ITHRAI returned to a barely alive Zadok and immediately fed him the fruits. As I fed the fruits to him, I prayed to the heavens above that I wasn’t wrong with my administration. I remember watching my mother boil the fruits, pound them and administer the content after drawing out its nutrients using water. With our current predicament, we didn’t have such luxury. I gave Zadok the fruits raw and hoped that would help while I got to creating a fire to roast another batch. My snake bite burned like fire, but I didn’t let it distract me. I put some fruits in my mouth for the poisonous effects of the snake bite and went on to put on a fire in the cave. It took a while, and eventually, the fire burned. The cave glowed with a fiery red tone. I returned to Zadok, using my mediocre skills to assess the extent of damage. Thankfully, his breath evened and gone was his previous laboured breathing. He was still unconscious, but I hoped he wouldn’t die. While roasting the fruits, I thought a

ITHRANot as good as my tits?I huffed as I walked through the woods, trying and failing to put off the flames in my cheeks.Zadok was unreasonable, I thought. Remembering his lopsided grin as he teased me without shame. I couldn’t have it with him. I walked through the bushes, placing thoughts of Zadok in the corner of my mind. My stomach growled, reminding me of the hunger that ate at me. There was nothing in the forest - not even a single bunny. I wondered where the animals fled and why. A scare came upon me at the thought of them running away. If they had all run away, I presumed something scared them - and whatever it was, I knew I needed to be wary of it. I pulled out my knife and stayed guard, and my eyes opened for any unfriendly attacks. I heard rustling in the bushes and turned around with my hands clutched tightly on my knife. I smiled when I saw an antelope feasting on leaves. I felt joy as I checked out its large behind and hinds. Meat. I thought with a smile, gettin

ITHRA “Ithra! Please, help us!” My mother screamed as she burned alongside my sisters. My eyes were red with tears as I helplessly watched the fire devour them while they screamed for help. I couldn’t come close to them. I got held by Athaliah and Azriel - who refused to leave me as the others burned every hut in the Celtz clan. “Please. Stop it, I already pledged my life to him, I already agreed to help him! Please, just spare their lives. I beg of you.” I cried, “It was stupid of you to think I will let these scoundrels live. You are lucky you are still alive. Had it not been for our Alpha’s generosity, you should be burning with them!” Athaliah said, eyeing me with disgust. “Kill me!” I screamed, unable to hold myself. “Kill me right now because death is worse than this! I can’t live with this memory. End my life this instant.” I yelled, getting tired of the torture. “Gladly,” Azriel said, tightening his hold around me. “I would love to rid this earth of trash like you, but

ITHRAWe woke up to a freezing atmosphere. Zadok and I journeyed through the Valley of Thorns. In our journey so far, this has got to be the longest walk yet. Thankfully, we were close to leaving the Cold Valley, and we could tell by the coldness that increased as we went further. “Finally.” Zadok said, stopping in his tracks, “We are here.” He faced me with a smile. “Welcome to the cold valley.” I searched for signs that told me we were in the cold valley but saw none. “Where does it say so?” I voiced my concerns, and he smiled. “Surely, you don’t expect a signpost in the dark forest, Ithra,” he said sarcastically. I rolled my eyes, “No shit, Sherlock.” I gestured to our surroundings, “Forgive me for looking for something that suggests we are out of the Valley of Thorns.” I opined, “Other than the increased coldness, there’s nothing out of the ordinary.”“That’s because we are yet to cross its thresholds,” Zadok said, studying the map. “From my analysis, it should be right her

ZADOK I felt my body weaken, and I felt at the brink of death. “What are you doing?” I asked Kir, panicking within me. “Since you have refused to submit to me, I will show you how weak you are without my help.” My body felt like chards of ice were pricking my skin. It felt like the cold increased - so much that I fell to my knees. My legs couldn’t carry me anymore. “What is wrong with you?!” I heard Ithra’s panicked voice from afar off. I could barely keep my eyes open. My insides were freezing, and every single organ was failing. It felt like I was in a cold room. Every single fluid in my body was dried, dead. My heartbeat slowed, and I could taste death. “Can you see how weak you are against me?” Kir asked. I heard the anger in his tone. I didn’t answer. I didn’t speak. It hurt too much. Was this what Ithra was going through all this while? How was she surviving? “Remember this the next time you choose to disregard me,” He growled. “You are as weak as a human without