Blessed with the Moon
Once upon a time, in a land far away, named Oscanda, the territory was subdivided into three realms named Bazova, Arand, and Lanir. The rigidly uncompromising rulers of these lands were from three different subspecies, called vampires, wolf shifters, and humans. The three kingdoms flew in the face of each other over an extremely powerful source of energy, resulting in so many political disaccords. In the end, the energy vanished but the feuds continued. No one on the planet owned the power to ‘solve’ their disputes, thus the issues remained unresolved for a millennium. Hundreds of years later, the new generation still had to compensate for their ancestors’ wrangling with their lives. The monarchs chose to isolate their kingdoms to end the agony. Thousands of years later, a peasant girl unknowingly unleashed the beasts from their restraints and got entangled in the warfare of the strongest! Marked by a regnant vampire lord, imprinted by the flamboyantly handsome werewolf king, engaged to a threatening human crown prince, she became the imperial insignia of Oscanda. When the war raged, she became the expiatory offering! At last, a beast sealed her fate though her heart belonged somewhere else. She had to perforce obey the rules, marry the destined one, and unfold the mysteries surrounding her.
Daredevil's Pet
When Diana woke up, it was already dark.
She sat up in the bed once again and looked around. The wolf was still sleeping in the corner.
Diana need not treat the wounds again that day. But she had to somehow make him eat something.
She put her legs down from the rock. When the sole of her foot touched the ground, she instantly remembered something.
Wasn't she sitting on the floor?
When did she lay down on this stone bed?
She dubiously turned towards the wolf once again.
As she continued to stare at the wolf, it turned towards her as well.
"Weren't you sleeping?", she asked.
It just looked at her with a frown.
"Was it you?"
The wolf placed its chin on its leg and continued to look at her.
"How am I sitting on the stone bed?"
"......"
"Are you playing with me?"
Annoyed by her continuous chitter-chatter, the wolf turned its head away.
Diana speechlessly stared at him for a while then stood up and picked the slick with bread loaf.
She threw the bread away then placed a new one. Once again she tried to feed him bread. If he wouldn't eat anything, he may lose consciousness again.
When she poked the head once again with the bread, the wolf turned towards her with announcing in its eyes.
"Eat this!", she ordered.
The wolf kept staring and doing nothing.
"I don't believe that you don't understand", she said.
"............"
"Huh...", finally fed up with everything, she picked the pouch and took a loaf in her hand. She started to eat it.
While eating the loaf, she once again stretched the stick towards the wolf.
Looking at her eat the bread, the wolf started to nibble the bread a little.
Diana was more than happy!
"Good boy. Eat more", she smiled.
The wolf need nourishment as it had lost so much blood just like her. She happily watched the wolf as it ate more bread.
She picked up the lantern and walked to the entrance of the cave. When she reached the entrance, she heard a low grunt, for the first time that day.
She turned towards the one who was making that sound.
"What?", she asked.
The wolf lifted its already lifted head higher and looked at her expectantly.
"You're scared?"
The wolf once again dropped its head.
Looking at that sad face, Diana had to finally drop the idea of going back that day.
She came back and lit another candle, then laid down on the stone bed as she snuggled around her pouch.
She wasn't sleepy. But she had no other better options than that. She tried her best for a few hours but couldn't sleep.
At last, she sat up on the bed. The wolf hasn't slept yet and was staring at her.
Diana gathered her courage and walked towards the wolf. She stood by its side for a few seconds, then finally sat beside it.
"Do you know where Wyatt is?", she asked.
The wolf blankly stared at her as usual. Finally, with a sigh, she rested her head on the wall behind her.
She didn't know when she slept, but it was early in the morning and the bluebirds had completed the duty of waking her up.
When she came to her senses, she felt something heavy on her lap. It was sore. She looked down at what it was.
The wolf was sleeping peacefully resting its head on her lap!
"What the....", she mumbled.
She was indeed afraid to wake up the beast so she just stayed still. Finally, the wolf turned its head away and released her.
Diana tried her best to stand up.
She couldn't feel her legs.
