In a small cabin in the woods, where the birds sang without a care in the world, a young boy sat holding a frame. He was seated on the floor while looking into the picture of a woman who very much resembled him. His eyes were dark, just like her own, and his hair was the exact copy of his own.
If he perhaps put a smile on his face, then, just maybe, he would be her exact copy. He cradled the picture to his chest, and leaned on the edge of the bed, trying to make himself more invisible than he already was.
Tears rolled down his already puffed up eyes, rolling down his cheeks in large droplets that stained his shirt.
Echoes of what everyone said about him seemed to crush his skull. Momentarily, he wondered why he had been born into the world. Why did they hate him without even giving him a chance?
They did not even explain why they had such biased hate towards him, but instead stayed away from him and loudly condemned him. The voices in his mind seemed to grow louder and louder. He curled himself further into a ball, making himself even more invisible.
In that lively house, a silent voice cried out.
"Hey, look over there, it's him…" they would start whenever he passed. "The alpha's lone one."
"How sad," they would sneer, "bound to be alone forever."
"How pathetic," they would add, "unfit to rule."
"Who said he would!" some would muse, "did you forget about his three older siblings! All strong, handsome and beautiful and very worthy of the title. Fit to lead, unlike HIM!"
"How deserving." They would laugh.
"What a pity," Some of them would muse.
As they threw these words, none of them spared a thought of how the young child would feel. They did not even bother lowering their voices and seemingly announced it to the world. What's more, their alpha and leader was not home, neither were his siblings.
His mother had taken over for their father which meant that she was busy. Seeing as no one even dared to speak up for him to defend him, it reminded him of how right they were.
He had heard these words as long as he could remember, however, that did not mean that they hurt any less. None of them even bothered when his tears started falling. Instead, some would only laugh even louder.
Each time these words were uttered, he felt his wounds bleed some more and his hearts would beat heavier, his thought would have a bitter aftertaste. His hand would instinctively hold his heart over his chest to stop it from shattering but…
His family had at many times asked what was bothering him but he did not have the courage to tell them. They were all strong in his eyes and he was afraid that they would mock him as the rest did for being weak.
Instead, he would always smile and assure them that all was well.
After a while, he fell asleep on the floor, cradling the picture frame in his hands. The day went on as though nothing was a miss and before long, it was nighttime. When he opened his eyes, the light that shone in from the window caught his eyes. He tried standing up to go toward it but his legs had long fallen asleep.
He finally decided to stay put, he sat up and stared at the sky through the window.
In that moment, there were no voices in his mind. There was no laughter or tears, it was just him and the moon. The light from the moon filtered into the small room, illuminating his dark hair which spilled over his shoulders.
The stars twinkled in the vast blanket of black. The clouds were nowhere to be seen and the chirping of birds was no more. He almost smiled to himself while thinking of how peaceful this was when a pang of pain hit him. With a groan, he had curled back up into a ball as his chest twisted into knots.
He lost all strength in his fingers, causing him to let go of the frame he had been holding. With each passing second, it became harder and harder to breath and that was when he noticed it.
A faint but concentrated odor that was chocking him. He looked up from his position and tried to move away from the odor, however, his body was slowly becoming numb. His brain tried coming up with an answer to what this was when he noticed a silhouette by the curtains.
Whoever it was walked passed him, ignoring his pleas and out the door they went. Tears welled up in his eyes, clouding his vision. He attempted to get of the ground but failed. He laid on his back and remembered the frame he had been holding. His eyes widened when he saw it.
A transparent liquid that was dense in nature slowly dripped from the edges of the frame. Hiss mind went blank the peace he had been enjoying fell apart.
Yet, at this time, the concerned faces of his family drew themselves in his mind. He missed his mother's smile, his father's jokes and his possessive siblings.
He tried once more with all his might to call out for help but all came out was a 'huff'. Holding his chest tightly with his small hands, he wished someone would come look for him. He did not want it to end this way. He still wished to live!
He wanted to…
Before he could finish that thought, the darkness engulfed him as he passed out.
--
A distance from the young boy's hideout was what looked like a village. A tall man with long hair neatly tied in a ponytail stomped his way up his home. Those who saw him made way for him as he oozed of pure anger. His eyes were blood shot red. His hands were clenched into fists and his veins popped out of the sides of his head.
