The beginning
So very dark as I stumble run through the forest with only the full moons light to go by, dark branches reaching for me like monsters, my bare feet bleeding from all the sharp stones and sticks I can't see on the forest floor. If only I had my wolf with me tonight to help me see through this oppressing darkness and heal my wounds.
I pray the moon goddess is with me this night because pain, fear, and exhaustion are all I can feel as I run through the forest of the Blood Moon packs territory.
. You might be wondering why I'm risking life and limb running through the dark woods from the cruel life I have always known, when I have never even thought of escaping knowing how utterly impossible of a task it is. Well to tell you that, I would have to take you back two and a half weeks ago when my already horrible life took a turn for the worse. I know what you're thinking, what could be possibly worse than being a slave for the cruelest, most merciless, bloodthirsty pack around?
My name is Penance Black and this is my story. I am five foot five with long silver hair, violet eyes, thin face, high cheek bones, button nose, sharp features and a curvy body despite the fact that I look like I've never eaten a proper meal because I haven't in as long as I can remember. Let me take you back to the day that I realized there are fates worse than death. The day I found the courage and bravery to run, to finally try to escape towards freedom for the first time in my life. Though if I will make it to that freedom only the Moon Goddess knows. Please do me a favor and say a small prayer to her for me. Goddess knows I can use all the help I can get.
Chapter One
(Penance P.O.V.)
Sunlight filters into my eyes waking me from a deep sleep. I groan as I rise off the pile of hay that is my bed, as I'm stretching out my sore body I hear the bell that signals the slaves to wake up and start their work day. I pick hay off of my shabby thin brown sack of a dress as I walk past other slaves rising up from their hay pile beds in the stables we all share. A guard walks through rousing us all to start today's work day.
"Time to wake up you lazy beasts and get to work!!" He shouts at us. I wait till he passes by my stall to head for the door. I'd rather avoid him if I can, he is particularly nasty in the morning.
I make my way towards my first duties of the day. Making breakfast with the other slaves with kitchen duties for the pack. Passing by other people on their way to start working. Smiling at a couple kids as they run to go help in the fields. I walk into the kitchen behind the mess hall and get to work after washing my hands. Greta the head cook for the pack says "Mornin' Penance make sure to not overcook those potatoes once you start frying them. You know how the Luna gets if things aren't done just right." I nod my head and replied "Yes ma'am," I knew exactly how nasty the Luna got but I didn't say so.
As I peel potatoes my only friend in the world Jasmine walks in looking like she isn't fully awake yet. Her messy shoulder length dirty blonde hair sticking out everywhere, still with pieces of straw in it. Her ice blue eyes foggy with sleep as she yawns. She is about 2 inches shorter than me and petite. Her small thin form swimming in the shabby, baggy, thin brown sack of a dress that matches my own.
Her sleepy face brightens when she sees me. As mine does looking at her, without her and her mother Maribeth I would have died a long time ago, I have no doubt about that. They were family to me, the only family I have ever known as long as I can remember and I would do absolutely anything for them. I waved hello to Jasmine as she came over to peel potatoes with me and I gave her a small smile while I picked the hay out of her hair after she washed her hands. She giggled at me "thank you big sis, I'm still not quite awake yet." I smiled again and said "I noticed that lil sis." We both laughed quietly as to not draw attention to ourselves.
We whisper talked as we peeled, then cut and cooked the potatoes. Its one reason I tried being one of the first in the kitchen because doing potatoes meant I could spend the first part of my day together with Jasmine. After serving food and cleaning up the kitchen, we waited quietly to clean up the dishes of the pack.
"So what duties do you have next big sis?" Jasmine asked in a soft whisper, watching the guards to see if they were paying us any attention. Luckily they weren't so I answered "cleaning the top floor of the pack house." Trying to sound like I wasn't dreading having to go to the pack house, let alone the top floor where the important guest rooms were and the Alpha's office. Luckily for me I don't think anyone is in the guest rooms but I always hated cleaning anywhere the Alpha , Luna or any top pack members might be.
We all did because they treated us like dirt or something nasty that got stuck to the bottom of their foot. Plus it ran the risk of running into one of the Alpha's sons. The youngest Matthew wasn't to bad, he usually just looked at me like I was something nasty he had to deal with but the oldest was six feet of pure cruelty. He was always looking for a reason to punish slaves for the simple enjoyment of watching them suffer. I had noticed him watching me with a look that made my skin crawl. So I had been avoiding him whenever possible. Jasmine looked at me with sympathy in her eyes. "I'll pray to the moon goddess for you, that no one bothers you or harms you while you are there." I gave her a smile and said " I'll be fine lil sis, don't worry about me." She smiled back but I could still see the fear in her eyes for me.
"I wish I could go with you, " Jasmine said as we finished dishes and headed to go get our breakfast. "I wouldn't want you to, I'd never want you to risk yourself like that," I whisper looking at her face and meant every word. As nice as having her with me would be I would never risk her getting hurt, by having her working with me at the pack house. "I know," Jasmine said "but I still wish I could be there for you. I know how many times you have been hurt working there, even though you try to hide it sometimes. So me and mom won't worry about you hurting." I try to keep the surprise off my face but I'm pretty sure I failed.
I thought I had done a good job of hiding some of the injuries I have gotten in the past from both of them. "I'm sorry, I just know how worried you both get when I have cleaning duties at the pack house and didn't want you to know how bad it is sometimes for me there. I just love you both so much that I didn't want you to stress over me getting hurt. I always heal and you both have enough on your plates without the extra stress of worrying about me." I say trying to put as much emotion as I can in what I'm saying while still whispering so we aren't overheard.
