Chapter 3

Morning came and Phil rushed to wake his brothers, their mother and father will be home soon from their journey. He shook them until they moaned and groaned. “What?” Luther groaned, then glared at the brawny teen.

“Accashia. Mom and Dad will be home soon.”

That sentence alone from Phil was enough to awoke Luther’s hazy mind. ‘Of course.’ How could he forget? “Is John up?”

Phil shook his head. “No.”

Luther grumbled under his breath and shoved Phil away from him. “Well, what are you doing then?! Go and wake him up!”

“Ye–yes!” The skinny teen scrambled and ran to his brother’s room.

“And go on and wake up Jill too! Tell her to make breakfast!”

After the three youngsters put on their clothes, shoes and grabbed a scissor and a pocket knife, they went back to the forest to set their sister free. They wondered if she was still crying, if she tried to escape and they laughed thinking how much she begged for mercy.

They ran, running as fast as they could out of their humble village and into the forest. They jumped past the tall thorny bush. The bush rustled as they rushed out of the forest. Drizzles of dew from the grass splashed everywhere as they hastily make their way to the middle of the forest. They have to make it before noon. Or else their father will beat them up for making fun of Accashia again.

Their shadows reflected as the sun slowly rose, coming out from the mountain. Its rays stung against their eyes. John looked up to the sky and wondered why the moon was still there, still visible and it was bigger than it usually was.

“How odd.” The young man, a boy only 13 years old, wondered. “Luther, Phillip…” He called for his brothers and waited for them to stop running before he pointed up to the sky.

“What?!” Luther barked impatiently, angry and agitated. “What are you pointing at?”

John’s hand did not waver, did not shake as he stills and pointed at the moon. “The moon, it’s still there even though the sun is rising.”

Phil and Luther had an exchange of looks with Luther saying, “So?”

“Don’t you find it odd?”

Again the two shrugged their shoulders. Phillip jogged towards John until he was close enough to grab onto his shirt and pull. “Quit yapping and let’s go!”

Pushing away the anomaly with the moon, the three went on ahead and ran past the lake — a sign that they were getting near the oak tree where they tied Accashia and left her there.

Luther looked at the sun and saw that it was almost up. He cursed under his breath. They will surely get in trouble if they’re not home in time.

"Run faster, dimwits!" The older one hissed, Luther's heart was still beating hard against his chest.

He’s nervous, scared. The thought of fooling their parents and blackmailing Accashia sends him to a different high. Nothing beats the adrenaline of manipulating someone who wants to fight for their life, he thought. "We can't let Mama and Papa see us like this!"

Luther stretched his legs and began to run at a quick pace. Phil and John followed, quickening their pace and soon were near the trail that they've hidden by covering their tracks. A few twigs cracked and the scent from the morning dew evaded their senses.

“We’re near!” Phil announced with a grin as they slowed down. But that grin disappeared and turned into a frown when he couldn't spot Accashia from the distance. “No way…” He mumbled to himself but was loud enough for Luther and John to hear.

While the eldest one, Luther, caught his breath, he took faint steps towards the oak tree. He groaned out loud, cursed in frustration after realizing what Phil was mumbling about.

Accashia was nowhere to be seen.

The red rope they used had been cut, destroyed. It looked like it had been mewled and chewed by some animal.

“NO!” Luther screamed in frustration then stumped and thumped his feet against the grass. “Shit!”

Not only that but a part of Accashia’s clothes can be seen on the foot of the tree. It was soiled. A hint that their sister might have been attacked.

As the three boys examined and tried to imagine what had happened to their sister, upon remembering a legend that had been told by their Grandmother and the Shaman of their village, John began to tremble. He stood straight and his eyes widened. He felt his skin crawl as he remembered the sacred song about the Eastern forest.

"Don't go to the forest. Don't go to the east. Don't go near the forest, or you'll face the beast.”

Luther’s head briskly turned towards John. “What?!” He growled. Directing his anger and frustration to his poor young brother. “What the heck are you saying?” He said, almost threatening.

As Luther takes one step closer to John, the younger one stepped back, almost looking like a dance.

“What the hell did you just say?”

“The song.” John played with his fingers. Nervous. Frightened and worried. But most of all, his tiny fragile heart was laced with regret. “The song about the Beast.” He looked up to Luther and tears were in his eyes. “What if… what if the beast ate Accashia?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Luther hissed and then he punched John in the face, making the little boy fall on the ground.

