The Girl in the Woods

Chapter 18

Suranne had decided. She will go back to the woods where he grew up. She is thinking that they might worry too much about her. Montana had told her about her identity but she still had a lot of things that wanted to know especially about the Kingdom where she thought only Helga and the knights can narrate to her.

“I'll go back to them. I may visit here sometimes. I'll try to ask the mother fairy and Frio if we can be friends, build a small family. Just us. For now,” she said when she asked Montana's permission to go back to the knights. Montana was moved with her intentions, but she won't put her full hope. Suranne mentioned to her that she will find her way to unite the people and their race of werewolves. For her, they are no different from pure humans except that they are shifting into wolves during the full moon.

“I will respect your decision. You reached the age that you can decide for yourself, but still, you need our guidance. You can come here anytime if you need any help about us,” Montana replied, telling her that if she wanted to know things about their race of werewolves, she is always welcome to seek their help.

“I'm happy that everyone here seems to accept me as a new member of the pack,” Suranne said, smiling at the other members of the pack who are just there listening to them. They are outside of the cave. Gareth is not there and Elora is as well. She found out that the two are very good friends. They grew up together since Elora and her family brought Gareth with them during the exodus and after his parent's death. She is saddened to know the story of Gareth's life. In her mind, Gareth had a chance to be with his parents during his younger years, while she didn't even remember what her father looked like. With that thoughts, anger is growing in her. Her fists clenched, trying to control her emotions. She's trying to convince herself that revenge is not the solution for her to attain justice for her father, but when she thinks about the traitors especially when she found out that it was her father's brother who killed him, she cannot fathom his reason why he needed to kill him. Montana told her that it was his greed for the throne that pushed him to bring his brother to his demise. Yet, he still didn't get what he wanted as the Queen is sitting on the throne and he was just one of the puppets of the evil queen.

“We have been waiting for you for a long time. You can go now but always remember that there is no good in doing drastic measures. Wait for the right time. Don't let anger empower your mind and heart,” Montana said before she is going to leave to go back to the woods where the knights and fairies surely are waiting for her.

“I am grateful that I have this chance to meet you, mother,” Suranne throws herself into Montana's embrace. The feeling is different when she snuggles her in her wolf form. The warmth of her embrace gives her the comfort that she never had before. Her tears fall gushing down her smooth cheeks like a stream of all her desolation and bereft of growing up without knowing who she was. Montana embraces her back. She too can't restrain herself from her emotions. Every day she suffers from the agony of having a child, but she is not allowed to take care of her. It was then her agreement with King Hodus that she can get close to her daughter when she will turn to her legal age to become a werewolf. And she endures those years until she transforms and finds her, finally.

“I am more than happy, my daughter. My happiness to finally embrace you is immeasurable,” Montana said, holding her on her shoulders after breaking their embrace. “For now, you go back to them. I will send Gareth to accompany you, to make sure that you are safe.”

Suranne nodded. She then saw Gareth who seemed to wait for her. She smiled at him, but it didn't escape from her peripheral vision, the states that Elora is throwing at her. She doesn't understand why she can see anger in those stares. She slightly shakes her head as she might just be imagining things because her emotions aren't stable because of what she found out about her father.

Thereupon, she left with Gareth. Montana sent her with her stares. While on their way out, Suranne got the chance to ask Gareth about Elora.

“Uhm...Gareth, Elora is your best friend, right?” She asked.

“Yes, why?”

“How do you find her as a person?”:

Suranne doesn't know why she suddenly got interested in Elora, but what she saw was different. She got a different feeling about it. She is not comfortable thinking about her.

“She is a very good friend, but you know, sometimes a person has a weird attitude. For Elora, she has weaknesses too even though she shows that she is strong, I think it's normal. since we are born with emotions,” Gareth answered.

Suranne heaves a sigh. Gareth is wondering why she suddenly asks about her, but he is still able to answer her question.

“She is one of those that I think is not far from my age so I think I need to know her. To have friends in the pack,” Suranne replied when Gareth asked her why she is asking about Elora. She had a strange feeling for Elora and her mind seemed to be giving her a warning.

Using their agility, Suranne and Gareth arrived at the Lakeside Village. Subsequently, the village is the same, nothing new physically but people are still talking about the disturbance during the full moon. They said that it is a bad omen so mostly are preparing for whatever they said a crisis, war, and injustice.

Suranne felt guilty for people for their fears, but she can't show up and admit that she is responsible for the disturbance. The race of werewolves isn't welcome to pure humans and she does not have enough power in case outrage from the people will arise. Since Montana told her everything, she came up to enhance her power in a way she doesn't know yet. But one thing she is sure of is, she is willing to sacrifice to fulfill her father's dream for the people of the kingdom. She wanted to bring back the freedom that they enjoyed during the reign of her father.

Gareth sent her up to where the barrier is. She has nothing to hide from here anymore if where she lives. He knows everything about her. Suranne lets him leave first before she gets into the barrier. The cool breeze welcomed her as she stepped into the place which is the witness of how she grew up. It's just a couple of days since she left, but she felt like it was a very long time that she was not home. Though she doesn't have the freedom that she is looking for, now that she understands everything why the fairy and the knights secluded her in the woods; the woods where they live is a home for her. Her eighteen years are spent in the place and no matter what or where she goes, she promised to come back to this place.