The witch's mountain

Chapter 2: Why Does The White Wolf Wander?

As the humid rain dabbles on my coat, I trudge along the Indigo rainforest in search of shelter because I am exhausted and extremely hungry after making the trip across here. It was beginning to feel hopeless when I spotted a cave straight ahead. Despite my lack of energy, I darted from tree to tree and made my way in. Although it was damp, it was still good enough for me to rest.

"Almost there, Sargon," I murmured. "I heard you say that 30 minutes ago," he growled back. Sargon doesn't like our long journeys together because most of the time he has to do the walking. He isn't used to wet ground. Whenever he can, he prefers to climb mountains and hills. According to him, it improves our flexibility and strength. Even so, when he relaxes, he has a tendency to liven up.

However, something felt off about the cave. The area was engulfed by a heavy shadow. Sargon didn't like it at all. But we were so tired we didn't have a choice. Sargon rested his head on the cool, yet rocky ground. Within a few moments of closing our eyes, we caught a whiff of a scent in the air. If it were unfamiliar, we would have been worried. But it was definitely familiar. As a result, the person was not noticed when they appeared. And we had nothing to worry about.

"There you are," she said as she approached, voice tired but joyful. The moment she plopped her naked body next to us, Sargon and I groaned. She sees our discomfort and she scoffs. "Don't act like that." She moves slightly closer to Sargon, but Sargon warns her to stay back. And yet she ignored it and pressed her breasts against Sargon's fur anyway. "Get her before I do," Sargon tells me. Changing into my human form, I pushed the girl away from me.

"Rude!" She cried, irritated. "What the hell are you doing here, Ianira?" I asked, annoyed. Ianira Obi, tribrid, great-granddaughter of Anansi the spider god, the granddaughter of Asher, the king of the werecats and the daughter of Morgana the second, from the King Arthur generation. The family history of this young woman is a matter that someone else must unpack. However, I became acquainted with her as a result of our shared upbringing. I thought she'd be a good friend at first, but we grew apart. Or more like she changed.

I am a son of the king of all Alphas. Throughout his reign, he went on numerous adventures and long journeys. As a result, my father was able to make friends and allies with many people. And her family was one of them. I was glad to make some new friends when she came along. Our fathers were close and they wanted the same for their children. She was nice and kind. And was always there when I had a problem.

But then...we grew up. With her family becoming more active, so did my duties as a prince of the werewolves. Our differences came about when she noticed how females would approach me more often than usual, flirting and chatting. Ianira was not pleased with it at all.

She became more possessive, short-tempered and strongly believes that we're meant to be mates. While it's been proven that after I turned 18, we weren't mates, she still tries to seduce me or be near me in spite of that. Moreover, she has been a complete pain in the ass since the war ended. As of late, she has been appearing naked in front of me in hopes that I might get turned on and f**k her. But it's never going to happen. I'm waiting for my mate.

"Aren't you at least happy to see me?" Ianira asked, batting her eyelashes. She seductively walks towards me while licking and biting her lips. But I'm not falling for it. "Put some goddamn clothes on girl. I don't wanna see all that." I snapped. As she wrinkled her nose, she slowly drew on a white lace dress and tossed it over her mocha- colored body.

"Better now?" She asked, groaning.

"It would have been 'better' if you hadn't followed me in the first place," I roared.

"I wanted to make sure you were safe," Ianira said, batting her eyes again. I growled and rose to the surface. "You know that wasn't the reason," I said, now agitated. "You just wanted to get next to me is all. Just being a stalker again." Ianira wrinkled her nose at my remark, but at least it kept her quiet. But the brief silence ceased with small chuckles began echoing throughout the cave. That chuckle relieved my anxiety. As for Ianira, she turns her head away from me and rolls her eyes again.

She picks up a rock off the ground.

Once Ianira threw a rock deeper into the cave, the laughter ceased. A voice cried out, "Ouch!" Among the shadows emerged a limber, husky young man with golden skin and golden eyes. His golden tail pulled the rock Ianira threw with its golden tip and threw it right back at her. When Ianira dodged the rock, she asked, "Is that any way to treat a lady?" The boy laughed again. And this time I joined in with him.

In his sarcastic remark, the boy snickered, "You are no lady." Ianira once again turned her attention to me after giving him the finger. "Rowan, why don't you get in the car? Grandpa Willam's village is another 10 miles from here. And I know you're already tired," Ianira says. Using her magic, Ianira summons a four-passenger jeep near the cave. After that, she walks over to it and looks at me, hoping I'm behind her, but I refuse to move.

"You don't want to get in?" She asked. "It would be faster." I looked over at my friend. The man rolls his eyes and motions for me to come. However, a mysterious mist filled the cave, stopping me. Into the mist came a voice: "You have finally come." After a short while, the mist cleared and a figure appeared in front of me and my friend. It was a man wearing his vibrant tribal feathers of red and blue in a beige buckskin suede hide fringed beaded shirt. With beige pants. On his skin, dark black markings revealed his status as a chief. He carried a staff in his hand, with the head of a wolf carved on its top, symbolizing his strength and courage. The man was joyous and proud, his face full of happiness as he walked with his head held high. He was a symbol of strength and courage, and his clothing and staff showed how proud he was of his heritage.

