Breaking Silence

Chapter Fourteen

Princess Aracel took a deep breath of the fresh, woodsy scent belonging to the forest. Having been on castle grounds for so long made her forget just how beautiful it actually was.

All the greens and yellows blending in perfectly together. The crunching dirt beneath her feet. The trees proudly standing tall. It was all just a magnificent picture.

The little trail leading to the pool of water had surprisingly remained exactly the same way as she had remembered. No bushes had grown over it and it looked as if it was frequently visited.

This little detail immediately had her on edge. Since someone have been using this trail, she didn't know when that person could show up.

Now that she was on guard, she was being extra careful and trying to make as little noise as possible. If she got in trouble, she would be punished by both her mother and father.

Quickly following the track, she finally made it to the pool. Everything looked the same way except for the colour of the water. Instead of being crystal clear, it was a light green colour.

Slowly, she made her way to the edge of the pool. Even though it was an odd colour, it was still welcoming to her.

Without even thinking, her hand reached out into the water. In an instant, she was in her third form.

Staring at herself, she was beyond shocked. Her beautiful grey fur appeared to be shinier and was now messily flying all over the place. She also noticed that her tail was a lot bushier.

She stumbled back from the water still in shock over what happened. To make things even worse, she heard a female voice calling out Darlius.

Before she could even react, a female's head popped out of the water. She had long black hair that was flowing in the water behind her and intense emerald green eyes.

The woman stared at her for a few minutes before her red lips curved into a smile. She swiftly made her way to the edge of the pool, all the while never breaking eye contact with the princess.

"So I've finally met the princess of wolves." Her voice was soft as all the words flowed out in perfect harmony.

After the princess finally recovered from her shock, she stood up and dusted herself off. She didn't know what to say and turned around to leave.

"Don't you know it's rude to turn your back on a family friend? Especially when they helped your family survive," she laughed. Even her laugh sounded magical.

Those words stopped the princess in her tracks. She was now curious as to what this woman was talking about and badly wanted to know more.

"If you're a family friend, how come I have never seen you at a gathering or why have you never come and visited? Do you even know anything about my mother?" The princess asked.

The woman chuckled before stretching out a webbed hand. In her hand was a large claw mark which ripped right through one of her fingers.

"When you go home, ask your mother about the woman who risked her life to save her and her little pup. I'm sure she would love to tell you all about it.

The princess still stood in the same place, not knowing what to do. Should she really trust this unknown woman who claims to have saved her mother and why was she calling Darlius?

"What are you waiting for princess? You should really get back home before you make mommy angry and she flips her switch?" The woman said with a creepy smile.

Slowly backing away while still looking at the woman, she realized she didn't know her name.

"What's your name?" Her voice soft as she asked.

Her lips curved into a large smile as the water behind her began to move a bit. "The names Starry, princess and remember, don't tell Darlius you met me."

Before princess Aracel could say anything, she just disappeared beneath the water. It was almost as if something just yanked her but the princess didn't want to stick around to find out.

Looking at the water one last time, she turned around and run back in the direction she had come from. She knew for sure that woman was not human and neither was she a wolf. So what could she possibly be?

After what seemed like forever, the castle walls finally came into view. Seeing it gave her an extra boost as she sped through the gate and into the long halls.

Her feet already leading the way to her mother's bedroom where her humming could be heard from outside the door.

She didn't even bother knocking and just swung the doors open. The Queen didn't look surprised at all but as if she was expecting her.

"There was a reason I stopped bringing you to that pool," the queen said in a daze like state.

"But why and who is that woman? She said that she saved your life once." Now this time the Queen's blue eyes opened wide in shock.

"Did she say her name was Starry?" The queen questioned. When the princess nodded, she took in a deep breath before speaking.

"Guess I have no choice but to tell you now that you've met her. I didn't want to tell you now, but oh well."