CHAPTER SIX

"Because she does not care about me" The trees along their path could also hear Zafira's high-pitched voice that was directed towards her brother. Richard was hell-bent on trying to make her understand everything their mother did was because of love and affection. 

"But you use to be best friends before what happened?" He asked perplexed

"She said I grew up" tears had begun to roll down Zafira's eyes. At this moment she realized how much she cared for her mother's validation. She wanted to conquer the world but what will she do if it was at the expense of her mother's love? 

"Zafira, can I be honest with you?" Richard turned back and looked towards his entourage that rode behind them.

"Yes brother" she cleaned the little droplet from her eyes

"I do not know from other worlds, but in our society, there is nothing like an Alpha queen; all these fantasies you deal with are not based on the reality of this world.  Why don't you make your plans based on reality?" 

Richard held on to the head collar rope of his horse and continued to speak to his younger sister

"I know you want to be great, but there are steps you need to follow, I did not make the rules neither did father or anyone else" 

"So I should just die a normal woman?" Zafira asked 

"No, you should have aspirations and take the bull by the horn when the time comes and that is why I train you. Right now we are being governed by humans and that is a sad reality that all werewolves have to live with" 

"I hate the fact that we follow rules that were set by only god k ows who. Why don't we defy the rules ?" Zafira wanted to drift away from the topic because she disliked the fact that what he said had elements of truth in it. saying

Richard cemented the whole discussion by saying "I had dreams, astonishing dreams, the same way you aspire to be great, but my dreams were crushed. Zafira that is what this world does, it shatters your dreams. It brings agonising pain to my heart to see the flare of greatness that burns in your heart and how the world might crush it. After I had shifted into a full-blown Wolf, I had aspirations to be greater than my father but I found myself doing normal things that normal people did and here I am, not entirely happy but grateful for I have seen worse."

 

Zafira searched but couldn't find the words to reply to her elder brother.

"How can I be someone great?" She asked with a tone that sounded like she had accepted defeat

"I do not know, I believe you will figure it out yourself. I can't tell you kid Sis how to be great for if I knew I would have been but I can only tell you to be true to yourself love"

"Okay I will"

"I heard tales about a king..." she had successfully changed the topic as they continued to head towards Karak.

    Everything in this town of Karak was different from anything Zafira had seen, she marvelled at the beauty of the town but what mattered to her was the encounters that she underwent during the journey, she voiced out to her brother about all her concerns, about everything that troubled her. Zafira felt lighter after the whole conversation, and she was happy, though she comprehended some things differently now. Thanks to Richard who opened her eyes to some of the things that troubled her like her mother. 

He made her realize that her Mother cared for her, she just had a different way of showing affection and all that she was doing was looking out for her daughter because she knew how cruel the world was and how it was made to destroy dreams and many more. 

Although Zafira was not convinced she was open to the idea that her mother still had a pint of affection left in her heart and that made her a little happier. 

    Richard on the other hand pitied his only sister after realizing that she was lonely in the ocean of people that lived in the castle. He always deemed her as being lucky having the soft life he craved but the responsibilities latched onto his shoulder were too much for him to even dare to dream of an easy life.

  

He got used to the hard life to the extent his skin was not used to much enjoyment, he was always travelling from one city to the other trying to achieve one thing or the other. Richard realized he wanted the life his sister had and it was clear that she wanted his, the funny irony of life is that most times we craved something we might never get but it is okay to dream for hope is what keeps us going.

   

The entourage came to a halt at the entrance of the magnificent Karak’s castle. It was flooded with both Humans and Werewolves, even some witches could be spotted among the ocean of people that had come to pay homage to the late Lord Haimi’s relations. “He was a Dolph,” Richard said as he embarked from his horse. “More of a Fridolf” Tyler said.

“Why don’t I believe you guys?, because I believe he was a Conri” Zafira said as she drew her horse, heading towards the stable. Everyone affirmed her statement for with this influx of people, Lord Haimi was undisputed a marvellous Wolf king.

  

  As Zafira and the Entourage were about to walk into the castle, Zafira sighted someone who was walking towards the castle also he wasn’t a male model but he should have been. The lush, mother lode-gold hair he groomed so carefully had a rippling quality, a sign of his rude health. The aquiline nose she sported complemented his prominent cheekbones. Handsome in an understated way, his basalt jaw and Spartan shoulders spoke of his strength and she knew why he was respected and the youngest Lord; He possessed a latent, leonine power and always walked with purpose and authority. The rumours were true because she did not believe whenever People remarked that his best feature was his entrancing, wayfarer-blue eyes but looking at him she knew damn they were right. Sloe shaped, they could shine as bright as the evening stars when they were a-light with joy. At other times, they could resemble two liquid-blue pools of flashing fire. Flamboyant of character. As he called out to her brother Richard, one could hear his sonorous, rumbling voice. His rakish Cape was a source of amusement to some, not least because they emanate a herbal smell. He was Melnyk, the youngest Lord as they entered the palace, Richard stopped to talk with his old-time friend, though they haven’t seen each other for a while. But their tales had a unique way of getting to each other. “Melnyk!” Richard shouted

“Richard,” said the youngest King in the whole wolves' kingdom. They shook each other by gripping their elbows and exchanging pleasantries.

“Sorry about your Dad, I had a lot on my plate I couldn’t make it to your town”

“I know and I understand, that Lord Halalnik has his way of keeping you busy. I heard you have been able to silence the witches and the rogues in the Murky forest”

“I am trying my best”

“Hopefully your best is enough, unlike me”

“What do you mean?” Richard asked 

“Unification isn’t as easy as it seems”

“Yes, I heard what you were trying to do, To be honest, I was impressed”

”Almost all the Alpha Lords do not buy the idea,” Melnyk said with a sad face

“Everyone is scared of change, What will happen if the Humans fight back?” Richard said as he tapped Melnyk’s shoulder, signalling for them to walk in and continue their conversation inside.

 The chatting and whispering of everyone came to a halt as Melnyk and Richard walked through the doors of the palace, a lot had been said of them all over Wolf's land and even beyond their borders, though most of the people present had different opinions of the two men, some saw them as heroes, others looked at them with the eyes of envy while most people especially Humans and witches saw the men as a bone in the neck but either way, most hearts in the room trembled for their presence