RIO
I had been running since with no definite destination on my mind. All through, the path had been lonely and as I moved further away, I could sense from within that I was wandering farther away from home.This was scary because I had never had any reason to leave my packland: it was where I had been born and where I had grown up, but I guess things were changing now.I was embarking on a journey of the unknown, a journey in which I did not know what to expect: if I would survive or not.It was a known fact that an alpha should not be out alone, wandering about in the woods with no company but I did not think I had the right to be accompanied by warriors anymore.For all I knew, I had lost that right. I had flouted all the rules my father had taught me:An alpha's duty was to protect his pack. An alpha was never one to run in the face of danger. An alpha was not one to be left vulnerable in the hands of others. But I was not that alpha anymore.Currently thinking about my father's teaching, I felt I had wasted all the man's labour. My father had had such big plans for me.He had wanted me to be strong and powerful; to be an alpha who was not dependent on others, an alpha who would be greater than him and this made him do a lot of things just to make sure I became that kind of alpha.It was one of the reasons he fought so many wars. He wanted to keep the Greystone pack strong for my reign.But I had not fulfilled my father's wish. I had failed the old man. I was sure he was disappointed in me wherever he was.In the past, he had always told me how much he had been proud of me and how he wanted me to succeed him as alpha because he was convinced I was best for the position.According to him, I was not a coward like my elder brother: he had said I had his blood flowing in my veins, that I had his genes.But as I ran away like a loser, I wondered if my father was still proud of me: if he was looking down at me with admiration or with disgust — just as he did to my brother.Thinking of this now, I felt a lump form in my throat. Definitely, my father would not be proud. I mean, I was not even proud of myself.At that moment, I wondered if I should still refer to the Greystone pack as my pack even after putting the pack in danger and causing people to become childless, fatherless, and widows.I had taken their men from them because of my selfishness. I was not sure I could ever stop blaming myself and it was this guilt that was sending me far away from the pack. For the time being, it was best everyone thought I was dead.However, the thought of what would happen to my pack in my absence kept plaguing me as I ran. Without an alpha, they would be vulnerable. Anyone could attack and subjugate them.Was this really the best option? Would I meet my pack in one piece when I finally returned?My grey wolf was now getting weak, seeing how it had been running for three days without any good food or water.I wondered if it was angry at me, judging from how quiet and edgy it was. Perhaps, it was mourning its mate just as I was grieving Adelia.I urged my wolf to keep running though, pushing my many thoughts behind me. It was not as if worrying about them would bring a solution. So there was no point.I tried also not to worry about the present or the future. I was diving into a world of uncertainty, I was passing through an unknown path with no plan whatsoever on how to survive — the most silly thing anyone would do.But I would not be bothered by that nor would I allow myself to be discouraged before I even got started. I was Rio after all, and I always found a way.Besides, there was no better way to understand my next step. I needed some time to think about my life and what I wanted to do and to be able to properly think, I needed to be far away from home as possible.Leaving would give me enough time to draft out plans on how to face my people. It would give me enough time to fix myself.So yeah, I was not running away like a coward but I was embarking on a journey of finding myself.My pack had suffered enough so the least I could do for them if at all I wanted to remain their alpha was to fix myself and my broken heart.I would surely return to the Greystone pack. I was not abandoning my people.Now, my wolf was already tired, I could feel it. Its speed was slacking too so I decided to morph back into my human form, settling for walking rather than running.I was now in a large clearing — the first I had seen since I woke up. All through the three days I had been running, trees and thick bushes had been all that had surrounded me.But now, I was in a large clearing and just ahead was a river. My heart leapt for happiness the moment I sighted the river and I walked right to it, limping a bit.My knees were still cramped so it was difficult to walk well, but I knew I would be fine in no time. I healed very fast.Now beside the river, I knelt and took a big drink from the water. As much as I thought drinking from a public river was unhealthy, I was in no position to be picky.So with my palms, I brought a good amount of water to my lips and I drank from it, satisfying my thirst. My throat felt parched so I drank as much as I could.After I had drunk to my fill, I knelt by the water, staring at my reflection on the water. Though blurry, I could see how bad I looked.I looked like a fugitive with my torn clothes and dirty hair. I was sure I smelt too, seeing how I had not had my bath in days.Throwing caution in the wind, I decided to take a bath but before I could do that, I heard footsteps of someone approaching.Alarmed, I dashed behind the only available tree in the clearing and hid behind it.I had no idea where I was so it was best to be cautious. Seeing how exhausted I was, I was not sure I could defend myself if anyone tried to attack me. So I had to be wise.However, when I discovered that it was only a lady, I frowned, watching her as she walked straight to the river like one who was hypnotized. She was dressed in a tunic and trousers made of durable, earth-toned fabrics like wool.
