Jaguar Moon ; Redemption

The Dungeon

“Layla,” Axel yelled, “Get away from him!”, but it was no use, for Layla’s eyes glowed an all too familiar white. She was entranced by the Jaguar Goddess. Her silver fangs glowed in the dim dungeon light, her chrome claws protracted. She stood with a growling Chalci at her side, looking like she was ready to attack Nix...

But the look in his eyes was one of total defeat. At his feet lay a platinum haired woman, his human mother, Axel thought. That meant she  was Layla’s mother too, a mother she had never known, since she left Layla at such a young age.

With a groan, Nix fell to the floor, and Axel realized he wasn’t much of a threat in his emaciated state. His normally slick blonde hair fell in a tangled mess about his shoulders, and his green eyes were sunken in and dull.

“Brother,” Layla growled, “I would judge you, but it seems you are in too weak of a state to stand.”

“Sister,” Nix whispered, “I am sorry, I deserve whatever punishment you see fit. I thank you for saving our mother. Do whatever you like with me, just save her.”

Layla fell to her knees, and took in the pitiful woman laying on the floor. Standing over her were Madden and Aeobheann who were looking on, with deep set frowns.

“Get the medics and transfer them to the infirmary!”, Madden bellowed.

“But your highness,” Axel interjected, “Their mother may be innocent, but you can’t simply let Nix go free!”

Madden turned his head to Axel, his gray eyes shining, “They are under my care, Axel, and you would do well to remember that,” He said, in his lilting Scottish accent, “But you are right. The mother will be transferred to the hospital ,and Nix will be kept in the sick bay for prisoners.”

“Thank you, Madden,” Axel bowed his head.

“Mother,” Layla looked down upon the woman who had given birth to her, the one person she had desired the most to meet in this world, with tears in her eyes. She learned at a very early age that crying would only cause her more heartache, but the sight of her mother in such a weakened state, barely able to move, was more than she could take.”

“Layla,” she said in an unsteady voice ,”My baby! I never thought I would see you again!”

She reached up and put her shaky hand on Layla’s cheek. ”Don’t cry, dear daughter, I am stronger than I look.”

Layla felt two strong arms around her, as Axel came from behind to steady her.

“Kitten,” he murmured, “Step back so the medics can get to your mother. She needs medical care and they are afraid to come in here with you. You and Chalci are growling.”

“Sorry,” she let Axel help her up, and turned to walk out of the cell, but stopped. She stepped in front of Nix and held out her hand.

Nix took it, and stood up with Layla’s help, which made Axel growl furiously.

“I will be back, once our mother is stable, to interrogate you, brother,” she sneered, “Then we

will know the truth, for you can’t lie to me when I am in my Jaguar form.”

“As you wish,” Nix bowed his head.

Layla finally walked out of the cell, and the medics rushed in. Two for her mother, two and several guards for Nix. She watched helplessly as one gingerly picked up her mother and carried her out of the cell, as the other medics walked Nix to the other side of the dungeon, and she smiled.

“What is that for ,”Axel asked.

“I was just remembering, when not long ago, I woke up in a dungeon, and a certain alpha caught me trying to escape.”

“I will never forget, kitten, how sexy you looked that night, in just your underwear.”

“So, you’re not mad at me?” she turned and asked him, with a little pout on her face.

“Mad, no,” he shook his head. “Not about this. You didn’t run from me, you ran to your mother and our brother, who desperately needed your help, so I can’t fault you for that. Not to mention you left me a note.” He gently ran his knuckles across her cheek, smiling down at her as he lowered his head, giving her a chaste kiss on the lips.

“Thank you for understanding,” she looked up at him, her golden eyes brimming with tears, “And for putting up with my crazy life, which is full of twists and turns.”

“Mine as well, kitten, mine as well.”

“Princess,” Madden interrupted their little moment of passion, with a smirk on his face, “The doctors will be working with your mother, as well as Nix. It will be a while now, before you can see either of them again, so come upstairs with the queen and I.”

Madden gave everyone in the room, who had been watching quietly while the events before them unfolded, and bowed to them.

“My beautiful queen and I would like to extend  to you our hospitality. You are all welcome to stay the night in our castle. We have plenty of rooms for all of you and are more than delighted to have visitors from the Wildwood pack.”

“Thank you,” Axel bowed his head. He then turned to his group of loyal wolves and addressed them, “Okay guys, you heard what the king said, so if you want to stay, that’s fine with me.”

“But what about the pack?” Alex asked, “Someone needs to be there to lead them.”

‘I will go,” Miyo spoke up, “because if I don’t , I might slaughter Nix, and our kitten wouldn’t like that, I fear.”

“Since when did you care what I think?” Layla chimed in.

“Since you have grown into a beautiful young woman who can make her own decisions.”

Layla closed her eyes, and transformed from the jaguar princess into her human form, complete with a pair of shorts and a cropped black t-shirt, along with her black combat boots. She gave Miyo a sheepish smile, trying not to blush.

“Go then,” Axel commanded ,”Most of us will be back in the morning, but I suspect Layla will want to stay here, for a day or two at least,” He gazed down at his kitten, with admiration .”She can come back when she is ready.”

With that, the group followed Madden and Aeobheann up the stairs, across the moat and through the main entrance to the castle.

It was now five o’clock in the morning, and everyone was tired from their “Excursion.”

It was decided that Lacey and Alex would stay at the cabin where Layla and Axel stayed, and everyone else would stay in the main castle.

Later that morning, while everyone slept, Layla slipped out of the bed. Axel smiled when his kitten snuck out of the room. He knew where she was going, and that she would truly never

leave him, so he didn’t say a word as she opened the door, and made a portal to the dungeon.

She decided that, although she desperately wanted to see her mother, it wasn’t the best idea at the moment. Between her mother and Nix, her mother was the sickest, and needed to be left alone at the moment ,so she opted to pay a visit to her brother.

Not surprisingly, when she arrived, Madden was there, keeping a watchful eye on her disenchanted brother, who lay on a cot with an IV in his arm with his eyes closed.

“Aye, lass, I knew you’d come,” he smiled at her as he wrapped her in a hug. 

“Thank you, Madden,” she said, as she looked the god-like king in the eyes. ”It was nothing,” he retorted, “But I fear we may have only encountered the tip of the iceberg.”

“I feel the same way.”

“Ooooh” Nix suddenly moaned in his sleep, tossing and turning, “Mother, alive, deceived….Council of twelve..”

Suddenly, he shot up from the bed, pulling at his IV’s. Layla shot into the open cell and grabbed her brother by the shoulders. Shoving her extreme fear to the side, she shook him.

“Wake up, Nix!’, she yelled, shaking him harder.

Finally, Nix opened his eyes.