Indrik's Pov
Cold! Pain! And even more pain! That's all I could think of as I drifted in and out of consciousness on the cold dungeon floor. This room seemed to have been abandoned for years. I had fallen face first into a web of cobwebs, the tiny strands of which I could still feel in my eyes despite my desperate attempts to get them out. In here, I could see the reason why this place is so feared. It is a nightmare. The room is round and tiny. So tiny that I have to either stand on my feet or keep my body curled in a ball with my legs resting on the iron gate that secured the entrance, which I need not say was not very comfortable. Apart from that, the roof seemed to be connected to water of some sort, the source of which I was pretty certain I did not want to know. This water had been perpetually dripping to the rough concrete floor. Overtime, it had managed to crack the floor and algae had grown through it and then spread to the walls. Everywhere was practically covered with that dastardly thing. And that was not even the beginning of it. The dripping water seemed to have created an ecosystem of its own. One that accommodated insects which grew to ten times their size here. I had seen an ant that grew to the size of a crab. It might have been a crab though. But the worst inhabitants I had met yet are the rats. They grow to the size of a full grown cat although they are not half as cuddly. Seeing their beady eyes that glow in the dark and listening to the scuffle of their extraordinarily large feet was enough to keep me awake. Apart from that, there was the problem of this place being in perpetual darkness. Apart from the faint light that strayed in through the breaks in the iron door, the room was pitch black. There were no windows, even the roof was so far up, I couldn't be certain it was there except for well, the never ending dripping of water. My dry throat pushed me to stick my tongue out and have some of the water but i convinced myself that I was not that desperate just yet. I was not alone in this hellhole though. A while ago which might have been a day ago as easily as it could have been an hour ago, I had curled up in an uncomfortable position and was starting to sleep when I felt cold black claws crawl over me. I had sat up with a shrill scream only to be barked into silence from voices that sounded dry, hungry and vengeful all at the same time. Even the memory was enough to make me shiver. I could not even begin to imagine what it must be like to be here for ages on end without any hope of ever going out. I had always known there were people like that. Criminals, thieves, stray wolves who had threatened the peace of the kingdom. They were all thrown into this place. Sometime ago, I had heard the clanging of keys and then, the grating of iron trays as they were slid to the prisoners. None came for me but I knew I was still relatively better than their lot. While I had the hope of leaving here after a week, if I survived, they knew better than to hope to ever be free. I shivered, glad I was not put in the same cell with them. I shivered again and something about the way my teeth chattered fiercely against each other told me it wasn't due to gratitude this time. I sat up and made the mistake of placing my back on the wall. The pain that shot through my system made sure that I atoned for it. "Ribbit! Ribbit!" I heard the croaking of a frog and looked around blindly wondering how a frog could survive in a place like this. How had it even ended up here in a land where sun does not shine? Sitting here all cooped up with nothing to talk to other than rodents that had chosen the large path was really starting to get to me. I wished there was someone I could talk to but something told me the prisoners would not be feeling very chatty right now. I remained sitting silently for what seemed like forever until I couldn't take it anymore. My bladder had grown so heavy that I would probably spray my clothes like a little child if I did not find a way out of this soon enough. "Is anyone listening?" I called out in impulse having felt around the small room and finding nothing like the door to a restroom. I was met by an eerie silence. "Hey!" I called again, louder and more desperate. Still, there was no response. "Where is the restroom around here?" Hearing the words coming out of my mouth, I realized that they probably sounded stupid. I am not sure you could blame me though, having had to hold it in for what seemed like an eternity with an initial thought of holding it till I was freed. Something told me that would not be working out. "Hey!" I cried again. "Shut up!" A voice rasped. "Please!" But none of my pleas could draw any answer from them. Eventually, desperation drove me to do the most lowly thing I had ever done in my entire life. I moved closer to the crack in the middle of the ground and emptied my bladder. The hole wasn't that large which means my room was soon full of water. Looking up at the water that was dripping, my eyes widened as I wondered if that was what it was as well. I moved as far as I could from the pool and ignored the pain in my back as I rested on the wall. First day in the dungeon and I was doing pretty well. Six days to go.Blaire's PovI knocked on the imposing mahogany door and waited. I rocked on my heels, wishing that the door would open as soon as I knocked on it. I raised my hand to knock again when I stopped myself, choosing to distract myself with the environment instead. I was in the main palace building. It was an impressive building that you couldn't help but be awed at. Like the outside, the insides were painted in glowing white. On both sides were different paintings that were so good, they almost looked real. Trust me, I knew how real it looked from experience. Just a little while ago, I had jumped back in fright when I had turned a corner and it had appeared that a wolf was attacking me. It turned out to be one of the paintings but you get the point. There were several paintings, each more impressive than the last. There was one of a huge wolf standing on a plateau and raising his snout to the moon in a howl while other wolves around him bowed. There was another of two wolves standing side
