The Herbalist

To the Amazonian Forest

- Agneska -

After nearly a week in the Rocky Mountains Pack, I felt like I took an advanced course into supernaturals 101. The wolves were all nice and welcoming to me, but I didn’t want to get close to them. I started to feel like I was bad luck. After Sofka, there was a sorrow inside me that was just intensified by all the doom ahead that Tobias and Thaddeus were mentioning.

Despite the warm smiles and friendly greetings, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I didn’t belong here. The pack members moved with a natural rhythm, their lives intricately woven together. I watched them laugh and tease each other over shared meals, and though they always included me, I felt like a stray among family. Maybe it was Sofka’s absence that made their camaraderie sting, a constant reminder of what I’d lost—and the strange fate that lay ahead.

Thaddeus was very different than his father. While I thought Tobias was a typical grumpy human but it fitted him being a bear, Thaddeus was on a completely different level. That broody man was almost feral. It didn’t seem to bother Camille or the beta of the pack.

I started training with Camille, Thaddeus and Tobias, but as my ‘awakening’ hadn’t happen yet, it was limited. Training with Tobias and Thaddeus felt like juggling fire and ice. Tobias was gruff but patient, always cracking a joke to lighten the mood. Thaddeus, on the other hand, barely spoke a word unless it was to correct me—or growl disapproval when I faltered. His intensity was suffocating, but Camille seemed to handle him with ease, her calm demeanor an anchor in the storm of his presence. How she and the beta could tolerate him, I had no idea.

Camille confessed that during one of her vision, I would teach her to master some skills she was still struggling with… I must had looked at her like she grew another head… Camille was so certain when she told me I would one day teach her to master wind and fire. The words hung in the air like an impossible puzzle. Me? Teach her? I couldn’t even light a match properly, let alone summon the elements. But there was something about the way she spoke, her conviction cutting through my skepticism. Slowly, like the forest vines twisting around tree trunks, the thought began to root in my mind: maybe I was capable of more than I realized. And after seeing was she and her mate were capable of, I started to believe. I had to. Sofka’s sacrifice couldn’t be in vain. So when Camille revealed that my ‘destined’ was in the Amazonian forest, I was almost looking forward to the trip. As a botanical student, visiting the great amazonian forest had always been a dream of mine. the forest was where I felt the most connected, like i belonged. Tobias told me that he would return to Europe after the Amazonian trip to locate the third woman, he apparently had a hunch while we crossed Romania… Great, I thought… but what about me? He reassured me that by then, I would be with my destined and he was more powerful than him, but at this point, my ‘destined’ was a total stranger and Tobias was the only person I knew for over a month…

The trip to the rainforest would consist of Camille, Thaddeus, Tobias and Daniel. In the meantime, Daniel’s father and annoyingly flirty brother would lead the pack and tighten security in the Alpha couple absence. But Daniel would not agree for Camille to go without him. I found it a bit possessive, but oh-so-ever-romantic too. Their connection was beautiful, anyone could tell they loved each other very much and they would go to the moon and back for each other if needed. Such closeness and intimacy were actually appealling to me, but it had to be the right person. I felt very apprehensive to meet my destined… The idea of a destined mate felt so… final. There would be no room for hesitation, no time to second-guess. What if he didn’t like me? What if I couldn’t meet his expectations? Worse still, what if I couldn’t feel anything for him? I was terrified of being bound to a stranger, a man I’d have to trust with not only my heart but my very life. It felt like being handed a script for a role I’d never auditioned for, expected to deliver a perfect performance. What if he didn’t find me attractive? What if he didn’t like me? What if we didn’t get on? I felt like the weight of the world were on my shoulders.

“You need to relax, kid” Tobias spooked me. “I can feel the tension rolling from your shoulders from here.” I rolled my eyes and Tobias smirked. “You know, you’re too young to worry like that. The frown lines are going to stick.”

I shot him a glare. “And you’re too old to c***k jokes. Shouldn’t you be hibernating or something?”

He chuckled, a deep, rumbling sound that seemed to fill the room. “Touché, kid. But seriously, relax. If I’m not worried, you shouldn’t be either. Your destined guy won’t bite."

"Right, says the Man-Bear... I'm serious though... I’m nervous. The whole trip is dangerous, and all traveling together, wouldn’t we attract attention?” I enquired.

" The plan is to cross to the mexican border and then fly to Columbia. From there, we’ll cross to Brasil through the Amazonas. We’ll keep it under the radar, and we’ll be safer together. I’m hoping Camille can locate him once we’re there. He can be a tad difficult to pin down, this one” he tried to joke.

“oh great” I sighed.

“don’t worry kid, it will be fine. If he’s your destined, he will feel it. Artemis is a kind Goddess, she wouldn’t pair a sweet thing like you to a jerk.” he tried to reassure me.

" I hope so…” but I wasn’t convinced… I never really be attracted by anyone, and I had to give this stranger my first everythings. My first love, my first kiss, my first time… Daunting much? in the sake of survival… talking about the sacrificial lamb… I was scared… I wished Sofka was here, so I could share some ‘normal stuffs’ with her. Camille was great, but she had this habit of telling me ‘everything would be alright’ and unlike her, I couldn’t have visions to reassure me… That night, I went to bed worried, and sad, still mourning my friend.

We started our journey the next day, down to Mexico. Everyone was on edge and paranoid always looking over their shoulder. It was probably the most tiring leg of the journey from both emotional and length perspective. The trip took us nearly a day and we switched drivers, took quick breaks and didn’t linger. We left Colorado, crossed New Mexico to then Texas, this was the most of the US I’ve ever seen, but I couldn’t play tourist. The drive through Colorado was a blur of pine forests and jagged mountains, their peaks lost in the clouds. As we crossed into New Mexico, the landscape shifted to arid plains, dotted with cacti and the occasional tumbleweed. By the time we reached Texas, the sun was a molten ball of fire sinking into the horizon, painting the sky in shades of orange and purple. Each mile brought us closer to danger, but also closer to the answers I so desperately needed. The group told me if would be easier from Mexico as surveillance would be more difficult for the Purifier’s Guild. We passed the Mexican border with the help of another shifter, local to the border and used to this kind of arrangements, by the looks of it. I understood why Tobias has never been worried about my passport, or lack of. Once crossed, we changed car to another drive, shorter this time, all the way to Monterrey. By the time we reached Monterrey, my nerves were frayed. Every shadow seemed to move, every unfamiliar face felt like a potential threat. Even the comforting presence of Tobias and Camille couldn’t shake the unease coiling in my stomach. I was too tired to think straight, but sleep felt like a luxury I couldn’t afford. From there, we caught a flight to Bogota, in Columbia. The passports issue was waived with cash and a private jet from yet another ally of Daniel, who seemed to be a very resourceful man. Upon arrival in Bogota I was exhausted. We hopped straight into a privately affreted plane to a tiny litte hamlet in the middle of the amazonas. La Perdrera. The air in La Pedrera was thick and humid, carrying the earthy scent of rain-soaked soil and vegetation. The vibrant greens of the jungle were almost overwhelming, a stark contrast to the muted tones of the tiny village. The locals watched us with curious eyes, their conversations a soft murmur in the background as we made our way to the hostel. It wasn’t much—a wooden structure with creaky floors and threadbare bedding—but it was a haven compared to the endless hours of travel. As I lay on the narrow cot that night, staring up at the ceiling fan creaking above me, I couldn’t help but wonder if this was the calm before the storm. The forest outside seemed alive, its whispers promising both danger and discovery. Somewhere out there was my destined, waiting. For better or worse, my life was about to change forever.