"How long have you been sleeping on my lap?" she muttered in pain.
She steadied herself then walked out of the cave.
When she reached out and smelled the fresh air, she suddenly remembered the fact that she didn't bathe the whole day!
If the gate wouldn't open for a week, would she have to stay untidy?
She finally got an idea, when she looked at the pond.
She picked up the peasant clothes she brought to treat the wound of the beast and found something that she could wear in the lump.
She found a bearable stoking and tunic in the clothes and carried them to the pond.
She was not ready to dive deep so she chose a clear water area and sat by the shore and started to clean herself.
She looked around once then removed her clothes.
With only a chest band and underpants, she stepped inside the water.
But before too long, she heard some rustles so she hurriedly turned in that direction.
It was the wolf and he was standing at the entrance of the cave.
"It was just you", she smiled.
Suddenly she remembered the most important fact of all. It was not just a wolf. but a wolf that can turn into a man...
A wolfman or maybe a man-wolf?
She was frozen then, looked at herself. Her lower half was already under the water so she hurriedly hid the other hand, and sink up to her nose. She peeped at the wolf through from there. Angrily she stayed calm. The wolf turned in her direction and then started to stroll towards her.
Annoyed by its activity, she frowned then splashed a small amount of water on its face.
"Go away!", she said.
With that, the wolf shook itself once then confusedly looked at her.
"Go away!" she repeated.
With that, the wolf turned back and walked back into the cave with majestic steps. Now that she looked at the wolf in the daytime. it was indeed so majestic as if it rules everything over the world.
When it reached the entrance of the cave, its careless eyes once again drifted in her direction.
"I said to go inside", she scooped some water, ready to attack!
To her surprise, the wolf obediently went inside!
Once she finished with the bathing, she wore the tunic and stockings. She had worn these men's clothing many times to prank the villagers so it was not difficult for her to walk in these clothes. The only problem was that it didn't match her size. However, she could get used to it.
When she reached the cave entrance once again, she was welcomed by the wolf at the entrance.
Her heart stopped once.
Even though that is unlikely after so much she and the wolf had gone through, what if the wolf suddenly attack her, now that it is cured?
She tightened her grasp on the dagger. Of course, she wouldn't leave the dagger and chill out in this forest.
The wolf seems to have noticed her reaction!
Its sight fell on her hand once, then on her face!
It slowly walked towards her, just like the first time it sniffled her. She was standing unlike the last time, still, the wolf towered over her. It lowered its head as it reached her and finally, unexpectedly, startlingly licked her cheek once. It was a swift moment but as someone who just bathe a moment ago, she felt extremely angry and annoyed.
"What the...", she began to ask as another swift lick followed.
"What the hell are you doing?" she stepped back with anger on her face.
"Stop meddling with me!"
The wolf slightly tilted its head in confusion reminding her of the ruby red-eyed man. He did the same when she questioned him!
"I know you can understand what I saw. I know that you are a wolfman", she continued.
"Now that you are cured, tell me where Wyatt is", she demanded.
"I'll treat it as the doctor fee", she finished.
The wolf continued to look at her for a few seconds then once again stepped forward and gave another swift lick instead of a response.
Diana had never felt this much annoyance in her life before.
The wolf seemed happy with the progress so it cheerfully turned around wagging the tail a little.
"What are you? A wolf or dog?" she muttered.
But the one before her didn't seem to respond except for licking her!
Diana facepalmed once in dismay then let it slid.
After this awkward incident, the wolf did everything she wanted. It didn't make it hard for her to treat its wound. It stood up and let her bandage its wound. It ate everything she gave including the herbs. Sometimes, it offered her free cuddles as well!
In other words, it showered her with love. She had never received this much attention in her whole life so it indeed made her happy.
She didn't know why, but she understood that the wolf liked her a lot. Unlike the counterfeit, selfish, and pathetic forms of love she had seen in between the humans, this animal's acts seemed pure.
It just wanted to sit beside her and wanted her to pet its head, almost the whole time.
So finally she had chosen to accept this giant, black, ferocious, inhuman beast as her friend!