The Small Cottage Behind The Lake

Each wolf pack needs a Seer.

A Seer’s duty for the wolves was to relay the words of the Moon Goddess’s to the pack. They were the ones who would announce the wolf’s fate like their destined mates or their roles. They were also called the oracles, the diviners or messengers of the wolf goddess.

But their origin continued to be shrouded in mystery. No wolf in history had ever known how they became Seers, aside from their own. Before a Seer dies, one announces their successor to replace them in the pack.

And we thought it was the norm without question, like a silent agreement to never dwell on its history.

The current Seer in the Skollist Pack was an enigma I couldn’t decipher.

He rarely showed up during the coming of age rituals to identify a wolf’s life mate and relied more on the pack’s messenger to speak for his behalf. You could say he was like the High Mage, Phineas, but far worse, in a sense that we barely knew his existence.

Now I was given this opportunity to finally see him.

“Looks like we’re here.”

After teleporting to a new place, I was expecting to be in one of the towers or a large house like Varick’s.

But we landed in a meadow with spring flowers blooming around the vicinity.

Flowers that bloomed beautifully even under the bright blue sky.

To where we were standing, we were on the pavement path which led straight to a small cottage nearby.

“Achoo!” Phineas sneezed then he rubbed his nose. “This is the place—choo!”

“Are you okay?” I asked, placing my hand on his shoulder. “We should have teleported directly inside his house.” Like you often do, popping out of nowhere as you pleased—is something I liked to add.

“As much as I wanted to,” he said as he took out a handkerchief. “But I promised the Seer not to do that in exchange for the magic mirror.”

“I see…” He continued sneezing and I felt sympathetic at his condition.

“Good thing you aren’t allergic to daisies cause the Seer loves flowers a lot!” He continued.

"Daisies?" I knelt down and gently held the soft stem of the pure white flower. "This is a daisy?"

"Without a doubt," he sniffed as he blew his nose. "They don't naturally grow in our territory but I often see them outside our walls."

Then the Seer was fortunate to be blessed with the abundance of various flowers.

I caught sight of the red roses from a distance. Suddenly I was reminded of the Hatiist Church from the red rose garden.

'I wonder if Lenalee was buried near the garden.'

I couldn't help but to smile a bit. Father Gossep would love to chat with her with his silliest stories and Lenalee wouldn't get bored of it.

Suddenly, thinking of Father Gossep made me yearned to embrace him once more. Or to pray with the nuns of the Church as we chanted the Holy Lycan.

"Luna?" Phineas broke the trance of my homesickness and I flinched.

"You have been staring at those red roses for a while."

"Oh, right." I blushed. "I was just remembering the flowers in the Hatiist Church."

Phineas's nose wrinkled and he took out his handkerchief and gave another huge sneeze.

I took that as a sign so I smiled. Standing up and back to the pavement. "Shall we go then, Master Phineas?"

Otherwise, the High Mage would risk himself with a fever just by being here.

Phineas looked relieved as we walked to the road.

"Where is this place?" I suddenly asked, looking around the area like we were in a different world.

Because everything here—the landscape, the nature and the bright blue sky contrasted to the gloomy gray sky casted on our lands for decades.

"It is the closest to the outside wo—choo!" He sniffed. "Fucking guy took a risk to live where it wasn't protected by the barriers. But he is wise enough to reside behind the lake."

Personally, I hadn't reached this area in my whole life. But then again, Hatiist followers had a limitation of areas to be in.

But to think there was a hidden land behind the lake… the Seer was incredibly secretive.

"Isn't that far from the town square? Oh, does he have teleportation magic like you do?"

He shook his head. "No, his magic is weaker compared to the mages here."

We both stopped at the entrance of his cottage and Phineas reached for the doorknob.

"Aren't you going to knock?" I asked, and I felt flustered by his lack of decency.

"It is better that way. Otherwise, Samael would be alarmed that I did something different than I usually do.”

Samael. That was a good name for a Seer.

'It means God in human language. Or God's voice. Like he was born meant to be the Seer for the wolves.'

The door opened and Phineas stepped inside.

"Seer, I brought the Luna!" He called, and I looked around before following suit.

It felt surprisingly normal that the ambience in the room felt cozy. I was expecting a room filled with books like Phineas’s in his bedroom, but if anything, this room is far from it.

It felt… welcoming for someone who rarely had visitors apart from the Skollist Officials.

“Oh, greetings.” A gentle voice that was soothing to my ears. The last time I liked listening to someone speak was— Kozart.

Then a figure came out—not as tall as both Phineas and Varick—but of an average height. He was covered by a dark cloak from head to toe, and I couldn’t even see a single sight of his skin protruding from the holes of his oversized clothing.

It gave me the impression of a human pretending to be a hobbit if this race still exists in this world.

Now when he stepped closer and we were at a short proximity, I was mistaken. After being exposed to the likes of Phineas, Varick, Father Gossep and even the human bard, Kozart, the Seer could still be slightly taller than me.

“I was expecting to see you soon,” he said as his hands touched the edges of his cloak and unveiled to reveal his face.

At first, I thought he wasn’t a wolf, but more like an elf.

Male wolves were known for their masculinity and their intimidating aura. But the one in front of me had feminine features.

If it weren’t for his Adam's apple which was clearly visible after he revealed himself and his voice, I couldn’t tell if I was speaking to a female wolf.

“My name is Samael,” he said as he held my hand with his with an eager smile.

“R-Rosaria. Pleasure is mine.” I felt like a fool for fumbling with my words. His expression didn’t change as he released my hand.

He only smiled and seeing him, I couldn’t help but stare.

Why did it feel like it wasn’t the first time I had seen him?

I ignored these thoughts, and as his eyes darted to Phineas.

“Do you mind if I speak to her in private?”

Phineas rolled his eyes. “Would you mind if I take your bed in the meantime? I haven’t had any shut-eye till now.”

The Seer chuckled. His rosy lips curved into a smile. “Second floor on the right. You won’t miss it.”

“Gee, thanks, Samael!” He turned to me as he gave a friendly squeeze on my shoulder.

“You will be in excellent hands with this man. I will take a nap—a long one! Night!” He rushed to the stairs without a moment of hesitation.

Now alone with a stranger, I felt awkward being next to him.

“Seeing that you’re here, congratulations on your pregnancy.”

“H-huh? Oh, yes. Thank you…” I lowered my head. “My husband told me to see you and check if there are problems with my womb.”

“Given the state of our pack, it is a wise decision to see me instead of a doctor. Hatiist followers are also eligible to check on you, but I’m afraid your husband still despises them.”

I nodded and ignored the homesickness resurfacing in my thoughts once more.

“Let’s go to the dining room. I bet you haven’t been fed by Phineas. I know he lacked manners.”

“No, I’m not really hungry.” In fact, I haven’t had anything aside from alcohol.

He stopped and turned to me. “Nonsense. You need to consume food. After all, you’re carrying another life in you.”

Another life…

Until now, the thought of being pregnant hadn’t dawned on me. I had heard stories of women feeling the joy of being pregnant.

But for me, as a woman and the Luna of the pack, I didn’t feel such joys at all.

Perhaps I was happier when the other wolves were glad to hear the news more than to have the pregnancy itself.

As I touched my womb, I should be happy, really…

… but I wasn’t.

Not because of Lenalee’s death or the fact that I yearned to see my family once more.

But because I felt nothing for this life inside of me.