause my elemental power to go into defence mode, causing my wrists to burn. As King Fenris releases me to the ground, I sob in agony.Looking up, I see thousands of soldiers giving me a look of pity. Only a few of them smirk. Tears begin to roll down my face.‘Is this what you all want? You all have the power to stop this,’ I yell. King Fenris knocks me out to stop me from convincing his men to stand up to him.Upon waking, I realise I am in King Fenris's arms. We are mounted on his horse.‘My love, nice of you to join me,’ he says. I look around to see where we are.‘Have we
Alpha King DamonI am running towards Shadowguard village. I know Hugo is following me, but I ignore him. I want to bite his head off for kidnapping Maia. If he didn't take Maia in the first place, she would be safe by my side.We arrive at the village. I need rest to regain my strength. King Fenris and his army would have left here this morning. He is possibly near Wellmore now.Eric mind-links me. He informs me of all the new pups that have been born, and the she-wolves are well but are all concerned about not seeing their mates again.Tell them there is hope that we will win this war and reunite them with their loved ones soon. We have humans from West Wallow on our side who are also willing to fight this battle, declare Princess Maia queen, and dethrone King Fenris. I mind-link.I may be able to assist Maia in claiming the throne, Alpha. After conducting some studies on elemental sprites, I discovered something intriguing this morning in a li
Sir HugoI want to kill King Fenris with my bare hands. He has Maia back in the iron cuffs that I regret putting her in when I had kidnapped her. I’m going to help free you, Maia. You are very brave and will make one hell of a Queen.I discreetly pull the reigns back, turn my horse, and head behind the army. I remain there until the soldiers and King Fenris are out of sight. I approach the villagers and tell them I have a plan that can help the princess, but I can’t do it without their help. A few hundred villagers follow my orders. I send a hundred of them to Hackle Spire Village and another hundred to Limestone village. The rest follow me to Shadowguard village and spread the word of what has transpired and that we should choose Princess Maia to be our Queen and put an end to King Fenris. I inform them the werewolves are not cruel and that the rumours are all lies, revealing King Fenris made him and other knights and soldiers spread the lie
I walk away towards what used to be a vegetable garden and kneel. Then, digging holes with my hands, I plant the seeds a few meters apart, place my hands on the ground, and concentrate.Everyone is silent, watching on in curiosity until the ground beneath them starts to shake and rumble.Everyone is panicking except the little girl standing next to me, watching the apple seeds sprout and grow into large apple trees. Hundreds of apples form on all the branches. I stand up to admire the trees and turn to see thousands of people staring at me, amazed. They shout their gratitude towards me and pluck the fruit from the tree devouring the fruit while other villagers approach me with different seeds. I continue planting and growing the seeds into ripe fruit and vegetables until I feel faint. I realise I need rest to regain my power back.King Fenris approaches me.‘My love? What is the meaning of all this?’ He asks.I speak as loud as I can for them to all hear what I say.‘King Fenris, the