REBORN LUNA

THE WOMAN IN THE FOREST

Janus Marasigan didn't talk anymore; instead, he focused all of his attention on his horses. Beside him, Rick Suarez also paced his horse and gained more speed. Both of them continued like this for days before they arrived at the border.

Janus Marasigan was quite exhausted from not sleeping the entire journey.

With the blood as a half-wolf is not strong enough. On the other hand, Rick Suarez still looked fine. She had to admit that this general shifter strength was indeed remarkable, and a small girl like her could not hope to compare. Nevertheless, she, as a male soldier now, still needed to hold on, so she turned her head to the leading commander, Walter Guto.

Walter Guto walked towards Janus Marasigan and greeted her. He was a bit disappointed with how Janus Marasigan looked because she appeared very ordinary. He had once heard about the accomplishments Janus Marasigan had on the battlefield, but it seemed those were only rumors.

Janus Marasigan stared at the war records, and her smile turned colder. Walter Guto had already been a commander for a long time, but he never achieved big results. Looking at the tired-looking soldiers, they were no different than dead bulls waiting for slaughter. What skilled warriors the Alphas had prepared!

"Commander Walter, do you mind if I talk for a few minutes to these soldiers?"

"Go ahead, General Janus."

Janus Marasigan strolled calmly in front of the soldiers. All the while, she could clearly hear the soldiers talking about her, and having doubts about her, but she didn't mind it. The soldiers seemed reluctant to allow such a young shifter to lead them.

Janus Marasigan cleared his throat.

"When I came here, I had high expectations from all of you. However, seeing you all here, my thought is that you are a bunch of useless soldier just waiting for death's call. If you were to march against the enemies right now, you would all lose badly."

The soldiers growled instead of indignantly, then started staring at Janus Marasigan with red eyes. They felt deeply insulted.

"General, why are you insulting us?" one of the shifters yelled.

Janus Marasigan stared at that shifter.

"Insulting? I'm sure I only spoke the truth. Tell me: Are you here to march for war or are you waiting for slaughter? Why are you still standing here with such listless eyes? Let me tell you the reason: it is because you, as a warrior of the pack, are incapable of doing anything. In the end, you're all just a waste."

The soldiers were staring intensely at Janus Marasigan.

"They are incapable? That's not right! Their skills have been honed for years on the battlefield; how could they be a waste?" Walter reactions. Janus raises his right hand as he orders him to stop talking.

"General! We are not weak! We are not useless!" another shifter shouted.

"Then prove it! Prove that you are not weak and that you are capable of, "Soldier" is not just a word; it's about how you think and how you act. Remember, you are here as a warrior of the pack, with those monster eyes; behind the forest, they are excited and welcome us to our deaths. Now, how do you think I would believe in you?"

The soldiers could see that Janus Marasigan was deathly tired, looking at her slightly disheveled clothes and pale complexion. But compared to them, who were just waiting here, the young shifter looked far more energized—powerful even—from yelling towards them. How could they lose to a mere young shifter?

In that instant, the fifty-six soldiers all growled and roared in the loudest voices, saying

"For the race! and for the kingdom! aho!!"

Walter Guto stared with his mouth open wide, and Janus Marasigan smiled slightly. Her plan to provoke them and then let them see their disparity with her had succeeded.

"Commander Walter, let's go."

When they reached the border, the three generals started to travel to their destination.

Rick Suarez the general commander of the Suarez family soldiers with brother Richie Suarez led the army going to Zamboanga City. The Mendrez soldiers followed their general commander Jake Mendrez going to Davao City, and Janus Marasigan's soldier will be going to Surigao City.

After one day of travel, Janus Marasigan decides to take a rest for a while, and let her soldier take a break and eat.

"Commander Walter, I have a friend to meet in the forest. I need to ask her guidance. To keep us safe" Janus said.

Walter nodded, he knew that there is a a woman who's living in the forest. This is a human-wolf who want to be alone. She believes in miracles and prays to the moon goddesses. The races who exist in this kingdom knew her, and those Alpha's in the four cities give her freedom to live on it, as she is not a harmful in the race.

"General if you don't mind, may I ask something?"

"What is it?"

"Do you believe in her?" Walter clarified.

"Yes, she's my friend. I trusted her since I was little, my grandfather said. I was lost in this forest. That woman helped him to find me, then she did"

Janus explained. Commander Walter's face, changed and now he's being calm. He nod as he let Janus Marasigan to leave and visit his old friend, the mysterious woman in the forest.

Janus walks slowly in the yard of an old and lofty house, it is made of stone. Every visitor who wanted to talk to her, has to climb the stairs with sixteen steps. Each step on the stairs is marked with four pieces of stone, each stone has written words, Zamboanga, Davao, Surigao and Sur. Janus wondered what that meant but she pushed away that thought aside for now.

"I killed her" Alice said in lower voices, she talked to the mysterious woman in featured as Janus Marasigan.

"I understand"

The mysterious woman said, she knew Janus Marasigan and Alice is one. This woman has long hair, and wrinkled pale skin in her age, she's wearing a black long dress, the belt in her waist is imprinted in green colors.

Later on, Alice removes the gloves from both of her hands. It shows that her hands were smooth in a soft skin, no marks and bruises on it. There is no sign of harmful things. But the only difference is, her sharp nails is like a blade. Unlike other human-wolves will be having their sharp claws when they turn to their wolf form. Then Alice said

"I'm cursed, this thing in my hand, shifters around has nothing to do with this, why me?" Alice asked

"I believe, she has a purpose why you were born in this world with that rare gift." the mysterious woman said

"My sword is enough to kill vampires and rouges"

The mysterious woman seems interested in listening to her. But Alice eyes widened after she heard this.

"Alice, you have your own enemy, the only creature was sent to earth for you to kill it, that is your mission."

This mysterious woman is the oldest shifter who is still alive in fifty decades. It's not new for Alice that she has so many knowledge in this kingdom.

"My enemy? how should I know that? gender and appearance?"

Alice wanted additional information

"I can smell him in you, I see, you met him once." The woman replied.

"Him? you mean this is a male shifter?"

Alice clarified

"Yes. He is more powerful and smart as what you didn't expected. Remember, he once a goddess before. Rather he is a shifter or vampire. You have to be careful."

Alice is now in deep thought about who it is; there are so many male shifters and vampires she has met and killed. But this one is alive and has freely killed anyone else.

"If I have a chance to met him again, what smell does he have?"

"Death" The mysterious woman confirm.

"But vampires is always smells death, so it means he is a vampire." Alice pointed it out.

She really believe that her enemy is a powerful vampire.

"I have to go back home!" Alice said and stood in a hurry.

"No, stop Alice." The woman said quickly.

"You can't do anything, not now. you are not prepared." The woman added.

"What do you mean that I am not prepared? I have to secure the life of my grandfather, and my family there!"

Alice said in loud voices.

"Your hand needs to be baptized before it becomes completely evil. You have killed one, your hand will be swallowed by the element of evil. So strictly, I told your grandfather not to open the gloves on your hand. While I am looking for answers and help you out of this curse. For years I found Cardo, living in the hills of Surigao, go and meet him."

The mysterious woman urged Alice for the first time. As Alice starred on her, she wanted to be enlightened about everything now, specially about the mysterious man she met before that smell like "death".

Janus Marasigan suddenly asked

"What will happen if my hands are not getting baptized?"

"I am not sure of it, but there is a possibility, that he will bring us to the "entrance of doom"

"You are the only hope Alice.." The woman whispered.