Guardian of Evanacliffs

Acceptance

Being a guardian has its perks and downsides. For instance, we don’t have to go out and try to search for love. As we have no choice but to stay close to the forest, the goddess made sure our soulmate would come to us one way or another. The only thing we can hope for is that that person is willing to accept us. When we talk about a mate, it means soulmate. The person you are meant to be with. The love of your life. The one that makes you want to stay alive. As my grandmother didn’t accept either my grandfather or my mother, they had a rough start, to begin with. Time flew by and neither of them showed themselves in the village or anything related to it, as a protection for both of them. My mother appeared to be the next guardian in line, which made my grandfather very happy because it’s the only thing he knows. He knew it when my mother became 15 years old and her mark began to change. The simple water droplet gained a pawprint in it. The sign of the guardian itself. As for my mother's love life, she was luckier than my grandfather as she strangely met my father. She was roaming around the enchanted forest when she heard some wolves growl and bark. She walked in that direction out of curiosity as normally they would never react that way. When she came close to a small clearing, she knew her mate was close. She always told me that he smelled like apple pie and pine trees. The first time she saw him was when he ran away from a pack of wolves. She never thought twice and jumped in front of the boy as he was about 17 years old at that time. She just turned 18 a month earlier. She growled back at the wolves and made then stop in their tracks. Nevertheless, they stayed where they were and even tried to come closer. Annoyed with their behavior, she turned into her wolf spirit and scared them so much that they turned tails and fled away. She turned around slowly only to see the boy crawling away from her. She was starting to panic as she saw the fear in her mates eyes. She tried to stay cool and calm to show she was not an enemy. She bent her legs and started to lay down with her head on the soft grass. The boy came at her slowly and for a while, he just stared at her. She never moved a muscle as he came closer with a stretched arm. He started to pet her head. She purred at the feeling of attention by her mate. Sparks of electricity made her way through her body and by the looks of her mate, he felt the same. He started to talk to her in the understanding that she wouldn’t be able to understand him as he only had seen her in her wolf form. She pushed her snout against his arm to gain his attention as she pulled away from him. She saw something in his eyes but it did not seem like fear. She felt her muscles move as her bones bent back in its human shape. There she stood. Naked and afraid of what her mate would do. But instead of running away, he came even closer. He reached out to touch her face and she unconsciously leaned in. They looked at each other in the eyes and she knew it would turn out alright. Eventually, he would accept her. He thanked her and asked her name. They took a seat in the middle of the clearing and talked all night watching the stars. He had accepted her as his mate that same night but requested him to keep the connections to the outside world. A year later he became a famous lawyer in our village and made a lot of money. People respected him just as they respected my mother. The only thing remained that nobody was to know her real secret. Every day she hid her mark carefully with make-up before heading out. My grandfather was not happy of course but after a while, he accepted the new reality. He knew that her mate would do anything to keep her safe and he was happy for them until the day he died.