Chapter Text
Briar Nadir ran as fast as she could, holding a basket covered in a blanket. Her mate, Hart, ran just a little ways behind her. Every now and then, he glanced over his shoulder, to where torches glowed under the moonless sky. Beside her was Arcadia, one of the oldest witchwolves serving their pack. She heard the howls of the other witchwolves behind them, as well as the yells of witches and the cries of demons.
“We don’t have much time,” Hart said, glancing behind to where the conflict was taking place. “That bastard and his men are catching up, and our pack can’t hold them off for much longer.”
Briar huffed as she ran.
“Why would he do this to us,” she asked, “Our kind gave him a home, trained him to listen to the Titan’s whispers, taught him to fight. Why is he now hunting us down?”
“It’s because he wants to control everyone and everything, including magic itself,” Replied Hart, “However, our kind can’t be controlled the same way he does with Concubi and Bipedal demons. Because of that, and the fact that we can listen to magic itself, he views us as a threat to his reign, just as he viewed the Basilisks due to their ability to suck the magic out of other creatures.”
“Poor things,” Briar lamented, “Most of them were kind and gentle. They would only drain another beings magic when their lives were threatened. I can’t believe the lies he spread about them being soul eating monsters.”
“And we are an affront to the Titan,” Hart continued, “An abominable blend of Beast and Concubus. I’m glad at least we managed to place that curse on him. He’ll only have 15 years left to live if we’re luck, 20 at the most.”
“ We must hurry, ” Arcadia called in their minds, “ I can feel a presence drawing closer. It is tremendously powerful, and it’s traveling fast. ”
“Is it him,” Briar asked, voice filled with trepidation. Arcadia sent a mental confirmation that it was. Hart suddenly stopped, turning around and bringing out his staff.
“What are you doing,” Briar called out, coming to a halt. Arcadia stopped as well, returning to Hart’s side.
“I’ll hold him off,” Hart said, “You keep going. Get to the hollow, you know what to do.”
“I’m not leaving you,” Briar cried, tears coming to her eyes.
“We both knew that neither of us would live beyond this night,” Hart replied, “But we have enough Titan’s blood to get Arcadia out with Carmella. I can buy you enough time, now get out of here.”
Briar hesitated for a moment, then turned and ran. Arcadia butted her head against Hart, his roof wooden skull rubbing against his clothes. Then, he turned and bounded off, heading deeper into the forest. Hart turned to face the lights in the distance. He could feel it too, the coying, sickly feel of decay and death. He knew exactly whose magic he was sensing. His eyes began to shine gold as he prepared his magic. In a brilliant flash of red, someone appeared before him. He stood tall, his entire body covered in a white cloak. A mechanical looking staff topped with a red gem was gripped in one hand, and a vulture-like mask with antlers covered his face. Two gleaming blue eyes peered out from the slits in the mask. Hart raised his staff as he faced the one who betrayed their kind after being given so much.
“Belos.”
Briar sobbed as she ran, clinging the basket tighter to her chest. Arcadia let out a quiet, mournful keen. Soon they arrived at the base of a cliff. Letting out a soft howl, her eyes glowed white as she called upon the magic of the Titan. A cracking of stone was heard, and a passage opened within the cliff face. They quickly ran through it. As they arrived on the other side, it opened up into a hidden valley, containing many trees and a waterfall at the far side. She ran towards the waterfall, following a small but worn dirt trail. A whimper came from the basket, but she quickly shushed it, rocking it gently.
As they arrived at the falls they continued to follow the path as it led around the cliff and behind the water. They then entered a hidden cave. As they hurried deeper into the cavern, they passed paintings and carvings along the walls, depicting strange runes, symbols, and images of wolves with horns and hooved back feet, hulking creatures of different sizes, and humanoid beings with pointed ears and fangs. Soon they arrived at a central chamber, containing a great mural on the ceiling. Scattered throughout the cave were statues of wolves that looked like the ones in the paintings, made out of stone, wood, and earth. Briar paid them no mind as she continued to the far side of the chamber. They hurried around a large statue, and entered a small passageway.
Soon they arrived at a small room. It was dark, so Briar closed her eyes for a moment, concentrating. When she opened them, they were glowing white again. All around the room, strange symbols began to shine, lighting up the room. It contained a small pool, filled with water. They stopped in front of the pool, and Briar turned to Arcadia, holding out the basket.
“It’s time,” She whispered. Arcadia took the basket, and Briar bent down, pulling the blanket back slightly. There, in the basket, was a young baby girl, only a few months old, sleeping soundly. Leaning forward, Briar laid a gentle kiss on her forehead.
“Be strong, my beautiful pup,” She whispered. Standing straight, she looked the wooden wolf with antlers in the eyes. “Take care of her, please,” She said.
The elemental gave a slight nod. Briar then took out a small vial, containing a blue liquid. She proceeded to poor it into the pool. The water began to shimmer as the blue liquid spread along its surface. Then, an image appeared, showing green trees and a small house shining in the woods. She then backed up, turning to Arcadia once again, tears flowing freely down her face.
“Goodbye, old friend,” She said, “Be sure to find a family that will care for my pup.” The wolf nodded once again, then turned, and jumped into the pool, the basket held tight in its mouth. There was a bright flash, and the water went dark. Briar immediately collapsed, sobbing loudly. After a few moments, she picked herself up, turned, and ran out the way she came. She knew that if she stayed Belos would find this place. She had to get as far away from here as possible before he caught her. She whispered a prayer to the Titan, asking him to help Arcadia find a family to take care of her little pup.
