67

67
HELP FROM THE GODDESS.
CLEON:
I learnt from Mirabel that I was to stay with her until I was ready to leave the Fawnhide pack, it seemed they had bought my cover, and I was happy — it would have been a dreadful thing if I was killed after all those torture I was put through. Thank the goddess, the first phase of my mission had been successfully carried out.
Mirabel drew out a map and trailed with her fingers the path I was to follow to get to the meeting place.
“It’s not that hard to find, you’ll be fine on your own.” She said,
“I heard you’re from the west, where freedom is like oxygen. But I must warn you, this is Fawnhide, and loitering is not condoned, especially for someone of your nature. You have met Onias, and I’m sure you know that he would not hesitate to kill you.” And she warned.
There was something about Mirabel, the air around her was soft, there was no whiff of malice or anger, she was so at peace. She also looked like she knew everything, like she could see through me and all the stories I had shrouded myself in. But that thought was for another day, I could not be too late for the meeting or it would be considered disrespect, and amount to another bout of manhandling.
I walked outside Mirabel’s quarters, outside was cold, contrasting the warmth of her house, like two entirely different worlds.
“Can I borrow your map, Mirabel?” I asked, poking my head back inside the house.
“Of course, yes you can.” She stood from her seat, picked up the map from the wooden center table, rolled it up and placed it in my outstretched arms.
“Thank you.” I said, and rushed back outside. Walking through the Fawnhide pack, I figured something out, Mirabel was not lying when she said freedom was a rarity here, the whole place was deserted yet I could feel the eyes of people watching me from behind close doors, it was like a military regime, or worse. I was expecting a noisy and crowded place, I was going to find it difficult to conceal myself in a place as such.
It took me roughly twenty minutes to find my way to the meeting hall. It was a massive hall with gray walls and stone slabs that served as seats. There were inscriptions on each stone slab reading “Fawnhide” and a carving of a toothless skull with a snake slithering out of its eye socket. In the middle of the hall was a long rectangular table, and wolves were already seated at it, on throne-like chairs clothed in bull leather. At the head of the table was a wolf that was their Alpha, he was not so big of a man, but he hard a thick undeniable air of maliciousness around him, and with his hate, he commanded respect. He was lanky, blonde haired and had a thin scar across his left eye — They called him Axel. He sat with both his palms faced down on the table and on his knuckles were similar sharp silver rings that Onias had on.
Onias sat beside him, looking through me like he had not just had the time of his life slashing through me with hot towels and knuckle rings, my leg was still swollen, but it ached less. To show my respect, I bowed,
“Alpha, thank you for having me in your town, I am grateful for this privilege.”
“Introduce yourself.” Axel, the Alpha, said curtly. Still leaving me on my knees.
“My name is Herbert, and I am a Merchant from the west, I have come a long way to Fawnhide because I have heard tales of your unmatched prowess in trade, and I have come to trade with you.”
“And you said you have a nephew named Joshua?” He asked, he was trying to trap me with my own lies, and to get a reaction from me with names from our pack.
“No, it’s Jason, my nephew’s s name is Jason.”
“And your sister’s name is Mary?” he asked again.
“pretty close. But her name is Mirabel.”
“You seem so sure of your lies.” He said again, a deadly grin spread across his lips.
“It is not a lie. I don’t know who else you expect me to be, but this is who I am. I cannot be anyone else, I am sorry.”
“Well then.” Said Onias, “welcome to Fawnhide,”
The door to the entrance creaked open and a wolf that had been present at my torture yesterday approached with my bundle, and my pouch of money in his other hand. It was still as full as it was yesterday.
“He is in charge of showing you around the market, ” Began Axel gesturing to the Wolf that had just entered.
“Your relationship is strictly visitor and guide, and you are both forbidden from having friendly conversations, you are even forbidden from sharing names.” He commanded.
“Is that clear enough for you?” He asked,
“Yes sir, it is clear enough.” I replied, action g like I was humbled by his aura.
“Also, Mirabel our seer must have told you this,” Onias picked up,
“Fawnhide is not the west. Fawnhide is not a place for tourists, if you are caught anywhere else apart from the market and Mirabel’s home, you and your guide are going to be executed. You are not allowed to go around d asking questions about things that do not concern you, this also, as you must have guessed is punishable by death, not just your death but of those you might have conversed with. Do you understand that?” Onias glared at me.
“Yes sir, I understand.” I affirmed again, and my guide and I left the meeting hall.




JASON:
It was exactly three days since Cleon had left, and we were not quiet. Joshua and I had increased the intensity of our training drills to make sure we were ready for whenever he would come back with news of the Orhert. We went hunting three times a day to sharpen our reflexes, a d build our stamina, whatever little time we had left, we spent it on strategizing, Joshua and I hardly slept. Our whole operation now depended on Cleon, and I prayed he made it out alive. The Fawnhide were known for their ruthlessness and haphazard executions.
I also thought of Clarissa often, a d how so often I wished that the whole thing was over so I visit her and just talk for hours.