Whispers Of The Wild

An unexpected ally

Nia slowly pronounced around as she surveyed the stranger standing before her with an intricately designed bow. Her eyes narrowed as she eyed him, trying to decide if he was a friend or foe. His dark hair was tousled, giving him an attractive look. His presence had a commanding but gentle air to him. Yet, Nia did not trust him and the arrow he held in his hand.A friend would not try to kill her.

“Who are you?”Nia demanded, her voice steady despite the rush of nerves fluttering about in her head.

“That depends on you. I can be your friend or foe.”The stranger approached her and Nia sharply took a step back and extended her claws.

“Don’t come any closer or i’ll slit your throat.”Nia’s heart ponded in her ears but she refused to show any sign of fear or weakness.Her banishment from shadow-fang heralded her resolve never to allow herself to be bullied again and she intended to uphold that promise no matter what.

The stranger watched her with amusement. Something felt both eerie and calming about him at the same time and it alarmed Nia. One can either be hot or cold. Not both. He chuckled, raising his hands in mock surrender

“Whoa easy there tiger……or should I say princess.”

“Do not call me that. I am no princess.” Nia began to get irritated and she wanted him to leave her alone in peace.

“you think so?” The stranger raised his brow, all the while smiling eeriely. At this stage, something began to pick inside Nia’s head and she desperately wanted to sleep.

“What do you want?” she sighed. Going back and forth with the stranger would only tire her out and she couldn’t afford that since she still doesn’t know which way to go. “If you are trying to rob me, just carry on. There’s nothing to gain by lurking around.”

“Oh I have a lot to gain.” He nodded knowingly and pointed to Nia’s chest. “That necklace…”

Nia cut him short before he could complete his statement. “No way I would let you have this. You’d have to walk over my dead body to get it.” Fire blazed in Nia’s eyes.

“As you wish, princess” the stranger shrugged and shifted. In a Second, He turned into a creature that was a mixture of a man and a wolf. A lycan. Nia was fazed but she did not let it show. Soon, her white wolf lunged at him, sinking her pearly white canines into his shoulder. The creature roared and pushed her off, His claw drawing blood from her sides. Nia bounded back, snarled and went in for another strike. However, before she could get to him, he clawed her face, replicaring the mark Lyra had left there a few days ago.

Nia shook her head to drain the blood, soaking her white fur. Something snapped within her and she became feral. With a sudden determination to end his life, Nia aimed for his neck and bit down with all her might. He clawed, scratched, and thrashed around all to no avail. Though Nia was badly hurt herself, she refused to back down. She wanted to feel that thrill of seeing of the light die out from his eyes. The thrill of knowing she ended him. The thrill of being responsible for the breaths he would no longer be able to take. Nia could feel the Lycan under her teeth go weaker by the second but she refused to let him go. Suddenly, she felt her body freeze as she fell to the ground like a statue. It felt like a spell was being cast on her and she couldn’t move any part of her body. No.No No. Nia whimpered in her head as she slowly began to shift to her human form. Out of the shadows stepped another male owner of the spell. He held her gaze with an unreadable expression. He looked much younger than the lycan she had just fought with. Great, another rogue. Nia thought to herself. Perhaps they were partners. She should have bolted the minute that arrow breezed past her. Nia’s eyes began to close slowly and She fought with all her might to remain awake, to fight hard for her necklace but it was to no avail. After a few seconds of constricted painless struggling, she finally succumbed and gave into the darkness that clouded her vision.

It was morning when Nia finally opened her eyes again. The bed beneath her was soft and she was comfy. She had to fight the urge to continue sleeping when she reached for her necklace and could not find it on her neck. Those damn robbers. She blindly rushed to the door and tried to pull it open but it refused to budge. From her window, she could see the large expanse of forest surrounding the house she was in. Was it some kind of jail or something? Desperation rose in Nia’s throat like bile as she desperately looked for a way to escape and find her necklace. Without that necklace, she would lose her sense of hope and purpose. It signified a death to her past and a new beginning of her future. If she lost it, the world of the dead had better be prepared to welcome her because she would not be able to carry on living knowing she let her mother down. Knowing she could not unlock her true potential. Knowing she was nothing but a failure.

After many attempts to open the barred door failed, Nia began to feel dizzy. She waved her hand blindly as she searched for a piece of furniture to hold on to as she crashed to the ground. The door clicked and the handsome stranger from earlier waltzed into the room with his hands shoved into his pocket. Nia’s eyes widened with shock as she realized that her brutal attacks on him had healed and he looked even more attractive in the day than he was the previous night. She felt the urge to puncture his jugular vein and extended her claws. However, before she could strike, her knees gave way. The stranger caught her before her back hit the floor.

“Still feisty, I see.” He reached out and caressed her cheeks. His blue eyes threatened to keep Nia entranced but she did not let it deter her.

“Where is my necklace? Give it to me before I Kill you.”Nia threatened through gritted teeth.

The stranger chuckled as he raised Nia from the floor and laid her on the bed. “Have you seen yourself? You are weaker than a human.” he taunted. The effects of the laced arrow had not worn out yet. Being likened to a human brought bad memories to Nia’s mind and her eyes darkened.

“I swear, I'll have your dead body lying at my feet soon.” she threatened again but she only earned an amused smirk from the stranger. It felt like he was enjoying her weakness. Like he was playing a game of cat and mouse with her. Like he was toying with her. He, the cat, and she, the mouse.

“Who are you again? And what do you want from me? Now, don’t give me that friend or foe bullshit. I have places to be.” Nia looked him straight in the eye as she quizzed him.

“I am Torak, your friend.” The stranger said as he flashed her a genuine smile.

Nia scoffed. “friend you say. Well, friends don’t keep each other locked up. Neither do friends steal from each other. I have no friends. I am a lone wolf.”

“Lone wolves do not live long. Wolves live as a pack for a reason.”

“Your point exactly?” Nia rolled her eyes. She was ready to be done with the conversation. All she craved was her freedom and the necklace.