Blaire's Pov"You have to understand that rules are created for a reason. To keep us safe from harm. No one, not even Indrik can be allowed to break the rules." My mother had continued to speak when she realized I was not going to speak to her. "But mother, we both know Indrik's condition. He will not survive the dungeon. Could the council not have found something that was less likely to kill him?" I asked, my heart burning with indignation as I thought about how Indrik must be doing in that place. Don't be fooled by Indrik's show of bravery before the council. I wonder what must have gotten into him to have made him make that decision. All his life, he has been pushed to the back because he was powerless. A wolfless wolf in one of the strongest packs? You get the picture of what life must have been for him. But that also meant he was sheltered. Being a weak wolf, he could not be exposed to the conditions which wolves normally had to bear. Definitely not a dungeon. As a matter of fa
Indrik's PovHave you ever been in hell before? I don't think so. I haven't either but with what I am going through right now, I can say that I am about as close to hell on earth as anyone else. The smell of stale blood is harsh on my nose but even that fades into obscurity in the face of dried sweat that has turned my clothing into a sticky mess. And let's not even talk about human waste. I feel like a little infant who has been abandoned by his mother and has no idea what to do with himself. It seems to be night now because the rats that had showed a measure of respect were becoming bolder now and now marching all over like they were the lords of this domain. I had found myself having to kick my leg or throw an arm to stop a particularly bold one from chewing the skin off of my limbs. But then again, they really are the lords and I, the intruder. As if that was not enough, my body seems to have only now recalled the torture it had undergone earlier in the day and was now proceeding
Indrik's Pov"Blaire!" I repeated, my voice faint. "Indrik!" She called excitedly, the torch clattering to the ground as she reached through the bars and embraced me as well as she could. I did not return the awkward embrace as I was still wondering what she was doing here. The prisoners were not exactly helping matters either as they resorted to showing their displeasure by banging their fists on their prison doors. "Blaire!" I called again, confusion evident in my voice. "What are you doing here?" I asked unable to understand why she would be here. She would surely be in trouble if she was caught and it would not exactly help my case either. "How are you doing? My gosh! You smell horrible. Give me a minute, will you?" She avoided my questions as her words came out in a rush. She disentangled herself from me and groped around the floor for something. I soon discovered the something to be a key as she found it and inserted it into the keyhole and with a couple of turns pulled it op
Blaire's PovWalking away from the dungeon with all its filth and stench should have made me feel relieved but what I was feeling would probably be fittingly described as the direct opposite. Leaving left me feeling more awful than I had been before going. Seeing the unhealthy conditions that Indrik had to put up with made me feel sick to my stomach. Coming out from the underground cell, I was glad to find that my luck had held although I don't think I would have been scared if I had come out to find a circle of wolves. If they will, they could throw me in the dungeon as well. At least then, I would be able to be close to Indrik. Somewhere in the back of my mind though, a voice that wasn't clouded by my anger told me I would be more useful free than imprisoned. I shut the door silently and snuck out of the palace. For a moment, my eyes caught on the images from earlier and I blinked as the memories rushed in, fresh as when I first saw them. I blinked again as the images seemed to be
Luna's Pov"It is a beautiful day." That is the first thought that crossed my mind as I awakened to a choir of birds singing happily in the tree behind my window. Hearing their melody seemed to be reassuring me that everything would be alright. Nevermind that I had another nightmare most of which I could not recall although I could not forget the terror that coursed through my veins. I stretched my limbs to a satisfying chorus of cackles from my muscles and rose on to my knees as I turned toward the window which I had either left open or opened sometime in the middle of the night. I placed my elbows on the windowsill and my mind wandered as I watched the small hummingbirds Twitter as they leapt from flower to flower. Of course they were happy. Who wouldn't be when they had that much resources at their disposal? I on the other hand could not say as much for myself. I was still lost in thoughts when I heard a knock at the door. I got out of bed and waddled to the door. I rubbed my ey
Luna's Pov"What is she doing here?" Blaire scowled as soon as we arrived before them, her eyes glowing with anger as she did not even bother with trying to hide her displeasure. "Come on, B! Be nice, will you?" Jamil chastised softly but that word was obviously alien to her as her expression grew even darker. She turned her gaze to me as her eyes seemed to bore a hole right through me. "I warned you to stay away from me, didn't I?" Her voice was haughty in a way that reminded me of "The Haven." I inhaled sharply as I forced myself to take my eyes off her and focus on the ground before me. That drew my attention to the area as I found out it was a garden or something of the sort at least in the middle of which we were standing right now. Taking a peek at the door from which I had just come, I saw two patches of beautiful blooming plants that served as the pathway. These went round in a wide circle in the midst of which sat the tree and the benches. On further inspection, I saw that
Luna's Pov "And there is the entrance to our pack." I could barely contain my excitement as I stared at the huge golden gates that looked on the top of a hill. The gates that were the key to my freedom. I imagined running up and out of this cursed place but his next words dashed my hopes completely. "It always remains closed unless we have urgent business to attend to outside. That is to prevent outsiders from finding this place." "You mean to say you have no dealings with the outside world? Like you don't trade or..." I let my words hang in the air between us. He chuckled. "Of course, we do. There are trade routes." I waited for him to say more but it soon became obvious that was all he was going to say. I gritted my teeth as the gates that had looked so pleasing to me just a moment before now seemed like an evil machination intended to keep me bound in here forever. The gates stood atop a hill. A design that was as strange as it was effective. Strange because most of the te