Ultima, Octavia Of The Black Moon

Chapter One-Dream

~First Night of the Full Moon~

His eyes. The eyes of my father were so kind. I know I am dreaming, so I make this moment last a little longer. I run up to him as he chops the soil. He is humming that old tune that replays often in my mind, simple low notes strung together in his raspy voice. His greyish blue eyes watch me with pride, me and MY dog Riley who is suppose to help tend some of the animals, is like usual running along with me. When Papa greets me and embraces me in a sweaty stinky hug.

“Spin me Papa!” I giggle, trapped in his embrace.

With out hesitation he lifts me into the air to toss me, giving my belly flutters causing me to laugh and him to smile. He twirls me around and in this moment I know I am loved and I am safe. I will re-dream this dream and have this moment until the very end if it means I can come back here again.

Mother approaches and bids him to stop spoiling me so. She along with my four sisters all have silky black, curly hair with honey or brown colored eyes. I could still recall how their skin darkened with sun and that they all were taller than average for their ages. Mother brings my younger 2 sisters with her keeping the littlest one on her hip.

“Octavia leave your father be, here take Tessa and Enaliese to play in the field with your older sisters. You all go behave or ill give ya work to be done” She demands, snapping her sweat cloth at me.

My father lowers me from his hip but hugs me one last time, the last time ever. I remember how the sweat that beaded on his arms stuck to me and how I use to think it was gross. His brownish red hair and dark brownish red beard that always tickled me and caught what he called is left overs. His skin that splotched with overlapping freckles. I looked most like him. My orangish red curls are wild and unmanageable at this age. My fair complexion makes me avoid direct sunlight as often as I can.

A secret game I play that I don't want my sisters knowing is hide and seek with the sun. I creep and crawl through any shade or shadow paths to avoid stepping out into the sun and feeling the almost instant burn to my skin. The only time I ever do go out in it is to play with my father. Mother loves me, I just know my father loves my tomboy side being that he has no sons. He always encourages me to practice my bow or blades, or run harder and climb further.

I bring my two younger sisters up over the first hill to walk along the tree line with Riley tagging along as per usual, while i endure Enalise tugging at my long spiral curls. The winds are picking up and we giggle as the winds push us back a bit. It feels as though we could be lifted off the ground if only we jump high enough.

Through a short path through the wooded area is the field we play in where there are fruit trees that are blossomed with their small white and pink flowers sprinkled everywhere. The wind blows more off the trees swirling them around my older sisters. They dance through the pedals with their new ribbons that were recently gifted to them. I cant recall my sister's names only their faces. The oldest with her more straight hair and darker eyes, I am aware she is very beautiful to others as she has always been treated as such.

She is very tall even for a 14 year old, I only remembered she was 14 cause I learned she was twice my age at the time. My other sister who was next in line had a softer dark brown hair but with more curls to it. She was also quite tall though I don't believe she was quite as pretty as the other sisters. The two of them together and with out any adults around often did mean things towards me. Sometimes they just teased the way I looked or shunned me in small ways. It is why I often spent more time playing with all the farm animals we cared for on our Lord's estate. I'd even wander off with the Lord's dogs when they patrolled or hunted though i cant remeber what all we did exactly.

But this day burns in my memories, as I touched my sisters smooth pink ribbon she shoved me down, “Ew you're getting it filthy Oct-Tay-Ve-Ya” She use to over pronounce my name claiming it was ugly, though I always loved it.

They go to walk away back towards the path when I call out, “Mom says we are to play and watch the little ones or else we will have chores to do!” She marches over to me and rips 3 year old Enaliese from the spot she was collecting flower petals at then places her on her hip

“I'm telling mom how you ruined my ribbon” The three of them walk off through a random part of the thick tree line.

I know this is where I want to wake up. I am shaking, I know I can feel myself shaking but I cant wake myself up and am forced to play out this role as payment to have that happy moment with My Papa.

I turn to Tessa “So why did you stay this time?” I ask her.

Most of the time she runs along with them, she doesn't join in on any mean stuff but she is younger than me and by far the prettiest of us all. She is the same height as me and two years younger, with her black curls always shining and dancing around her face with her big honey colored eyes. I do love my sister but not for her beauty as others all do, she's really smart and patient but deceptive.

