Sea Shadow (General Kirigan & Nikolai Lantsov)

Chapter 12

Wolf

It was early morning, the sun had not yet risen over the horizon and Kaida was walking with stealthy steps through the corridors of the Little Palace with her riding boots, her kefta and her hair, as usual gathered in a braid.

She arrived at the stables and there was Okivia.

"Good morning beautiful," Kaida said, pulling from her pocket an apple she had stolen the night before from dinner. "Fancy going for a ride?" Okivia whinnied and Kaida smiled broadly.

Carefully and lovingly, Kaida saddled her horse and before leaving the stable she climbed on.

As she walked through the stable doors another black horse appeared in her field of vision.

"May I join you?" the darkling asked kindly.

Kaida nodded her head. "But we have to hurry, it's getting late and the sun is about to rise" and with those words Kaida galloped off with Kirigan behind her.

Kaida rode into the forest until she reached a small cliff in the highest part of the forest where she could see the beautiful sunrise perfectly.

"It's beautiful," The General said.

"I come here every morning before I start all the training," Kaida explained, watching the sunrise. "But you already knew that," she said with a smile.

"I see you've improved," he said with a smile.

"That's what training is for," she said with a smile"This is the only thing of the day that makes me forget that all the people I live with hate me," Kaida said sadly.

"They're just envious of you," Kirigan said. "Besides, not everyone hates you.... I don't," and after those words Kirigan began to ride back to the Little Palace.

Kaida smiled, took one last look at the sun, now fully risen, and then proceeded to reassure him.

Kaida opened her eyes to see the sun wasn't even rising, she signed in frustration and went back to sleep.

A 7-year-old Kaida walked barefoot on the scratchy ground in the same clothes she wore a year ago.

Her whole body hurt, too much, she could hardly stand, but if she let her tiredness win over her she would receive a punishment and that was the last thing she needed at that moment.

"Come on, Kaida, let's get you some more tests," he said, opening the door to her cell.

"No, please, I don't want to go back to the lab," Kaida said in fear.

"Girl, don't make me make you, you know it will be worse," he said in an annoyed voice.

Knowing it would be much worse for her, Kaida walked out of her cell and began to walk the corridors that almost every day, if not every day, she walked in her bare feet.

The man and she arrived at the lab and as usual made Kaida sit in a chair and strapped her hands and feet together.

The screams of the others could be heard throughout the room and soon they were joined by Kaida's screams.

Kaida woke up screaming and sobbing but as usual no single tear ran down her cheeks.

"Kaida! Are you okay?" Jake asked her worriedly.

"Yes, yes, just a bad dream," she said, trying to calm down her breathing. No one knew about Kaida's live before she was 10.

"You were screaming as if someone was torturing you," Jake said, looking at her really worried.