“Luther!” Phil shouted. “What are you doing?!” Phil rushed towards his youngest brother who was now crying, weeping as the youngest one cradled his cheeks, mumbling how much it hurts. “That was unnecessary!”

“I don’t care!” Luther retorted. “Find her! Mom’s going to kill us if she finds out.”

Phil grabbed John’s shirt and pulled him up. “Are you okay?”

John didn’t answer, the little one was still dazed. And the only thing that he could mutter was, “Accashia has been eaten.”

=======

The sun’s rays hit Accashia’s eyes, making her toss and turn in her sleep. She groaned as she rubs her eyes in circles. As she opened them, she could only see a vague whiteness, dots and shadows before her vision was clear.

Accashia looked around and saw that she was still in the forest. There were trees everywhere, tall grass and the sound of birds chipping and humming. The young girl palmed her head, feeling it pulsate and suddenly she felt light-headed. Maybe she got up too abruptly.

She tries her best to recall what happened yesterday as she pushed herself up. The first thing she does is check herself out and wonders why she’s wearing a black and white shirt. Not the peach one. As well as she’s not wearing underwear.

“Ah!”

Accashia moaned then both her hands reached to her head. She gritted her teeth. The more she thinks, the more it hurts. She squinted her eyes until the pain went away. However, the moment she closed her eyes and recalled how she was chased by her brothers — a memory assaulted her. Making her gasp.

Blue eyes, piercing gaze. Silver fur that shines under the moonlight and then…

“AH!” Accashia screamed upon remembering what happened. She covered her mouth and began to breathe faster. And it seemed like she was having a panic attack. “A Wolf.” Her eyes widened upon hearing herself, why does her voice seem different?

Upon recalling where the wolf bit her, Accashia pulled on the neck of her shirt, tugging it until it revealed her left shoulder.

“No wound.” She mumbled to herself. It feels like she was going crazy, like she was losing her mind. If it was all a dream then why does it feel so real? She examined her body, she was supposed to be wounded from the thorns, and her wrist was supposed to have burns and her face was supposed to have scratches all over.

Then she recalled a rough tongue licking her skin, so gentle and warm. And then tongue lapped on her… Acchasia found herself blushing after recalling the embarrassing thought. If it was all true, that would mean she had lost her virginity to a wolf then?

Then why isn’t she disgusted? And she feels a weird sensation on her stomach, on her chest. Warmth. A feeling like she had never felt before.

Accashia decided to push all the thoughts away. “I have to go home.” She said to no one and turned to the direction where she thought would lead her home. She began to jog towards the direction. But just before she passed the stream of water on the ground, her eyes met with a strange old woman's eyes.

“GAH!” Accashia lost footing, making her trip and fall on the ground.

The old woman took a step forward when she tried to scurry out of the place. Dark piercing eyes met her confused laced eyes, shaky and weary.

“Uhm, excuse me…” She whispered, making the old woman tilt her to the side and look at her funny. “I have to go home.”

The old woman breathed in deeply. “You cannot.” Then the old lady smiled softly.

Accashia pulled her head back, making her look like a confused ostrich. “Why?” She stared at the woman in the face and noticed the old woman’s face was painted. She had white, black and red streaks on her face.

Accashia also noted that the old lady was wearing a weaved headdress that almost covered her eyes. It made her look suspicious because it draped a dark shadow on her face. The woman was also wearing a thick fabric. Something she had never seen in her village before. But maybe it was because she was never the type to explore and she had yet to see a lot of things.

“I’m Luntian.” The old woman introduced herself. “And starting now, I will be taking care of you.”

Baffled, and in denial, distraught, Accashia stood up. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Luntian shook her head then chuckled. “You may be feeling fine, but your soul has just binded and is weak. You need rest.”

Accashia raised her brow. “I’m sorry, but I really have to go —”

Before Accashia could even take a step forward, Luntian raised her hand, her fingertips brushed against Accashia’s shoulder. Barely touching her, yet the young woman’s legs had given up on her. She ungracefully fell on the ground with a groan.

“Ouch!” The young lady cried. “What was that?!”

Luntian smiled. “The soul is still weak.” Was the only thing she said. She reached out her hand, gesturing for Accashia to take it. “Now come. I cooked food for you. You need to eat and replenish.”

Although she doesn’t trust the old woman wholeheartedly, Accashia is quite hungry. Actually, that was an understatement, she’s really starving. “Okay.” She held on to the woman’s hand and when their hands touched. A familiar warmth wrapped around her. An aura that cleanses and nurtures the soul.

“Thank you, Luntian.”