Luna`s Truth

chapter three: The struggle

eva`s pov.

I sat up abruptly, my heart beating fast. My breath came in shallow gasps. The vivid dream of the bloody battle and the desperate escape lingered in my mind, making it difficult to shake off the images of what I had just witnessed. I rubbed my eyes, trying to clear my thoughts, and looked around the abandoned house I now considered my home.

I was still on the dusty floor. Most of the windows were broken, with no curtains whatsoever. I couldn't believe I had just passed the entire night here. Someone could have broken in, an animal, thing, but I was grateful to be alive, despite the cold biting my skin, causing goosebumps all over my body.

The sun had just begun to rise, casting its sweet, warm rays directly towards where I sat. It was a nice feeling. At least that was a plus. I knew I had to somehow survive in this strange world, so I decided to explore the nearby town in search of work.

From the stories I had heard at the pack, humans worked to earn themselves a living. I heard the tasks were no different from the ones I did at the castle while I lived there. My family was not of a high rank of wolves, so I didn't enjoy some of the privileges. I believed I had what it took to secure such work. After all, I had done it all my life.

As I stepped outside, my stomach growled loudly, reminding me that I hadn't eaten in days. I felt a little weak and my body ached from sleeping on the hard floor. You can guess what state my hair was in. Matted and dirty. I held it in a loose burn the only way I knew how, just to make it look better. Not like it changed anything, but it was something. My clothes were torn and stained from my time in the woods the previous night. I didn't have any change of clothes. I decided to go try my luck anyway. Was it not better than sitting and sulking all morning?

I wandered on the streets, my eyes scanning for any sign of opportunity. I couldn't help but feel out of place among them; like an intruder. I knew I needed to be positive. I needed all the luck. So I blocked the negative thoughts that criss-crossed through my mind and took the opportunity to feed my eyes on what humans were really like, how they lived, what their home was like. The bustling town was full of people going about their daily lives. My appearance drew curious and judgmental stares. I could overhear whispered conversations, see people pointing fingers at me, their eyes filled with suspicion and pity.

"Who is she?"

"She looks like she hasn't eaten anything in days."

"Why is she so filthy?"

"I have never seen her before. She seems weird and unkept,"

"Mmh, she smells too,"

The comments went on and on. My cheeks burned with embarrassment. They gossiped about me as though I wasn't there. As though I couldn't hear them. They simply didn't care about my feelings. I avoided eye contact, kept my head down as I walked. So, this is how insensitive humans were?

I passed by numerous shops with beautiful clothes and shoes displayed in the windows. How I longed to wear something clean and elegant. I saw young girls laughing and chatting, their hair glossy and their outfits pristine. A pang of jealousy struck my heart. I wished I could be like them; clean, beautiful, happy and carefree.

Life must have been easy for them. I looked at the small children, held by who I assumed were their parents. Such love, care, affection. They must have been happy too. I wished I were born on a silver platter like them.

"Look at her! She looks like she just crawled out of a grave," one woman muttered loudly to her friend as I passed by. The people who heard her laughed. What was so funny?

"How disgusting," the friend replied, wafting the air off her nostrils.

"I hope she doesn't come near us."

"She wouldn't dare!" the other replied and both laughed again.

"Look at her eyes! She's a witch!."

"Shoo! Don't come close to us, WITCH ," they warned stressing on the last word.

I bit my lip, fighting back tears. The rejection and harsh words cut deep inside my heart like a hot sharp knife. It hurt. I had expected a bit of rough treatment but not to that extent. I felt like an outcast in this town. What was I saying, was I not? My hunger grew more intense with each passing minute, my vision blurring from the exhaustion and lack of neither food nor water. The rays of the sun grew more fierce. It must have been around noon. I couldn't give up.

I tried to approach several shopkeepers, asking for any kind of work; sweeping floors, washing dishes, doing laundry, cooking, anything; but they all turned me down. Some chased me away, reacting like I was some kind of deadly disease or a plaque, others looked at me with disdainful looks, others with a simple shake of their heads.

"We don't need your help!" one man snapped, closing his shop door in my face. " And even if we did, we wouldn't hire someone like you."

"What is wrong with me? I just need a little help.....please sir, show me mercy," I pleaded on my knees ,

"I beg you,"

I suddenly felt wetness all over my body. I looked at myself, to find my clothes soaking wet. The man had just poured dirty, smelly water on me. I searched his face, to see whether there was remorse in his eyes; to see whether it was an accident, or whether he had done it intentionally.

"You should be grateful that I graced your undeserving dry skin with water. I know you haven't taken a bath all your life!"

So he did it deliberately. My heart sank.

I looked around, to find a small crowd gathered around me. There was nothing but amusement on their faces. They were entertained. They seemed to love every bit of what was going on. I wringed the excess water off my clothes then got up and walkee away. I couldn't take it anymore. My tolerance and patience had run out. Maybe these mortals would never accept me.Perhaps this was my fate.

"That's right! leave and never come back!!" the man shouted. I didn't bother to look back.

The day wore on, and my desperation grew. I was weak from hunger and exhaustion. The weight of my situation pressed heavily on me. Every step felt like a monumental effort, my legs trembling with fatigue. The sun was setting, casting long shadows over the town. I began to make my way back to the abandoned house. I felt defeated, a deep sense of hopelessness settling in my chest. My stomach ached and my throat was parched. I couldn't stand upright. I could only bend and force my feet to keep moving.

The streets grew darker as night fell, and a sense of unease began to creep over me. I couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching me or perhaps trailing me. My senses were on high alert. I knew deep down that if something happened, I would be doomed as I had no ounce of strength in me. I glanced over my shoulder, but saw nothing but shadows.

I tried to quicken my pace, the hairs on my back standing on end. My instincts were never wrong. I turned another corner, and my breath caught in my throat when I saw a flicker of movement in the darkness. I could feel eyes on me, the weight of unseen gazes scaring me.

"Who's there?" I called out, my voice trembling. I waited for some time but there was no response. At that point, I could feel a cold sweat trickling down my spine.

"I know you're there, come out!"

Still nothing. The silence that followed was defeaning, amplifying my fear. Was my mind playing tricks on me? Or was someone really there?

"Coward!!" I shouted, trying to sound courageous and fearless, just to make whoever it was come out. But deep down, my heart was racing.

Was I becoming paranoid? There I was talking to who again? Exactly, no one. Maybe I was going through the aftermath of hunger, exhaustion; I was just miserable. Things couldn't get any worse, could they?

Just as I neared the edge of town, a group of men emerged from a nearby alley, confirming my worst fears. They eyed me with predatory interest, their smiles cruel and mocking. I could only imagine the devilish thoughts and intentions hidden in their hearts. I silently braced myself for the worst.

"Hey there," one of them called, blocking my path.

"So fierce and daring, I like it, " he commented with a smirk on his face.

"Seems like today is our lucky day, eh," he said to his friends.