The Black Wolf

By the sea

The sea. She could smell the sea. She groaned. Not again! She shook her head and tried moving, and to her surprise she did move. So it had nothing to do with her memories. She tried sitting but a firm hand pushed her down. She opened her eyes to meet an unbelievably ugly man. With long red hair and yellow teeth that were shown with his smirk. Ugh! He smelled like fish!
"Leave her alone, Ted." An old man appeared from behind Ted. And she was grateful for Ted's leave.
She looked around to see wooden stuff. As if she was in a boat. A ship actually, the room was spacious and dull. The voice of water hitting the wooden walls escaped to her ears.
"We're sailing to the island. You'll be safe there. I'm not asking you anything. As long as you're working I'm ok with it. Otherwise, there's a safety boat that could stay useful till you return." The old man took her attention again,"your choice my lady."
It was like a light at the end of a tunnel. It was a great chance. she felt unsafe and insecure, but it was the only chance. Going back?! She might drift somewhere else, she might return to Tyler, she might trap in the middle of the sea.
She tried to talk but her voice was hoarse. She cleared it and lifted herself to her elbows,"How do I know you want kill me? Or your master wouldn't reject me?"
The man laughed hard that he had to cough to regain his strength,"First, I have no Master. We have my son. And he will not go against me. If I take the choice to keep you, he will accept it. Second, If I was planning to kill you, why would I bother getting you here? I would have left you to be eaten by the wolves." He walked toward her, she fell down when his hand extended to her shoulder. And that's when she recognized that she was wearing now some gray jacket with a torn side and 3 sizes bigger than hers. The man pulled the jacket to her neck. "And keep this one hidden, Luna bI could smell him even though you're wearing that suit" the man whispered startling her.
He knew she was a Luna. He knew she had a mate from that mark. And he knew she was wearing a suit to hide her smell. She pulled the jacket further and nodded. And that's when the old man turned to leave giving her his last words,"rest. Once we're there, you're starting a job"
The journey took another day and a night. The old man was kind enough to keep the men up. He said no one was allowed to go downstairs where they kept their stuff and her. He gave her privacy. He respected her as a woman between all those men. She didn't knew how many were they. But she knew there was other boats because she heard the old man once ordering the men to follow the white boat.
She felt sick. With all that shaking the waves are forcing on the boat. But she was happy. Happy that this boat was taking her out of all that misery. She slept knowing that in some hours they'd give her a job and a place to stay. And she was more than happy living among those strangers. She wanted a place to live, despite her ugly life.
Human nature, I think, was what made Ellen take that choice. Or let me say, it's every creature's nature. We all are but seekers immortality, and that's what's putting us all in Ellen's shoes every time our life goes down. It's the reason why we sleep every night with a hope that the next day would be better. Because we know we want to live that day. And we want it to be beautiful so we could have that hope for the other days.
Ellen shifted in her sleep as a man called out repeatedly,"Wake up!"
She opened her eyes to see an old man that freaked the hell out of her. But then it hit her, she escaped, and now she was in the boat of those strangers. And the old man was the one that helped her.
"We're approaching the shore. I'll be up there," and he pointed to a door giving access to the sky and the noises of the men," follow me when you're full awake." He took few steps then turned remembering something,"And what did I tell you about your mark?"
Ellen sat well forcing the piece of clothing up and mumbling a sorry. One thing she must get used to, and somehow she was finding it hard, with these people, she nothing more than a girl they helped and they're expecting her to be grateful. Not that they didn't deserve. But the thing was that she had been treated highly for so long time that she forgot how to be normal. She sighed, she'd get used to it. As she got used for being seated and held up in the air. She'd learn how to stand and walk.
She combed her hair with her hand. And as she stood to follow the man, something hit her: How could she ran faster than those guards? They were much powerful!
And look who chose to show up, he pretty white wolf! 'I guess not. We escaped. There was like a dozen after us and we managed to escape. We are strong. Don't be afraid, Ellen. We will survive among these men. We are strong. We are Luna'
Ellen chuckled as she tied the clothe in a knot to steady it. Then she took the few steps that led upstairs.
Wow! The breeze of the late afternoon in the middle of the blue water was bringing a smile up to her lips. She went hundreds of time to the sea. The smell wouldn't change. But I guess, when you're free, your mind would have different proprioception. You'd have higher responses to the lowest stimulations. And I don't believe the scientist would agree on this. They'd say it has something to do with delusions. But I love to think of it this way. It's much positive.
She was playing with a torn piece of her clothes when the land started to get bigger and the noise of the men on the shore started reaching her ears.
"Don't even think about it!" The old man screamed behind her making her body rotate involuntary. The rotten red man was behind her also but now facing the old one. "If anyone dares laying a hand on her, I'm gonna do things to him even rogues haven't tried it yet"
Somehow, she felt warmth next to this man. Regardless to his rough and cold appearance. He showed her care in different ways. She repositioned herself to enjoy the sea again believing that no one will take her for granted.
"Hey, woman. Once we land, we're visiting the capital." The old man studied her,"fix yourself." He said before leaving her with men staring weirdly at her.
She walked to a nearby man. He seemed the only one she could talk to. "Why everyone is staring at me?" She whispered. But the man frowned and pulled away as if she was a pesticide then he left.
She turned to see the old man looking down at her.
Oh great! She liked him but he started ruining things! She can't talk to anyone?! How was she supposed to live with them then?!
It didn't take long before the ship rested and the men started throwing the boxes to the other ones on the land. She found herself sitting on on wooden box watching as she waited the old man.
"Hello" she turned to the voice of the woman behind her. She saw her earlier but she was too far and she thought she was a man! But from where she stood right then, she could see the soft jaw and the feminine features. Her face was dirty though and her hair was long enough to reach her shoulder. Her hair was as if it never met the brush. Her clothes were dirty and old. Even older than the ones Ellen's wearing. And they were more likely designed for men.
Ellen stood up extending her arm to shake the woman's. And that was for sure not usual because the woman pulled back frowning before returning the gesture.
The woman whispered,"My name is Suzy."
Ellen smiled,"Mine is Ellen"
The women smiled widely as she repeated,"Ellen".
Ellen followed Suzy between the men and packages and into the city. It was an old one with foreign plants growing in-between the buildings' rocks. The streets were trashy. The mice running across it. She jumped when one grey mouse tried escaping from a cat and chose to cross under between her feet. The kids had these mini clothes that reached their knees. The smell wasn't good either. The voices of screams and laughs and talking people surrounded her. Such a crowded city she thought. Crowded and nasty! She hugged her body speeding up.
"You'll be living in here." Suzy opened a wooden door having cracks in it's faded brown color that it looked near grey. It was old enough to make a loud cracking sound once you open it. She entered the bright room. Yes bright because there were few windows, 3 specifically, that allowed the sunlight to have access to her new residence. The walls were made of old stones making it somehow appealing; she loved old stuff. The bed was a huge cement block with a mattress on top of it and the thinnest and flattest pillow she'd ever seen. She would have aching body mornings for a while, she thought. There was no refrigerator and no electrical switches. There was one carpet and two box shaped holes in the wall with a curtains. She frowned turning toward Suzy,"Hey Suzy, no refrigerator? Or a.."
She stopped once the old man from the ship entered. She smiled lightly. And watched as Suzy excused herself and left.
The old man looked around her room,"That's how we live here. Yes no refrigerator. The bathroom right there." He pointed to the right hole, "that's the bed. That is your closet." He pointed to the other hole. "And this tiny one"he turned to point to another hole with a candle,"Is your lamb" he smirked seeing her surprise. Ellen raised her eyebrows thinking of how many years she had jumped back,"Am I still in my era or have I been transported to yours?"
The old man smiled,"You see, we are group of rouges and mutts. We don't have money to build homes like the ones you've been living in. We can't afford electricity and furniture. We were 5 men who met in different places. We found this city built already hundreds of years ago. We settled in and then our number increased. Several came and here we are. A city, a kingdom build by lonely men and women. Ones that their packs left them."
Ellen heard the hate and anger in his last sentence that her breath hitched. It was as if he was reminding her that she was a pack leader once and as if she was part of the fault. He sensed it and cleared his voice,"I'm George. Have a five minutes break and come out. I'll be waiting outside. We must head to the main house." He stopped in his turn and looked into her eyes,"And dear, you wouldn't want your mark to show off. Nor your smell."
He walked outside leaving her in her daze.

