11. The Eternal Search
1456 Words
ARES POV
It was a sunny morning and the sea was gentle. There was a steady breeze which hit our face with the salty air.
The white claw pack was ready to board the ship and return to their respective homes.
I stood on the beach, looking at the pack members boarding the ship. I was restless, there were a lot of questions running on my mind but no one was giving me answers.
My father came to my side " It's time to leave Ares "
"What happened yesterday?? Why was the Hakan angry at you?? And why didn't you react when he behaved in such a way?? " I asked the first questions which came to my mind.
" You will know everything soon enough Ares. But for now I request you to not do anything rash. " He said in a worn out tired voice.
"You always answer me like this. If I am going to be the next alpha of the pack then I should know everything. You still treat me like a child !! "
" You need to be patient Ares. That is one thing you should learn. And we have to follow the rules, when we are in a pack. The rules are the same for everyone, even if you are the leader. " He replied and continued.
"Our forefathers had chosen the Hakan as our leader and he has been leading us in a formidable manner all these years. We have to follow him and heed his advice even if it is strict or harsh sometimes. We mustn't make the mistake of going against our leader Ares.
The pack is strong only if we are united and for that each member should follow the leader's instructions. "
I was listening to my father's words with a disapproving look but remained silent. I didn't agree with him.
"Why should we follow a leader if his behavior is unjust. Each member has their own right and can stand up for himself. "
My father continued his advice. But now his voice was broken and sad.
"We must take the example of the Shadow pack, Ares. Their leader and my close friend Alpha LeoMark didn't follow the rules and look, what happened. The whole pack had to pay for his mistakes. I don't want the White Claw pack to pay for mine. As long as I lead this pack, I will protect all the members and I will do anything to keep them safe even if it means I have to suffer an embarrassment like I did And I hope that you will do it too when you become the alpha of this pack. "
He finished his speech, patted my shoulder and headed back.
“Let's go Ares”, Ryan called me, holding our bags packed.
“I'll come tomorrow Ryan. I just need some time alone. "
“Are you sure macha?” He asked me again.
“Ya, I'm sure. anyway Alpha Geraldine will leave tomorrow I'll come with him. Just have an eye on Indu Ryan” I said to him and waved goodbye.
I stood at the beach looking at the ships as they headed back to Onai city. My mind was filled with confusions and I needed some time alone to process my thoughts and I wanted answers.
It was getting dark. I headed to my favorite spot and sat on a rock in the cave. I sipped my beer looking at the glorious rising moon.
A thousand questions ran through my mind. I knew the history of our kind to a certain extent. I knew we had a hierarchy and there was a chain of command and I knew that the Hakan was at the top but was he really a good person.
"Does he really have a good heart to help our kind?
Is he one of us?
Will he lead us on the correct path?
Will he protect our kind?
I never worried about the Island. I never cared about the pack. But since yesterday's incident, I started asking questions about everything that was happening around me.
I never wanted to be an alpha of the pack.
But to my anguish I had started thinking like one and yes I knew that I would do anything to safeguard my pack and my kind.
Suddenly I heard something behind me.
“It's beautiful right?” A voice behind me said. I looked back and to my surprise I saw Loscelles.
“How did you find this place?” I asked him.
“I'm living on the Island even before you were born, young wolf” he said with a big smile and sat near me.
“It's beautiful right?” He asked me again.
I just nodded. The view was great but I came here to enjoy the silence more than the view.
“Have you ever wondered Ares what will happen if there is no moon?”
I looked at him with confusion and said, “If there is no moon, there will be complete darkness at night and we can't see the beauty of the ocean”
Haha! He laughed aloud.
“What happened Loscelles?” I asked him, thinking that I gave a bad answer.
“You are absolutely right Alpha! We need the moon to see the world during the dark night and in real life we need that one person to show us what is right and beautiful. When it is dark everything seems to be the same. We can't say which is the snake and which is the rope. But when the light comes the true colors are seen.” Said Loscelles. There was a moment of silence as I tried to make sense of what he was trying to tell me.
"There is an old legend that they tell in the island. At the beginning of time the sun and the moon were lovers. But they rarely met, always chased and mostly missed one another. But once in a while they do catch up and they kiss and the world stared in awe of their eclipse. "
"It has been quite a while that the sun has been searching for his lover. The stars tell me that this year is going to be their eclipse"
He said with a wink as I listened to his story in confusion.
"Remember however glorious and enchanting the moon might be, it still needs the sun. Tell me what you think is more beautiful Ares, how the moon lets the sun shine throughout the day or the way the sun lets the moon glimmer at night. "
“I don't understand Loscelles, what does this mean?” I asked him. "Had the old wolf gone mad. " I thought to myself hearing his blabber.
"Be the sun for your moon, young wolf. You may not be the protagonist of this story but you have an important role."
“The moon will guide you towards your path and eventually the darkness will be conquered by its majestic power" he said and gave me a bracelet.
The bracelet had moon shaped stone at the center.
“What's this Loscelles?”
“It is part of the holy rock which rests inside the lake Ares. It is divine and powerful. We have been safeguarding it and waiting for the right time.
“Right time?? Right time for what??
Loscelles smiled and stood up. "We can only hope that this is the right time. I know you will get the bracelet to the place where it belongs. Believe in yourself young wolf and believe in your destiny. Remember, "to get answers you must ask questions. It's up to you, what questions and how many times you will ask."
And with this he went away as swiftly as he had come leaving me in an even more confused state with the bracelet in my hand.
IRAH POV
The freshers party was tomorrow and I was slightly stressed.
I hadn't talked with Ares for almost a week. I guess he forgot me completely. With my brain already messed, I was walking towards my classroom. I saw Ryan sitting near the football ground.
I asked Tina to go ahead and went to Ryan. But she waited for me. I felt that She was kind of over protective about me these days. She was not even leaving me alone for a few minutes.
“Hey Ryan”
“Hai Irah! How are you?” Ryan asked me.
“I'm fine Ryan! How are you?” I asked him. I really don't know how to start the conversation and ask about Ares.
“I'm great Irah!” He looked at me in silence for few seconds and he continued,
“Ares is helping his father! He will be here by tomorrow.”
“Ryan, can you do me a favour?”
“Yes Irah! What should I do?”
“Tomorrow is our fresher's party and I'm giving a small performance. I want Ares to sit in the first row to watch my performance. Please don't tell him about this. Let him see me on stage by himself” I asked Ryan with my puppy face.
“Of course Irah! Don't worry I'll take care of that” he said and went towards his class.
“It's time to impress my Charmer with some moves!”
- Writer
