Secret Wings

Chapter 4 : Just Any Other Tent

This can't be real.

At any moment I was going to wake up in my bed and walk downstairs to the kitchen where mom would have already prepared some delicious porridge for use, set out in 4 bowls, still steaming hot.  I would go wake Seth and we would go into the city together and meet up with our friends or go to our classes at school.  

But that cant happen.  No matter how much I wish it were reality, it can't be anymore.  The reality was here, in this recruitment camp with my brother and sister, where I was being hauled through the camp towards Hayden's tent.  They removed my ball and chain, but that didn't mean I wasn't restrained, Danny and Sander were doing a good enough job holding me.  The brown tents were all lined up in straight rows, and in the center were the 3 large tents.  I was dragged farther and farther, closer and closer towards the 3 tents.  I was terrified.  Was this it?  Was I going to lose my virginity to a recruiter?  It seemed the case at this point.

As we approached, my heart beat grew louder and faster.  I struggled to keep my hair from turning a bright green, but if I was going to pass as a werewolf, I needed to seem like one, I couldn't have my hair change color all of a sudden.  As we grew even closer, I noticed that the tents were not the same, in fact they were very different.  Each had a crest on the side and a flag waving on the staff above each tent. On the tent on the far right wove a dark purple flag with what I think was a hummingbird in its crest.  On the left, a bright orange-yellow flag with a bobcat crest.  And in front of me, the tent which seemed to be the one they were dragging me towards, the largest one, probably housing the most powerful person in camp, a crimson red flag, and a wolf on his crest.  I am sure everyone in the camp could hear my heart beat at this point.  I started becoming squeamish, trying to wiggle my way out of Sander and Danny's grasp, but it only tightened.  My stomach was in knots, and my throat felt dry.  We were directly in front of the middle tent, the red crest on the door flaps, and two guards on either side of the opening.

Danny nodded to the guards before he roughly shoved me into the tent.  I feel on my knees inside the tent, and whipped around looking for an escape back out the entrance, however they had closed it, and I was very much aware of how strong the guards would be, and how roughly they would handle my escape attempt.

I stood up slowly, taking in my surroundings, I noticed a beautifully detailed woven rug, beneath my feet, now dirtied by my muddy shoes.  I noticed a gleaming white table massed with piles of food.  Piles of meats, and a fruit tower, along with mountains of sweets I had never even seen before and any other food I could imagine, food only found in high royalty.  I gulped loudly, on the other side of the tent was a huge bed with dozens of pillows.  It was made up of various oranges, yellows, golds, and purples.  The knots in my stomach became even larger than before.  I walked warily towards the bed, what was I suppose to do in here?  I heard shuffling feet behind me and I whipped around into a protective stance.  Instead of Hayden, there stood 4 elderly looking women, battered and bruised, and seemingly worked to the bone.  They looked at me solemnly, and continued to walk towards me despite the growl that escaped my lips.  They all held cloth in their hands, all different colors, and suddenly my clothes where being ripped off.