Okrapticuiz Appears

As the invisible horse neighs in the night, Alorea calms her huge ride with a caress on the back. They had been able to outrun and loose the giant foxes who had chased them for a while.

Alorea stared back into the night, there was nothing behind. Meanwhile, further ahead was the city she had risked her life to find.

"There!" She pointed to the spot on the map. "That is Damon's city. And that is the palace touching the sky."

She could see the glorious head of the giant palace reaching into the heavens from where she stood now. It was weird. A city with such a giant palace in the centre of it, yet so hard to locate that even the werewolves who had travelled back and forth into the city would need the use of a well illustrated map before they could find their way. Whatever sorcery was used to create that city, it was dire and strong.

"Gentle, giant horse. We don't want anyone hearing us." Alorea patted her horse as she slowly approached the city in her invisible form. The necklace claw was still on her neck, shielding her from the revealing power of the morning light as it rose slowly from beneath the horizon.

It was going to be a beautiful morning, but would it be a beautiful day?

By the time Alorea was in the city, the people had come out to sell their goods and start their business. Gone were the days when the werewolf world was about nothing but wars. The days when they were no business, no normalcy for the werewolf people.

That was a very long time ago, before Alorea was born. Werewolves at that time were always in one form of conflict or another. It was either the giants were having a battle with the heaven raiders, or the entire werewolf world were at war with the vampire community.

But that was long gone now and commercial wars had taken over the market squares which used to be the site of wrestles and war talks.

"We have peace even in the giant kingdom now. If only these people know what will happen in three years."

When Nathan became alpha of the rising sun, he took himself to quest and became determined to conquer the rest of the werewolf lands. The giants were the first to resist. This led to war, especially after Nathan announced to his people that he had decided to marry Princess Alorea of the night wolves.

The giants lost as known, and they lost everything. Their army, their markets, their money, their freedom... Their alpha.

"Listen to the words of the alpha!!!"

A loud voice jerked Alorea back to reality. She turned around to see a messenger of the alpha's palace speaking a message to the entire people of the giant kingdom.

"The alpha of our time. The greatest alpha of all times. Alpha Daemon. He had decreed death to the ones who came with princess Alorea from the night wolf kingdom. Ever since their princess had eloped with cowardice, the alpha had waited patiently for her capture. But now, he shall do so no more. The cowards shall be executed... Tonight!!! As the sun sets into the night!!!"

The people cheered in approval. Alorea stared in denial. Did she mean that she was too late? Daemon was ready to kill Baldwin and the others and she had just until sunset to save their lives??? How would she do that? She still had to find Clingy first!

"What about the slave travelling with the princess?" She asked the messenger. But he did not act as though he had been spoken to. He only went on his way slowly.

Then she remembered that the necklace was still round her neck. The fifth claw which she had taken.

"What?" She gasped. "I never knew it could also cover my voice, then how come Frey and his vampire friend heard me the other time..."

"The claw did not shield your voice, princess. I did." Behind Alorea came a old bent figure who walked on a stick and had their face beneath the shadow of their hoodie.

"Who...?"

The old man came out of the darkness, putting down the hoodie away from the face. "Nice to meet you again, princess Alorea."

"Okrapticuiz the third!" She gasped.

"How far have you come, princess? You are in another land today, far away from home..."

"I... I have had no choice but to leave to make the difference myself..."

"And how well has that gone for you." The old man sighed, coming closer. "Where is the gift that I bequeathed to you? Did you keep it safe?"

Alorea stared him in the eyes. If only this old man knew that she was planning to send his precious gift over the King Daemon.

"I do not have it." She stuttered, trying to lie. "I did not take it from the palace when I left for this place."

"Then how come one of them is around your neck?" The old man pointed to the claw which she wore.

How did he see it? Infact, how did he see her? She was supposed to be invisible and so was the necklace. But this old human was standing right there in front of her, staring into her eyes and glaring down at the claw which she wore. He could see every single pixel which made up her image.

Even though other people were passing behind and between them, going back and forth and attending to their businesses, it felt like there were the only two ones in that place. The others were as though they did not even exist.

"There are things beyond just what the eyes can see, princess. Great things of tje supernatural world. Right now, you are one of those things, and I was gifted from birth to see those things."

He clearly knew about her. He could see right through her when everybody did not even know where she was standing. Alorea saw that there was no point in lying anymore.

"The rest of the claws..." She began...

"You gave them to him."

"He stole them." She retorted, angered.

"How can he still what is his?" Okrapticuiz laughed, evoking a confused stare form Alorea.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you still not remember?" He continued. "The future that you came back from? The future from where you returned to this world?"

Of course she remembered. And she was not happy with the memories. Was it that this was going to be a repeat of that future? That she would become Nathan's slave once again to be used and raped until she was captured by Nathan's vampire enemies who wanted to end her.

"I will not be able to change the future?" She said with distress. After everything, she would still receive the same future again. She could see her dark dungeon where Nathan kept her.

She could see the lantern of the soldier who had come to take her, Scorpio who had become a prison guard from his rank as a prince.

She could hear the taunts and laughter of the prison guards as they made fun of her situation, laughing their ugly hearts out.

"Will I face all that again? Afterall everything I have suffered just to prevent war?"

"No, princess. You will not." Okrapticuiz continued. "Because with your recent actions, you have changed much of your actions in the present. And you have much more of the future.

"The future is not the same again!"