Prophecies and Lies

chapter 9

"There is no greater disability in society than the inability to see a person as more."

                                                                                                                                                Robert M. Hensel 

-------------------------------------------------------

The next day, Ariana woke up early to go for a stroll around the castle woods. Unlike other wolves who had to go for runs a few times a week, Ariana could survive without going for run for months at a time. The only time the desire to go for a run came was when she felt rejuvenated, which was a rare occurrence, especially with barely having enough food to walk.

Even during the coronation festivals, Ariana was still under Alpha Alec's command, so was only eating one meal a day. Due to this, she usually felt weak and tired, spending her days reading about herbs and healing, but today, for some strange reason, she felt the blood in her veins flow with more energy, giving her life instead of ruptured hope.

Getting dressed and heading out to where the land rolled out into trees that had evergreen leaves, each so distinctly unique from the other. The sky is heavenly blue, with the morning sun illuminating the darkness, a dance between night and day.

Ariana walked for what seemed hours through dark paths, seeing secrets that no one thought to seek, where animals danced and played as morning birds sang songs in celestial light. The smell of earthly soil hovered in the air as droplets of morning dew kissed the fragmented dirt.

The earth looked so inviting that Ariana wished she could shift into her wolf and run through it.

She closed her eyes and reached for her wolf in her mind, only to come up short, her wolf hidden behind prudent memories and a rabbit hole of trauma.

She continued on her walk with a defeated sigh. This time she felt as though the Earth wasn't welcoming her with open arms but with sneers of mockery for her disability.

Continuing to walk with her mind occupied with thoughts of a life she wished to live, she came upon a valley where the forest ended and the lush grasses began, through which a stream of fresh water ran, where she sought a rounded rock to sit on.

A few minutes passed as she sat watching the world move on, listening to its wordless songs, when she noticed a deer approaching the stream near which she sat.

Its antlers so tall that it almost looked majestic as it leaned down to drink water; its fur is a magnificent warm brown that shines under the sun's rays, giving it an ethereal appearance.

The creature looked up with its head tilted to the side, innocent curiosity beaming in its eyes that seemed to be strained with something more. Noticing Ariana beside him, he regarded her with what seemed to be disdain.

Catching the deer's attention, Ariana gives it a sweet smile and says, "Hello, friend."

The werewolf people were always known to be the worst of enemies with the deer. The deer didn't even consider this as he approached Ariana and let her pet his fur.

Ariana wondered if he could sense the danger in her like normal deer, who would have run away when they realised that she was part wolf.

"Are you not afraid of what I may be?" Ariana said as she let her hand freely move through the deer's fur coat.

Hearing her question, the deer let out a throttle that sounded like a laugh and a whine of pain, making Ariana confused. "Are you hurt?"

The deer doesn't respond, causing Ariana to take a step back to inspect it. Ariana's gaze slowly looms over the creature, only to become more intense on its hind leg, where two deep gashes spurt out red blood. Taking a closer look Ariana notices that they where claw marks, wolf claws marks to be precise. ...

"What's happened? Why are you bleeding?" Ariana asked with concern and panic laced in her voice, thinking that the deer could reply.

"Stay, stay here," Ariana said frantically as she ripped extra fabric from her dress and turned to run towards the forest to find Islewood leaves to make a paste for the wounds.

Just as she turned, the deer also turned in the opposite direction as it sauntered off with its head high and only a small limp in its walk showing. It wouldn't take a genius to realise that the creature was extremely proud.

Hearing movement behind her, Ariana turned and chased after the deer while screaming aloud, "Where are you going, let me help you?"

She ran after him for what seemed like hours through tall grasses and fields of flowers, till they both came to a halt in front of a gateway lined with two stone pillars.

One of the two pillars had carvings; peering closely, Ariana notices that they were actually words saying, ' Here lies the garden of hope where life and death sit beside each other.'

The two strode in slowly, both treading carefully as the sky above them changed from ocean blue to an enticing violet. As they walked, the grass turned from its auburn colour to its vibrant green. The trees around them also seemed to have been ten times taller than average trees, carrying fruits of different shapes, sizes, and colours. Bushes sat kneaded with berries and flowers .

They come to an opening in the land where the trees end and the wild plants began, near a tall waterfall that descends down to a stream. Giving up on the deer, Ariana dropped down on her knees to quench her thirst.

The water tasted different. The taste was fresh like usual, but with a hint of something sweet. What was this Ariana thought to herself as she looked at the water in her palms and then at the stream. Thinking that the water was contaminated, she got up to find the deer munching on leaves that closely resembled mint leaves. Ariana got closer too, scenting them to see if they were mint leaves, only to discover that they smelled strange, almost foreign.

Turning around, she noticed to her utter astonishment that the deer's hind leg stopped bleeding as the fur around the wounded area began to knit itself together right in front of Ariana's very eyes, causing her mouth to fall open.

"How is this even possible?" Ariana wondered aloud when she heard rustling from a few bushes away, causing adrenaline to burst through her veins as she rushed behind a few bushes to hide.

A hooded figure in a dark cloak walked through the trees, his face turned away from Ariana.The figure stoops down and begins breaking the stems of some of the plants littered near the stream, which he then places in a basket.

"Ariana, come out from behind the bushes; I can smell your scent, child," says a dark, gruff voice that Ariana recognised.

"Alpha Alec, what are you doing here?" Ariana asked, her voice timid as she slowly stepped out of the bushes.

"I could ask you the same question." The alpha spoke while he continued to collect the herbs: "You do know it is not safe to be out in the woods alone, especially for a she wolf who can't even shift."

"I know, I just came for a stroll," Ariana said, her tone clipped as she walked closer to the Alpha to see what he was collecting. "Is that Ribwort and Broadstem?"

"Yes, they grow in greater abundance in this part of the land," the Alpha said, "and they make the perfect concoction for the winter flu."

The winter flu was something that many packs suffered from; it was almost like a plague. Even with heightened healing abilities, wolves of lower classes like Omegas and weak pack warriors seemed to easily get the disease. Ariana had contracted the disease one winter and was forced to stay in her chambers for the rest of the season because the Alpha thought she was a disgrace to their house.

"hhmmm...Can I help you dry the leaves and turn them into powder?" Ariana asked nervously.

"No, the maids will handle that," the Alpha said dismissively.

"Oh, okay," Ariana said, a little disappointed, as an awkward silence descended, causing her to shuffle uncomfortably on her feet.

A few minutes passed, and the Alpha got up and said, "Let's go, carry the baskets."

Ariana scurried closer and grabbed a hold of the three baskets that the Alpha had been carrying. Carrying one would have been easy, but carrying three baskets was much more difficult than Ariana had imagined, as her legs sagged from the weight.

Read full book on my patreon. Please do vote a comment to tell me your opinions on it so far.