THE BEGINNING

In 1654,

In a small, candle-lit room, the air was thick with anticipation and the scent of burning herbs. The stone walls of the cottage held a comforting coolness, contrasting with the intense heat of the woman in labor. Her name was Maya, a farmer's wife, and she lay on a straw-stuffed mattress, gripping the hands of the midwife beside her.

The midwife, an older woman named Agana, moved with practiced ease, her face a mask of calm and concentration. "Breathe, Maya, just breathe," she encouraged, her voice a soothing balm against the waves of pain.

Maya's husband, Thomas, paced anxiously outside the room, his ear straining to catch any sound from within. Every so often, he would peek through the door, worry etched deeply into his rugged face. The cries of his wife were heart-wrenching, but he knew he had to stay out of the way.

Inside, Maya's labor was reaching its peak. She gritted her teeth against the pain, her face flushed and damp with sweat. "I can't... I can't do this," she gasped, clutching at Agana hand.

"You're stronger than you think, Maya," Agnes replied firmly. "The baby is almost here. Just one more push."

With a final, primal scream, Maya summoned every ounce of strength left in her body. She pushed with all her might, gnawing her teeth and clutching her hands into a tight fist to the point her knuckles turned white.

"The head is out." Agana exclaimed.

Finally, with one last push, the first cry of a newborn filled the room. The midwife smiled and placed the baby boy in Maya's trembling arms. But before she could catch her breath, Matador felt another wave of contractions. The midwife's eyes widened in realization—another child was on the way.

Within moments, a second cry echoed through the hut. Maya stared in shock as the midwife handed her a second baby boy. Identical twins. Panic surged through her as she remembered the king's decree.

It was a taboo for a woman to have identical babies, Maya didn't know what to do. Why did she have to be punished this way?

Why has this abomination become her faith?

Moments later, the room was filled with the loud, indignant cries of newborns.

Agana quickly wrapped the babies in a soft linen cloth and placed the tiny bundle in Maya's trembling arms.

"They're both boys, and you know what that means." Agana said to the woman.

"I... Is anyone finds out about this, they would will them both and me too." Maya's words came as a whisper to the elderly woman who stared at her.

In 1654,

In a far far away land in the west, the sound of hourses

a far far away land in the west, birds chartered in the sky and trees paraded to the tendency of the wind, homes were opened as children ran out of their huts for their usual early morning plays in the mud.

The first vestige of day streaked across the horizon in angry scratches of red and orange.

The morning sun shone through the land of Hidden Valley leaving its rainbow-like trail across the tree branches and wet huts caused by the heavy rainfall the previous night.

The people were yet again, happy to see the sun shine so brightly, it was a sign of good things, they believed.

They've always experienced constant rainfall, most times it takes a day or two before it subsides, but last night had been something else. Last night was not just any rain, it was a storm. A storm that has turned many homeless.

Rain had smothered their land making people run out of their huts in search of shelter cause they had no roof anymore except for those who were prepared for it.

Unlike the wealthy people of the land who had their hut made with sticks and stones, the people of this small village isolated from the rest of Hidden Valley had their hut made with animal skin and dried leaves.

If the skins and leaves are not replaced in time, they get blown away by the wind or thorn into pieces like dust.

A fine slender looking woman stepped out of her little detached hut. "John needs to go hunt down more animals for skins, the hut is falling apart," Matador said, her voice came as almost a whisper to the little girl standing before her as she weaved her hair.

"When will you be back Mama?" Little Grace asked, pulling the little strands of hair that covered her eyes due to the wind. Her blonde hair was now twisted in one long weave hanging on her shoulders. She blinked her wet lashes as she stared at her mother curiously.

"Soon dear, but if I'm not back, your brother knows what to do." Matador kissed her daughter's forehead tenderly before putting her black cloak on, taking a basket in her hands.

It pained Matador to leave her children, but she had to go to the nearby market to get the early morning vegetables and prepare for the upcoming festival which was just a few days ahead.

Unfortunately, the rain and wind from the previous night had ruined their little hut greatly and even destroyed most of their valuable items. Getting new animal skin would cost nothing less than three(3) hundred gold coins, they barely made 30 marbles daily so they couldn't afford that.

It was best they hunt down large animals for bigger skin, even if she knew it would be very hard, but that way they'd have enough food to eat for the next weeks to come.

"You should stay away from the woods till I'm back grace, you know how dangerous things are around here". She warned heading towards the wood.

Grace watched her mother's figure disappear into the woods which was much darker than the normal lands cause of the tall trees that shrouded light from penetrating, through their long branches, before heading back in to fetch her brother.

They've experienced recent encounters and attacks from werewolves lately, especially the ones that just got turned and she didn't want anything happening to her children.

Matador was just a woman whose husband, unfortunately, died in one of the wars between Hidden Valley and Neil and since then, she's been trying so hard to survive having great hate for the people of Neil.

The further she got into the woods, the colder and quieter it got, which was so unusual and creepy. A gush of cold wind passed by causing goosebumps to creep on her skin, but she brushed the sudden eerie feelings off. It was still too early to harbour such ill thoughts so that the rest of her day will not be ruined. Besides, it's not the first time she's taken this route.

She has walked through this path of the shadowy forest before, even at night, and has never encountered any danger or harm before. Matador tried her best to avoid the muddy ground so as not to get them stuck in her shoes. The last thing she wanted was leave any trail behind.

Just as she walked further, she heard a strange ruffling sound behind her and turned quickly to see what it was. But she was welcomed by the emptiness of the woods. She sighed and continued walking.

She must be imagining things again. Maybe because she didn't get enough rest the previous night because of the rain.

Just as she moved further, the ruffling began again.

"Who's there? Show yourself." She said loudly only for her words to echo back at her. Who is she kidding? It might be the wind or whatever it was must have passed by but that didn't mean she wasn't alarmed.

Matador wasn't human, so she heard things 10 times better than a human could. She dipped her hands in her pocket and gripped her wand stick, readying herself for any danger.

A few steps ahead and the ruffling started again, this time more severe than the last that had a few dead leaves floating on the air. She paused to hide behind two large trees so whatever it was would pass by.

She's not a baby not to know this sound signifies danger, and she tried to steady her heartbeats. Creatures picked on heartbeats faster than anything else.

Whatever it is that has come here was not an ordinary creature. She was aware of the different creatures in the lands, but all those creatures were creatures of the night and none could harm anyone in the daytime.