Chapter 3 : Death and Defile

Constance

Just as the arrow was loose, I was forced to make a choice. I took one last look at my mother, dead at my feet, and fled into the forest.

The arrow whizzed past me, so close I could feel the air surge as it landed into a tree inches beside my head. I ducked as yet another arrow flew past me. A dozen more struck the ground behind me, and I knew they would catch up with me soon.

I heard a chilling howl in the wind and forced myself to keep going. I couldn’t let my thoughts linger on what I was leaving behind. Too much relied on my getting away, on surviving. But what would life look like when everyone I had known was dead?

My father and mother. Gone. Wilson. Gone. Even strangers I barely knew had fled from one battle just to enter another and die for it. Everyone was gone. I had nothing left.

No, that wasn’t true. I still had my mind and my soul. Those were things no one could take away from me, and as long as I had those, I could get through this. I had to get through this for them, for those who laid down their lives to ensure my safety.

I was the last remaining shifter of the Northern Territories and my father's legacy.

Even as I ran on and on, my body becoming more and more exhausted and my mind skipping through the events of the last few hours, I grieved. And though I grieved, I knew I had to remain strong.

I kept running until I no longer heard the sound of arrows racing through the trees or the sounds of wolves racing along the path behind me. I kept running until I no longer knew what I was running from or where I was running to.

Each tree grew to look like the one before it. Each shrub, each bush, every blade of grass and broken twig looked like one repeating image. Even the stars above seemed to blur into a series of lights my brain could no longer understand.

My lungs screamed for air, but I could not rest. Terror still clung to me, sticking to me and refusing to let go. With each breath, I took another step, and with each step, I grew further away from those who had just taken everything I had ever known.

As the sun began to rise steadily on the horizon, my pace began to slow, my paws bleeding from running the entire night. I stopped only when I felt I would die if I went on any longer. Eventually, my head bowed low with exhaustion finally laying claim to me.

I slumped to the ground, my lungs desperately sucking in the air.

As I lay still, I hear the upbeat chirps of the birds around me, the forest coming alive with a new day. How strange it was to see such beauty when, only a moment before, I had seen such horror.

I think that day, I learned life had two parts: the good and the bad. Pure and evil.

My entire life, I had only ever seen the good. I had two parents who had a high social status and a life filled with anything I could ever want. I was loved and wanted by my pack. I spent so many hours in the castle learning about my people and all they had achieved.

I was proud of them and looked forward to the day when I would lead. I had studied for so long in the ways of leadership and politics, ensuring I would be the best ruler I could be. I hungered for my parents approval.

But those days were gone. They were razed to the ground by a madman, a man I had no prior connection to nor had ever heard of until he had murdered both of my parents. One man had destroyed two packs within only days of each other. One man.

I couldn’t understand why or how a person could do something like that, but perhaps it wasn’t the time to think about such things. I needed to figure out where I was going.

As far as I could tell, they were no longer following me, but I feared it was because they knew where I was headed and meant to circle in on the other side. Only, I wasn’t certain where I was.

I knew I needed to find the Eastern Territory and speak with the Alpha King there, but I didn’t even know how to get there. As much as I looked around, nothing was recognizable.

I had never ventured this deep into the woods before. It was like running blindly into a maze. Well, I thought to myself, the best way to go forward is to not go back. And so, I moved in the opposite direction I was traveling, hoping against all odds that I would get to where I needed to be.

The day’s heat grew in force as the sun traveled higher in the sky. Eventually, I came upon a small stream and drank deeply, taking the time to rest my weary mind and body. When I had had my fill of water, I kept on.

I was in my wolf form the whole time, though I was no longer running. I didn’t want to risk someone surprising me, and my wolf had much stronger senses than I normally would. I kept my eyes alert, always searching and investigating any disturbance in my surroundings.

Just as I thought the forest would only grow thicker and never end, it began to thin until it ended in a clearing. I was surprised by the suddenness of it, and I slowly moved forward, my body low to the ground and ears pricked forward. Even the sound of the wind was enough to send a bolt of panic through me.

