Chapter 23
: Cisca's first ritual
Nolle
Cisca's condition worsened after the chaos at the amusement park. She was shaken to her core, and her health began to decline. Clarissa and I were concerned, realizing that the emotional turmoil had taken a toll on her young, cheerful spirit. It wasnot easy for a young girl in a world that tagged her "a barbaric animal". She needed all the love she could get as she grew.
We knew no other doctors who could help us, so we called on Dr. Jericho. Although he was strictly a gynecologist, when we told him that Cisca was ill, he was very willing to examine her.
"It appears that Cisca's sickness is not solely physical," he explained. "The traumatic event she experienced has triggered the awakening of her wolf nature. To fully embrace her werewolf self and restore balance within, I don't really know about this kind of stuff, but I think she needs to participate in a full moon ritual."
Clarissa and I exchanged worried glances, realizing the gravity of the situation. We needed to find a suitable location to perform the ritual and help Cisca embrace her wolf self.
We could sense that a full moon was approaching at the end of the week, and while it approached, we got ourselves ready, getting two sets of warm clothing for Cisca. Cisca's sickness increased, and she was often plagued with bouts of delirious fever that no amount of human medicine could calm.
On the night of the full moon, with the stars shining brightly above us, Clarissa, Cisca, and I gathered within an uncompleted building close to the woods. Clarissa had informed me that this was where she had first performed her first ritual.
We all got into the building, and Cisca felt a little more at home. She was still running a fever, but after thirty minutes, the full moon had fully emerged, and her eyes grew a darker golden. Cisca was the offspring of two powerful wolves, and it was expected that her wolf self would emerge as early as possible.
Clarissa.
As I watched Cisca transform slowly into a majestic coffee-brown wolf, my heart congested with pride. In a way, I was glad that she was Clyde's child; although he had rejected me shamefully, a part of me still clung onto him as the man I loved. Having a bit of him with me made me feel like I had not lost everything in life. Cisca had grown with her father's eyes, the dark golden of those with alpha blood—ppowerful blood.
"Let's do this!" I beckoned to Nolle, and we both transformed into our wolf forms and howled away at the moon.
The night was nostalgic, and we could feel a faint connection to the pack we had left behind. The moon shone gloriously as we howled our gratitude and needs to the goddess above.
Many minutes later, we had all transformed back to our human forms and stood naked; our clothes had been shredded. The cold breeze tickled our skins, yet we were glowing with warmth. Having dressed Cisca in her blue woolen sweater and stockings Nolle and I dressed in our clothes, and we headed for home, our hands interlocked with Cisca in the middle.
The following morning, news spread throughout the town of fearful howls echoing through the nearby woods. The authorities responded swiftly, dispatching police officers and wolf hunters in an attempt to locate the source of the howls. Panic and fear loomed in the air as the search continued for days, but no evidence of the supernatural presence could be found.
However, Cisca's fever had ceased, and a storm had calmed.
Jason.
I sought out the Tysee pack once more. In order to bring Clyde's pack to their knees, I needed a bunch of Hayden's skilled fighters to attack until we got a reaction from Clyde's pack. This was in the best interests of everyone, as Clyde's pack had stood too long as the strongest pack, and no one dared cross their paths.
Arriving north at the Tysee pack's territory, I stood before their leader, Alpha Hayden,
"Hayden, I implore you to reconsider your previous decision. Our pack is on the brink of war. We need skilled fighters to stand by our side."
Alpha Hayden's gaze hardened as he listened to my plea. He had lost a dozen of his men the last time he ventured to help me, and I could not really blame him for his reaction.
"Jason, we sympathize with your predicament, but our last fight with Clyde's pack resulted in great losses for us. We cannot afford to send more of our warriors into a potentially deadly battle." Alpha Hayden stated
"I understand your concerns, Hayden, but we've run out of options; we need to put Clyde and his pack in check before things get out of hand. We need to capture their Orhert."
Clarissa.
The next morning, after Cisca was introduced to the goddess in a full moon ritual, she was more lively and cheerful, so I was able to leave her in the care of Nolle while I left for work that morning.
Jason, the handsome grandson of Grandma Carter, had not been around for a while now, so I had to go to work as early as possible to make sure she was okay.
When I arrived, it was six in the morning, and Elijah was already trying to make Grandma Carter take her drugs, but she proved agile by kicking and slapping him like he was some persistent moth.
"Get away from me! I am strong and healthy; I don't need a bunch of crawlers to tell me how to live my life! Leave me alone!" Grandma Carter screamed at the top of her voice as she swatted away at the exhausted Elijah.
When I walked, a look of relief washed over Elijah's face.
"Clarissa! Thank God you're here! She's gotten worse; she keeps complaining of aches in her joints, yet she refuses to take her medication."
He cried.
"Don't talk about me like I'm a bad egg!" Grandma Carter attacked, her cheeks wobbling in rage.
"Sorry Grandma, I'll be leaving you now; Clarissa's here." Elijah said as he walked out in haste.
"Where's the child?" Grandma Carter asked.
"Her name's Cisca Ma, and she's at home with my sister." I replied.
"Sister? So there are more of you where you come from? Nice, a whole community of animals." Grandma spat at me, and goosebumps arose on my skin.
Okay, Grandma, enough of the insults now; you need to take your medication or your bones won't stop hurting.
"I don't remember complaining to you about my bones hurting! Why can't you all just leave me alone? You want to make fun of me because I'm old, but hear me out; time is coming for all of you! Time is coming, and you will all turn gray and die!"