ENEMIES
“Father!!, please….”, She pleaded.
“Enough!!, you are just a pup!!, you know nothing about this war!!, and you know nothing about the rivalry!!.” He yelled at her.
Nisha, the daughter of Alpha Lucas of the sunrise pack, has been against the war from the onset, but her father refused to listen to her plea to end it. The pain she felt in her stomach whenever the war was mentioned was always excruciating that it made her weak in her knees.
“My father's madness must stop. We could lose our pack members, our friends, and family!, he could lose me.”, She said to herself.
She lowered her head and walked towards her quarters, she opened the door and asked her guards and maids to give her time alone. She didn't want them around her at this time, as they were of no use to her in this period, and it was best to stay far from those who believed the war must go on. Some might not be cool with it, but had no choice than to adhere.
She took off her royal attire and wore the simplest outfit she had. Then she heard a knock on her door.
“I thought I gave an order that no one should interrupt my time alone.”, She yelled.
“It's I, Caleb. A minute! I promise.
“Alright, come in.”, She said.
“Uhm… I overheard you and dad's argument, Nisha. I just want you to know that this is an inevitable war between the two clans. If we don't fight and win, the enemy will keep clashing with us. We have to put an end to it.”, Caleb said.
“No one understands how I feel about this war. Why must we fight? Can't we make peace? That's possible.”, I said, hoping my brother could see the light in what I was saying.
“Hmm, probably when you grow older, you'll understand. Sleep tight, Nisha.”, He said and left.
“Hmm. Sporadically, I wonder what the commoners feel like.”, She said.
She leaned on her window's frame while staring outside. From her room, she could see a charming forest with tall trees and green leaves on each branch, flowers of all kinds, fruits of different shapes and colors. She stood there admiring them, wishing she could visit the forest one day. She then laid on her bed and pulled the duvet up to her shoulders, ready to sleep. Her eyes gradually closed and sleep took over.
“Run!!!!, faster!!!. Don't look back!!.”
“But I can't leave you!!!.” She yelled.
She watched as an arrow, in the blink of an eye, passed through his body, tears rolled down her eyes, her knee gave way. She fell to the ground with no strength in her. She growled painfully and sobbed as she had just lost her father.
“Ah!!!.”, She screamed and sat up quickly, panting as she held her chest and squeezed it. She was glad it was just a dream, and it was far from reality.
She looked out of her window to find how dark it was outside. It was dark, but the forest stayed lit. It increased her curiosity. Then she went out of her room through the window. She ran as fast as the wind could carry her, so as not to be noticed by any guard.
“Going somewhere?” A familiar voice said.
She turned around, only to find out that it was her friend, Josephine. She smiled at her, ignoring the question she asked, and then walked past her and out of her sight.
Furthermore, she inhaled the fresh air that blew lightly in the forest. Then she was wandering into the deep forest like a Disney Princess. The wind scattered her hair and the feel of the breeze made her feel refreshed. She felt so relieved to be in such a place that spoke peace. Suddenly, the aura changed as she felt someone's presence. She became scared as she remembered the forest was the only place separating her clan from the enemy's clan.
“Who is there?” She voiced out in fear.
Fear wasn't really a part of her, but since the news of another war, she has been restless. She stepped backwards slowly and tripped over a rock and fell into a bush. Her heart skipped a bit, and she crawled and kept her head down while trying to find a way out. She was warned never to enter this forest, but her curiosity made her disobey her father's words. The thought of the unknown person around sent chills down her spine, she couldn't howl for help as she knew the stranger could get to her before help came. Rain began to fall, and some paths looked slippery, but she had to leave. So, she stood up and started running, looking back until she tripped again and this time around, hit her head hard. Nisha was dizzy for a while and saw a man approaching her while she was still dizzy. The stranger lifted her body off the ground, and she wanted to scream, but she found herself too weak to do so, then she passed out.
Nisha woke up and coughed lightly, she looked around and was amazed at how beautiful this mansion was with welcoming light. She tried to sit up, but the man who saved her, interrupted.
“Good morning!.”, he said.
She felt relieved as she was convinced that he was a good man since he saved her and brought her to his home. She then came back to her senses.
“Wait! Where am I?” She said, looking around,
“A thank you could have been better as the first word that comes out of your mouth.”, He said, looking stern.
Nisha felt uncomfortable, as she didn't expect him to be stern. She imagined him as a friendly person.
“I'm sorry… I … I mean, thank you. Who are you?” She said, managing to keep her cool.
“That's not necessary right now. What were you doing in the woods last night?” He asked with a poker face.
"Why would you ask that?” I talked back.
He stood up and wandered around and then faced her.
“There could be only two reasons you were there, and one of them is correct. You were either spying on me or stalking me because you admire me.”, He said with his right eyebrow arched.
“What! That's ridiculous! You don't know me and all you can do is accuse me of stalking or spying?” I said, trying to keep my cool.
“You ran from me! Why did you run from me if you weren't doing something negative?” He said, looking cranky.
Nisha was becoming more uncomfortable and was hoping he would release her. She was already worrying that her father and brother could be worrying about her now and would send a troop to look for her if her absence prolongs. She was about to speak when a warrior came in to call the stranger out.
“I'll be back and you better prepare the truth.”, He said, coldly and left.
A lady came in shortly and walked in classically. She wore a black gown and had red lipstick on, she was gorgeous, and her body was enviable. She moved closer to Nisha and bent down to her.
“Oh! You must have been spying on him, right? You have nothing important to do, you lowly commoner!” She said, with her eyes looking like she could devour Nisha.
Nisha wanted to talk back at her, but she was so intimidated by the lady's looks and aura. She understood that she was mistaken as a commoner because of what she wore. Seeing as Nisha didn't talk, the lady continued talking.
“Look. If you stop eyeing him, your life won't be endangered. He's not public property as you can see.”, She said, looking cunning.
“You're getting me wrong. I have no intention of getting closer to him. I don't know him, neither do I admire him.”, Nisha said, finally regaining her confidence as the lady had withdrawn her harsh approach.
“Good. I love that. I can feel your sincerity as a woman to a woman. So, what were you doing in the woods?” She asked.
“I was taking a stroll. Everywhere felt stuffed, and the woods had just the atmosphere I longed for.”, Nisha said, feeling more comfortable.
“Oh… It's like that most times. But you ought to be careful, as enemies could come to slit your throat.”, She said.
“I understand. My father had warned me several times, but I was just so curious about how it felt to be in the woods.”, Nisha said.
“That's cool. Occasionally, we move out of our comfort zone to get what we want.”, She said.
“Yes. I didn't regret going into the woods yesterday.”, Nisha said as she smiled brightly.
Suddenly, the stranger barged in with a cold, murderous stare, he moved closer to Nisha and grasped her.
“Who are you?”, He asked.
“I'm Nisha”, she said with a shaky voice.
“Nisha?, Alpha Lucas' daughter”, he said, smirking.
“Yes. What's wrong?” Nisha said, trembling.
The lady brought out a knife, ready to stab Nisha, as she was fuming with anger.