“You heard Mother. If we bother them we got work to do”

She makes an evil little grin as we chuckle and begin to play our made up game of sleepy bear. One of us lays still pretending to be asleep with a hoard of rocks , apples and sticks. The others have to quickly and quietly remove all the apples with out waking the bear. The other shady spots are safe spots that the bear cant enter but the idea is to move as quietly as possible while staying invisible in the shadows. I lay there a little while when I look up thinking I heard her running passed swiftly but she's not. So I lay my head back down like I think a bear would as I commit to my animal role.

I wait and hear the grass shift as one of my apples was moved, I let her turn around before launching myself at her. A woman's scream echoes from beyond the woods before i even make contact with Tessa. Then more screams and yelling. I don't hesitate to run towards home following slightly behind Riley. I reach the top of the hill with Tessa by my side a moment later, we stare down on chaos below. Wolves. A lot of monstrously large wolves are attacking all the villagers on this side of the estate. The other men who work with my father are all fighting back as best they can but the wolves are so huge and so much stronger.

My eyes scan the bodies already laid upon the ground as I recognize the long black hair of my mother and sisters. Their bodies laid near each other and around the other lifeless bodies.

My father! Where is my fathers body! He is still breathing. Standing. Fighting the largest wolf, a black and gray streaked one. I watch as my father begins to swing his ax again. He leaves an opening and the wolf lunges for his throat, biting down releasing blood to flow down his tan shirt. He drops his ax before the wolf releases him allowing his body to drop to the ground.

Standing there in shock the wolves finish off every dog, man, woman, and child they encounter. My eyes shift to see Tessa's tear filled face and shallow breathing. I don't think only react as I grab her hand and force us back into the wooded area, Riley still by our sides probably too scared to rush forward and die as the other dogs did.

I bring Tessa to a place I said id never bring her, as it is my most secret of hide outs. The thick thorny bushes I have been altering by trimming away so that I had several tunnel like passageways to move through. At the end of the one tunnel is my secret hiding spot so even if one of my sisters did discover my place they wouldn't know exactly which way to go. I bring Tessa into my safe place where she curls up on the ground holding her knees to her chest, once again barely breathing. Riley didn't follow me in this time like he normally would. I know he followed me this far but must still be in a tunnel possibly turned around in there but I don't have time to look for him. I know those wolves are going to come back this way and I must remain very still and slow my breathing to almost nothing.

Father often took me on the hunts not only because I naturally was interested but also because I had very good control of myself. I don't allow my eyes to shift from peering out through the thorns of my look out spot. I can feel their paws thundering the ground before I hear them. They are still a ways off but many are headed this direction. My breathing is hitched when the thought crosses that they can smell us and are coming for us. My eyes glance at Tessa's whose cold honey eyes stare at me in fear hoping I can protect her but she doesn't move. She knows not to, with out the words being spoken she knows she needs to remain silent and still her breathing. Which is likely why she holds her knees to her chest so tightly, to prevent large gasps of air or an involuntary body spasm. My eyes flick back, the movement caught in the rays of light through the trees. They all are rushing past covered in blood. All different sizes and colors of Wolf beasts, until that large one came into view blocking my sight and causing fear to rush over me. As quick as I felt the fear it just as quickly was pushed down within myself so I could feel nothing as I looked into the wolfs empty black eyes. It slowly turned to approach me directly and I kept my shallow breathing even.

Riley jumps out from a separate tunnel in the bushes to lunge at the wolf, I still remain like a statue, refusing to let my emotions take control. Riley was all black with pointed ears and looked much like a wolf I had once thought, until now that I actually have seen them. Riley was large enough for me to pretend to ride on him like a horse sometimes but now snarling and growling viciously at this Wolf, he is very small in comparison but doesn't back down.

The Wolf's full attention is on Riley as It swats him away causing Riley to hit a tree and fall limp to the ground. The Wolf looks back towards us in the bushes, scanning them for any movement but just thrusts its head back to deliver his ear splitting howl that is then combined with the other Wolves howling harmoniously.