Chapter 3: Wanderer
Mikalya’s P.O.V
For nearly a century I'd roamed this Earth, wandering through different lands, watching time fly past. People changed, empires rose and fell, India gained its independence, new generations were born and the older ones died out. An endless cycle of life and death that seems to stretch on for eternity.
But even though the world around me had changed so much, I was still trapped in that cold winter night from a century ago when a young girl had to not only grow up overnight, but do something that no child of fourteen should ever have to dream about.
A cold night painted in deep, dark red that even the darkness couldn't hide. Screams so loud and painful that it echoed throughout the lands. And then....silence.
What had hurt more than the screams was the endless silence. Silence now buried under thousands of layers of sand.
No one remembers Mouri anymore, as if it never existed. The pack that I had been born into had liked to travel, liked to kill entire packs and take over their land, only to leave it in ruins a few days later when all the previous packs income had been spent on alcohol and their women had given birth to the next generation.
If there was one thing I was thankful for, it was the fact that my pack had had no more children during the time I’d burnt it to the ground. Only boys in their late teens who had taken pleasure in raping their own sisters. They had deserved what had come their way and so much more.
Today, I once again stood in the same land that had once been my version of Hell. But when I looked ahead now, I could no longer see torment and death, but a small, thriving village that was now a tourist spot. I saw several women in colorful ghagra-choli’s (an Indian dress worn mainly in Gujarat and Rajasthan) with wide smiles on their faces as they led the other tourists to their shops where they sold such similar dresses, hand woven bed sheets and dolls made of clay or straws.
It was a land filled with color and prosperity and hope. Something I never thought I would witness.
When Rafael had been Alpha, he’d treated women like disposable dolls, not letting them wear anything other than torn rags, but he’d mostly kept them naked and let the men do as they please. He had insulted the very foundation of our world. To humiliate women in a land where the people call our country "Matribhumi" (mother land), a land where Goddesses Durga ( Mother Goddess), Kali (Death Goddess), Saraswati (Goddess of Knowledge), Lakshmi (Goddess of wealth and prosperity), Annapurna (Goddess who provides us food), etc. are considered mothers, Goddesses who are worshiped every day; his crimes had been unforgiveable. But as I’d learnt soon after, he wasn’t the only one.
Not just humans, but the world of shifters is dominated by males. Females are still only fit to work in the kitchen and give birth to their children. Although now I see several women getting educated, taking up jobs and running their families with capable hands, they still do not have as much freedom as men.
But who am I to speculate? I’m just a lone wanderer who keeps roaming throughout India, not staying in one location for more than ten years so that the humans don’t start questioning why I don’t age. I’ve worked odd jobs at several cities and villages and have managed to make a fortune for myself, but the saddest part is, I don’t have any family to spend that money on.
Oh, who am I kidding? I don’t have family alright, but I have someone who has tagged along with me through the years, never once leaving my side.
Ruksaar. The only other survivor from Mouri.
She had been extremely excited to visit her birthplace but as soon as she had gotten on the plane, the hot steward had grabbed her attention. That was why, at present, I was standing in this small town that had once been Mouri and Ruksaar was in her hotel room with said hot steward, fornicating.
It’s not like I’m a virgin. Wolves are sexual creatures just like most shifters, so I’ve had my fair share of lovers that have sometimes lasted up to a couple of years, but we also have mates. And we can only have children with our mates. Unfortunately, I’ve never once found a mate in my one hundred and twenty six years of existence; and frankly, I don’t plan to find him either.
And to think that Mother Nature, or as some call her-the Moon Goddess, had burdened us with not one but several mates to choose from…it caused a shudder to run down my spine. But with Ruksaar, it was different. She preferred one night stands she could discard the next day.
I don’t know if my habits had rubbed off on her or vice-versa, but we were both wanderers, lone wolves who choose not to find a permanent partner.
“Sorry,” I spoke to the sand, where I’d burned the remains of Ruksaar’s mother before scattering her ashes into the wind. “You’re probably regretting sending her off with me.”
But no one answered and I knew that Ruksaar’s mother hadn’t had a choice. It was either I save her daughter from the scorching flames or let her die along with everyone else in the village. And I’d decided to keep her with me rather than abandon her at an orphanage. After all, she was pack; she was blood.
