Desert Mishaps (Part 1) ⏸

Rewind ⏪ (8 days back)

It's been 5 hrs since Maira was pushed out of the dungeon and man was she exhausted.

Maira had tried to change into her wolf form to move faster, but couldn't due to the fact that she had and still has wolf-bell in her system. Water wasn't available to her as well.

"Uuuhh," Maira moaned, falling to the ground on her knees, "I can't go any further and sunrise is in 2 hrs."

She decided to lay comfortably on the sand when suddenly-

"Aaaaaaaaarrrrggghh!" Maira growled, her iris glowing an amber color.

A rattle snake had bitten her. It wasn't fatal for her because of her immune system, but she was weakening due to the wolf-bell.

Maira stood up to just continue her journey, but fell right back to the ground. She was feeble, thirsty and tired.

"Somebody help me," she murmured, before going out like a lamp.

***

It was day, the sun was high in the middle of the sky and tumbleweeds rolled around the dessert grounds without any particular goal.

Maira was up and decided to move along instead of waiting for help or a miracle. She knew she wasn't in heaven, happy land or some fantasy dream.

Maira wanted so badly to go back to her pack, to feel the comfort of her family, train with her sensei, have water and food at her reach, but how could she?

She was now a rogue.

Maira thought about how she was pathetic to even think that she could be a female warrior, be as strong as a male, go on missions and face the real world.

"I was so naïve," she laughed.

***

After being on the go for a while, Maira saw an Oasis in the longer distance.

"Oh my moon! I'm not going to die!" she exclaimed, finally having some motivation and hope.

By sundown, Maira realized she didn't actually see an oasis, it was a mirage she had seen.

"No, no, no, no!" Maira broke down sobbing, "Impossible! How?!"

She grabbed the sand around her and threw it. Threw it over and over into thin air to calm her frustration.

Promptly, while in her mood, Maira caught a scent. A faint scent of burning wood. She tried to sniff harder to detect other scents but it only pained her.

With no other lead of what was ahead, Maira concluded to follow the sole smell she could uncover.

Night time had descended, the moon and stars were shining, cool breeze passed through the golden sand, moving it around along with the wild flowers found in it.

Maira had now found where the burnt odour was coming from. It was a camp fire surrounded exclusively by males. Humans to be exact!

To not be noticed, she was hiding behind their camels that had wicker baskets hanging on each side of them.

There was no necessity to be too quiet because they were all eating and playing their drums loudly. Having a blast! While Maira was exhausted, sick, weak, hungry and thirsty. 

She was so out of it, so desperate, she couldn't resist to steal a plate of food which she found next to a tent. But unfortunately for Maira, her luck ended there.

Her sick self got caught!

"Are you human or beast?" the man who snatched her, asked, holding her wrist firmly.

"I'm no beast-" Maira fainted. The wolf-bell had gotten worse in her system seeing as she had not drank, eaten nor rested in almost 2 days.

***

After 34 hrs, Maira woke up with her head aching, her senses not functioning well, her new clothes drenched in sweat and her body hot.

"Aauuhhauh," Maira cried, observing her surrounding from the bed she lied in. She was in total pain.

"Don't cry," said Abraham, as he came inside the hut.

Abraham is the son's chief, he's 25 yrs old, has one older sister and two little brothers and his mother is dead.

He probably doesn't suspect of her being a werewolf, because when he had asked her if she was man or beast, she responded that she was no beast before fainting.

"What's wrong?" he asked, dipping a cloth in cold water to wipe Maira's forehead.

"I don't know, I'm tired and hungry," she sobbed, grabbing his hand shakily. "Can I have a cup of water, please?"

"Mamadou! Bring a plate of food and a cup of water!" Abraham ordered, from the tent they were both in.

The servant did as told, later bringing water and a plate filled with boiled goat meat and potatoes.

"The food is good?," Abraham asked, watching Maira have lunch on the bed.

"Yes it's good, thank you," she said eating, looking a little more lively.

"I'm glad, I'll be back when you're done eating to talk," he said leaving.

"Hmmhmm," Maira responded, stuffing her face.

***

"Are you well fed?" Abraham asked, entering the tent.

"Yes, but I would like more water please," Maira requested, handing him the cup and plate back.

