Everything around me rattled loudly, leaving my ears ringing, while every turbulence we hit sent me crashing against the wooden walls that confined me. I tried my best to hide within the barrel I found myself in. They had left me with no choice but to store myself in a stupid container to reach my destination.
It's the only way I have to get to Celestelia!
Time distortions had appeared a week ago, marking changes within our world.
There's no way I'm going to miss this! Not when I've waited all my life for this moment to come!
After all, I would finally meet my fate. However, my family left me behind because it was too dangerous.
Bah! It'll be anything but that! I know it!
However, the thought of what I was about to do left me shivering inside the barrel.
What if something goes wrong? What if I chicken out? Crap... That can't happen!
Doubts were something I couldn't afford to do. Everything had to play out perfectly if I wanted my freedom—a liberty I would chase to the end of the world. Grabbing hold of my over-the-ear headphones, I blasted music to tune out everything around me.
It even muffled all the loud noises from the airship's luggage hitting the walls.
Why do I find myself inside a cargo hold rather than one room for guests on the ship? Well, I'm supposed to be here.
This ship was supposed to carry only the supplies Dad had ordered, and I was supposed to be back home. They wanted me to wait for my dear family's return from ending an evil, a certain mad Lycan posed, but I had other plans.
Important ones! If I save the world, maybe I can prove my independence! And perhaps my brothers and sisters will finally see me as something other than baggage.
It was what I felt most of the time while stuck at home.
I don't let that bother me too much. After all, this is my redemption arc! I'll show them all how independent I truly am. Surely, I don't need any protection from them!
Sadly, I hated that whenever the airship hit turbulence, my head would bang against the secured barrel I hid in. Luckily, it was a brief ride since we landed only a few hours later. When the cargo hold was going to be unloaded, I tried to peek out of a small hole the barrel had.
That failed when it wasn't long before one worker picked me up and tried to carry me out.
"What the heck? Are rice barrels this heavy?" He huffed, leaving me with my eyes twitching.
No! No! Relax! You can't yell at him right now! You have to stay hidden!
Unfortunately, he gave up on trying to pick it up and rolled me down the ramp instead. Thanks to his treatment, I almost hurled my stomach contents out. Luckily, I didn't.
Oi! Was that really necessary? I'm not even that heavy! The gall that puny human has! Arg! Wait until I get out of here! Hmph!
Although heated, I could do little while rolling into a tent. It was used to store all the supplies needed for this adventure to stop the evil, which was far from my destination. Even though I wanted to run out of here and into the future that awaited me, I had to wait until nightfall.
It didn't help that my…
Oh… crap! Drinking that jug of water before getting here was a bad idea!
Though there were many times I almost pissed myself in fear of being caught early. Luckily, no one peeked into the barrel I was in. It was supposed to be filled with rice, but I dumped it back in Silverant when no one was watching.
Surely, they won't miss one barrel of rice. There are others here filled with it for the same purpose!
Turning off my MP3 player and headset, I stored them in my bag, not wanting to drain their energy for later use. However, the moment I did, comments came my way.
What are you doing? Someone said from inside the barrel, startling me.
I had forgotten that these dreadful things plagued me. Slowly, I gazed toward the voice and noticed a bright, shimmering blue orb floating with me inside the barrel.
Ek! Just my luck! Yuck! Ghost follow me no matter where I go!
There weren't any in the air while we got there. Ignoring the ghastly presence, I continued attempting to listen in on conversations around the camp, only for the noisy orb to pester me.
Hey, I'm talking to you. I know you can hear me. It continued to engage with me, much to my annoyance.
Shaking my head, I couldn't help but roll my eyes because of its constant hovering. I always set myself aside from giving them any time of day, yet sadly, that usually failed.
"Shut up..." I muttered, trying to figure out what the others were doing.
Unfortunately, my hearing wasn't as good as a pure breed Lycan's, but it had perks. There was at least one guard out of the tent I found myself in, perhaps for the hybrids that lived nearby not to steal any rations.
Bummer... I'm going to be here for a while.
A heavy sigh left me, relaxing into the barrel.
But what are you doing? The ghost continued to hover around me.
My temper wasn't the best, thanks to my diluted Lycan blood.
Yes, I'm a half-breed between a werewolf father and a human mother.
"I don't care if you need me for some fucking thing! Ghost, go away! I don't have time for you today!" I snapped, crossing my arms in a sort of a pout.
When I lost it, more orbs appeared, leaving my eyes twitching.
Crap, you know you shouldn't talk to them!
