I peeled my eyes open. My hands slid to the ground, touching something wet and slippery, bringing my hand over to my face. I glared at the crimson red in my hands. I was lying in a pool of my own blood. I tried getting up, but my whole body ached beyond exhaustion, straining my head. I observed my surroundings. A few meters from where I lay, disintegrated pieces of the cranion were scattered across the ground.
"I did it; I had killed the cranion." An elated surge of happiness swelled within me.
"I killed the cranion," I repeated again in my head, but how had I managed such a feat? It was a miracle that I was still alive. The cranion was the most ferocious creature to have roamed the earth. It was undoubtedly the most disturbing and powerful monster to ever surface. All who had crossed it's path have undeniably met their fate at the hands of death, but not only had I survived, I had defeated it. My head was still fogey, and I could only recall fragments of the attack, but one image had been left imprinted on my mind: the blinding light. What was it? Was that how I slayed the beast? Surely I didn't hallucinate the whole thing or did I. A dull string pulled in my head, causing me a throbbing ache. It seems I was left with so many unanswered questions.
The sound of dry, scrunched leaves startled me. A tall lanky figure came into view. Trevor stood aghast, surveying the scene before him. He looked back and forth, glancing between me and the cranion,his eyes bulging out of his sockets. To everyone in the pack, I was the weak girl without a wolf, but the girl In front of him now was the total contrast with what he was meant to believe. If word got out that I had killed the cranion, it might put me in the good graces of some of the pack members, and that wasn't a chance he was willing to take. He knew how fragile people were and how they changed like seasons; he had managed to have their faith and support now, but a single crack could shatter that foundation he had built.
The echoes of voices began drawing near, showing that a group of people were headed our way. Quickly, Trevor picked up the head of the cranion like a trophy while he reached for my bloodied sword. The realization of what he was about to do dawned on me. I struggled to get up, but my limbs felt like jelly. I wanted to scream at him, but the only sound I was able to make was a strangled squeak. Tears clouded my eyes as I could only do nothing but watch. Walking to where I lay, he bent down, rubbing my blood on his side and his hands to make it seem like he was wounded. I tried to give him a menacing glare, but in my current state, I didn't even look very threatening. He merely arched his brows in a challenging manner, as if to say, What could I do about it? Smirking maliciously, he kicked me on my flank, sending me tumbling through the moss and dirt into a shallow ditch nearby.
Hunter, my father's beta, was the first to appear before the other men joined him. Seeing Trevor covered in blood as he held the head of the cranion, Hunter rushed to his side to help him stand on his feet. I had to hand it to him; he was a really good actor. I watched as he clutched his side, pretending to be injured, his countenance contorting into a mask of agony.
The men hailed him for bringing glory to the pack by killing the cranion. Trevor did his best to appear humble, trying to brush it off as if it were nothing, stating that he was only trying to protect his people while he secretly enjoyed the way the men looked at him in awe and wonder. Once again, Trevor had stolen what was mine; he had taken my credit for slaughtering the beast, and I let him. Maybe I was weak after all.
The men were oblivious to my presence as they were too engrossed in their jubilation while they carried Trevor in the air, parading him around like the hero they thought he was. I doubted anyone would even notice my absence or would come looking for me until the scent of honeysuckle mingled in the air. I stiffened, appalled by the sight of Krian. What was he doing? He pulled me up, my head lightly colliding with his chest as he carried me in a bridal style. I wanted him to put me down, but I was too tired to even protest. Relaxing into his touch, I drifted off into the dreamlands.
The atmosphere was saturated with a caliginous mood, and the birds chirped merrily, oblivious to the catastrophic emotions buzzing within me. As the days dragged on, the feeling of uncertainty churned in our hearts. There was this lingering fear that the monsters might return. The opening in the fold was a reminder of the imminent danger of what lurked behind it. Worse, the rift in the fold widened daily. If we didn't do something fast about it, the fold would come down, leaving Riverdale fully exposed to the wlyds. However, all attempts to seal the fold have been futile. It became apparent that the only person who could close the fold was Selene through her divine powers.
