The Den was in chaos. Wolves, birds, dogs, cats, and others lay wounded and dying or dead, on the ground. The ones still on their feet are fighting or, at least, trying too. Blood and other unnamable substances are splattered on the trees and houses, Diermores wreaking havoc with their evil ways. "Take her to safety," I hear my mate say as he gets ready to go help with the fight, "Now." I look back at him he smiles and says "This is always the way the tales began, maybe she will be a great hero." I look at our daughter. She had her father's, ever seeming to change, eye color and my dark almost black fur that in certain light had a silverish gleam to it but, she was oddly small for a five year for a family of large wolves. She looked troubled but, that would make sense, for someone looking at their friends, neighbors, and people she knew dead on the ground. Who wouldn't be troubled or even traumatized. He get serious again. "Take her to safety," he says again but then adds, The earring, put it on her after you do what you must." I touch the earring on my necklace I'm wearing. He walks over to his daughter and says to her "What you become is always up to you." He gives her a piece of blue amber. "It's said that this amber was made blue from the fires of Everything and this is one of the Great One's prints." he tells her. It's on a tight piece of leather, so that who wears it can hide the item in their fur. He puts it on her. "Promise me you won't let anyone take this from you." She promises him she won't then, she looks up at him and says with the curiosity everyone loses once they age "What have you become than father?" He seems confused but it might just be show for his daughter. He walks over to me and looks me in the eyes. They are full of sadness knowing he most likely will never see us again and whispers "What have I become?" and I answer with, "A father, soldier, and the best mate anyone could have." He smiles and starts to cry. He starts to walks away and I can't help the tears that fall. My daughter suddenly, very sadly and so quietly I could barely hear, said "A sacrifice." In that moment I knew my mate had heard. "Yes Acinthea," he said "I'm the sacrifice." He runs into the battle. I grab Acinthea and put her in a pouch the mothers are given to carry their young if needed. I run for as long as my lungs would let me. When I can't run any longer I put her down and we walk until our legs hurt. When we finally couldn't go any further we stopped in a cave. We rested for a minute and then I said "Stay here I'll be back in a moment." I stepped outside and took the earring from the necklace around my neck. I set it on the ground and started chanting. "O, Great Ones who watch over us, please make it so that when I put this earing on my daughter it will never be able to come off no matter what. That it will not hurt if pulled on and that it will be engraved with "What will you become?" I took some dirt in my paw and rubbed it around my eyes and said "Please O, Great Ones do this for one of your watcher I beg of you." I felt something, someone else's presence but I can not lift my gaze for fear of it being one of the Great Ones. "Watcher" I heard a voice say, "Open your eyes and Watch as you were born to do." I open my eyes and gasp as I see a white glow come down and touch the earing. Then it disappeared in a blast of light and I felt something pushing down around my eyes. When the light was gone I waited for my eyes to adjust then picked up the earing. There were the words written into it as I had begged and I could feel it humming with power. I went back to the cave where Acinthea was. She has fallen asleep. I covered her mouth then poked the earring through her ear. She didn't even flinch. I woke her up and said "Acinthea I have to go and you're going to have to live by yourself. Can you do that for mommy?" She nods and I started to tear up. "I put the earring that was on my necklace on you, it says on it "What will you become?". Then she says "Momma can I give you something?" I nod. She pulls out a necklace, from the small pouch around her neck, with a stone carved with two eyes and the word look carved on it. "I made it for you because father said you like to look at stuff." She hands it to me. I put it on. "Goodbye Acinthea," I manage through a tight throat. I see a tear drop onto the ground from her head. "Goodbye Themora" she whispers as I exit the cave. She runs out to me after I take a few steps away and exclaims "Momma you have rings around your eyes!" I smile and the tears started to drip down my face. "It's fine." I tell her. The Great Ones have marked me as scarred. Now, others will be careful for I have been marked by Great Ones.
YOU ARE READING
The Things We Trade Away.
FantasyA young wolf's home is destroyed while she was young. She's lived alone in the forest until she meets Bas, another wolf, who takes her to his village. There Acinthea learns she may have a very special and rare power.