"If nobody finds…" he stopped.
"Papa!?" the sound of his daughter was heard.
She sounded scared and even though her father was still before her, she searched. Tears were pooled at the corners of her eyes as she was unable to blink them away. Unable to hold it in any longer, she let them spill down her cheeks.
She could feel her brother calling out to any one of them for help, but they could not find him. He looked at his daughter who seldom shed any tears and patted her head. The winds shifted and she looked up at the taller man as she began to calm down.
He looked around and saw his kin looking at him. Some had guilt in their eyes while others were taken aback by the fact that they had seen his daughter cry. He looked around one more time and confirmed that all of them were there. Only his two sons and wife were missing.
Taking a deep breath, "If Alma, that child, is not found in the next two seconds, you might as well find another alpha to lead you." His voice was not harsh but the animosity in it made them think twice before responding.
He picked up his daughter whose exhaustion had taken over and could barely move. He was just about to leave to continue the search without bothering to give them a chance to explain themselves because it was their fault. And his as well for not pushing the child to tell. Suddenly, loud stomping was heard. It came from his home heading their way.
No one moved as they could also feel her distress and anger. Determination was in her eyes and they looked clearer than they had before.
From her back, a black and white tipped tail was visible. Her fluffy black and white ears twitched from the top of her forehead. As she walked past them, she shot them all a glare that seemed to permeate their bones, causing them all to shiver.
Without batting an eye, she rushed toward the place she thought he was. It was thanks to her good memory that she remembered he had mentioned it once. It was the one time that she had seen that child with a smile on his face.
She stopped before the old cabin that belonged to her grandmother who, just like him, was a lone one.
As he laid on the floor, his breath came out slower and slower. Each breath was more a burden than the last. His vision had long gone dark but he was sure his eyes were open. The tears he had been shedding had dried up. One last time he called out to his family. They were the only ones who cared and he still held to the hope that they would find him.
As he lay there, he thought he heard something.
"Alma!" his mother called out to him. Unable to hear her, he did not react.
She burst through the doors and looked around but still saw no one. She could smell his scent mixed in with a poisonous odor. At that moment, her heart froze while her tears fell. Her mind brought out the worst of scenarios like a nightmares to play and she almost fell for it when she heard him.
It was a small, labored and short huff. With that in mind, Herr body moved on its own and she began searching. Luckily, she managed to catch his shoes by the bed and immediately rushed him outside.
He had tears on his face and his breathing was slow. His eyes were open but he did not react to her. She'd heard him calling out to them. His voice hoarse and tired. This pained her deeply but she restrained herself from letting her emotions take over. He needed the antidote which grew outside the cabin.
The poison numbed and weakened the victim, making them unable to move even when you placed the antidote right in front of them. And since he hand consumed it for a while, it was slowly shutting down his senses. She grabbed the grew flowers desperately and crushed them in her hand.
The scent that it produced was calming and after a few minutes of repeating this, her son finally closed his eyes. His breathing was back to normal but his body was slightly cold. She held him tighter, letting her emotions take hold.
She looked at him once more to check if she had missed anything. He looked calmer and a bit relaxed but something about him was not right. Someone walked in on her and she went on defense mode growling as hard and as loud as she could. Whoever it was raised their hands in defense. She looked up and saw her husband who held their eighteen-year-old daughter by her shoulders to steady her.
The older woman was surprised to see her daughter in that state but she knew of how much the teenager loved her siblings. Soon, her brothers followed suit and joined them. They were drenched in sweat from running all over their village. On seeing their youngest brother, they went to him.
Although he was passed out, Alma groaned, and twisted his body before taking in a deep breath and relaxed further into the warm embrace.
"What happened?" Elma asked.
"Poisoning."
"What!?"
"Who?" the older teenage boy asked.
"That is a question the villagers will have to answer." Her voice sent shivers down their spine. They had never once seen their mother this angry. Or ever. She was always calm, jovial and aloft.
"HOW DARE THEY." Their father declared through his clenched teeth. He unintentionally released his pheromones, causing his own children to back off. His eyes glowed and a sinister smile drew itself on his face.
"I'll make them PAY."