The priestess had tried connecting to Selene through the valley of spring but was met with silence. Rumors that Selene had abandoned us began to spread like wildfire. However, I believed there was a reason for her silence; she had always came to our aid, so it wouldn't make sense for her to abandon us. Please help us. I offered a whispered prayer, hoping she would hear me.
I entertained myself by staring at the ceilings of the infirmary. I had lost a lot of blood and had sustained major cuts; luckily, none of my vitals were punctured. I wasn't allowed to move around until the doctor declared me fit to go, which was beyond frustrating. I was tired of staying in the cramped room, which smelled of horrible vile herbs. I would literally do anything right now just to inhale a breath of fresh air. Two weeks gradually passed, and I was so sure I would finally go insane from boredom. I never realized how much I missed the woods and the subtle feel of the grass underneath my feet until I was discharged to go.
A solemn funeral was held to mourn the dead, the crowd was full of tear stained and ashen stricken faces as the priestess conducted the passage rite,there was a lament of howls from those who were in their wolf forms,the bodies of the deceased were burnt and their ashes were spread into the banks of the rivers,we believed that water held memories and though our brethren might no longer be with us,their memories would forever but engraved in our hearts,the priestess chanted prayers to our ancestors asking them to grant our fallen brethren safe passage to the eternal realm and to receive them with open arms, then my father made a speech to honor the fallen describing them as brave men who gave their lives to protect their families and the pack,igniting more tears from the crowd, wanting to get away from the grieving crowd,I sauntered to the only place I usually found solace.
I had been told white lilies were my mother's favorite before she died, so I took them with me every time I went to visit her gravestone. I was curious about the woman I never knew. The once ornate wooden name plaque seemed worn out by time and decomposition, such that it was hard to make out the actual writings on it, but I knew them by heart, almost as if I had memorized them.
A dear in our hearts Elena Ralia Tragon
I wish I had known her,I had only seen a picture of my mother once which Amelia had secretly pilfered just to show me what she looked like,father had taken down anything which reminded him of her and had stashed everything away in her room locking it up and banning anyone from ever setting foot in the chamber, so it was a huge risk Amelia took on her own part I was so scared she would get caught but was grateful that she wasn't,I looked so much like mother expect for the hair and eyes, mother had golden hair which reminded me of sunshine, sunshine that was very rare to see these days as most times the sky was liminal and even when the sun decided to grace us with its presence it was only for mere splitting hours, before it faded again, mother's eyes were shaped like almound's and they seemed to have that radiant bubbling energy in them, her waist was slim matching with her incredibly petite frame,Amelia had said she had somehow lighted the pack when she was alive but when she died it was as if the spark died with her too.
A heavy gust of wind blew past me almost knocking me off my feet while the trees swayed and danced in different directions, sighing I smoothly caressed the plaque on the head stone wanting to brush off the dust on it, with a little push the decaying wood came down onto the tab of the gravestone,I let out a frantic gasp trying to pick up the pieces together when suddenly something caught my eye, there was a small opening from where the plaque had fallen off from,it was the perfect hiding spot if the plaque hadn't come off I probably wouldn't even notice it,in there was an object that looked to be like a music box on its lid was a sun emblem, shaking the box the movement of something rattled inside, there was no indication of a keyhole or lock to open it, fumbling with the box I touched the sun emblem and then a click sound was made, slowly the lid slid open revealing a dazzling ornate object shaped like a prism, it''s core features was it's array of seven colours each shade flowing seamlessly into the next like a living rainbow captured within the crystalline confines, however ever upon closer inspection I could discern a peculiar characteristic, nestled at the heart of this delicate framework was a circular hallowed hole It was as if the prism yearned for something to occupy the void, like a vital part of the puzzle piece was missing, entranced I reached out to touch it, but the minute my palm came in contact with it,I was transmigrated into a different world.