Forbidden: Yin and Yang

Chapter 1: Cheif's Princess

I sat down on the log, taking a break after hunting and eating breakfast, which was three squirrels. I took in the fall weather, even though it was practically colorless. It was dull, causing the Reds and yellows and oranges to be tasteless and plain, but in a way, still had some beauty. My tail swished back and forth. This was the farthest I'd been away from home, and I was happy. I hated home.

I normally went only a day's venture away, and my shortest trips were three miles away. I was now three days away, so about eight miles. I smiled delightedly at myself, my own acts. Father would not be pleased, especially because I'd cut my hair. But I still had to get back sometime. I got up, stretching before turning into my wolf form. I wondered if I could make it back in three hours. After all, I'd taken my sweet time getting here, causing it to be a three day's travel, and I'd switched to walking in my human form after I was sure I wouldn't be seen. It was against the rules to go outside of camp as a human, and it was against the rules to be in wolf form at the camp as a wolf, unless there was an event stating you must be.

I sprinted through the trees, feeling the wind in my dark fur and catching a flash of something I hadn't seen on my paw before. I stopped and looked down. It wasn't my paw; it was my head. Next to my right ear, where my normally all-black bangs hung there was a bold, colorful streak. I tried to jump back from myself in shock. It hadn't been there five minutes ago. If Father saw me...... I shuddered in horror. I'd put mud over it, but they would try to wash it off. Berry juice! Black berries!!!

I ran over to the nearest bush I could find of them and changed into my human form, grabbing as many with my hands as I could. I squished them between my palms and then rubbed it agains the white streak furiously. The streak was purple now, but if I kept making it darker it was bound to be darker so they wouldn't notice. I frantically grabbed more berries and rubbed my hair. It was done. I ran over to the creek, still in human form and washed my hands quickly before the juice had the chance to dry and stain my hands too. I then turned back into a wolf, sighing in relief. I started to run back.

My father stood in his human form at the camp gates and waited as I changed back. His long black hair was in its normal braid, his dark eyes, as always, scowling. A tall, burly man, he was easily stronger than most of the other males in the camp. I wondered how long his yelling would last at me once he'd seen I'd cut my hair, and hoped he wouldn't notice the dyed bits from the berry juice I'd used just ten minutes ago. He glared at me after I changed.

"What.... is this?!" I shrank slightly under his growl. He walked over and looked at my hair. I heard him sigh angrily.

"You know we have an event today, and yet you still did this?" He snarled at me and I bit back my own words that were about to come undone like a spool of thread unwinding.

"Dear, let me handle this." My mother walked out behind him, her ears down slightly. She hated how my father and I fighted all the time. But at least no one else knew that we fought within the tribe. He sighed again and pushed his way back to through the camp gate. My mother stared at me for a moment.

"I will tell you a secret. Today's event is all about you. Come; we must get you ready." She led me through, and I couldn't help but wonder what they were planning for me. She brought something out of her own closet in our large cave. I recognized it immediately; it was from when she was coronated as my father's mistress, his queen. It was a dress made of red leaves up until the short sleeves. The rest of the sleeve was made of spiderweb so you could see the pale tan skin underneath. She told me to change into it, and I realized that the spiderweb wouldn't work against my pale, paper like skin with a small sadness. I came out in the dress and saw my mother had tears in her black eyes. I wondered why as she started to comb my hair.

"Mother? What did you mean, the event is about me, and why are you crying?" I looked in the mirror back at myself an my mother. She cried harder for a moment.

"Y-your father has decided to schedule an interview with every available bachelor in the camp to meet you and speak with the three of us. You brothers will be there an say whether or not they too approve of the boy we choose." She explained, putting the wooden comb down and weaving flowers into my hair with her ever delicate fingers, the fingers I grew up watching sew and arrange flowers, the ones that would pick me up and comfort me.

"W-what?!" I was shocked.

"Don't worry, you will have some opinion on who you marry, and the marriage will take place in three years' time." Mother stated, her tears evaporating. I didn't want to get married.

"No! I don't want to marry! Why do I have to?!" I stood up, startling Mother.

"How could you agree with this?!" She grabbed my hands.

"Oh, Avarice, sweetie. I didn't. But your father is law here." I sniffled, wiping the possibilities of tears from my white eyes.

"What's Father doing now?" I heard his loud voice speaking to the camp outside.

"He's telling the bachelors what they must do in fifteen minutes. Let's finish getting you ready."

"You shall be fighting for the hand of my daughter, Avarice Hellebore Dark, in a competition of interviews. You shall each be interviewed. If we approve of you for her, you will be put on a list and the rest shall be explained only if you reach this point."

I was pushed out as he started saying this, walking beside my Father. My two brothers, the twins, came up behind me. We are triplets, but only those two are truly identical.

"Hey Sis. We won't approve of anyone you don't like, okay? We've got your back." I felt tears brimming in my eyes as they said this in sync, the two grabbing one of my two hands and standing shoulder to shoulder with me. Chance and Trance always knew how to make me feel better.

We walked into the interview room, all of us sitting at chairs behind comfy desks. I sat between my brothers. The first boy walked in. He had on an a black suit with a dark purple tie, the matching color to my brothers' hair. (They look kinda like the triplet demons from Black Butler. I came up with this before watching that, P.S.)

The interviews went on slowly, my father only approving of three. The next person in line was one I didn't expect.

My best friend, Haze. He had been engaged to his girlfriend. He shouldn't be here.

"H-Haze? What happened?" I asked. He looked at me sadly.

"She dumped me. But.... Now I get the chance to win the heart of the girl of actually always loved." I blushed as he said this with a smile. The twins poked me and whispered in my ears.

"Yes?" I nodded, only because I'd prefer him over the other guys. They nodded, and my father continued the interview. Haze's name was written on the list. Only one other that night made it onto the list, making five who were fighting for my hand. My father gathered them.

"It shall be either a fight to the death, or a skill in which my daughter chooses." He said. The five looked at me nervously.

"N-No one shall be killed..... And there will be three skills to win my hand..." I said shyly. The two twins behind me smiled, knowing I'd need help choosing.

We sat up all night planning. I chose what I was an apprentice in; healing. The other activities were smithing and hunting. But I still didn't want to marry.