Prophecy and What not

The silence stretched on, each second feeling like an hour as the blonde guy’s gaze moved slowly, assessing me from head to toe. I had no idea what Craig meant by ‘She is the one with the mark’, but from the way the stranger was looking at me, it felt like something important – something that made me an object of scrutiny.

I cast a questioning glance at Craig, but he was already moving ahead, his stride confident as he headed into the clearing. I followed, wary but determined, and the blonde guy fell in step behind me, like a shadow I couldn’t shake. My breath caught as I noticed the wolves – a mix of men and women – seated in trees and scattered across the grass, as if they belonged here, even in this desolate place. They looked so casually at home for someone who was in the middle of nowhere. But the moment they noticed Craig, they sprang to attention, some with surprise while others with excitement.

Craig greeted them with a nod, his expression mirroring their enthusiasm. Yet when they looked at me, their curiosity sharpened, their eyes trailing over me with the same cautious wariness I’d seen from the blond guy. A tall woman in the group, her gaze especially cold, stepped forward, sizing me up with open disdain.

“Who is she?” her voice rang out, full of challenge.

“I think she’s our savior.” The blonde guy replied with a smirk, his words dripping with sarcasm. I whipped my head toward him, surprised. Savior? What was he talking about?

“Greg…” Craig said, his tone final and keeping the rest shut from asking any other question, but there was no hiding the curiosity in their eyes. I could feel their eyes on me, prying into the layers of who I was. Each gaze tightened the knot of tension in my chest.

What was going on?

Soon, the lady who had asked who I was moved closer to Craig and laced her hand with his, her touch almost possessive. “I was bothered when you weren’t coming back at the scheduled time, but I am more surprise to see you coming back with…” her eyes moved to me. She shot me a scornful glance, her sentence trailing off as though I wasn’t worth the effort of completing it.

A chill ran down my spine. I hadn’t done anything, yet somehow. I’d made an enemy simply by existing.

Craig slowly untangled her hand from his. He then turned to address his pack members, and I took the leisure of counting a total of fifteen members. It seemed those were the people who had deem it fit to brace whatever happened with him.

“Now that I am back. We’re going to rest for the night and continue our journey tomorrow. This is Freda,” he finally introduced me, “and she will be joining us through this journey.”

I frowned at his bold proclamation. I had my own life to live, and worst, I had to discover whatever this mark was. I had no time to gallivant the woods with them. I wasn’t going to become his prisoner. Once I see the perfect opportunity to escape from him, I was going to take it.

Craig gave few more speeches that I couldn’t be bothered to listen to. What exactly had gone wrong? It was still hard for me to believe I wasn’t a part of my pack. My mother had always cherished me and left no doubt that I wasn’t hers in anyways.

“My beautiful daughter,” the memories of what she usually calls me, filled me with a dull ache.

Whenever she calls me that, I always blushed, and tried to assure her that I took after her in the beauty department. But she always insisted my beauty was rare and more than hers in every way.

“It must be overwhelming.” A voice said, breaking me out of my revive. I turned to see one of the ladies beside me, her face kind and welcoming. Craig was done addressing the packs, and was now speaking with Greg and two other members.

“What!” I asked, trying to mask my confusion.

She smiled, though her eyes held a hint of sympathy. “You know, bearing the mark and fulfilling the prophecy. I can’t imagine having such a responsibility on my shoulder. It must be huge.”

The more she spoke, the more confused I became. I stared at her as if she was speaking in a language I find hard to comprehend. She seemed to be able to read my facial expression perfectly, as she gasped.

“Oh. I’m so sorry. You’ve no idea.”

“About?” it was all I could manage.

She smiled at me, and I could tell it was a genuine smile. “I’m sorry, but I am not in the best position to tell you about it. But I’m Ava, by the way - Craig’s only sane cousin.”

“Cousin” I repeated, glancing over at Craig, who was still engaged with the others. The family connection caught me off guard, though something about her felt oddly reassuring.

Ava chuckled, rolling her eyes “I know it’s hard to believe, right? But unfortunately, I’m related to him.”

Despite my anxiety, her easy manner helped me relax, if only a little, But her earlier words kept tugging at me, refusing to let go “What did you mean about the prophecy and responsibility?”

She led me toward a more secluded part of the clearing, still within view of the others but offering a bit of privacy. “I guess you’ve never heard of it.”

Freda nodded. It had never been a topic that crossed my path. No matter how hard I thought about it, there was no prophecy or rumors spreading through my pack. Also unlike my pack that had treated me like a curse from the moment the mark appeared. This park seemed to be aware what the mark meant and weren’t scared of it, but from the way few of them glance at me, I could tell they were weary of me.

“I wish I can tell you more about it, but the existence of the mark was something we only heard about and never believed in until we saw you.” Just then her eyes flashed with something. She held my arm, so suddenly and so tight. “Can I see the mark?”

I glanced around, suddenly self-conscious under the scrutiny of the pack members scattered nearby. But Ava’s gaze was pleading, her eyes full of curiosity and something close to reverence. Maybe she could help me make sense of all this, or at least give me some clue. Taking a breath, I decided to take a chance.

“If you tell me more about this prophecy,” I said, my voice firm, “I’ll show you.”

Ava rolled her eyes, her grip loosening as she let out a sigh. “Had to make it complicated, huh?” She glanced back at Craig, her expression reluctant. “I wish I could tell you, but… the only one who can tell you more and knows more about it is Craig.”

My eyes searched around until it landed on Craig. He was watching me, his expression unreadable, his eyes dark and unwavering. We locked eyes, the moment stretching between us like a silent dare. A shiver ran through me, and for a heartbeat, I wanted to look away, to retreat. But something inside me resisted, a quiet, stubborn fire that wouldn’t back down.

Finally, I straightened, my decision clear. Whatever secrets he held, whatever truths he might reveal – I needed to know. I turned to Ava with a nod, “Excuse me.”

As I crossed the clearing towards him, Craig didn’t break his gaze, waiting with the same still intensity. I stopped just in front of him, my chin tilted up, refusing to hide my determination. I didn’t waste time with pleasantries.

“Tell me more about the mark,” I said, my voice steady, demanding the answers I deserved.