I poked my head through a dense growth of shrubs just before the edge of the clearing and saw in the distance a series of low houses leading away from a road just to my left. Before the first of the houses was a sign that read CLEARVIEW.

It was a border sign for the Clearview pack.

Finally! This was what I was looking for. The Clearview Pack was the Alpha King’s pack in the Eastern Territories. With any luck, I’d be able to gain an audience with him.

While I didn’t know exactly what I would say to him or what else I’d do once I got there, the only thing that drove me was the words of my father telling me he’s meet me there. I suppose part of me still hoped he wasn’t gone and that I’d see him again.

As I looked out in the clearing, I saw that the houses I saw were part of a small village, a farming village by the looks of it. A few children played out in a nearby field while men and women toiled away in the fields.

Hanging on several lines strung between posts were old and ragged clothes, fresh from the wash and drying in the morning air.

As much as I longed to take those clothes the moment I had the chance, I knew these people would never help me if our first meeting began with me stealing their things.

So, with no other choice, I shifted into my human form, the wind prickling my skin and the long stalks of grass tickling my feet. It had been so long since I used my human legs, I’d almost forgotten what it felt like.

Being a wolf felt like being inside living armor. As a human, I was raw and exposed, much like my mother in her final moments before death.

I gingerly stepped out of the forest and into the clearing, keeping an eye on the people in the fields. I walked toward them with grace and ease, despite the fatigue melting into my bones. I kept my head held high as any true princess would.

I didn’t know how to act around these people, and so I behaved in the only way I knew how, even as I stood before them with nothing to my name and not even shoes on my feet. I was naked in more than just body. I had nothing to offer them but myself.

As I approached them, a small girl looked up and pointed her stubby fingers at me, shouting to her mother. A slender woman glanced around her shoulder, distracted from her work. She frowned at her child, not understanding what she wanted.

Then, when her eyes found me, her mouth dropped open. I heard her call out to the man next to her, and his face was just as surprised as hers. The woman gestured to the child, who ran away toward their house and returned with a bundle of clothes within a few seconds.

Before I even reached them, the woman was holding out the bundle, which I took with a smile and a nod.

“Who are you?” the woman asked.

And for the first time, I didn’t know what to say. Who was I to these people but a stranger in strange lands? Even as I dressed in their borrowed clothing, which I had not asked for and was given to me freely, I wondered if they trusted me or if I could trust them.

I was faced with a bleak and desolate existence of turmoil and mistrust, but there was one thing I could do.

I fastened on the dress, thanking them once more for the clothing, before I said, “My name is Constance Caldwell, daughter to Turmand Caldwell, Alpha King of the Northern Territories. I come seeking aid. I need to speak with the Alpha King of these lands. It’s urgent.”

Without a word, the man and woman looked at each other, confused and somewhat amazed. I knew instantly that they didn’t believe me, or at least didn’t believe I was who I claimed to be. But they did believe I needed help.

“How about we find you a meal first?” the woman asked.

Her smile was kind, and even her eyes showed her caring personality. But neither of these were qualities I could use to determine whether or not I was still in danger.

I looked from her to the man and finally to the small child at their heels. Around us, several more people stopped what they were doing to watch.

Whether or not I could trust these people, I decided, wasn’t the question. What I needed to know, what was the most important thing right then, was whether or not I could believe in their Alpha.

So, I shook my head and thanked them for their offer but turned it away.

“Please, take me to the King,” I insisted, my voice firm and resolute.

I wasn't sure if it was in the way I held myself or if the woman decided this wasn't her battle to fight, but after a glance to her husband and a nod from him, she smiled and agreed.

I followed her through the streets, unknown faces staring at me as we made our way to the castle gates. Gates that reminded me so much of my own home.

I took a deep breath and tried to appear calmer on the outside than I truly was.

One way or another, I would find the King, and he would help me. My parents’ deaths would not be in vain. Not while I was still standing.