The Moonlight Daughters

Teodoro's Fate

It was already eight in the evening...

Grace Joy was outside getting some fresh air. She was trying to call her mother through her cellphone. The phone in the other line was just ringing and no one was answering.

"Mama, I know," she whined.

Meanwhile, Ana came out of the house. She was talking to someone on her phone.

"Yes. Don't worry, Ma. I will not be at home for just a night," she said.

"I really hope that the reason why you're not coming home tonight is just a birthday party," her mother warned.

"Yes, Ma. Don't worry, I will not going to do any worse ", she answered.

When she hung up, she went to Grace. Grace was still trying to reach out to her mother.

"How are you?" she asked right when she got close to her.

"She is not responding," Grace Joy slightly shook her head as she showed her optimistic smile on her.

Ana sighed.

"I haven't had a sleepover in a while," Ana said.

"Really? In my case, I was never allowed to sleep in other's homes," Grace Joy said.

"As in never?" Ana creased her forehead. She was surprised.

"Yeah," Grace Joy responded. " My mother never allows me to. Even at my cousins' place."

Then, a boy came out. The girls turned their heads towards the door just when they heard it screeched as it opens.

"Hi!" the boy slightly smiled. He's kinda shy.

"You are Seline's big bro?" Ana pointed at him as she smiles.

"I am," he widened his smile. "I am sorry if I scared you awhile ago."

"No, that's okay," Grace told him.

"I am Ceres," he told them his name.

"Grace Joy."

"Ana."

"By the way, your transformation is so cool. Are you really burning when you transform?" Grace Joy asked.

Ceres laughed softly.

"Actually, I don't even have the slightest idea how I burn myself."

On the other hand...

Seline was inside the house. She was not done healing the young man yet. While waving her hands over his resting body coated with bubble, the boy suddenly coughed as he opened his eyes. Luna got surprised. While he was still coughing, Luna called everyone who was outside the house.

"Kuya!? Kuya!" She called as loud as can. "Umay kayo ittoy daras (Come in here)! Daras (Fast)!"

Upon hearing her call. They rushed towards the door. Ceres immediately pushed it open and he rushed towards the living room after he was the girls.

"Why? What happened?" He asked her worriedly just when he arrived.

Seline didn't answer. Instead, she was staring at the coughing stranger. A couple of seconds later, he stopped.

****

Daya and Mr. Teodoro arrived at the terrace upstairs. They have nowhere to go but stay there for the meantime before they found out a way to escape. Daya went to every corner of the terrace, hoping to find a safer spot to jump down. But each of the corners, she looked down and saw the house was cornered by a group of Lignodons. Three men were at the west side, two at the back, three at the east side, and five men were at the entrance of the house.

One more push and the door will totally get destroyed. Fortunately, Danny took down his opponent early. He immediately pushed the sofa against the door. And then he hurried as fast as he can upstairs to find them.

"Daya?! Daya!" he yelled. He was running in the narrow hallway surrounded by walls and doors of each room leading straight towards the doorway of the terrace.

"Daya?!" He shouted again. That time, Daya and Mr. Teodoro heard him.

"Kuya! We are here!" she responded.

And so, he ran towards the terrace as fast as he can.

****

Ceres came from the kitchen going towards the living room where the stranger was. He was handling a cup of hot coffee and a pack of bread. When he got there, Grace Joy and Ana were laying on a thin mattress on the floor. The stranger, who just got up, sat down on the couch where he was laying on. Ceres approached him. He sat down beside him.

"Here, have something to eat."

He laid the foods he was handling on the table beside the couch.

"Salamat," he slightly smiled. Ceres slightly smiled back at him. They remained silent for a couple of minutes.

"So, tell me..."Ceres spoke.

"What's the reason why you caused a ruckus in school?"

He bit his lips and then nodded slowly. He didn't want to tell Ceres why.

"I can't tell you the reason," he responded."It's better if none of you will know the reasons," he added.

Ceres pouted with disappointment as he slowly nods.

"That's disappointing," he said.

"Can you tell me your name?"

"Only if I can trust you," the stranger told him.

"Hoo!" Ceres sighed.

"I was the one who saved you from death. And you can't trust to tell me your name?" he complained. "I do not know you but I still saved you," he added. He slightly smiled after he said that.

"Okay. You want my name?" he said. "Sak-en si Gisway (I am Gisway)." He finally stated his name.

"Ohh.." Ceres was impressed. "What an Igorot name."

"Sak-en abes Ceres ( I am Ceres)", he proudly stated.

"You are also Kankana-ey," Gisway commented.

"Yeah," he chuckled softly.

"Here, eat some pandesal while the coffee's still hot. " Ceres told him.

"If you are ready to tell us who was your adversary and the reason why you guys made a ruckus at the HRU. Tell us."

Then he stood up and walked away without making a sound as he could in order not to awake Grace and Ana.

****

A wolf had already reached the place where Daya, Danny, and Teodoro were on. Daya and Mr. Teodoro were hiding behind Danny. Danny was threatening the wolf by staring at him with a glare. His eyes turned shiny brown. He's showing his teeth, his fangs grew longer. He was growling like the wolf he was facing. The wolf glared back at him. Seemed like Danny's threatening move wasn't working.

Another wolf came, the three began to feel tense. They were running out of time, they must have to find a way to escape before they'll totally get busted. Another wolf came in, and another one came after.

"I've got no choice..." Daya said. She took off her jacket and put it down on the floor.

And then, she turned into a pretty brown wolf. Danny transformed next.

The two immediately attack the opponents. They together charged taking down one wolf to another.

