Chapter 2: The Mountain Lion

Lyria's POV

The first hint of dawn touched the sky, spurring the still village into motion once again. The large Elder's compound was bustling than usual as pups ran around, their eyes alight with laughter and adventure.

None of them cared a hoot about how early it was to be running around. The only thing that mattered to them was that the long awaited Red Moon Festival was here and they couldn't contain their joy.

While some adults were also gallivanting, some busied themselves with last-minute preparations for the festival tonight. But as always, I was the one doing the most.

Everyone else was excited as though the moon goddess herself was descending tonight, but for me, I wasn't seeing the lure. I would just do what I have to do and leave.

On my way to fetch a mop from the store, I caught snippets of two apparently unmated adult girls of my age discussing.

“You must be joking to think you can outshine me,” one said to the other playfully. “ By the time I get dolled up, and the king sets his eyes on me, he won't be able to resist my beauty.” She added as she fanned herself dramatically with her left fingers and accompanied it with a dry laughter.

A laughter that was cut short when the other girl replied with a snicker. “Oh, yeah! Use all the makeup you want and end up looking like a masquerade. The king and I could use your entertainment when we're bored, you know?” She snickered again, but the frown on the first girl's face did not stop her from continuing.

“You see, my dear, the alpha King is mine. Look at my natural beauty. Look how endowed I am. How would he be able to resist someone like me? ” She fondled her large breasts and also twirled proudly for the first girl to have a view of her massive behind.

“All the best for them,” I said inwardly as I rolled my eyes and got out of earshot.

While I was returning from the store with the mop in my hand, a little girl left her playmates briefly and ran to me, smiling.

“Lyria, come play with us,” she squealed when she stopped in front of me, wrapping her tiny beautiful hand around my wrist before making a difficult effort to pull me along with her.

But my stiffness and immobility wasn't only because of my bigger size. I was floored by her spirit. Moved by her demeanor. Pups like this who look at me with regard despite their parent’s abhorrence of me are very few.

I crouched down to her level with a smile and I let my fingers trail down her face tenderly. “Hey cutie, I have a lot of work to finish up. Maybe next time, okay?”

Before she could get to respond, a voice cut through the air like a razor. “Riley, what are you doing with her?

We both averted our gaze to see Riley's mum standing akimbo at a distance with a scowl on her face. She had one foot continuously tapping the ground lightly in a rhythm that increased the more her patience thinned out.

“C'mon, get away from her. Now! She thundered at her child, marching towards us now, but Riley averted her gaze back to me hesitantly, unfazed by her mum's scolding.

I flashed Riley a smile and gently eased her tiny fingers off my wrist with a pat on her back. “It's alright sweetheart, now run along.”

She returned my smile and nodded as she happily ran to join her friends and they all squealed in excitement again.

Kids, I admire how happy they can be. If it weren't for the dreary incident that strained my childhood for me at the age of five, I would have wished I could relive my childhood days.

Oh! I almost forgot that a ball of fury was rolling my way before until I looked in that direction to see that her mother had halted midway, but was shooting daggers at me. I stifled the impulse to laugh at her, choosing to ignore her and just focus on my work.

I should have been done with my morning tasks by now, but the extra workload today was no joke. And the fact that my mind was elsewhere didn’t help at all.

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop brooding over the one thing I dreaded the most.

Tonight, I would be setting my eyes on the Alpha King.

The thought made my stomach churn. It was bad enough that I had to attend the festival, but the fact that I had been assigned to clean his shoes throughout the festival because of dust felt like the greatest insult.

When the elder broke the news to me yesterday, I had done everything possible to fight it. I had argued, stamped my feet on the ground, and even begged. But my desperation only amused them. Laughter and mockery were my only rewards.

I became a spectacle before them, an object of ridicule, even for some of the young pups present who looked at me with sneering faces.

I wasn’t in any way special to these people. So my request, plea, or feelings didn’t matter. I was just a nobody and I have long resigned to that fate.

By the time I completed the mountain of tasks piled up for me, the sun was already high in the sky. Afternoon had come too soon.

Dragging my feet, I made my way back to the ragged storeroom that served as my resting place. I was so drained that I clung to the iron bars of the window for support.

The sun smiled down at me, warm and golden. But sadly, I couldn’t smile back.

There was nothing in my life to smile about.

Every day, I miss my parents. I was only five when they were killed for a crime they didn’t commit, and I was sold into slavery. The first few weeks were the worst. No pack wanted the child of traitors, so I was tossed from one to another until the elders here decided to keep me

They said I would be useful in the elders’ quarters so they made me a slave owned by all of them and worked me ragged everyday of my life.

Since it's been years and I was so small when my parents were killed and I was passed from packs to packs, villages to villages before I got to Iceclaw Pack, there was no way for me to find out or recognize who framed my parents. No way for me to recognize the Alpha who had ordered their deaths too.

But I hope I find everyone involved one day and make them regret it, even if my wolf is still latent by then. Even if I die in the course, it won't matter. I would put my all into that vengeance.

Suddenly, a flurry of clothes ruffled behind me, snapping me out of my train of bitter thoughts.

Just as I twirled in the direction, a heap of clothes landed on my face.

The scent of soap and sweat filled my nose as I yanked the pile off, my eyes narrowing at the three women standing before me.

The Chief Elder’s wife and her two ever-present minions.

She crossed her arms, looking down at me as though I were a pile of filth beneath her feet.

“Take those to the river and wash them,” she ordered, her voice sharp and clipped. “And you’d better be back on time so you can prepare for tonight.”

She sneered.

“After all, we can’t have the Alpha King waiting for his little slave to clean his feet.”

After I finished washing in the river, the bundle of damp clothes weighed heavily in my arms as I made my way back to the elders' quarters. My feet ached from hours of scrubbing, and my hands were raw from the cold river water.

I sighed. Another long day, another pile of endless work.

Just as I reached the narrow path leading through the woods, something caught my eye in the distance.

Something big and fearsome.

I blinked once, then twice, hoping that what I saw was just a figment of my imagination.

But by the time I opened my eyes, my breath hitched as my eyes focused on the massive creature prowling just ahead.

A mountain lion.

And not just any mountain lion.

A monstrous beast, its golden eyes gleaming with raw hunger, muscles rippling beneath its tawny fur.

I swallowed hard, my heartbeat thundering in my ears.

Maybe it hasn’t seen me yet. Maybe if I just—

I took a careful step backward. Then another. At that moment, my foot caught on something solid.

Before I could react, I toppled over a jagged rock and crashed onto the ground with a thud.

The sound shattered the silence. The lion's head snapped toward me instantly, its gaze locking onto mine.

For a moment, neither of us moved. We both stared at each other. Mine, a stare of horror, while the lion's own was that of confidence. The confidence of a predator whose prey was a surety.

Then it let out a deep, guttural growl. And before I knew it, it was charging towards me.