"King Lycaon! King Lycaon!"
The wolves are doing everything they can to praise my father, who they think is a great leader. As a young wolf, I've had a lovely and pleasant day. I admire what my father has done, and I hope to have the same success he has had his whole life.
I told my mother, "Mother, I want to be like Father someday." She laughed and pinched my cheeks.
I laughed, too, as we all looked at the King, who sat down again and gave a big smile to everyone. He looked at us quickly, and I waved my hand. He gave me a thumbs-up sign and a nod.
"Faolan, I want to be like my dad one day," I told the boy to my left, who was applauding and smiling as brightly as I was.
"Me too! I want to stick with our group!" He told us that it made us both laugh. Right now, everyone in the colony is having a huge party. There was another fight with the wolves that are leaving our area, and we won.
"When I grow up, I want to do something like your father does for a lifestyle. For example, the way he protects your mother.” Because of what he said, my cheeks are turning red right now, and I can't think of anything to say.
He went on, "I want to do it to you one day when we're both big wolves."
"Are you willing to keep me safe?" I told him what I thought while looking right into his eyes.
"I will do it, of course.”
He smiled at me as warmly as he could and said, “I will always be and always have been.”
I like how honest he is about how he feels, but since we are still just starting, that is not the goal right now.
I made fun of him and said, "Let's see if you can wait for me until the time comes," but he just kept looking at me.
I grumbled when he said, "I can, you'll see," in response to what he had said.
"Thank you very much for having our clan protect King Lycaon!" The old wolves then shook hands with my father's hand.
"You don't have to thank me. As your King, that is my job.” He said, "I'll protect you from anything that could happen," and they both laughed.
I'm just looking at my dad and looking behind me. I couldn't believe my mom was gone. I look in every direction and try to find her with my eyes, but I can't because I'm so tall. I look over at Faolan, who isn't paying attention to me because he's too busy looking at my dad. I called him by his name, and he smiled at me as he looked at me.
“Why?” After he asked me about it, I looked into it some more, but I just don't get it at all.
"Have you seen the Queen?” I said that it seemed like he didn't understand what I was saying, and he said, "No, I haven't. I got the feeling that she was pretty much around, didn't she?" He stated I don't know what the answer is either. I'll just turn my attention to the ritual going on in these woods.
A lot of wolves gathered to see King Lycaon because the sound of the birds singing and the tall trees drew them there. When I start to get bored with what the adult wolves are doing, I grab Faolan's wrist, which makes him startle for a moment. When I come here, this always happens.
He asked me, "What?" and my answer was to laugh at him.
"Let's try practicing somewhere else." I told him, "I don't want to be here any longer." After he thought about it for a while, he nodded to show that he agreed with me.
At this point, we are in the middle of the forest and just walking around. While we were walking straight into the middle of the forest, he asked me, "Why do you want to practice in the middle of your father's ceremony?" as we were getting there.
As I walk down this path and the dead leaves pop under my feet, I look at him and answer his questions with all the seriousness I can muster.
"Because I want to be like him in the future." I took a step in his direction and then stopped for a moment to look at him.
"Faolan, one day I hope to be known for being a great leader. I'm interested to see if the people who will lead my people will be as good as my father was.”
I told him, "I want to make sure we have a good chance of winning every battle we have with the other tribe, and I also want to make sure they never attack our land or our clan." He smiled and nodded quickly.
When he said to me, "You have a big dream for a young Luna like you," I laughed out loud.
We kept walking when we heard someone talking in the forest. I said, "Of course, I shouldn't disappoint the Queen and the King." We kept on walking after that.
When I go in, I try not to make too much noise so that we can listen to the conversation without being seen.
"Wait for a second, do you notice that?" I asked him in a quiet voice, and he let me know he heard me by nodding at me.
As he said, "Yes, I can hear loud and clear," my green eyes began to figure out who those people were talking to behind some of the big trees in this forest.
"Yes, I hear very clearly."
"Queen Asena, you know what my King is talking about, don't you?" said a voice I didn't recognize. I wanted to go there when I heard this voice, but Faolan was holding my hand.
"It's my mom!" I exclaimed. I blew at him in anger, and he shook his head in return.
He whispered to me, "Let's just listen to them first," but I was too busy worrying about the Queen at the time to pay attention.
"As I've already said, I don't know anything about what you're accusing me of, not even the smallest amount. Do you ever ask yourself why you think I should do something? Do you?" When the wolves, the queen were traveling and heard her voice, they got scared.
My chest felt like it was going to burst, and I didn't know what to do. When I get some distance from the action and step back, I find that I can even hold my breath.
"But you're going to act like you don't care, aren't you? What are you aware of? Everyone knows that your daughter is beautiful. Do you want me to get her as part of my revenge for what you did to me, A Lyca?" As soon as Faolan heard those words, he told me to leave this forest and go find the King to find out what was going on.
But I didn't want to leave my mother in the middle of this conversation, so I didn't do what he asked.
"You should never, ever put your nails on my kid. She has nothing to do with the kind of business we're talking about!" My mom authoritatively made the statement.
"What do we have to choose from?" I said something incoherently to Faolan, but he didn't answer.
"No, Asena. You made the choice not to tell me the information. I'll also make your daughter pay! That's how you'll have to pay!"
A voice came from a cold guy. The things that are happening scare me. I have no other choice but to stand up and call out my mother's name. Right now, I can't think of anything else to say about this subject.
"Mother!" I yelled, and as soon as I pointed in the direction I wanted them to look, they all did. The guy with the black hood laughed out loud when he heard my voice.
"What are you doing here, Akila?"
My mother's voice, which had been calm and not worried before, suddenly became weak and worried.
"It looks like this is a good place for both the mother and the girl to be killed. Asena, what do you think about the fact that your daughter is giving up her life to volunteer?" But the person said that I was ready to protect my mother from him. When he pulled out his gun and pointed it at me, I was really surprised. He was also walking toward me.
"This is what you should do, Asena, to make up for what you did!" While the guy was making these kinds of comments, he started clicking the pistol, which made a loud noise.
I knew the bullet had to be in a certain part of my body, but I couldn't feel it. So I put my hands over my ears to block them. I immediately open my eyes and look at Faolan, who is blocking the direction of the bullet towards me, looking at it and can't even blink because he is so shocked. I looked in her direction when my mother yelled.
"Faolan! Get Akila out of here!"
I'm only nine years old, but I'm already in a fight from which I can never win. This makes me feel less and less.
"Mo-mother?!" As soon as I saw her point the gun at her chest before the other person pulled the trigger, I had a strong urge to run over and help her. Still, neither I nor anyone else can see who did that horrible thing, so my mind is filling up with hate and rage.
"Who the heck are you?!" I got closer to the guy, but he didn't say anything while we talked.
"Faolan, run!"
These were the last words my mother said as she struggled to take a breath. Faolan can run faster than the obstacles in the forest and catch me just as I'm about to get close to her. He then shows me how to leave the area.
Even though my mom was on her knees, she never lost sight of me, and I can't stop looking at the spot where the event happened. If I'm crying right now, it might just mean that I'm in pain. As soon as my green eyes got their color back, I heard my mother's last words to me.
"I adore you, Akila. I care about both you and your father."