The Girl in the Woods

Chapter 16

Chapter 16

“How did I become a werewolf?”

She asks though Montana already told her when she is in her wolf form that she and King Hodus became lovers before, she is not satisfied with her answer. She wanted to know more about her identity.

Finally, Montana was able to sit down. Then she narrated everything to Suranne that made the latter express her different emotions. Montana told her that she is the granddaughter of the alpha couple who is her parents. Her grandmother died after her delivery to Montana and her grandfather Abdon became sad and struggled to lead the pack until Montana grew up and was capable of leading the pack. He then departed and decided to be a lone wolf. According to Montana, she was able to meet her father several years ago and even tried to convince him to come back to their pack, but he refused.

Montana even narrated to her what happened to the Kingdom of Asteria. She also found out that the baby that Gwyndolyn said was her. The baby that they are trying to save from the evil queen Vixra, and was the sole descendant of King Hodus. Suranne feels mad as a hornet when she finds out about her father. Her fists clenched and she slightly gritted her teeth.

“I gave you to your father because I thought you were safe in the palace. Humans considered our race as a beast. So, to spare you from the cruelty of humans, I send you to him because I know that he can protect you. He did though. He sacrifices his life to protect you and the Kingdom,” Montana narrated and explained to her.

“So you mean, the magical power that I have, I inherited it from my father?” She asked after she tried to calm down herself. She thought that it was not time yet for her to face the evil queen.

“Yes! There are no other people that you can get and possess that power, but you need to enhance those skills to enable you to protect yourself from that evil queen. I heard that she sends people to find you and that's made me worried.” She said, worrying. “You have the battle to be ready in the future.”

“But, why me?” She asked. It's not that she is complaining but she is thinking that there might be other people that can protect or restore the Kingdom if that's what Montana is trying to say about the battle.

“It's you! Not just because you are the descendant of your father, but you are also the descendant of the throne. It's because of your Uncle who plotted treason against your father that Vixra is now sitting on the throne and even changed the name of the Kingdom as if it's her own. Aside from that, you have the power to unleash yourself to fight for the people and the Kingdom,” she explained. Montana is not certain if Suranne will do what she said, but she is starting to condition her mind. Maybe it is not appropriate to put on to her daughter the responsibilities as she is still young, but she is willing to wait like how they waited for her to discover her identity. Suranne is their only hope to have their freedom again. The freedom of the people of the Kingdom of Asteria as well. She knows that that's the only dream of King Hodus for his people; to live in peace, freedom, and prosperity.

“But how can I enhance my power? I know I can control things, but that's what I know.”

“Time will come. Wait for your power to awaken.”

Suranne fell in silence. Her mind is in chaos. She doesn't know what to think. Suddenly, she felt tired massaging her temple because she feels stressed thinking about what she needs to do. She never thought that in just one night, a lot of things would happen. From her shifting, to know her identity and the feeling of responsibility for restoring the Kingdom of her father and most of all on how to get rid of the evil queen. Thinking of the evil queen, she bit her lower lip. She cannot imagine hurting people or killing people if it's the only way.

“I know it's quite a tough responsibility but think about it many times,” Montana noticed her silence and a sudden change of her facial expressions. “I am not telling you this because I want you to do it instantly. Still, I just want you to decide whatever is in your heart,” she added.

Suranne nodded and told Montana that she wanted to rest. She suddenly felt like her body was weakening, but she needed to gain more energy. She immediately lies down on the bed provided for her looking blankly on the top of the cave which was a ceiling for them.

The dawn turned to dusk. The sun was set and the night gradually engulfed the realm. It's been two nights that Suranne hasn't come back yet to their hut where the knights and the fairies are waiting for her. Their ambiance changed, they were always in silence since they witnessed her transformation. They still do their daily routine, but most of the time they won't talk to each other. Just do their own thing and just talk when needed. Their minds are all busy thinking about Suranne. Everyone has the same question in their mind; “Is she coming back? Will she stay in their pack?”

“How did she manage to go out and be with the people outside?” Helga is in front of Gwyndolyn. She is asking her after the knights told her about the news that Kitler brought from outside. About the girl who showcases her prowess in magic and always with a guy.

“I taught her….I mean, I did it with her because she's been curious about life outside of the woods,” Gwyndolyn replied, but her head hangs low because she can't look straight to Helga. She is guilty of the fact that Suranne has been outside of the woods many times.

“You know the reason why we stayed here in the woods, right? It's to protect her from the threats against her? What if the evil queen found out about her?” Helga heaves a sigh after she speaks.

“I'm so sorry, mother fairy,” Gwyndolyn got down on her knees, asking for forgiveness.

“It's done, but I'm just hoping that it won't reach the queen's knowledge. Suranne just knows her identity and whatever power she has, she needs sufficient time to practice her skills to protect herself from the evil queen,” she replied and help Gwyndolyn to get up. Though the young fairy is accountable for her mistake, she won't punish her. There are a lot of things they need to consider and be ready for in the future that might complicate their lives, but it doesn't mean she won't give her a bunch of lessons to learn.

Helga decided to be patient while waiting for Suranne. That night of her transformation, she removes the barrier because she knows that Suranne will find her way to her mother. She meets Montana several times to let her know about Suranne. That's what King Hodus had told her before the treason happened. When the King felt that they're not safe in the palace anymore, he didn't expect that the woman he married and his brother would betray him. She thought that if humans had only accepted the existence of werewolves and considered them like normal humans, the Kingdom of Asteria might not be suffering and in turbulence under its evil ruler.