Kaleb had packed some few stuffs he'd use for the hunting into his brown bag. He was ready after so many attempts which ended up into failure.
Today, he has decided to return home with at least a meat or else he wouldn't be returning at all.
They had set off into the woods. The deal was to hunt as a human and not as a wolf.
Kaleb wasn't good at traps and arrows so catching a prey was as difficult as counting the sands at the seashore.
Moreover, Raymond the younger of the two was good at arrows. He was just the opposite of Kaleb. He loves living as the human.
Not less than five minutes they arrived into the woods, Raymond already had two rabbits with him.
This got Kaleb pissed off, he abandoned the deal then decided to hunt with his claws, catching four in less than a minute.
As they made their way home, Kaleb sighted a small hut few miles away.
" Come on, let's check this out." He said and Raymond followed him.
" Do you think sneaking into a house in the middle of nowhere is the best idea? " Asked Raymond as they made it to the door.
" We're only spending an hour or two then we're off. I need to have at least one of these rabbits before I head back home. " He gathered the left over sticks together, creating a light with the match stick.
Raymond had to wait for Kaleb to roast his meat before he could do his. While they are silently, Kaleb perceived a smell, it was strange to the nose.
He sniffed. " Do you perceive that?" He asked.
" Perceive what?" He asked back.
" Like burning incense." He said, sniffing in the smell again and again.
Raymond sniffed too. " Yeah. Where would that be coming from?" He asked.
" You stay here while I go check it out. "
Raymond stands up. " No way are you going in there. We don't even know who owns this place and you think snooping around will actually do us good? We better get going. "
" Come on, don't be such a kid, okay? The owner is nowhere which means we are free to do whatever it is we want to. And besides, if you're scared, you stay here. "
Not wanting to hear Raymond's refusal, he went in, following the direction of the incense smell.
Kaleb got to where the smell was coming from, it was in a dark chamber filled with alters at the four sections of the house and a red cloth tied on the walls.
It would have been much better if he had mind his business and just walk out of the room like he didn't notice a thing.
He walked round the room, touching items with and without a label boldly written on it, " DON'T TOUCH."
Despite seeing the inscription, Kaleb went ahead touching the incense cup and it fell to the ground. Immediately, the smoke stopped and the room grew instantly darker.
Quietly, he sneaked out of the room then out of the house using the back door so as not to let Raymond know.
In great speed, he fled away.
Unknown to Raymond who has been waiting for minutes and yet Kaleb hasn't show up. So, he left his meat, heading to the same room Kaleb had gone to.
On getting there, the room was dark. He had to use his wolf eye to see clear. As he strolled around the room, he stepped on something, like a ceramic plate.
Staring at the ground, he saw the broken incense cup on the floor. It was dawn to him that Kaleb must have done something he shouldn't have.
As he tried to leave the room, the door opened and the lights were restored.
An old woman dressed in a long black cloak walked in, her penciled cat almost touching her left ear. She looked ugly and... scary.
Raymond shivered.
" What are you doing here?" She snarled at him.
" N... Nothing. I was actually looking for my brother, he was here few minutes ago. I swear I didn't touch anything."
She looked at the broken cup on the ground. " Do you know what you have done?" She growled. " You just committed the worst mistake ever."
" I swear, I didn't do anything. I just walked in here now. I haven't touch anything here." He defended.
" You will regret this." Her face turned into a deep frown.
" I said I didn't do anything, isn't that enough to make you listen?" He growled back.
" For your rudeness I will lay a curse on you in replacement for your evil crime. Beneath the great mountain of Everest shall you dwell. Neither the sunlight nor the rain, nor the moon shall your eyes see.
Darkness shall be your comfort, anger shall be your heart beat, and vergence shall be your song. Until the day which the last leaf of this flower shall fall, you shall be locked forever. "
After the old woman had said this words to him, he began to turn. Not just to a wolf, but to a night beast.
" No. No!!" He cried in agony as the pain of shifting tormented him. " I swear! I didn't... Arrggh... I... Noo!!!"
In a second, Raymond's both hands and legs were tied up against the wall of the cave beneath the mountain. And the flower was mounted at the centre of the cave.
Like the old witch had said, until the last leaf drops, then shall he be released.
" So, that is the end of my story." Theodora said to the little children who were sitting before her, listening to her story.
" He should be released by now. How big is the leaf that it hasn't drop finish?" Asked one of the kids.
" That is a question no one can answer. " She simply said.
" Are you gonna tell us another story tomorrow?" Another asked.
" Yes, of course. And this time, it's gonna be a lot different." She said with a smile.
" Theodora!!" Called her mother from the inside.
" I gotta go, guys. See you tomorrow, okay?" She waved them off before she went in to answer her mother.
" Still telling them the story of the cursed beast?" Asked her mother as she walks into the kitchen.
" That has been my favorite story since history class. " She said, taking the vegetables from the counter. " Should I cut all of them?" She asked.
" Yes." She nods. " Do you think those stories are real?"
" Of course, they are. I believe the beast is out there just beneath the mountain. All I can feel is pity for every single soul. He is gonna have our heads taken when he finally breaks free from the curse." She said as she chopped the veggies.
There was a brief silence. Theodora asked, " But mother, do you think Raymond deserves the curse?"
" Well, what I do think is he was only trying to defend himself to the old woman but she wouldn't listen. If only he can rise from his hell prison, I pray that he first have alpha Kaleb's head first before any single one of us."
Another silence as they went ahead cooking their soup for dinner. For the first time since Theodora learnt about the story of the cursed beast, she has never gone so deep to think of it.
It was as if it was new to her hearing. How possible is it that a beast would survive underneath the mountain for a century now, hoping to be free someday.
" Still thinking about it?" Asked her mother as she noticed her countenance.
" No. " She lied.
That night while they are together, Mr Van Amstel had a lot of gist to tell. " There is something yet to happen next week." He started.
" Something like what? " Asked his wife.
" By next week, alpha Kaleb will be taking the throne to himself. So help us God, for we are all doomed. " He took the tenth spoon of his soup.
" I have always wished for this so-called alpha to change but it seems like he gets worst every blessed day. I am tired already, maybe we all have to get ready for our death. " Mrs Van Amstel complained bitterly.
" If it were to be possible for the curse to be reversed, I would have love it to be Kaleb. He doesn't deserve to be the king. " Theodora cursed.
*
*
~ THEODORA'S ROOM ~
*
She was sitting on her small sized bed which stood beside the window. So she was sitting on it and was staring out of the window.
Alpha Kaleb, king?
She scoffed.
She went to get the book where the story of the cursed beast was written. She flipped through the pages of the book, reading the story over and over and over again.
Then at the end part of the story, where the beast was tied against the wall, she kept staring at the figure. " I wish you can hear me. You have to save us all or he kills us.
I believe you. I believe you didn't break the incense cup. And... I know you don't deserve the curse either. " She sighed. " But please, save us. "
She held the book to her chest, her gaze haven't left the moon.
She laid on the bed, squeezing herself from the cold. She shut her eyes close, folded the book tight to her chest like she was scared she would loose it while she sleeps.
*
*
*
~ 12 MIDNIGHT ~
*
*
" Theodora..." Called a voice in a faint tone, sounding much like a whisper in her ears. " Theodora..." The same voice called.
She had thought it was in her dream but when the voice called in a louder but deeper tone, enough to wake her up, " THEODORA!!" she jerked awake.
She gasped.