But we're so lonely. Another ghost complained, hovering close to my face as I waved my arm to shoo it away.
These orbs were spirits of people who didn't want to pass into the next life—stragglers with wants and regrets and all dead set on bugging me.
"I don't care! Just let me be already!" I shouted quickly, covering my mouth right after.
Oh… Fuck! I didn't just do that, did I?
Shifting my eyes to the little hole in the barrel, I hoped no one was around to listen to my stupid outburst. These souls always got me into trouble when I didn't need it. Every hair in my body rose when the guard outside entered the room after my burst.
"What the heck was that?" They mumbled, taking a few more steps into the tent.
My only saving grace was that it was someone I didn't know. If anyone knew me, I would've been caught instantly.
Shivers ran down my spine as I closed my eyes to calm myself. I tried slowing my breath to make no noise while they stepped around the boxes, trying to figure out where the sound came from. A saving grace came when…
"Yo, do we have some fruits to snack on?" A too-familiar voice asked the guard who was supposed to be outside the tent.
Out of all the people, it has to be you?!
My heart was nonexistent, beating faster than it had ever gone before. Noticing he was needed, the guard exited the tent to see who was asking him.
"Oh, Caden, it's you. There should be some in the stockpile. I'll take some out for you." The guard informed him, returning to the tent and opening the box near where I was.
My heart sprinted when he searched the boxes near me, and I covered my mouth, unable to move from where I was. All I could do was pray my loving brother wouldn't come in, or else he would find me.
Like me, he had human blood within him, yet our father's side dominated, allowing him to have all the abilities that came from being a wolf. He also had the Red Moon blessings, which allowed him to control magic to an extent.
All it did for me was destabilize my human side, which was equally dominant as my wolf.
Of course, this would happen! This isn't fair at all! Oi years were being shaved from my life!
"Yup, Vera wants some apple chips if you have them," Caden informed, gathering fruits for her.
From the sound of his voice, it sounded more like a chore than anything else to him. However, our sister always got her way whenever she wanted something.
"Yep, got them right here. Anything else you need?" The guard asked, walking back towards him.
"A solitary bath... we've been here for five days and still nothing. I don't think I can take another day here like this." Caden sighed.
This young wolf would've invested his time in other things than standing there for the evil of everything to come. Since this was a Cerberus camp, there was only one bath for everyone to use. Well, one for women and one for men.
It was uncomfortable for someone who had never experienced it, but unlike my brothers and sisters, I desired to be out more than anything, which left me to care little if there were only unisex bathrooms.
"Sorry about that, but I can't help you." The guard chuckled.
I could imagine his fluffy ears tilting down when he handed the wolf the fruits from the storage. We came from a life of luxuries, so it must've been a shock for my siblings to be there.
"Yup, I know—" Caden stopped as something caught his attention.
I felt like my heart would stop when he stepped into the tent. His approach instigated a mini heart attack that shaved years of my poor life with each step he took. The ground below us was soil, so I could barely hear his steps.
"Hey, what were you looking for before I interrupted you?" My brother questioned, allowing me to hear his voice, which was too closed for comfort.
Crap! I'm about to get screwed!
"I thought I heard someone yell, but it must've been elsewhere. The camp's always rowdy." The guard shrugged, not finding anything in the storage from his previous quick search.
"Hm..." Caden stood there momentarily, "Nah, it can't be. She can't be that stupid." He mumbled.
The urge to break out and tell him I wasn't stupid was hard to drown, yet somehow I managed to do so. However, luckily, he left soon after, leaving me unsteady after what happened.
If things keep happening, I'm going to piss myself before I get out of this barrel!
Woah, they almost caught you! The annoying ghost continued to chat me up after the danger passed.
Trying to avoid being swayed by these gremlins a second time, I covered my ears and eyes with my hands and knees. Sadly, only music ever tuned them out enough to bring me peace, as their chatter drove me crazy.
It was nonstop, but it would only get worse from there. We were located in the forest. Twenty years ago, there was a battle, making it an excellent place for spirits to gather and haunt me. Unlike my more powerful sister, Vera, my power was unstable, making me unable to stop these ghosts from barraging me.
Mom usually struggled with her voices, too, but they weren't from this world like mine. They usually got worse the more agitated I got, so I used some relaxation techniques she taught me to combat it.
I closed my eyes, trying to think of one of my precious memories—the moment I first saw my destiny. Before I knew it, I drifted off into a slumber, and a dream soon followed.
"Caiden, Aiden, wait for me!"