Meanwhile, in the middle of Connecticut, a small pond began to glow. Then came a bright flash of light, and a large wooden wolf appeared, sporting a pair of antlers. Arcadia could feel their strength fading fast. They needed to find a home for its charge. Scanning the area, they could see a light through the trees. They began to trot towards it.
Luis Noceda clung to his wife, Valentina, as she sobbed quietly. She held their baby boy, Pablo, in her arms. However, he wasn’t breathing, and his skin was cold. Isabella, the midwife who helped Valentina give birth, stood by quietly as the family mourned.
“¿Por qué sucedió esto?” Valentina sobbed out, “Hemos esperado tanto tiempo, ¿por qué perdimos a nuestro bebé?”
“No sé,” Luis replied, stroking his wife's hair, “Realmente no lo sé.”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t do more,” Isabella said, “You didn’t deserve to lose your child like this.”
“You did what you could,” Luis replied, “We just didn’t have the money to afford going to the hospital.”
Luis and his wife Valentina only immigrated to the U.S. a little over a year ago, and money was still tight. Luis had to work two jobs in order to pay the bills for their small house. It became especially hard when Valentina discovered she was pregnant. Both were thrilled, of course, but it meant that life was even harder for the two of them. Still, they were ready to take on the challenge, taking every obstacle in stride. They made it all this way, only for everything to be ripped out from under them as their baby was stillborn.
As they sat there, Luis heard a strange sound coming from the front door. He stood up, looking at Isabella. She nodded, and traded places with him, wrapping his wife in a hug as he left to investigate.
Luis arrived at the front door and opened it. He immediately yelled, jumping back. In front of him stood an enormous wolf made of wood and stone, with a pair of large antlers sprouting from its head. Its eyes glowed dimly, shining a pale orange.
“What is it,” Isabella called out, hurrying towards him. She soon arrived, and when she saw the creature, she immediately screamed. Suddenly, both of them heard a strange voice in their heads. It didn’t speak, per say, but they understood it clearly.
“ Peace, I mean no harm to you or anyone in this household, ” it said, “ I am here because I seek your aid. ”
Luis wondered what possible aid he could give this thing. Then, he heard a whimper. Suddenly, the sound of a baby’s crying filled the house. Looking down, Luis saw a basket by the wolf’s front paws. In the basket, wrapped in blankets, was a baby, with dark skin like his own.
“ I don’t have much time left, ” the voice said. Luis’ head jerked up, as he realized that it was the creature that was speaking to him. “ I served this little pup’s parents. However, they are lost, and I will soon fade. I can see into your soul, and can tell that you and your mate are kind and loving. I can also see that you have just lost a pup of your own. Please, take care of this one in his place. ”
The creature swayed, its eyes beginning to flicker. The voice came again, but Luis only caught pieces of what the thing before him was trying to say.
“ Her… Ca… ella… is… alker, ” the voice said as it faded. The creature stumbled away, then it collapsed. Its orange eyes flickered, then faded, as its body stopped moving. Luis looked at the thing for a long moment, before turning back to the baby. He reached down, lifted her out of the basket, and began to gently rock her. The cries soon quieted as the baby nuzzled his chest. Luis stared at the baby for several seconds, before closing the door, and returning to his wife's side, Isabella trailing behind.
As he entered the bedroom, his wife looked up, worry showing in her eyes.
“What was that,” She asked him, “I heard you scream, then suddenly there was a voice in my head, and what are you holding?”
Luis walked to his wife’s side and sat down on the bed. He heard her gasp as she caught sight of the baby in his arms.
“When I opened the door, there in front of me was a gigantic wooden wolf with glowing eyes.,” He said, “The voice you heard must have been its. It asked us to take care of this baby. Then, it stumbled to the side and collapsed, and the glow in its eyes faded.”
“It's true,” Isabella said, “I was right there with him, and the body is still outside.”
Valentina stared at them, then turned her head to look at the baby in Luis’ arms. Suddenly, the baby opened her eyes. Warm brown, with flecks of gold, stared back at them. They stayed like that for a few moments.
“Are we going to,” Valentina asked suddenly. Luis looked up at her. She nodded down at the baby in his arms. “Take care of her, that is,” She continued.
Luis blinked. “Are you actually considering this,” He asked, surprised.
Valentina looked down to the still body in her arms. “We just lost our baby, and suddenly, out of nowhere, a creature comes to us and asks us to take care of a new child. I don’t know what led it here, but we’ve been given another chance at being parents.”
“But how will we explain where the baby came from,” Luis asked his wife, “I highly doubt that we’d be allowed to keep a random baby we found.”
“You didn’t find her,” Isabella said suddenly, “You gave birth to her. You had twins, one boy, one girl.” They turned to look at her. “What, I’m the midwife, and you only got one ultrasound early on. It would have been very easy to miss your daughter when it was taken.”
“You’d really do that for us,” Luis asked.
“Of course,” She replied, “Whatever that thing was, it asked you to take care of this little one, and you already have everything that you need to do so.”
“Thank you,” said Valentina gratefully. Isabella nodded her head.
“What should we name her,” Luis asked his wife. She thought for a moment.
“Didn’t that voice try to tell us something at the very end,” She asked, “It sounded like a name. Ca… ella, or something like that.”
Luis thought for a moment.
“What about Camila,” Isabella asked them. They looked up at her, and she shrugged. “It’s what you were going to name Pablo if he was a girl, and it sounds similar to the name that thing was trying to say.”
Valentina thought for a moment, then smiled.
“Camila,” She said, trying it out, “Yes that sounds wonderful.” She looked down at the baby that had been gifted to them. “Camila Noceda.”