"Grandpa William," I said in delight. "I was just on my way to come and see you." While he grinned, the elderly chief said, "I figured I would save you the hassle by coming to you." As well as greeting me, he turned his attention to my friend. "Ah, Jack Wukong, son of the monkey king." A smile emerged on my cheerful friend's face as he bows his head in respect of Grandpa William. Grandpa William does the same in return. He looks back as he knows that Ianira was outside the cave but doesn't bother with her just yet. Then his attention turned to the middle of the cave, as if this would be the ideal location for whatever he was about to do.

A fire is then created by him using his staff, alongside comfortable blankets and logs for us to sit on. As soon as he heard Ianira whining outside to join us, he took her back inside the cave. He then motions the 3 of us to sit on the blankets surrounded by the campfire. "My children, it has been awhile," he says as he sits across from us. "I would have come sooner, but I have been traveling for quite some time, so I wanted to take a short break." I explained. "I just came along to stop her," Jack said referring to Ianira. Grandpa William laughs as Ianira snarls at Jack.

"Well, it's a good thing that she's here," Grandpa William said. "Why?" I asked. "I think it's time you all learned why the white wolf wanders." He replied. Why does the white wolf wander? I thought to myself. My family comes from a long line of white wolves, starting with the first white wolf, Jerico. In the 1600s, Jerico was a slave, but when the moon goddess Artemis, kicked out of heaven by God, came to Earth, she fell in love with him; but he was in love with someone else. And since she was a virgin goddess, there was no way for her to really be with him.

One day, Jerico and his lover were working in the fields when Artemis sent a wolf to kill his lover out of jealousy. But the wolf refused. During a hunt for wolves in the mountains, Jerico assists a captive wolf in escaping. Since then, Jerico has taken care of him as though he was family. And wouldn't dare want to betray his kindness. And so, in anguish, Artemis snuck into Jerico's house and snatched his lover away.

Devastated, Jerico desperately wanted to get her back. And asked the wolf if he could help. The Wolf agreed. But he wasn't without his concerns about the journey.

It was clear to the wolf that Jerico wouldn't be able to locate her by himself. In addition to that, the wolf wasn't as strong as he once was. And knew that however long the journey would be, that he wouldn't be able to last very long. However, they set off on a quest to find Jerico's lost love anyway, and was ready to face whatever Artemis threw at them along the way.

As they searched for her for days and nights, they found this woman wearing a white robe in the forest. The woman already knew of their journey and told them Jerico's lover had gone missing into the abyss of souls. A place where it would seem impossible to reach. Or even come out from. Jerico asked if there was a way to save her. As soon as the woman was about to reply, Artemis sent a couple of bears to halt Jerico and the wolf's journey in order to kill them. Thus they went into battle.

And that was it.

It would appear that no one really knows exactly what happened after that. According to some, Jerico killed one of the bears who cursed him to merge with the wolf. And that's how Jerico became the first white wolf. Others claimed that Artemis was one of the bears in disguise and cursed Jerico and the wolf to be a werewolf. However, no one seems to question why that part of our history has been lost. Every time I asked, no one really gave me an answer. It was as though the answer was playing a game of hide and seek. With it going into different hiding spots each time. It wasn't until recently that I really questioned what my wolf and I were doing even though we had been traveling for quite some time. Therefore, I must know now. "Grandpa William, why does the white wolf wander?"

"To find Camilla."

With the use of his staff, he encircled the campfire in a wave of magic. Beautiful images showed us a young woman. She was wearing a white robe with a hood covering her head. Although it was covered, two long strands of midnight colored hair were on each side of her face. In terms of figure, she was very attractive, with all her curves positioned correctly. And it would appear that stars decorated her beautiful flawless brown skin. Despite all of that, it was her eyes that captivated me the most.

Their color was that of pure white! It was as though they were engulfed in moonlight and hardened into pearls. In awe, I said, "Gorgeous." A nod of agreement was given by Grandpa William and Jack while Ianira frowned up her nose in response to their nods. "Is that Camilla?" Jack asked. "No," Grandpa William replied. "This is the goddess known as Hecate."

"She was one of many goddesses who gave birth to the children of the night." As Grandpa William's expression changed from sad to grim, he became even more pensive. After a moment, he drew a deep breath. My eyes were fixed on Grandpa William. "What is it, Grandpa William?" I asked, concerned. As he glanced at me, his eyes narrowed. Then I saw him swallowing hard.

A rude cry erupted from Ianira. "Spill it old man!" she yelled. "My god, what the f**k does this goddess have to do with anything!? This s**t makes me sick!" My lips curled into an ominous growl as Jack smacked her arm. "Forgive her," I said to Grandpa William. "Yeah, I don't think anyone taught her manners." Jack added. Grandpa William gave a small smile. "It's quite alright," he said softly. "It's just after I tell you this, you have to make sure you don't take this lightly."

That doesn't sound good. I thought. Though whatever it is, I have to be strong. Grandpa William has always been a friend to everyone and never comes without his reasons. So I just have to trust him.

He adjusted himself on the log and used his magic once again to change the image of Hecate to the woods. "This is what is now called the shadow woods. Where the battle of the night goddesses began. And the story of Pandora's box."