~*~

"Why you're so concerned about my mark?"
Ellen asked as they walked through the twisted road. The old man didn't answer. He just covered the mark even more. They walked silently till they stopped. She looked up at the stairs. How would she climb them? She was tired and her wolf was nagging.
A group of wolves ran by them. They stopped to sniff the air but smelling something odd. But then the old man hushed them away. He seemed of a rank, she thought.
And it hit her. The stairs won't be a problem for that white beast, she thought. She smiled as her wolf danced in her mind and Ellen walked to hide behind a tree. "Just give me a moment"
She walked knowing well that it would take way more than a moment to shift. But a firm grip pulled her shoulder almost tripping her down. She turned to the old man ready to give him some good speech.
"You know, shifting can cause you serious problems. Your suit is hiding your smell, thus your identity. Do you think they'd be pleased knowing a royal is stepping into their land?! They won't believe you're just a girl I met. And trust me you wouldn't want it."
She blinked several times before nodding. The old man re-pulled her clothes up and pushed her forward. "Walk, little lady"
The staircase was long enough for Ellen to have 2 resting pauses. She thought as a woman who makes some sports, it wouldn't be that tough. But her she was, standing in front of an enormous door and couple of guards and panting like hell.
"She's with me" she heard the old man say as he passed the guards without other explanation.

They walked through a huge entrance and past few doors before walking along a corridor that led to a single room. It somehow reminded her of Prince Charming's castle in Cinderella. She smiled to the thought as she gave nods to the guards in suits that were lining the whole corridor. She slowed a little walking toward one of them. She had always that doubt that they are nothing but metallic suits placed here to freak people. She knocked on the middle of the suit. But nothing happened. "Ha!" She smiled. She was right!! She held her hand up in a fist, "god, I always wished I could do this" and she punched the metallic soldier's head. She smirked the. Pouted. "Poor soldier" she was about to punch him again when the suit finally spoke,"Would you mind keeping your hands next to your body?"
For a moment, her heart stopped as fear rushed through her. She had just punched a soldier.
"Why in the hell are you here?!" She felt the old man's breath on her ear. Then she felt him pulling her toward an opened door at the end of the hallway.
"And this is the girl I told you about. She's gonna stay in one of my rooms. Next to Suzy's."
She was still thinking of the soldier with her eyes downgazed when a golden shoes stepped into her lower visual field.
She raised her eyes, gold. Everything was gold. There were few red lines here and there. Even his eyes were golden. "Nice hunt, George" the golden eyed guy who's wearing a golden crown decorated with red stone said.
Oops. She's back with the king lives. And this one didn't seem good. Not a bit.
It was the last thing she thought of before the king's hand caressed her cheeks.
And involuntary, images of the man rapping her invaded her thoughts and she found herself slamming the king's face. Her eyes widened in shock as the king's. And she saw from her periphery the guards running toward her. God she's damned.