chapter two
1097 Words
SIX CENTURIES AFTER...
"Mama please don't die, stay fine for me." I sniffled, trying to keep the fear and tears out of my voice while cleaning her body.
"Mmm..." Was the only sound my mother could make. She was in deep pains.
I rushed over to the kitchen as soon as I heard the hissing of the kettle on the old stove that had seen better days and even worst ones, I poured the herbs I had boiled into the cup. I rushed back to her with the cup, we had only one room we shared.
"Mama, open your mouth ple..."
Our door was kicked open, I turned my gaze towards the door wide-eyed. It was the guards. My heart dropped from its natural position, they had caught me. I was dead!
"Get her!" One of them ordered the other two.
They came to grab me. "Mamaaaaaa..." I cried, holding onto my mother's dress.
She struggled to hold me but she was too weak.
"I'm sorry. It's was for my mother, please show mercy." I desperately pleaded as they dragged me to the door.
I heard a thud, I turned to see it was my mother who had fallen from the bed trying to get to me. "Take her away." The one who seemed like the leader instructed.
"Please, my mother. Let me take care of her, please..." I received a kick as I tried to struggle free. I screamed in pain, tears blurred my vision.
"Move your body, you thief!" The leader of the guards barked.
My wail increased when I heard his words, it had just confirmed my fears. I had committed the crime but it was for a honest cause, I could not allow my mother die. But no one wanted to know that.
It was a grave crime to steal in Dark Crystal pack, it led to different kinds of serious punishment. Sometimes, the criminal was killed. It depended on how serious the crime was viewed and the Alpha's verdict.
At the thought of coming face to face with the Alpha of Dark Crystal pack, I shivered and more sob broke out, he was as mean and ruthless as they came.
"Nor...meta..." Mother cried in a weak, trembling voice. The poor woman was still trying to get to me.
"Mamaaaa..." I reached out a hand but I was roughly dragged out of the small, old cottage that was ours. I turned my head to get a view of the men and the leader, their faces were stoic. "P-please..."
"Move." Another brutal kick at the small of my back. I would have landed face flat on the ground if not the strong grip of the men holding me.
The sun was hot, though it was still morning. People filed out of their homes to know what the chaos was all about, and as expected, they jeered and mocked.
It was no longer news that the pack members hated me, some would say I looked like a witch because of my flaming red tresses that was extremely long and my shocking blue eyes that scared young pups.
I knew I kind of possessed a pair of eyes that was quite celestial and scary, but I was not a witch. I was just a normal werewolf just like everyone else. In fact, I was the weakest of werewolves. Fheena, my wolf, was as weak and jittery as they came, she had never agreed to a transmutation before.
She preferred hiding inside my head, and because of this, those did not think I was a witch, thought I was cursed by the Moon Goddess with wolflessness and despised me for it.
"What has the witch done this time?" A teenager jeered.
I turned to the voice, only to meet the gaze of a five year old pup who clung tighter to his mother in fear and averted his gaze. "She's scaring me, mama." I heard the little pup say.
"Don't look at the wicked witch, her eyes are evil." She carried her pup protectively.
"I hope you die today, you cursed child." An elderly woman spat at me.
I was supposed to be used to the name calling but they still hurt me whenever I heard them, I was none of those things.
As I was dragged to the front of the Alpha's manor, the crowd followed. The Alpha was already waiting, and his glare sent more fear up my spine. I was forced to kneel.
"How dare you steal from me?!" The Alpha thundered. He hated me, and I wish I could say that was personal but it was not. He was never nice to anyone.
"I...I..." I could not speak, tears flowed freely unlike my words that seemed to be tied somewhere in my mouth.
"Speak, thief!"
I jolted and moved back. "I'm sorry..." I cried dishearteningly.
He growled, collected a long black whip I had not seen before now from the guard standing close to me, and before I could prepare for the pain, had flogged me across my arm.
I screamed in agony. "I-I'm s-s-sorry, Alpha...my mother is sick, I have no means to cure her except for the herbs in your farm..."
He whipped me again. Hard. "Why did you not go to the pack's herbalist?"
I rolled on the sand, wailing as pain shot through my back, that was the second spot he had whipped. How would he understand if I told him that I had gone to beg the healer countless times to come help me but even she wanted nothing to do with me or my mother?
And when I had gone the last time, she had requested for an outrageous amount of money from me knowing fully well I could not afford it. She treated others for little to no amount of money, but after severally rejecting me, she had left me helpless with her request.
The Alpha's farm had been the last resort, he was known to grow many kind of medicinal plants and somehow, I knew about herbs. All I had taken was the leaves and not more than necessary, also not for selfish purpose. Surely, the Alpha would show mercy...
"Tie her to the stake. I'll teach her not to steal, especially from me." He commanded.
...or not.
They dragged me to the stake amidst chants of thief and other insulting words from the crowd, but they were not my problem, even when the Alpha unleashed his anger through the whip, I thought of my sick, independent mother and how she would cope without me.
- Writer
