Daughter of the Night

Chapter II

It did indeed reached the palace. In only a couple of days time news traveled that queen Marjorie har lost another child, no one knew why or for what reason, but that wasn’t the first time, and more often than not the same situation started happening all around the country. Countless of women, she-wolves, rich or poor, started to not be able to reproduce, either those innocents babies couldn’t make it to term or they simply never got pregnant to begin with. 

Everyone was terrified, no one knew why that was happening or how we could stop it. But soon it stopped being an innocent concern and shifted into a national matter. The Alpha King Oscar couldn’t produce an heir, as every attempt was met with disappointment, and soon Queen Marjorie was seen less and less by the people. Those circumstances, paired with the uncertainty of the future of the species, led the multiple packs to raise against each other, and ultimately against the palace itself. 

The odd thing was that some women could still carry children, not a lot of women, but some still could. Those miracles, as time passed by, began to be met with envy and jealousness, and then the rumors started. Women and girls began to disappear, taken in the middle of the night, or completely vanished after simply walking on the villages, panic began to form within the packs. Husbands and fathers were desperate to protect their wives and daughters, curfews were stablished, no woman should leave the confines of its property without a male counterpart for protection, even different packs started to create forces and barricades in the woods to try and stop the taking. 

At first it wasn’t so clear what was happening, or why they were being taken, but soon it all made sense. They were taken so they could be forced to bear children for other men, to carry on their legacies, whether they wanted or not. It was chaos, fear may not be as strong of a force as love but is certainly a more active one. We were all scared, all the time. We were informed that the palace had started to investigate what may be the cause of the problem, witches were called, earth whisperers (man and women with an ability to align with nature) and countless prayers were made to the moon Goddess, but no answers were given. 

Ornun, the once beautiful country I was born, was dying. The land seemed as plagued as the women, soon the green mounts became darker, as did the nights, the lakes were dryer and the trees were as every day passed by turning to only branches. The villages, that were once populated with tiny little wooden houses and its living habitants, became more and more empty, even the air seemed different. And then the Rising happened. 

It was night, I have just finished helping mother with dinner, I remember watching my father Abraham, with his large shoulders and strong hands, put more wood in the fire as he turned to me and told me to go to sleep. I remember taking my candlestick to move to my small chamber, with only a tiny bed and a dressing table with a bowl of water on it. I placed the candlestick down and started to slowly unbraid my disheveled long black hair, once it was finished I moved to untangle the small laces of my corset, removing my worn out dress and before picking up my only camisole, I cleaned my face and neck with a washcloth, using the water on the bowl. After properly dressed, I blew the candle, and went to bed, making a silent prayer to the moon Goddess asking for things to be better. 

I don’t remember having any dreams that night, but I remember being woken with a loud bang at our door. My whole body jumped, and I could hear screams outside, as I sat up the voice of my uncle started to rover through the cracks of my door. Uncle Barron was my father’s brother, his senior by two four years, our next door neighbor and married to aunt Irene. 

“It started Abraham, we have to go” He shouted, shaking off the fear reverberating through me, I opened the door of my bedroom and  finally steeped into the room they were all into, Uncle Barron wans’t alone, his two sons, Benedict and Havor were with him.

“I am not going to fight a war I don’t believe in” father replied. With mother by his side, as some sort of emotional support he seemed troubled, but firm. 

“It is not a matter of believing in it or not, they are going to win. The Alpha in command is ruthless and stronger, with an army of desperate people willing to follow his every command. He will take the castle and anyone who stands against him will parish”. Father heard the statement thrown  at him. He shook his head at uncle Barron. 

“I do not plan on standing in his way brother, but I shall not take his side in a murderous attempt, bred by fear and contempt”. 

“It does not matter Abraham, when he rises if you haven’t fought for him he will take it as a sign that you were against him. I don’t have the same luxury you do, I fought for the current king, and if I don’t show support for the new one he may believe my alliances lay with the former, and the Goddess only knows what he might do”. Uncle Barron said in a sacred tone, looking deep into my father's eyes, as if he was apologizing, but did not know how to change his actions. “ I’m taking the boys with me, they are old enough now. Please take care of Irene”.

“I will, we all will” My father replied, looking at his skin and bones nephews, only sixteen and eighteen by that point, the youngest only a couple months after his first wolf shift. “We will be here when you come back, go in peace”. Father finished, with that him and uncle Barron hugged each other and he left, with my cousins following behind. Father took my mothers hand and looking straight into my eyes, managed to give a sad smile. 

“Go to bed Amara, we are safe” He said and I did just as I was told.