“I thought we were here on a vacation!” I turned to find Ruksaar wobbling over a dune, trying to cross over to me without getting sand in her shoes. “Why are you brooding in broad daylight?”
“Sorry, I haven’t mugged up the brooding manual yet.” I shrugged as I debated entering the village or turning back and heading back to our hotel. “That was awfully quick.”
“Trust me, you don’t even know the definition of ‘quick’ just yet.” Ruksaar huffed as she came to a stand next to me. “If only he had spent half as much time pleasing me as I had spent walking through this blasted sand…”
Her long black hair hung in loose curls to her waist and she was wearing a ghagra-choli in bright green mixed with blue. Her skin was dusky; almost like milk chocolate and her big almond shaped dark brown eyes looked around with interest. After all, this was where she was born.
She had no memories of that night, of course. That’s why I didn’t see her feel particularly interested in this place. But this land was etched in my memory forever, just like the night we had managed to escape. And it was a memory I would hold close to my heart until the day I died.
“Come on, jiji,” Ruksaar linked her hand through mine and began dragging me towards the village. “I’m starving. Let’s go eat something spicy.”
“Everything here is spicy.” I told her, remembering one of the dishes my mother used to feed me. Both Rajasthan and Gujarat were known for their spicy food, as well as their unique culture and ancient castles. But we weren’t here for sightseeing. My purpose was different.
Hand in hand, we both set foot into the land that had never welcomed women with the pride and joy we deserved, but with fear and anguish.
As old memories swirled, I crushed them down with sheer strength of will. The past was in the past. I would not let it ruin the future. Ruksaar deserved as much, no matter how old she was.
So I took small strides and walked beside her, hoping that this time, I would finally be free of the awful memories of my past.
Chapter 4: The Foreigner Abhay’s P.O.V I took another shot of the women sewing together a brilliant bed sheet with needles and threads and then checked the photos for clarity. This was going to be the most amazing project I’d ever done for the Lifestyle Magazine. The brightness of the colors contrasted well with the whitewashed buildings and brought the women into sharp focus. My new Nikon FM2 had cost me a fortune but it was worth every dime I spent and the whole night’s wait in front of the shop. And it was lightweight and easy to carry. I still had a few longer, high resolution lenses in the duffle bag that I’d left back at the hotel, but since I was just walking through the vibrant marketplace and taking close-up shots, it was easier to carry a lightweight camera. It was about three o’ clock on a winter afternoon but the sun was beating down on all of us mercilessly, although I was the only one who seemed to be affected by it. I wiped away a bead of sweat from my brows with a
Chapter 5: Illusions Abhay’s P.O.V For a couple of seconds, I felt flabbergasted. Yes, I was a healthy male of twenty seven with a proper sexual appetite, but I’ve never imagined myself naked and in bed with any women. I was brought up with parents who had taught me that in our culture, sex before marriage was not the right way to go about it. And I’d always believed in that principle. Yes, I’ve had a couple of relationships in my life. Once when I was in high school, with a girl about three years younger than me, we had drifted apart after I left school to join college. My second relationship had been in my second year of college, with a girl in my class who had shared my enthusiasm for photography. But we too had drifted apart right after I’d landed a job at Lifestyle Magazine as an intern and she had left for Calcutta to work for The Daily Telegraph. But I’ve never had any physical relationships with either of my ex’s. We had kissed, yes, I wasn’t that much of a saint, but we h
Chapter 6: Reality Mink’s P.O.V No. NO! This cannot be happening and especially not now…not here! Ruksaar chatted on beside me without a care in the world as we both walked briskly back to our hotel. She was blissfully unaware of the torment that was going through my mind as I balled my hands into fists, my claws slicing out to pierce the delicate skin of my palm. The wounds would heal even before they were formed and I wished with all my power that my mind could work the same way. But his image was now imprinted in my mind and it’ll stay right there until the day I die. Mate. The bloody word tasted like poison in my mouth and I tried to suppress the shudder that raked through me, but to no avail. Wide almond shaped eyes the color of topaz, with more gold than brown; they were eyes of a cat. His hair had been a dark shade of brown that appeared almost black. I could picture it in the sun, however, with a brown tint to it. It would be soft to the touch- I reined back my thoughts
