The Oracle (CONTINUING)

Prologue

It was dark outside. The mother held her child close, and the father let out a shivery, ice cold breath. 

"Why doesn't she look like me?" The father asked, his voice dark, he looked down at the child in a displeased way. "Why are her wings so small?" He muttered. The baby turned to stare at the father with strange, brilliant blue eyes that glowed in the moonlight. "What is wrong with her?" The father snarled, "What is wrong with her eyes?" His mandibles crunched together coldly, eyeing the strange child. 

"Shhh, it's okay," the mother cooed, reassuring the whimpering child. "Don't talk to her that way." The mother hissed, a deep growl forming in her throat. 

"She looks nothing like me..." the father growled again. 

"So what?" The mother hissed, "she's beautiful." 

"She's a freak." The father muttered. 

"Wolfsbane....." the mother growled. 

"Who are YOU to talk back to me?" Wolfsbane snarled, towering over the mother. She shrunk back, a small red cloth around her neck bounced along as she clutched her daughter to her chest. 

"I am treated like a LOW BORN PEASANT here! Back in the Grasshopper Kingdom, I was someone! A PRINCE." He roared, his voice echoing off the trees. "If you were so SPECIAL, why don't you go back to your BEAUTIFUL PALACE? BECAUSE AREN'T YOU THE SPECIAL LITTLE SOMETHING!" She shrieked, the bitterness of her tone making Wolfsbane wince. 

He hesitated. 

"I can't," he growled, "because I chose to run away with a cricket and broke mother's rules. And if I ever go back, mother will have my head." 

The mother looked at Wolfsbane, her expression softening.

"But I chose wrong." He snarled, spitting the words out like a fire, and the fire licked at the mother's face.

"I chose to be with you, Softsound," Wolfsbane said, shaking as he said the mother's name. "And I am treated like dirt here."

"That's not true!" The mother whispered, her voice cracking. "And I can't take my own daughter back to the Grasshopper Kingdom, because she is WORTHLESS." He spat, ignoring the mother.

"Where is the Wolfsbane I met?" The mother asked softly, but it only made Wolfsbane remember the moment, so clearly, the moment that decided his fate, and sealed it.

Wolfsbane was sitting in a room, his bed draped in flowers, and gems embedding the soft green walls.

Knock, knock, knock.

Who was it this time? Wolfsbane rolled his eyes. "Wolfsbane? Hello?" Called a voice. 

"Yes mother?" Wolfsbane called.

"Your coming-of-age ceremony is tomorrow, the day you get your wings," she said, her voice sparkly with delight. "Yes, mother, I know." Wolfsbane said, and a rope of pearls clattered to the ground in his claws. "I just wanted to let you know, I've chosen a formidable grasshopper for you to marry." She said sweetly.

"Who?" Wolfsbane asked, suddenly curious.

"Willow! Isn't she delightful?" Queen Oleander said, opening the door and ushering another grasshopper in with her.

Wolfsbane suddenly felt his heart drop.

He turned, Willow had a light green exoskeleton speckled with black dots and pretty, almond colored eyes. Wolfsbane had seen her before, and tried to have a conversation with her.

She was as boring as a blade of grass, as interesting as a speck of dirt, and as dull as a pebble.

Wolfsbane certainly didn't want to marry her. 

She was like trying to talk to a tree! Beautiful, but boring.

Oleander must've noticed his hesitation, "Willow, dear," she said sweetly, "could you go to organizing the coming-of-age ceremony?" 

"Of course, your Majesty," Willow said dryly, stalking out of the room. 

"I know you are hesitant," Oleander said, trying to sound reassuring, but it only made Wolfsbane feel more queasy. 

"It's for the best," she said after a long silence. "Why can't I choose who I marry?" Wolfsbane demanded, clenching his claws tightly. Oleander looked slightly hurt, but her expression changed into a stern look. "If you want to become king, you'll have to marry a grasshopper fit to be queen." She snapped. 

"But Willow is so..." he stopped himself, he knew mother wouldn't be happy to hear that the next queen was boring. He decidedly went with shy, instead. "Let's close this... 'conversation' for another time," Oleander said hurriedly. She quickly bent down and grabbed the rope of pearls Wolfsbane had dropped. She draped them over Wolfsbane's bed and took out two emerald green teardrop earrings. She clasped them to Wolfsbane's ears. She then sashayed out of the room, leaving a troubled Wolfsbane on the ground.

He sighed, got up and took a trembling step toward the door. 

Maybe a moonlit walk will cheer me up, he thought, though he didn't necessarily believe it. 

He walked through the doors, the bark-colored corridors closing in on every step he took. He let out a shaken breath, the grass towering over like trees as he hopped along.

It was very dark, so much he could barely see in front of him. He heard the quiet hum of crickets far in the distance.

Crickets.

Wolfsbane had never seen a cricket, but had heard of their treacheries his whole life. 

How could such beautiful music come from such treacherous creatures? He often wondered.

He quickly turned his head, the leaves were rustling, and he saw a flash of yellow eyes dart away. In a state of fear, he jumped at the bushes and pulled a screaming creature out of them.

"Gah!" She shrieked, pulling herself free from his grasp. "AHHHH!" He yelped, too, not able to see in the dark.

At first, Wolfsbane thought she was another grasshopper, but when his eyes adjusted to the dark, a strange creature stood in front of him. "Who are you?" He yelped, "What are you?"

"My name's Softsound and I'm a cricket, dumb head." She said sternly, and Wolfsbane doubled over in laughter. "Dumb head? Nobody calls a PRINCE a dumb head!" He snorted, clasping his claws over his mandibles to muffle his laughter. "A prince?" She giggled, "most princes I meet are like, 'I don't talk to to a mere cricket,' walks away snootily." She said, laughing.

Wolfsbane realized that night meeting Softsound was meant to be.

He knew he would do anything for her, that she was his. 

That was the night he regretted with all his heart.