The Angel's Curse

"Come, children! Gather round for today's story!" An elderly woman beckons to the young ones roaming around the center of town. Sitting herself down at the edge of the circular fountain, she smiled. Her wrinkled hands gripping the curve of her wooden cane, seeing the eager young faces rushing up to her. All of them sitting quietly on the ground, boys and girls alike eager for the tale she would tell them. Bringing her hand to her lips, she cleared her throat, letting her ember eyes trail over the young faces. Each one of them was full of anticipation for the tale she would weave before their eyes. Her eyes danced about the growing crowd until landing on those closest to her before she began the story. All the while taking note of a young seven-year-old blonde girl that had joined them. Sitting in the far back, curious as to what was happening. "This story is an old one, passed down through the generations. A tale of love, loss, and a curse that lives on even today. " She began taking a brief pause to collect her thoughts before continuing. Not wanting to mess up a single detail that may be of importance should one of these children figure out the key behind the actions about to be told. "Ahem, long, long ago, before many of your parents were born, there was a strong and caring ruler of an all-powerful Wolf pack known as the Moonstone pack. It was known for its ferocious might and the kind-hearted actions of its members. Each one working hard to build their home into something that would thrive for years to come. So the next ruler could carry on their great name into the future, where one day there may be an even larger number and far more tales to tell. Nevertheless, the ruler did his job well for his people. Taking the time to tend to their needs as best as he could. With the growing numbers, his work load only seemed to grow with them. Keeping the young ruler away from his loved ones for long periods of time and thus making his beloved worried about him. For you see, she didn’t get to see him as often as the pack members had thought. Whilst he was out and about giving aid to his people, she never got to see him for more than a few moments. It broke her heart, to say the least, but what was she to do? Her beloved was a man for his people, and she didn’t dare keep him from the-" "Why wouldn't she help him?" The blonde girl questioned with her hand raised. Her stunning light-hazel eyes held a look of confusion within them when meeting the older woman's gaze. It had been a simple question and yet it threw the elder off. All the children knew better than to cut into the middle of the story like that. But this young child did what the others wouldn't, hence why she had been taken aback by the interruption. "My dear, back then the wives had their own jobs to do. So there was no reason for her to help him. Now if you please, let me finish the story." She spoke, making sure the last part was stern so as not to cause more problems later on. The other children giggled softly, snickering at the child's expense. Tapping her cane, the woman thought about where she had left off. All the while silently observing how the young blonde paid no mind to them. Promptly shifting in her seat, ready to listen to the rest of the story. "Now, as I was saying. The woman saw no need to worry about her husband. After all, she was seen as quite the catch for her time. With long beautiful raven hair and a thin body that had been well-shaped for her age, she had no reason for concern. There was no one in the land that could outshine her beauty and, with no competition, there was no fear for her. Even as the great harvest brought forth the changing of the land, she continued to harbor no concern. And yet, she had been gravely mistaken. Her mind warped by her high sense of pride, she had overlooked the wills of the Moon Goddess. For among those that gathered for the celebration was one that made her pale in comparison. A golden-haired beauty with brilliant emerald eyes stood among the masses. She spoke to all that came in contact with her, treating them all as if they had been worthy of even the Goddess’s time. Seeing this spectacle was what had caught the ruler's eye that night. Even with the feast and dancing, she had captivated him without even trying. This unknown stranger, who had shown more courtesy to those around her than her own being. She was a rare gem and possibly an answer to his troubles. Removing himself from his wife's side, he wanted to learn more about the girl. Some say desperate to understand why he was feeling a pull towards her. Nevertheless, as he advanced towards her, questions and concerns soon plagued his mind. Had he chosen right all those years ago when picking his mate? Could the Moon Goddess have a plan for them? He didn’t know. All he knew was that he needed to go to her. And that is what he did. Going to her, he found himself talking to her about many things. Most of which seemed to deal more with the pack than the actual girl. Almost as if she had been selected to act as the voice of those under him. 