PRIDE |All She had was hope All he had was Love| RaYa

Chapter 5

How dare you?" the angry voice echoed. Priya spun around, only to see Tai marching towards her hurriedly with piercing eyes. Priya stood there paralyzed as Tai grabbed her hand with her muscular fingers, almost crushing it. "How dare you perform the Tusi Puja without my permission? This is the Sayan Home, not your father's hut!" she fumed. Tears welled up in Priya's eyes hearing her father's name. Her parents had sold pretty mucheverything they had to get her married, and the very thought of her family made her emotional. Tears streamed down Priya's face as Guru Tai grabbed the Aarti Thali. Ram had left for the woods after watching Priya perform the pujafor a few minutes. Although, there were numerous workers in the Sayan Home, Ram enjoyed getting the firewood for the Home himself, a habit that he picked up from hisfather, Sumedh Rara. Each time Sumedh Rara was in town, he and Ram would still go to the forest every morning, gather firewood, and share breakfast over a conversation. Growing up, Ram watched his father chopping treesin the Kashyapi forest every morning; little Ram would often struggle to pick up Rara's big axe even. Each time Rara chuckled at the sight, Ram shouted, "I will grow up to be a strong man, Bapu, and chop all the trees of the forest!" Rara would laugh loudly, pick Ram up and throw him onto his shoulders before walking back home. Ram had now reached the forest, and ventured deeper and deeper into the woods in search of a big tree, unaware that his mother was creating discord back home, threatening hisnewly wed wife and making her cry.A huffing wind rose, stirring the flags in the Sayan home as Guru Tai lunged for the Aarti Thali, taking Priya by surprise. Fatigued and emotionally drained, Priya, released the Thali, thinking that Tai had already grabbed it, but Tai, who was screaming furiously, hadn't quite gotten her hands on it yet, which sent the Thali crashing to the ground. Silence engulfed the Sayan home as Priya and Tai stared helplessly at the mess on the floor. Priya's heart thudded against her chest as a deep sense of foreboding consumed her. Tai, overcome by trepidation, took a few steps back. "What have you done?" She whispered. Shell-shocked, Priya stared at the floor as large pillows of cloud formed in the sky, blotting out the old, gold color of the sun. Adisesha, who had ventured deep into the woods, noticed a wall of clouds, grey and sad, standing over him as though in mourning. Ignoring it, he walked deeper into the Kashyapi, having no clue as to what had just happened back home.The little mirror from the Aarti Thali crashed into the ground, shattering into shards and tinkling pieces. A dazed Priya turned towards the ground instantly, only to catch a glimpse of her face in one of the broken pieces of glass. She gasped and stared at her face, disfigured by the broken mirror. Overcome with a sense of foreboding, she closed her eyes and took a few steps back. Beads of sweat mushroomed on herface, while Guru Tai screamed at the servants in the background. "Bring back Ram Deva from Kashyapi!" Priya's heart started to pound as sheopened her eyes; she began to put the pieces of the puzzle together slowly: Ram, her husband, was in the middle of a dense forest, she just broke a mirror and accidentally saw herself in it, and sun had suddenly disappeared sending the Sayan home into darkness...Priya clutched her Mangalsutra tightly and walked out of the Sayan home as she tried to make sense of everything. Scrutinizing the grey mountains inthe distance, she walked briskly towards the forest. Within minutes, she had reached the edgeof the Kashyapi. She took a deep breath, and with the Lord's name on her lips she darted into the dense jungle, jumping over sharp stones andmaneuvering through little streams with venomous snakes. Priya, although delicate and sensitive in appearance, was a courageous woman. She would do anything to protect her family. Oxblood-red toadstools littered Ramesha's path as he walked deeper and deeper into the Kashyapi in search of a tall tree. The ancient trees guarded the darkness with their sprawling limbs, smudging out any sunlight, while stealthy mist formations resembling serpents glided in silence and coiled around helpless limbs. Little did Ram know when entering this part of the forest, a hungry mother wolf was searching for its next prey.The sun followed Priya like a lodestar through the tangled crowns of the trees as she scurried through the thick bushes, the clicking of her heels echoing through the forest as she searched for her husband, Ram. Priya hadreached the middle of the Kashyapi, but there was still no sign of him. Fear caught in the back of her throat as she quickened her pace, constantly wiping the beads of sweat from her brow. With all five senses heightened, she capitalized on her instincts as she rushed aheadwith a dagger, which she carried from home, intermittently screaming Ram's name. Thwack! A loud noise pierced the silence of the forest. She spun around, eyes wide open, and moved briskly toward the sound. Ram, on the other hand, had seen something moving. His heart pounded like a drum and the muscles of his chest tightened with an incredible force; blood rushed down his veins in a single, swift movement. Was it there? He thought he had seen something huge moving behind the bushes, but it could have been his imagination; he was tired, hungry, and thirsty. There it was there again. He wiped the sweat from his eyes so he could see well.The hungry mother wolf had been stalking him for a while, treading behind him as silent as a wraith. Her large head poked out from behind a bush revealing a pair of smoldering, chatoyant eyes that peered at Ram. Her feral gaze—two bright decayed blue orbs—revealed her implacable hatred of him. She emerged fromthe vegetation with a balletic grace, shoulders hunched and muscles rippling. Her grey fur blended perfectly with her surroundings, breaking up her silhouette. When she flashed hergiant fangs at him, he immediately realized that it was the dreaded wolf of the Kashyapi. His breath quickened and he used every muscle in his body to stifle a scream. His feet remained rooted to the spot unwilling to move. The only thing he could hear was the shallow gasps of hisown breath. Fear pierced his heart like a thousand thorns as the wolf peered deep into hissoul, saw his panic; she flicked her tail and ventured closer.