Her white hair was left to fall on her shoulder. She was very pretty and would pass for a noble if not for her rough dressing. Judging from how smooth and soft her skin looked, I could tell that she had never had to spend so much time under the heat of the sun. So why was she here? What she was doing all alone in a deserted place?
From where I was hiding, I could see her pretty face which was smeared with tears. Her hazel eyes were red and swollen and she kept sniffing as she walked robotically to the river. I watched her, wondering what was wrong with her.
She stood by the river, now sobbing heavily, her body shaking with the intensity of her sob. It was obvious that she was deeply hurt by something and I watched her, not knowing what to do. I was not one to care for strangers and I stayed out of people's business too.
So I remained behind the tree, watching her.
I watched as she wiped her eyes furiously, cleaning and scrubbing her face roughly as though she wanted to hurt herself. Her eyes were fixed on the water and she stood there for a moment, just sniffing and whispering words to herself.
Then she turned around suddenly, fixing a hard gaze on the tree I was hiding behind. With the way she was staring at it intently, one would think she could see right through the tree. I wondered if she knew I was behind — which was quite impossible because I was hiding quite well.
However, when she pointed, I knew I had been caught.
"I know you're there." She said. "I've seen you already. Quit hiding."FRANCESCA It has been three days since I found myself stuck in this new world with no way out. Three days yet I was just as confused and heartbroken as the first day. Nothing seemed to make sense: not the ragged dressing, not the buildings, not even the food. That morning, Madam Creese — the old lady had told me to call her that — had made me some pancakes which looked different from what I was used to. They were more like crepes or tortillas, unlike what was made in the future. According to Madam Creese, I was over five hundred years behind time. Living here would require a lot of getting used to and the truth was that I was tired even before I could explore this new world. I wanted to return to my old life. I wanted to live in my house, sit on my bed, read my novels, and go for a walk. I wanted to be able to visit my mother's gravestone anytime I wanted to. I wanted to see my friends again. As I stood by the river, I found myself wondering what my friends were thinking about
FRANCESCA I was right. There was someone behind the tree. It was a man and he was walking slowly towards me, his green eyes fixed on me. I stared right back at him, surprised to see a human being in the woods. Since I found myself here, I had not come in contact with any human except Madam Creese so it was quite shocking yet pleasing to see someone else. I watched him, my eyes taking in his appearance as he approached me slowly. He was dressed in rags just as I was — I guess he was dressed worst. His tunic was ripped by the side and the brown breeches he wore were torn. From his dirty and bruised feet, I could tell he had been walking a lot. Was he a wanderer? Did he even have a roof over his head? I pulled my eyes from his feet back to his face and my heart skipped a bit at the beauty that was now standing a few feet away from me. He had full brows and long lashes. His nose was long and pointed and his full lips were a sensuous sight: they were a light shade of pink; the cup
FRANCESCA Madam Creese did not say anything to me until we got to the cottage. She had simply held me by the wrist and pulled me along as we walked back to the cottage. She was only an old woman but sometimes, her strength amazed me. The walk back to the cottage had been quite long. I had not realized that I had walked farther from the cottage until now. I had simply followed my feet where it led me — and it had led me to the river. Now I knew why Madam Creese was mad at me. She had clearly told me to stay within the confines of the cottage for my safety but I had gone ahead and flouted that rule. "I'm sorry," I said the moment we got into the cottage. "For what?" Madam Creese stared blankly at me, her grey eyes lacking any emotion. I was taken aback by this and I stared back at her, confused. "For what, Mila?" She probed and my brows furrowed. Back there, she had called me Francesca but here she was calling me Mila. I could not understand this old lady. "For leaving the cotta