Chapter 7: Desert Snow Abhay’s P.O.V It was snowing. The ground was completely white. It had snowed overnight and now the tiny yellow blossoms that looked like miniature sunflowers were buried under three feet of fresh snow, their petals crushed under the heavy weight. It was going to be a long, cold year ahead and the snow has only just begun. I looked at the waterfall in front of me, untouched by the winter chill. Jharna, that was what we called it. The literal Hindi translation of a waterfall, but it just sounded right to us. It was freezing outside but I knew it would be nice and warm inside the pack house. It would also be noisy. But I liked that noise. It was welcoming. It was home. Something dropped to the ground then, at my feet. I looked down to see what it was. It was only a speck in the vast sea of snow but it stood out amongst the white. It was in the shape of a tiny drop but the warmth coming from it melted the snow a little, caused a slight dent as it was absorbed i
Chapter 8: Cruel Fate Mink’s P.O.V I watched four men approach us from the other end of the desert. Each one was wearing the traditional Gujarati dhoti-kurta along with the multicolored turbans. Their stance was rigid, their expression harsh. One hundred years later and the world hasn’t changed all that much from since I was a child. Shifters are still a male dominated species, not much different from the patriarchal society that humans live in. I often wonder what it was that made men so special that they thought they could rule every aspect of everyone’s lives. Be it humans or shifters, women were always looked down upon. I could understand the theory behind this discrimination with humans, but shifters? Shifters were strong and that strength didn’t discriminate between male or female. The highest I’ve ever seen a female shifter rise in rank was a beta in a deer shifter pack, which was pretty unconventional considering that most of the deer packs comprise of females with one big
Chapter 9: The Meeting Abhay’s P.O.V Since I had gotten up well before sunrise, I decided to first clean up and then quickly changed into some loose fitting comfort clothes so I wouldn’t boil under the sun like I had yesterday. After I was ready, I packed up my camera so I could head to the desert for some shots of the sunrise. I locked up and caught a motor van ride into the desert along with some other men and women who were heading to Jaipur. I was also able to get a cup of piping hot tea on the way, along with some biscuits that I enjoyed in the cool morning breeze as the motor van left the cemented town road and entered the bumpy desert road. I found a suitable place to get off and waved the other passengers goodbye as I hoisted my backpack over one shoulder and headed toward the desert to find a suitable spot for taking pictures. Once I’d found a spot, I set my backpack down and began taking pictures of the sun as it rose above the d
Chapter 10: Indefinable Attractions Abhay’s P.O.V “There you go!” Ruksaar skidded to a halt as soon as we entered the village perimeters. “We’ve helped you find your way back safe and sound. It was nice meeting you, Abhay! But I guess it’s time to part ways.” “D-do you guys w-want to go for lunch?” The words were out before I could stop myself. “Consider it a thank you gift for getting me here safely.” Ruksaar’s sister gave me an irritated glare from over her shoulders while Ruksaar clapped her hands together in excitement. I’ve never seen a woman as disinterested in me as Ruksaar’s sister, and yet, it felt like there was this invisible rope that was binding us together. The more time I spent near her, the more I felt drawn to her. And that was probably why I felt the need to stay near her longer than I had intended to. And what better way to spend time knowing them than to invite them to lunch? Or was it brunch? “Thank you, Abhay!” Ruksaar skipped over to me and linked her hands
Chapter 11: New Encounters Mikalya’s P.O.V “Mikalya?” Do you sense that? Ruksaar’s mental voice rang loud and clear in my mind. Yes. I told her. It’s definitely a wolf and a strong one. I’m guessing a Luna. But why would a Luna be here in the middle of nowhere? Ruksaar asked. Are you sure there’s no longer any packs living here? In this entire state? If there were, then the falcons wouldn’t be the only pack trying to confront us. I told her. This is another rogue. But with a child? That’s surprising for a Luna to be out and about with the future heir just hanging off her arm. But I don’t sense another wolf, Ruksaar said. How could you sense the child? Are they the thieves that just stole from the kitchen? I think so, I told her. But I can’t be sure. The child’s aura is very mild but I can sense it. I think it’s a submissive. There weren’t any wolves in town before today; I think they arrived just now. Let’s go check. I got up from the chair along with Ruksaar…and halted. Abha