'I would like for you to assist me in the upcoming days, to help me better understand my people.' He told her, holding his hand out to finalize this verbal agreement. The young lass accepted the task with no questions asked. Gripping his hand tightly, shaking it blissfully unaware of his wife's eyes staring at her. During the days to come, things among the pack had been getting better, and the ruler had started to find himself with more free time. Time that he had chosen to spend with his golden-haired companion, Anna. During this time with her, he had begun to fall in love with her. Spending days at a time together helping each other however they could. Soon enough, they grew closer into a more...physical relationship." The elder paused for a moment to sip from her drink. Letting her eyes drift over the children, seeing some of the girls giggling. Clearly more interested in the love aspect of the story than what it was meant to be. A warning to be careful of the choices they make and to not be blinded by a pretty face. For should their love be misplaced, they could suffer greatly for it in the end. "That wasn't very nice of him...he was married and was seeing someone else. Momma always says that's the sign of a cheater when he starts sneaking around. " The little blonde girl spoke up, slowly getting to her feet. Brushing off her cute lavender sundress with her hands, the elder couldn’t help but notice the look of sadness in her eyes. The story seemed to have lost her attention with the mention of adultery within it. "I mean...if he was going to use the lady it wasn't fair. What if he was doing all that work just to hurt them both! That's just plain mean!" The seven-year-old then exclaimed, looking head-on at the older woman. Her eyes harbor an odd spark that even the elder couldn’t describe. All she knew was that it was a spark that no one within the pack held. "Little miss, you are absolutely right. Cheating is not right for anyone involved. However, I left out a single detail that might interest everyone. Miss Anna had been holding a secret from the man, an interesting one at that. " The woman spoke up, smiling when curiosity returned to the child's face. 'This girl…' she briefly thought, but went on with the story. "One night after Anna and the ruler had met, a war had broken out in the streets. A pack of would-be rouges had taken a chance to attack during this time of peace. They tore through the streets, destroying everything in their path. Marking homes and slaying even the weakest of wolves if only to make a name for themselves. During the chaos, the ruler was forced to leave Anna to fight. Leaving her with a loving kiss and a promise to return to her side. Unaware that by leaving her unprotected, his world would change. Fearful of what could happen to her, Anna left her home to seek a place of refuge. As much as she wanted to trust in her beloved, she knew that danger was just around the corner. So she went to the first place she thought of. The church. Running through the war-torn streets, she did all she could to ignore all the surrounding destruction. Especially the bits of road that echoed the snarls and growls of the men fighting for their homes. For you see, Anna had to be quick when traveling As the battlefield. She was not like those in the pack. She was human, not strong enough to hold her own against something twice her size in battle. Using the shadows, she tried to keep herself out of sight, praying as she ran that no one would find her. Only finding a moment of peace when the church came into sight. Seeing the large white building with its central bell tower, she thought it would be safe, that those inside the church would keep her protected until her lover returned. But, she was gravely wrong. Upon reaching its doors, a large black wolf jumped out at her, digging its canines deep into her neck. Ripping its head away, it tore off a nice chunk of flesh, making an open wound that would inevitably cause her death. Blood soaked her from head to toe, staining the ground around her weakening form. Her life was hovering between life and death. The wolf released her, standing over her proud of what it had done. Seeing the state of this single woman on the verge of death, it thought it had won the fight. Shifting back, he revealed himself to be the man she had come to love. His eyes were emotionless and dark, barely even wanting to look down at her. But in his mind, he had to. Gripping her now blood-soaked hair in his hand, he forced her to sit up right. Her beautiful green eyes were already starting to get dull. 'This is what you get for leading the rogues here...betraying me…' he growled, forcing himself to endure the pain of losing the one meant for him. To see to it, she died, so he could hopefully fix this mess she had caused. Anna took her last breath that day and with it came years of torture for the leader and his family. With her final breath, Anna had cursed them to suffer a slow death alone in the world. No leader would ever find their loved one and any children they had would live shortened lives till the clan would expire. This was her wish and, with the war ending, as soon as it began, it was sealed. The body of young Anna sprouted wings that night, an angel hidden among the living. Gifted to them by the moon goddess herself, only to be slain the day she would have traded her wings for humanity to live with the man who had killed her. " Finishing the story, the older woman expected the children wouldn't understand why this was being told or the importance of what was said. Despite the love he had for Anna, he was willing to kill her for his people. Sacrificing everything for a truth that he believed to be true and cursing his family to suffer for his choices. As expected, the children only spoke of the characters and not the meaning of the cautionary tale. The elder looked over the crowd of children, listening to each reaction. Though she had to admit she was more so curious about the strange blonde that had remained silent till now. Turning her attention towards her, she was quite surprised to see the girl was no longer alone and the woman with her was not pleased. "That's quite a morbid story…" a woman remarked from her place behind the young blonde. Standing at a proud 5'9 was whom the elder presumed was the girl's mother. Their eyes had similar collaring, shape, and not to mention, the hair made it a dead give away. Not many people in town had similar golden locks that had not been dyed. "It's an old tale, miss. One all the