FRANCESCA Her words were making me teary and I blinked multiple times to stop the tears from falling. "I know you yearn for a companion. I understand that but you must understand that you can't trust anyone, especially not people you find in the forest. Many times, those people are fugitives. Rogues, who had left their lands after committing a crime." "I guess that is how they would see us too because we are not different from them." I found myself saying. Madam Creese frowned at that."What do you mean?" "We are also living in the forests like criminals. I bet Rio must think we are fugitives like you believe he is. But we are not. Why don't you give him the benefit of the doubt? What if he is not any of the things you are accusing him of?" I could not explain why I was suddenly defending a stranger I had just met a moment ago but I did not like that Madam Creese was writing him off before she got to know him. I agree that he could be dangerous but what if he was not? Would I ju
I scoffed loudly as I watched the elf girl walk away with her grumpy grandmother. It was funny how the old woman thought I was interested in her daughter. Though she had not said a word to insinuate that, I could tell from the nasty glares she had thrown my way that she wanted me to be as far away from Francesca as possible. I could not help but find this really hilarious as I watched the two of them leave. Though Francesca kept looking behind her shoulder to catch my gaze, the grumpy old woman was keen on pulling her violently as though she wanted to detach the poor girl's arm from her body. I scoffed again as I stared at their retreating figures. I wished I could tell the old lady not to worry about me because I had no intention of being around her daughter. Of course, Francesca was very pretty — if I was being honest with myself, I had enjoyed the little conversation we had had — She was quite intriguing too. Perhaps, this was one reason I did not want to be anywhere near her. S
FRANCESCA"Your eyes on your target! Now shoot!" Madam Creese shouted and I did as she had taught me but just like the first ten times, the arrow fell to the ground before my feet rather than go hit the bottle.I groaned in frustration and set the bow apart. We had been doing this all evening yet it felt like I was not born to shoot an arrow; I just could not get it no matter how much Madam Creese tried. This was proving to be too difficult and I was already exhausted.Sweat trickled down the side of my face and I wiped it off with the back of my palms. My fingers hurt from pulling the bow's drawstring many times and my back was beginning to ache. I heard Madam Creese sigh deeply beside me and I bowed my head, fixing my gaze on the ground. She had been really patient with me that evening and I felt bad to let her down.We were standing in front of the cottage and Madam Creese was trying to teach me how to shoot an arrow. She had placed a bottle some distance away and was asking me to
FRANCESCAOf course, I knew what she was suspicious about. Ever since the incident with Rio, she had become more and more suspicious about my movement. She never wanted me to step out of the house anymore. I was sure she thought I was staying back to execute a plan I had under my sleeves.But where could I possibly go? I didn't know my way around here. I didn't know anyone. I had not even seen Rio in days. I had returned to the river, hoping to find him, but he was not there. He was nowhere to be found. Thinking about Rio made my heart feel heavy; It was like he had betrayed me somehow. I could not explain how but I felt betrayed nonetheless. I mean, he should have come looking for me — or had Madam Creese scared him that much to make him stay away completely? Now, I knew for a fact that I was only bothered simply because I didn't have any friends. I was sure I would not care about him if I had other friends. However, I had been greatly annoyed by his absence. Not knowing who to c
RIOI woke up with a banging headache and a sore throat which was strange because I rarely ail with such things. I groaned in pain, rolling a bit to the side as I tried to still the ache in my head. It felt like someone was hitting my head repeatedly with a pestle and it was painful.The sun was out and its blinding light shone on my face, making it difficult for me to open my eyes. I rolled to the side again, hoping to shield my face, but when I dropped to the ground with a heavy thud, my eyes opened and the first thing I saw was the wooden ceiling above. It was then I realized that I had fallen off a bed.I gasped loudly, my eyes scanning the room. The last time I checked, I was in the woods. How then had I moved from the woods to being in a room?The ache in my head had multiplied due to the fall but I ignored the pain and sat up on the hard floor.The room was very small but cosy. The windows were left open and the sunlight filled the room, brightening the room more than I would l