The Great Black Wolf

Prologue

Long ago, Neanthals weren't the biggest enemies of Sarams. There were people much worse than the blue blooded ones that Sarams hated the most. They were called the Children of the night. In their veins was flowing mixed blood of Igutus, Naeanthals and Sarams. They were wild, but not like Neanthals and proud, but not like Sarams. They lived in a big village on the other side of the cliff and waterfall. Arthdal was small in comparison with the powerful Village of the Night.

The head of the Tribe of the Night was a young and brave princess, who was the prettiest girl in the whole village and even in the whole world. Even though she has been born with the blue blood, her lips were red just like the bloody moon that showed on the night sky.

Her name was Lycoris and she was beautiful just like the flower. But she was a princess, not a king. She didn't have any brothers and her both parents died which meant that she was the one who should have given a birth to a boy who could have been the next direct descendant of the Great Black Wolf.

Lycoris touched her belly, knowing well that her unborn son was there. Her lover was the greatest warrior, who was also an Igutu. They met secretly, so only the bloody moon was the witness of their love. And now she was pregnant. She used to be fearless, but now she was scared for the first time

"Giving a birth isn't scary. All women do it" said her lover.

But he was only a man who had no idea about the pain she had to bear. Lycoris regretted that her mother died when she was too young to understand the woman's body. She was still very young, but she knew that her body was only a vessel in gods' hands.

But she didn't know much about being a woman since nobody taught her how to be a good lover and mother.

"What if gods realise that I'm not good enough and decide to kill our son?" she asked, hugging tightly her lover's warm and naked chest. They met again in her chamber, spending night together.

"You are the last descendant of the Great Black Wolf. If our son die, you will give a birth to another one. But if you die, then it will be the end of our Tribe" he whispered, playing with her long hair. It was so long, so she could easily cover her whole body.

"If you die, I will not love another man" she said, putting her head on his chest. She was able to hear well his loud heartbeat.

That was the last night they spent together. It was also the first night when she had a dream. She saw the bloody moon which drowned behind the horizon and the bloodstained fur of the Black Wolf. That was a precognitive dream which meant that her son would have died or has already died, being in her womb.

Lycoris woke up with the blood on her dress. She pressed her hand to the belly, praying and begging the gods for mercy, but the price for saving her son was high.

The Village of the Night has burnt, being attacked by Sarams who killed all people. Lycoris was the only one who survived. She saw the cruel warriors who murdered brutally her people, realising that she has to survive. Her son was her only hope. Dying, she would have killed the only one and the last direct descendant of the Great Back Wolf, so she disowned being a princess.

The warriors who attacked her tribe were from the Daekan troop. They captured all women who survived, so Lycoris was there as well. She bit her bottom lip with sorrow in her eyes, closing her heavy eyelids.

"Forgive me my sins" she thought.

She was the prettiest among all captured slaves, so lots of Daekans were interested in her. She forgot about her pride and dignity, letting them do whatever they wanted with her. She only hoped that her son didn't feel the same pain she had to bear, since he was there in her belly all the time.

Lycoris wasn't able to hide pregnancy any longer since her belly became bigger, so warriors saw it easily. She knelt down, covering her body to protect her son. The one of the warriors came closer, kneeling down next to her. He raised his hand slowly, touching her chin. She trembled, looking back into his eyes.

"Yang, it's your brat, we all know it, you too!"

Lycoris remembered every single man who has touched her recently. Yang was the one of them. But in comparison with the rest, he has never been drunk. She was scared of drunk Daekans who immobilized her easily, ripping her dress, but Yang was different. She has never been scared of him. He really desired a woman, but his desire was pure.

"You were so stupid to impregnate a slave..."

Yang smiled, standing up slowly. He turned around to Daekans.

"She's not a slave" he said.

Lycoris frowned, sitting on the cold floor. She trembled because of the sudden cold or maybe because her son moved? That was impossible that Yang realised she was a princess. If he did, he and the rest of Daekans would have killed her immediately, forgetting about her beauty and sweet body.

"Since she is carrying my baby, she's no longer a slave" he said.

When he looked at her, she realised that he fell for her. Having a strong man who was a Daekan warrior was her only hope to survive.

Lycoris refused to marry him, but he didn't take it personally. He just smiled, patting her head and playing with her long hair. He was kind, but she didn't want to betray her poor and dead people and lover whose baby she was carrying. But it was only a matter of time. She started to miss Yang when he was with Daekans. She started to think about him, waiting for his return. They got close to each other and she even apologised the gods for her sins after she spent a night with him. When he touched her big belly, she wasn't sure anymore who was the father of her son. Maybe the next descendant of the Great Black Wolf was already dead and now she was carrying a future Daekan warrior? She fell for Yang, not even realising it.

She was really tired, because her big belly was quite heavy, so she only hugged carefully Yang's naked back. He was sleeping. Without armor he looked so gentle. That was her moment of weakness. Her lips touched his cheek carefully. She closed her eyes, trying to fall asleep.

She had her second dream where the Great Black Wolf appeared. This time his fur wasn't bloodstained. The wolf she saw looked different. It was more muscular and bigger. It was wild and proud. Lycoris didn't know the meaning of her dream and she didn't even tell Yang about it.

Shortly thereafter she gave a birth to a boy. Yang was by her side all the time. She wasn't a vessel of the gods anymore. But there was still a thing that troubled her.

Since her lover was an Igutu and in her veins was blood of Naeanthals, meant that her son's blood would have been blue or purple as well and she wasn't even able to hide it from Yang. She was afraid that he would have killed her and her baby, realising that she only used him to survive.

"Give me my son..." she said quickly, wanting so badly to stand up. She was tired and wet because of the sweat. Her body was in pain as well. She only wanted to hug her son and cover him, not wanting Yang to see the color of his blood and small lips.

"This is our son" he corrected her with a smile on his face, sitting carefully on the bed, next to her legs.

Lycoris heart started to beat faster in her chest. She understood the meaning of her dreams after she saw her baby.

She was pregnant twice. Her first son died after the dream with bloodstained wolf's fur. Yang really impregnated her and now he was carrying his son. Second Lycoris' dream showed her a wolfdog. The half-breed. She was just like the wolf who let the stray dog impregnated her.

Their son's blood was red. So the last descendant of the Great Black Wolf was a half-breed of the Daekan and the forgotten princess of the Children of the Night Tribe.