Luna's Pov
The only thing I knew about this territory was the outline which I had seen from atop a hill. This was probably enough reason for me to let Jamil ride ahead so he could guide me but that was so not happening. Not if Lea was to be the judge at least. Her feet were moving in perfect sync as she leaped large areas in bounds. Soon, we were in the heart of the pack and given that we were already closing in on noon, most of them were outside, going about their daily businesses. Before they could wave and say hi though, Lea had taken another huge leap turning them into tiny blurs in the distance. Jamil was trying to catch up on his stallion but Lea wasn't giving them any chance. My hair had been scattered in the billowing breeze, spreading into my eyes, nose and mouth so that I constantly had to brush them away. Rather than feel terrified though, I was elated. With the world zipping past, I felt like I was at the top of the world. Like...I was free again. Riding always did that to me, even before I lost my place. Soon, we left the habited places behind and moved on to the places where nature reigned supreme. Huge trees with dense foliage which seemed to not have been touched by winter. Animals, small ones like grass cutters and the bigger ones like deer all of which scampered as fast as they could. The birds, their songs seemed to be more melodious in here. And the smell. Oh! The heavenly smell of the forest. Nothing could ever beat that. I shut my eyes, my head falling slightly backward as I enjoyed the camaraderie of the forest which reminded me of home. "Hey, Luna, Wait up!" Jamil called for the umpteenth time and like before, his call was lost in the wind. Finally, Lea slowed to a trot in an cleaeing. She made her way to a stream where she gulped the water greedily. "Nice work, Lea!" I grinned, rubbing her lush mane before sliding off her. It was at this time that Jamil finally caught up, bursting into the clearing with his horse, both looking like they had had all the air beaten out of their lungs. Jamil stumbled off his horse, his face a picture of admiration. His horse made his way to the stream for a drink beside Lea. "That was..." Jamil started, then paused as he keeled over, apparently not having completely regained his breath. "Amazing!" He completed without raising his head. He finally got enough energy to raise his head again, "where did you learn to do that?" I chuckled as I brushed my hand through my hair, trying to get all the strays back into place. "Somewhere far away." I replied, my voice turning slightly wistful. "Horses though?" My eyes brightened. "Wolves riding horses? Sounds....strange?" I stared at Jamil who returned it for a moment looking stunned. Then finally, he burst into laughter. "What? You think because we are wolves, we ought to run everywhere?" He continued to laugh like I had just cracked the funniest joke in the world. "Okay...Alright.." He sniggered, raising his arms in surrender when he saw that I wasn't laughing along with him. It took a while longer but he finally stopped. Thankfully. "Sure, we are wolves, Luna but we can't be wolves every time of the day. When we are not wolves, we need a means of transportation and voila!" I nodded as I headed toward Lea who seemed to have burned off all the excessive energy in her body. She could still run but not with that breathtaking speed from earlier which soothed me just fine. She was not the only one who could use a break from the high. I patted her on the rump and she snorted. Jamil walked up to his horse as well. I took a look at the clearing we had walked into. The huge trees stood around in a semicircle, almost like a bow and through the middle of this bow, ran the stream like an arrow being fired. I sighed as I climbed atop my horse. "It is not too late for the tour, is it?" "Not at all. I just need to freshen up a little bit." He replied as he hurried to the stream and scooping some water in his hands, splashed them on his face. Soon enough, we were riding on a trot back toward civilization but obviously, the tour included more then the civilized areas. "This," Jamil started, gesturing at the huge trees, "is the limit of our lands. That stream marks the end of our territory and the beginning of Light Crest Claws Pack's. We are not on talking terms so trespassing could earn you a whole lot more than a bath in the stream which means, stay on the right side." "Surely, their relationship can not be that bad if they share boundaries." Jamil looked me in the eyes quizzically as if to judge how much to tell me. "Not that bad? Well, let's hope you never find out just how bad." With that, he spurred his horse on, pointing at random plants. "That is the root plant, it cures different ailments depending on how it is cooked. That is the glowing orn." He pointed at something that looked more like a weed than a helpful plant. It is very rare in our kingdom and is forbidden for anyone to touch apart from the Pack's main doctor. "How do you know all of these?" I finally asked when I could no longer control my curiosity. He shrugged without looking back. "As a warrior, you have to know more than just how to fight. You have to know how to care for yourself and your comrades should things go wrong and things do go wrong a lot, trust me. Now, come on, we still have a lot to do."Blaire's PovIt was with great relief that I welcomed the arrival of dusk. I had taken great care to avoid running into Ulo and Jamil which was rather easy considering that none of them had returned to our quarters after breakfast. Watching the huge ball sink in a golden blaze of colours, I was filled with an equal measure of dread and anticipation. Using the cover of darkness, I found my way to the kitchen where I slipped some food that I was pretty sure wasn't going to be missed. With the ease that is gotten from having done the same thing for the past three days, I meandered my way to the dungeon. I had hardly gotten in when the prisoners started their protest which was even more intense now given that I had more or less dashed their hopes the other day. Well, we would have to live with that because there was no way I was stepping an inch away from the center of the path. They raised their voices but I was not going to give them the satisfaction of looking at them. I could see t
Blaire's PovFinally, it was the day that Indrik would be freed. It seemed like ages since he had been whipped and thrown into a dungeon like he had killed someone but finally, everything was going to be alright now. I woke up long before daybreak, eager to see Indrik out in the open again. Soon, I was ready to go but the sun seemed to be taking pleasure in torturing me as it refused to rise despite the fact that it had been a thousand and one hours since I had awakened. After the encounter with my mother, I had been unable to return to the dungeon because my mother had collected her keys and tightened the security out the area. I had spent the past few days worrying my hair off which was what made this day even more exciting. I paced back and forth in my room until I couldn't take it anymore and exited through the doors. I hurried to the other end of the rows of room and knocked on the last one on my row. It took three consecutive knocks to bring the sleepy eyed Jamil to the door.
