Hunter or Hunted??

White Eyes

Amora pov....

I love them all so very much, they have filled voids that needed filling in so many ways and they have no idea about any of the past I have lived. To be honest I'm not sure why I don't tell them everything. I don't feel that they could ever think of me any different for being who and what I was born to be but I am afraid that telling them would put them in danger. It's almost time for me to make a visit home though so I'll have to tell them something.

Wait.... What was that?

A swirling feeling takes over my mind and my knees buckle, to the floor I go with my head in my hands but when I land I'm not in my kitchen anymore. I look around to see the inside of the accursed castle, I'm in the library but why? I use to love this place and come here often as a child but that was a very long time ago, it holds many horrible memories for me now. As I wander around the area I seem to be restricted to I find a spiral staircase that use to hold many wonderful moments for me. My family had helped create the kingdom but had been cast away after many years of sweat and blood. The feud between our families had created a rift in many other areas of the shifter territories so my family left. I returned when I was old enough and started my home where my family use to reside.

Shane and Violet show up and get settled in the same spot my love and I use to sneak away to at night. They get into deep conversation about Shane's investigation towards his family, I wish I could tell him everything I know. I've waited 600 years to help him through this journey though so I have to follow the spirits advice, if I change anything the end result could be worse than anything I've already seen as a possible future. Where did Shane go? I look around and see him running back toward the stairs and they both run up the staircase with Tony right on their heels dragging a bloody axe behind him! What on earth is going on here!? Tony looks like a mad man hacking away at a beautifully carved staircase that wasn't made for large adults but the children fit through perfectly. He seems out of his mind, as he crawls through the hole he made I follow close behind and the scent of citrus hits my senses with a hint of cinnamon..... MAGIC..... but who would posses Tony and why would they send him after his own daughter and of all children, my sweet Shane!

As he starts to hack at the next door with his axe I realize where we are and that this door is a dead end. There are no windows or doors that lead out from there unless you can find the secret hatch and if they find the secret hatch they have to go through the underground tunnels. I need to get back home.... I have to be there waiting for them when they get out of the forest, there has to be a reason why I'm here seeing all of this and it can't be that they're going to be caught. I raced around the room moving things if I could and knocking books on the floor. I guess no one could see me but I could disturb the atmosphere around me, Tony jumped and when he turned around I could see something strange going on with his eyes. They seemed to be glowing yellowish and there was no pupil were his gorgeous blue eyes had been last we spoke. I knocked a candlestick off a ledge after lighting each candle slowly and laughed hysterically when he ran from the room not even bothering to bring his axe with him. When I walked through the door he had almost gotten through. They were gone and the desk had been locked in place, for security reasons we set this up that way no one could follow you for an hour after you entered that secret passway but if you were I you could find another way in rather quickly. I felt around a fireplace and as the painting to its side slid over I felt as if I passed out.

When I came to on the floor of my kitchen I realized that I would need to act fast since I wasn't absolutely sure what Shane would do going through those tunnels. If he went the wrong way he could end up in dangerous territory and I didn't want that to effect his future so I was going to have to go get Peg to come out of the tunnels until Shane and Violet come out. I head to my burrow to prepare for the day since Shane had just left there was no way he had even made it to the castle yet and the condition Violet looked before the chase makes me wonder what all has happened the last 24 hours in town that I've missed I'll have to take a strole after everyone gets settled in tonight.

I slip on my leggings and boots under my skirt and find a nice warm shawl to cover my shoulders with while I'm gone. Slipping my long gloves into my pockets and a handkerchief, I made my way back to the kitchen and got everything put together for our meal later on. Everyone looked at me the way they typically did when I had my dreams but I had never had something like this happen, maybe it was the connection between Shane and I? I dashed around the house making preparations and giving everyone instructions, then I was off to pay a visit to Peg. As I walked down the pathway to the woods I grabbed odds and ends from the baskets that I thought Thistle and Thorn would appreciate, I wasn't quite ready to try to speak to them again yet. In some ways I wanted to leave it to them to speak to me now that they've regularly accepted gift baskets from me for months. I planned on leaving the basket before I headed to Peg so I walked a bit faster to get to the old mill that had seen me walk before. I didn't notice or smell anyone around so I got as close as I usually would and left the basket at the edge of the path to the mill entrance, they'll find it. I always took my time as I entered and left their territory that way I wouldn't spook them, they had vanished for a week last time I tried to speak with them. When I got to the creek I was gone, the wind felt amazing in my hair as I sprinted toward my stone oven near the castle wall and cliffs. If I hadn't brought supplies in my skirt I would have already became my cat form and ran all the way with no issue of being stopped or even noticed but this was necessary since Peg didn't know Shane and Violet.

When I arrived I started the fire and put the venison in the pot for soups, Peg loved it when I came out and made food she had never missed a visit and they were never planned. I heard rustling around near the caves as I ripped up herbs and tossed them in the pot along with some cumin, cayenne, pepper corn, a few cloves of garlic and a ginger root. I had made a device to gather and purify water on the side of my stove, which came in handy and there was a dug out area with a lid that I got deliverys of butter and creme to if I gave instructions to the fairies at home ahead of time and I had while gathering ingredients.

Peg was misunderstood and I knew these caves and tunnels were abandoned so I had her stay here instead of turning her away, I wish I could bring her home and love her like the rest of my children but I'm not sure if they would understand and they may be extremely frightened. You see... Peg is a wolf spider, a rather large one and she speaks fluently in multiple languages. She's extremely friendly and she was very young when I found her wandering the forest. I look over as I'm adding some apple cider vinegar with the mother to the pot and stirring slowly. My instincts had told me that after the rustle she would get quiet and try to sneak up on me but the food got to her and she ended up just coming over to smell the progress without a word. I reach down and touch the side of her face before speaking.

"Do you remember when I told you about Shane?" she nods, "he's going to be in your nest at some point today, I need you to clean up a bit and not let him get hurt if you could." it was nice to see her look a bit cheerful at that. "He'll have a friend named Violet with him, I need to know what happened that sent them through those tunnels so I'll be waiting by the pond exit but I'll be back tonight."

"Great! I finally get to see one of my brothers!! Even if he can't see me that's great!" she was so happy and dances around like a happy little puppy, I loved her so much and hoped that one day everyone else would too.

"The soup is for you, I know that you love my soup and there's bread in the heated racks. I love you, Peg..." I kissed her on the forehead and headed off as she thanked me.

On my way to meet up with Shane and Violet, I glanced down into a pool of dew and admired my eyes. As it is, I have to keep my identity a secret but my history in the village has proven that no one here remembers what the eyes of a witch look like and no one will suspect when everything changes here.... my beautiful swirling white eyes would typically have blue wandering through them and looked as if there was fog or a mist rolling through them, I'm actually amazed no one has noticed what I am but the alpha seems to not about my magic or maybe it's that he isn't smart enough to care or be worried. Either way, things will change soon.