Chapter V

It didn't take her a long time to realise that she was lost. Looking around l, she tried to find her way through the woods. She clutched the amethyst necklace on her neck, it was the only memory she had of her mother. She wobbled through the woods, becoming more confused. The pain in her stomach greatly increased, she thought she was being pierced with a million daggers. She tried to ignore it, but with every step she took, the pain became worse. The pain, refusing to submit to her will, brought her to her knees. She let out a loud howl, the pain becoming more intense. She crawled to a boulder to get support. She lay her head on it, waiting for the cold hands of death to take her away. But, they never came...

________________________________________

They assembled at the courtyard, waiting for the general to address them. Andreas wished he could punch the grin off General Montague's face. He was annoyed that the king had sent them on some wild goose chase to find a supposed werewolf. However, he became infuriated when he said the general would be leading the search. His fiery gaze burnt into the general's forehead. If looks could kill, the general would probably be long gone.

"Gentlemen, " he began, wiping the sweat off his brow, "We are gathered here today in search for a potential threat to the kingdom."

"An injured werewolf isn't a threat," he asserted. He smirked when the general threw a dirty look at him.

"How do you know it's injured? Are you in cohorts with it?" He said in an annoyed tone, probably because he rudely cut in on him when he was saying his speech.

"Any sensible person would know from the sound of its howl. I'm surprised you didn't figure it out, general," he mocked, stressing on the word, 'general.'

"Mind your tongue, Andreas!" He shouted, pushing through the crowd. Soon, he stood face to face with the general. "Who's gonna make me," he said to the general. The general was slightly taller, but he wouldn't let his height intimidate him.

"You will join the hunt, and you will help find the werewolf!" He growled, "And if you do, you will bring it straight to me."

Andreas scoffed as the general walked away. Guess we're doing this the hard way, he thought.

________________________________________

Kathy shuddered when she heard the approaching footsteps. They were light, but she could still hear them. She tried to get up, but fell at every attempt. She managed to crawl behind a tree. She glanced and saw six men walk to the boulder. They looked around but couldn't tell where she went. She couldn't see their faces properly, they wore veils. Her eyes went to the last man. Her hazel eyes lit up once they met his grey eyes. He spotted her, she knew it. But she couldn't look away.

He stared at the young lady who hid behind the tree. "So that's the runt who's stirring up trouble," he chuckled. He was beginning to wonder why a werewolf was in their territory. She was shivering behind the tree, probably from the cold or because she was afraid. The little brunette with hazel eyes amused him. He knew he should alert his group members, but he didn't. He took great pleasure in disobeying orders, especially when they came from the general.

"There's nothing here," he shrugged, "Why don't we split up? We'll cover more ground." They nodded in agreement before spreading out in different directions. His gaze went back to the quivering girl behind the tree. "They're gone now, you can come out."

She slowly walked out, her eyes darting in every direction except his. He chuckled once more, amused that the 'great general' thought the puny werewolf was 'a threat to the kingdom.'

To his surprise, she grabbed a wooden stake, charging towards him. Frowning, he dragged the stake out of her feeble hands, causing her to loose her balance. She stumbled, almost falling to the ground. He caught her as he stared into her dark hazel eyes.

"So, that's the thanks I get for saving you."

"Let go of me, you blood sucking leech," she protested, punching his chest. He didn't budge, it seemed the punches didn't affect him, or he refused to show the pain.

"I've been called many things, but never a leech," he chuckled.

"That's too bad, now let go of me!" She cried. He tightened his grip on her hand. She squinted, but didn't stop struggling. "Sure, I'll let go of you. You'll run into the woods and get caught. You'll be arrested, brutally murdered, and finally, war will be declared on the werewolves. Wouldn't that be lovely?" He said sarcastically. She stopped struggling and he let go of her arm.

"Thank you," she mumbled.

"Next time, do watch where you wander to, try to stay away from trouble."

"You've got a lot of nerve saying that in my territory. You're the outsider!"

He let out a loud laugh, not caring if anyone heard. He found out what was amiss, the little werewolf had wandered out of their pack into their territory. It was accidental, but the others wouldn't but it. They would declare war.

"Think again sweetheart."

No wonder the place felt so unfamiliar, she mumbled. She felt her chest constrict as she stepped back. She thought about Kiana, who was killed for being spotted with a vampire l. Then, she was in the garden, just before the borders. She couldn't imagine what her father would do to her if he found out she was speaking with a vampire, in their territory!

She felt the air leave her chest, making her feel nauseous. The trees swayed and the wind chanted, One of us! One of us!! One of us!!!

She fell to the ground, her eyelids partly opened. He lifted her from the ground, not knowing why he was drawn to her. He noticed something sparkle behind the tree. He found a amethyst necklace there. Immediately, he knew it belonged to the little werewolf in his arms. He shoved it into his pocket. Throwing her over his shoulder, he walked out of the woods in another direction.

He stopped when he got to the gardens separating their worlds. He dropped her on the garden grounds and left with her necklace.

Kathy woke up with an immense pain in her forehead. Looking around, she realised she was in her bedroom. She got up from the bed, limping towards her wardrobe. After tossing some clothes and shoes on the ground, she found the box that held her medicine. She opened it with the key in the drawer and quickly drank a portion of it. The pain she got from taking it was immense, but it wasn't as terrible as the pain she got when she didn't drink it. She plucked a leaf from the potted plant on her windowsill, quickly chewing it. She felt the pain go away, leaving only a cooling effect in her body. She reached for her neck, but couldn't find her necklace. "Where is it?" She cried. She tossed her tables over, dragged her sheets out and emptied all her boxes. She stopped midway when she heard a knock on her door.

"My lady, is everything okay?" The person behind the door said.

"Everything is fine, come in!" She shouted, still emptying the boxes. A maid stepped into the room treading slowly, careful lest she stepped on her things.

"Tell me Rhoda," she asked, "How did I get here?"

"Well," she began, "We found you in the gardens. What happened to you?"

"It's nothing," she sighed. "Have you seen my necklace?"

"No, but a letter came for you."

"A letter? Hand it over."

She handed the letter to her before leaving. She quickly unfolded it, reading its contents. There was only one sentence in it.

If you want to see your necklace again, meet me at the gardens at dusk.

She tore the letter to shreds. She knew he was the one who sent it to her. Angered, she smashed her mirror and watched it break to a million pieces. She calmed down, he helped her the previous night. Why did he do it, she wondered. Sitting on her bed, she pondered on what Kiana had told her years ago. They're not all bad, Kathy.