Luna's PovIt has been two days since I have been tending to my master, Indrik. After he was brought back, I had officially resumed my duties as his maid, cleaning him up, tending to his wounds, watching over him and most of all, making sure that he doesn't join his ancestors in his sleep. Not my dream job, but well... I dropped the bowl of water that I was bearing in my arms on the shelf by his head and took a look at him. Since his arrival, he had developed a huge fever coupled with the huge pink boils that have popped up on his arms and legs. Walking closer, I placed an arm on his forehead and removed it almost immediately. His body temperature was so hot, it was a wonder my palm was not singed. I sighed as I adjusted his blanket and started to give him a wipe over. He had been drifting in and out of consciousness for the past two days, always muttering gibberish in his sleep which was why I was so surprised to see his eyes snap open. It took a while for him to focus his vision b
Indrik's PovListening to my latest master turn me down sent me down a spiral of emotions ranging from hurt, to disappointment, to anger. I almost nearly snapped but something held me aloft. Something that differentiated her from all of my other masters. Unlike the others, she was mine. So, what if she had made up her mind to not teach me? We still had a whole lot of time ahead of us to get used to each other and a lot of time for her to change her mind. So, she wanted to play the maid? Two could play that game. I was starting to enjoy our little game when someone came barging in. Someone that I had hoped would stay away from me, forever. Veronica!I would have covered my nose with both of my hands if she wasn't squeezing them so tightly right now. As usual, she was overdoing everything that had to do with her. I cursed under my breath wishing that I wasn't feeling so weak right now. Maybe then, I would have been able to slip out of her grip and get as far away from here as I could.
Indrik's Pov"Is there a problem?" I snapped, not very happy with the knowledge that Luna had been staring at me without blinking. She scoffed as she walked forward and dropped the tray she was still holding on the bed before me. "Here! I hope you like that.""Wait!" I called glumly, halting her in her steps. I opened a platter and the heavenly aura of pot roast filled my nostrils. I almost sighed in satisfaction but instead, I slammed down the cover on it as hard as I could, sending her a fierce scowl. I opened the others as I continued to scowl, much against my stomach's volition. At the end, I raised my head toward her, "what is this?" I growled and it really wasn't that hard to look angry. I had already been slightly irked by her announcement that she would not train me and then, Veronica had come along too. Seeing her, I had barely been able to hold myself from swinging my arm in her face. That was how annoyed and irritated she made me feel. All of that anger needed an outlet wh
Blaire's PovI could barely hold in my smile as Indrik fumed. Watching him get mad was always a fun thing to see. From the way his forehead wrinkled, to the way his face hardened as the muscles on his face stood out, to the way his lips curled cutely, to the way his eyes blazed like it was going to break out in raging black fire in a moment, to the way his jaw clenches in a perfect manifestation of masculine beauty, everything about him does in fact go from handsome to dangerously cute whenever he is mad. "She is not my fiancee!" He growled, his voice husky from his trying to keep his anger in check. His eyes blaze in silent warning for me to get off the topic but I wasn't about to stop when my fun was only just starting. I smirked as I moved even closer taking note of his clenching fists. They are not muscular, in fact, the sight of them would be enough to make the weakest wolf in the pack go mad with laughter but somehow, it still managed to accentuate his beauty. Yes, I did call h
Veronica's PovTears stung my eyes as I spurred the horse to move faster, the wind clawing at my face. My heart felt heavier than lead in my chest as I recalled how Indrik had spurned me, disgracing me even before his maid. The path before me blurred as the tears poured without restraint. Reaching the golden gates of the palace, I barged in, barely noticing the beautiful sights that rolled past. The horse pulled to a stop before the palace and I slid off it, not caring about what happened to it as I ran into the palace. I could barely see ahead of me as I made my way to my room. "Where are you coming from?" The booming voice of my uncle stopped me in my tracks just as I reached out toward my doorknob. My entire body trembled at the realization that I had been caught red-handed. I knew I was supposed to turn around but my face was still wet with my tears so I didn't dare to. "Vee?" He called again, more softly this time as he started to approach me. An involuntary shiver consumed me
Indrik's PovThe days have been crawling by slowly. Way too slowly. What with my master refusing to train me. I have tried everything I could think to do, from begging, to threatening, to trying to make her life a living hell all in a bid to get her to train me but she stubbornly keeps refusingNow, having totally run out of options, I have been starting to grow a little bitter. So bitter that I now send her on errands more for malicious reasons than to get her to change her mind. I looked around the room and groaned in annoyance. Everything in the room seemed to be placed there to make me mad. From the plush rugs, to the beautifully painted walls, to the magnificent designs above. Everything. I groaned again as I got out of bed. Yeah! Another reason I was so mad was because I had recovered fully or almost fully, at least. Enough to move around and enough to start training but my master still would not agree to train me. I got dressed and stepped out of the room, eager to get a brea