The End Of The Lie

MOON

Once the blind girl was called upon, a smile tugged at Prince Daemon NorthSteed's lips. It looked awry, and equal parts of anticipation mixed with an aged suspense.

The girl, who was called Zina WolfKnight, guided herself forward with her staff. It was a wonder how every emotion was wiped off her face. Like a blind canvass, instead of looking scared, her demeanour demanded that all in the room be scared of her instead.

And perhaps they were, by her haunting and captivating appearance. But they pretended not to have any fear as they whispered amongst themselves,

"The WolfKnights? Who are they? The name sounds familiar."

And the response was, "A once great pack that was ravaged during the great purge. Now, all that is left of the pack are beasts who purport to take their name."

Zina heard it all, but her anger was not stoked. Like a rigid thing… no, like a lamb on its way to the slaughterhouse, Zina prayed that when the guilt eventually came, that it should be enough to kill her.

There was no way she could purport to live after this.

Or better still, the Mondem ritual should find her unworthy, and the water of life should take her life. If she died, she supposed her pack would be set free as there would be no use to keeping them anymore.

The drums were hit anew, and the Mondem ritual started.

A ritual to force a specific vision.

Zina recollected how in the first woman's case it had murdered her for the sole reason that she was a fake seer. In the second woman's case, it had completely engulfed her in the madness of seeing visions, and the woman's life too was taken away from her in the insanity of everything.

Zina wondered what her story would be like? In all cases it seemed that death was the final answer….

….Only death.

While she mused about it, the feeling of letting go and breaking into a dance overwhelming her, her spectators looked on with anticipation… for no matter how much they tried to act like they detested the play, they were in fact wound up from anticipation of it.

Like watching a bloody play come to its end, the tension in the room was particularly high… so much so that even Zina could taste it.

The same way she tasted the Water of Life the moment the bland liquid touched her lips. If Zina expected it to have any unique taste, her expectations were for naught as the liquid was just tasteless… much like water.

Except unlike water, the liquid caused her to feel strange, as if she was floating in the air. The spectators looked on to her with anticipation. Then the Alpha King prowled closer to her, his yellow eyes more yellow for more than one reason.

The Alpha King rested his eyes squarely on the girl who was obviously an aberrant. Knowing fully well that she could not feel the power of his wolf, he still very well growled his intention to receive the truth, his voice conveying the same question he had already asked two times that night.

"Tell me girl, who intends to kill me? And who intends to usurp my throne?"

Zina was still for some time, not because she couldn't speak, but because the lie was very well at the tip of her lips, ready to be told.

The so-called true vision the Mondem ritual and the Water of Life were supposed to force from her were nowhere to be found. The only image that assaulted her was that of the young Daemon bleeding before a throne.

And after that vision was a vision that her own mind had conjured on its accord to remind her of what was at stake…

….an image of her family and pack of twenty-four dying and bleeding while their dead eyes were upturned to her in a manner that would haunt her forever. 

It was time to choose the lesser evil, Zina guessed. And now, she knew what it would mean for her… and that was nothing but her own doom.

Shoulders squared, her ghostly white hair dancing about her in tune with the gust of cold wind that blew through the open windows, Zina opened her lips,

"The time of the Arctic Wolf is nigh." she said, confusing both herself and the guests.

"What?" The Theta asked slowly, staring at the girl who she knew would come that night. The Theta supposed she should be happy though, if no one was able to answer the Alpha's question then she might be able to retain her position.

But she also knew deep down within her that her situation was far more precarious than that. The moon goddess had cursed her too, and her death was going to happen that night. No matter how much she attempted to wiggle out of it, hers was a sealed fate.

All she could do was look onto that girl who seemed to be the last silver lining in what could mean doom for all of Vraga. Whatever the young seer would say that night and how she would say it would decide the fate of many high ranking packs.

Zina on her own part was surprised that she wasn't dead yet. She had decided to start off spewing nonsense in an attempt to test her fate and sound so mighty. Although it wasn't exactly nonsense as she was simply leaning on what the middle-aged seer had said to the Alpha King earlier.

It could be said that she was cursing the Alpha King, but at that point she didn't really care. The man had brought it to himself by wanting his son dead.

In the same mysterious and eerie voice, Zina continued, pointing her staff at the Alpha King who stood directly before her, "The time of the Arctic Wolf will come to an end, and the DireWolf shall take his place."

The intended meaning of her words became so painfully obvious as she spoke the words. The Young Seer, unlike her predecessors, had given a name to the Alpha King. And while it was an answer alright, it was coined in a way that was greatly unsatisfying.

Afterall, for who else if not Daemon NorthSteed was the blood of the ancient, extinct DireWolf?