families around here know. " The elder said, being honest with the protective mother. All the while growing curious as to why someone like her was walking around a town known to hold wolves. What she could tell both of them were human. Which meant either she was a new mate to one of the wolves or the latter. The latter being, she didn't know about the werewolf packs that surrounded the town. "Old tale or not, it's not exactly something I would like my daughter to hear. It's nothing against you or the town, just to me it's a bit too graphic for a seven-year-old to hear." She spoke calmly, holding herself well in the face of others. But it was her eyes that interested the woman. Her eyes held both current strength and past scars within them. Something about her just felt...familiar. As if those same eyes had been spotted around the town before at another time. Before the elder could speak, the child in question looked at her mother with a smile that could make even the coldest of hearts melt. "Momma; it's a nice story, promise! She even spoke of angels, just like grandma used to!" The girl exclaimed excitedly, clasping her mother's right hand joyously. Looking up at her, she didn't seem to be bothered by the graphic nature of the story. It was just the mother that had a problem with the more adult-rated details being expressed to carry the telling of the tale. "Just because there are angels doesn't mean it's good, Lily. How many times do I have to you, Graphic is graphic. You need to wait till you're older for that kind of thing." The woman scolded the child, though her tone had calmed down some since speaking to the elder before them. The defensiveness within her actions was still there, but in her words it seemed to just slip away. Vanishing into nothingness the second her daughter had taken hold of her to express her liking of the tale. "Miss...I can assure you this story is one that rarely offends anyone. Everyone in town knows it by heart." The elder spoke up ushering the other children on their way in case this woman chose to act on her emotions. Even watching as the woman's eyes darken in what could only be explained as discontent. There was so much judgment in the way she looked at her, practically blaming her for a situation that could have been avoided. However, no matter the situation, that didn't stop the questions that the elder began to have. More so regarding the new faces in town than all else. As far as she was aware there had been no homes up for sale, nor any new marriages occurred to would bring outsiders here. Unless they had just arrived, but something told her that wasn’t the case. From how cleanly they were dressed they had been there at least a few days if not more. Just not long enough to have been spotted in town until now. Nothing could explain away what this meeting was. The elder knew this and could only pray that this time her gut instinct was incorrect. If the tale ran true this was a sign. Whether it was good or not was yet to be known. But a storm was coming and it may have something to do with the family that stood before her. "Nevertheless, I don't want my daughter listening to stories being played off as re-" "'Ey, Veronica! I was told we should try this guy to fix the counters. Seems he's well-liked and always up for some large task." A brunette dressed in a tight pair of jean shorts and an even tighter v-cut top, soon joined the small gathering, handing over a slip of yellow scrap paper to the blonde. The elder was fascinated by what she was witnessing. If what she saw was true...this was more interesting than she thought. Three females, one only a child yes. But the adults were similar in both size and stature. The only differences being their hair color and the way their eyes appeared to others. One so friendly and bright, the other closed off and protected from those around her. The only times those hard eyes seemed to lighten was when they peered down at the child or at the sister, never at those foreign to her. "We'll need to see what he would charge us for the work needed then." The blonde, known as Veronica, had stated prior to looking over the scrap paper given to her. She had thumbed over the number in thought, the elder taking note of the uncertainty in the girl’s eyes as they walked away. Was the simple action of dialing a phone a problem for the woman, or could the uncertainty be something else entirely? Perhaps fear? The three of them walked away from the town square, leaving the situation with the older woman where it lay. Their conversation, however, was not yet over. The brunette spoke louder than originally thought, though making it easy for the nosey granny to understand what was being said. "We should probably wait to give him a call. The lady that gave me it stated he wasn't even in town. Something about some Lunar party or something." The brunette's warm voice spoke as if it wasn't something of importance. That it should be something he could easily step away from. The elder knew otherwise, of course, unable to ignore the girl's voice. She was certain of what she saw in them and the feelings she felt. More importantly, it was how they looked that had reminded her of something. Something she had failed to tell during her story with the children. ‘There will one day be a time where the wolves will be tested once more. Children of flight will visit the fallen angels resting place, and with them danger like no other. Should the beasts on all fours find them and protect them from this danger, the angel’s curse shall break. Should they fail, the last of the Alpha’s bloodline shall fall.’ Turning tail, the elder made her leave. She had to prepare for what was to come. After all from what she had seen at least two daughters of flight had come to rest and soon war would lick at their heels.