When the four enemies were on the ground trying to get up from being knocked down, Danny the large dire wolf approached the old man. He bowed down to lower his back in order for Teodoro to climb on him much easier. After he successfully climbs on his back, Danny desperately hoped out of the terrace down to the ground at the backyard where two opponents were no longer standing.

Wolves were coming on the terrace. And so, Daya hurriedly followed his brother-in-law to the ground out from the terrace after she grabbed her jacket with her mouth.

****

After they landed on the ground, Danny ran toward the fence. Because of that, the old man realized what Danny was about to do.

"Woah...Woah! Wait..." he suddenly got nervous. He immediately tightens his grip on Danny's fur. Then, Danny jumped over it. Daya followed them afterward.

They successfully landed on the other side. But, they didn't know that there were persons who were expecting them to come, waiting for them to arrive at that place.

They were about to move forward heading to the woods beyond Teodoro's backyard where there are no buildings erected. But they got surprised. They suddenly froze when they saw some familiar men standing before them. Dionicio, in a flesh, and his three men, were standing in front of them. His man on the left was strangling someone while the one who was being strangled was keeping on moving his body. His two hands were gripping on the strangler's arm, trying to pull it away from his neck.

Mr. Teodoro immediately realized that it was his grandson, Nick Dominguez.

"Teodoro!" Dionicio greeted. "You recognize who my compadre is holding over here, right?"

"Nick," he spoke with a soft voice.

Danny immediately transformed back into a human.

"Dallon!" He yelled angrily at the man standing at the left side of Dionicious.

Dallon responded by sneering. A few seconds later, Daya transformed back into a human. She took her jacket and used it to cover her junk.

"Father, don't do this," she told him.

"It is for our sake," he told her.

"Why?" She asked with her soft voice. "You do not need to kill him."

"Yes, we need to. You will realize why," he responded.

"I won't let you do this."

"You are not the one who's going to decide," her father spoke back. Then Daya's brother and Dionicious' man who was holding Nick stepped forward.

They watched Dallon withdrawing out his bolo. Danny, whose blood was boiling hot, was about to attack him.

"Op-op-ops!" Dionicious warned him to halt.

"Stay back. Or else we are going to kill Nick."

"Nick!" His grandfather yelled. He's getting so worried.

"Lolo! Just stay back!" Nick told him.

"Teodoro. Choose!" Dionicio said."We are going to cut his head...or yours," he continued.

Dallon put the edge of the weapon near Nick's throat.

"Just come with us, okay?"

"Huwag Lo!" Teodoro's grandson yelled.

"Try to cut the boy's head and you'll die." Danny's teeth clenched as he spoke, eager to take them on, very angry.

"Can you defeat all my men?" Dionicio countered.

"Oh yeah? Bring it on."

"Dad. Enough of this," Daya said.

"Enough!" Mr. Teodoro yelled. "Don't disturb the neighbors anymore."

He slowly stepped forward. Step by step, he was moving away from Daya and Danny.

"Lolo? Lolo! Lolo no!" Nick begged.

"Teodoro!" Danny went close to him. He grabbed his left arm.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"I am old, Danny. I have no more time. Anytime, my breath will cut off. It is useless if I choose to live and let my grandson die," he smiled.

"There are still ways," Danny told him.

"Do you think of any way to save him?" he asked. 

Danny couldn't answer.

"This is the only way," he turned his head to Dioniscious. He looked at his grandson. Tears were falling from his eyes as he silently looked at his grandfather. Teodoro smiled at him. He lifted his right arm to hold Danny's hand.

"I hate it if you are the one who's going to die before me. I am sorry if I will leave you here alone. Don't be sad."

With his remaining strength, he tried to pull Danny's hand off his left arm. He turned his head to Danny.

"Please, release me. I beg of you," he told.

Danny has no choice but to do so. He let the old man's arm go. And so, the old man moved forward to Dioniscious.

"Set him free. Take me instead."

Upon hearing that, Dioniscious ordered his man to let Nick go. And so, he let him go. At the same time, Dallon put away his weapon from Nick's neck. They pushed him away, but for Nick, he immediately hugged his grandfather.

"No, please. I will not be going to lose you too. Please" he begged while sobbing.

"Don't worry my son. I'm not long to live. Please, move on for me," he comforted him.

"No. No!" he remained stubborn.

Meanwhile, Dallon and the other man approached them. They tried to pull them away from each other. Danny was about to run to stop them from ruining their moment. But another two of Dionysus's men came and grabbed him. Daya was standing there, watching what was happening. She couldn't move. She wants to take action but something in her mind was telling her not to do so. She was covering her mouth with her bare hands and her tears flowing down from her eyes.

They managed to pull them away from each other. They hit Nick with a rock on his back which made him fall onto his knees as he slowly loses consciousness. Then, they gently pulled the old man away from him.

Nick laid himself on the ground. As his eyes closing, he saw Daya approaching him.

Daya and Danny watched them fled into the woods with the old man. Danny was bound. He was trying to break free but his strength wasn't enough.

****

It's still the middle of the night, Ceres woke up because of the noise he was hearing that was coming from outside his room. He immediately got up on his bed and walked towards the door.

He arrived at the living room where the noise was coming from. There he saw Seline, Grace Joy, and Ana conversing. He wondered why they weren't asleep. He saw them standing in before the couch.

"Why's the noise?" he asked. The girls about-faced to face him. Their faces were serious.

"Did something happened?" He creased his forehead.

"He's not here," Seline told him.

"What?"

"We just found out that he's not here when we woke up," Grace Joy said.

"We searched the entire corners of the house but we can't find him," Seline said.

"Is that so?" He glanced at the couch. He sighed then he thought for a while.

"Let us not worry about him anymore. I am sure he's fine somewhere else," he told them.