Invisible

Alorea folded on a spot. There was no place to runaway to. She was left alone in this room, defenseless and powerless, with no where to run.

If the giant foxes got to her, she would never be able to catch up with Clingy. She would never be able to save Baldwin and the rest of the night wolves.

No... She must not be caught like this...

She looked all around in a jiffy. The foxes would be in any moment. She needed a hiding place!

The door bursted open, with the foxes rushing into the room in their full pose of force.

Alorea watched from beneath the shelf of clothes where she was hiding. She saw as the foxy werewolves tore everywhere apart one by one the same way a wild fire would devour a forest of dry trees. It was only a matter of time before they got to her.

But there was nowhere she could go. The foxes came closer, she shut her eyes as they tore the shelf of clothes apart, leaving her bare to the light of day.

Opening her eyes slowly, she found a soldier staring right at her. He scanned his eyes all over her, and turned back.

"We have searched everywhere. There is nobody here". He returned to the scarred leader, bowing.

"Are you sure she is the one you saw?" The leader turned towards the attendant who had called them here.

"I swear on my life. It is the same woman whose face was put up on the streets". The young man quivered in fear.

Alorea watched from where she stood, clearly open to them. How come they could not see her? But that was not the only mysterious thing.

"When did this woman come to your tavern?" The scarred leader faced the owner of the place now. He had a arm to the poor man's neck, fully clawed and threatening to pierce further.

"Just last night..." The man said in quickness, careful for his own death.

"If she is who your boy thinks she is, then she must be travelling with a young man. You two have not mentioned any young man to me so far, why is that?" He growled again, threatening to wreck harvoc.

"There is no other person, she came here alone!" The boy spoke, resonated in fear.

His master added too. "It is true. She just walked in, speaking to herself..Then she had a few drinks and became drunk. Then she left for her room. That is everything I can remember.."

That was not true, Alorea wanted to say. But she dared not say a word in this situation. It is miraculous enough that they could not see her despite her standing right with them, she could not gamble on the possibility that they would not hear her voice if she said something.

"Arghh!!!" The leader hit his fist on the wall in anger, shaking the entire room in rumbles.

Then a soldier came in from behind.

"Captain Frey.. there is a message from the royal palace..."

The sound of that laid a horrible reaction on the face of Frey, the scarred leader of the giant foxes. Alorea could see how distressed he had become.

"The alpha has summoned you." Said another voice who came in right after the announcement. He was a soldier wearing the uniform which was worn by the soldiers defending Daemon's palace.

"Do you have any idea the reason for which he wants to see me?" Frey asked lowly, not even facing the man who had come with tje message.

"I cannot be sure what the great alpha is thinking. But I think it has to do with princess Alorea and the claws of power which she has promised."

The look on Frey's face only became worse. He turned towards the tavern owner with a renewed rage.

"I will leave some of my men here with you. If that woman ever shows her face in this place again, you have to capture her. Do you understand??"

The man nodded, too stunned to say a word.

Then the leader of the giant fox left, followed by his men and the man who had come from the palace.

They were also followed by one more person - Alorea.

She knew that they were going to the palace of the giant king. The same place she needed to be as fast as possible. She would travel with them, not as a prisoner but as an invisible companion.

But how could she be sure that her invisible state would last forever?

As she took a step into the light following the departure of all the men, she felt a new light shine upon her. It was as if something was telling her that she would now be seen.

Looking back at the spot she had stood upon all this while, she realized the presence of a curved object sitting on the floor where her legs had been. It was a claw, old and lethal in its gentle state. The claw of a werewolf.

"A claw of power."

By magic or by accident, Clingy had failed to leave with the complete set of the five claws. He left one behind!

That was why she had neen invisible all along. The claw must have held a power to invisibility.

She bent to pick it up.

With this one claw, Alorea could follow the foxes on a safer path to the alpha's palace without letting them get a single glimpse of herself.

"If I have this one claw, Daemon will not he satisfied with the four claws that traitor would present to him. He will always crave for the last one. With this last piece with me, I can negotiate the release of my people. I can make this the prize for peace."

She smiled in herself. There was new hope now. She could now try again at attaining peace for the entire werewolf kingdoms. She could still prevent her terrible future.

Better, she could take revenge on that traitor, Clingy.

"Clingy, I am coming for you!"

**********************

At Daemon's palace, Demeatris was present once again. This time, he had come with the most shocking news. Something that would take a strong spell to make believable to someone like Daemon.

"What is it you are saying, lycan man? That the greatest alpha which your prophecies speaks so highly about is nothing but a slave?"

"A slave for now. The world whole shall bow to him in the future." Demeatris confirmed, not shaking in his resolve.

"Never! A slave shall not dominate while I live!!" Daemon beat his chest in the arrogance of an alpha. His eyes glowed red and his hair stood strong, it was as though he had just been challenged to a fight.

"I guess that is the truth..." Daemon smiled "That is why he will take your head first. And that would signify the beginning of his dominance in the world of werewolves."

Daemon's eyes grew blood and he ran mad with rage.

"How dare you??!!!"

Demeatris stood ready in his calm posture, waiting for an attack. "I have told you, Alpha Damon. That is the boy's destiny, and only you and I can stop it before it comes to pass".

Slowly and slowly, Daemon's fury calmed down. With this, his fiery arrogance died down and was replaced with a more comprehensive gaze. He must be thinking, what if Demeatris was right?

"So you believe this slave is the one who has come with prince Scorpio from the rising sun? The one whom my daughter has made her slave in the passing time of a single day? That is the one who will kill me?"

Demeatris only nodded. Assurance and confidence was all he had.

"We have to stop it. We have to end him before he has the chance."