"Mamadou!" Abraham yelled, staring at the young woman before him.

"Master?" his servant replied, coming in.

"More water for my guest please," Abraham said giving him the dirty dishes.

"No problem," Mamadou said, exiting the tent.

Abraham turned to Maira and bombarded her with questions, "What is your name? Why is your body shaking and sweating for? Do you have a fever? Why did you try to steal my food? Why were you alone the night I caught you? Will people come searching for you? Where do you come from and what are you doing in the desert of Matahuni without a man protecting you?"

The desert of Matahuni means the desert of the earth beast. An unarmed human female wandering alone, in a territory where it is most likely to bump into a werewolf, is dangerous.

Maira couldn't tell him she was ill because of wolf-bell, he would know she's a wolf. But if she lied about her identity, things could go wrong too. He could decide to keep her as a prisoner and think that time and medicine will heal her fever. She would never be able to get rid of the wolf bell, he or any human won't be able to help her as well and she would die.

"I'm a-"

"You're a what?" Abraham interrupted, impatient.

"Be patient, I'll answer your questions," Maira laughed, weakly.

"Okay," he smiled realizing he was being insistent.

"Come closer," Maira ordered, moving her finger back and fourth.

"What?" he asked, confused, approaching her.

"Were you the one who changed me or do you guys have a female around here?" Maira asked, holding his face between her palms.

She didn't know her touch would've made his body react because his arousal scent wasn't hard to detect.

"I was the one, does it bother you?" he asked, whispering huskily.

"No," Maira answered, letting go of his face. She was a werewolf, nudity was primal to them. Nothing to be ashamed of.

Abraham sat beside her, not knowing whether to make a move to bed her or to admire her beauty.

"Have you ever met a werewolf?" Maira asked, interrupting his thoughts.

"No, why?" he questioned, turning to face her directly.

"How would you feel if you met one?"

"They're dangerous and think lowly of us humans. I would kill it." He answered, with no hesitation, looking deep in her eyes.

"I-," Maira began to cough badly.

Abraham held her and was about to call for Mamadou, when-

"Here is the water," Mamadou said, handing it over to his Master while starring at Maira sadly.

"Thank you," Abraham said, pouring the water down Maira's throat.

"Stop!!" Maira coughed, throwing the cup away from her mouth, "There is wolf-bell in this!"

"Mamadou, leave! And don't tell anyone about this!" Abraham warned, and his servant obeyed.

I had to be certain, he said patting Maira's back.

She raised her face up and Abraham saw her iris glowing in a falter manner, tears falling down her face.

"You," Maira growled, hurt.

"Don't be mad," Abraham backed up, grabbing his knife at the back of his pants. It was dripping in wolf-bell.

"I'm more disappointed than mad, kill me if you must," Maira lied her head on the bed, tears still on her cheeks, accepting her faith calmly.

Abraham watched her, fascinated. He packed his knife back, "I had questions for you, answer them."

"My name is Maira and I already had wolf-bell in my system before you made me drink some more, that's why my body is sweating and shaking. I was alone the night you caught me because I didn't come with nobody and nobody followed me. I'm a werewolf from the Earth pack, this is my territory and I can defend myself without a male-"

"Not in the condition you're in," Abraham scoffed.

Maira chuckled, wiping her tears away, not caring about his opinions, "People won't come looking for me. Well I hope..."

"Why?"

"I let them down," Maira said, sadly.

"Where were you heading before, you know...?"

"West, I was told to keep traveling west till I see a grotto."

"I hate to break it to you Maira, but if I hadn't stop you, you were going to be heading north," Abraham said, amused.

"Great, now I can say I'm glad I met you," Maira mocked.

"Hmm. So how did you get wolf-bell in your body the first time?"

Maira didn't want to tell him it was because of the food they served her at the dungeon. It was none of his business.

She had to eat the food they served her, she was hungry and knew the amount they put in it would take two weeks at most to kill her.

Every werewolf prison puts wolf-bell in its food to weaken the prisoners. Wouldn't want to risk an escape, riot or resistance.

"It's a long story," Maira explained.

"I have time," Abraham retorted.

"I don't," she literally didn't have time.

There was an awkward silence then Maira decided to bombard Abraham with questions as well, "What's your name? Who are you? Where do you and your men come from?"

"Are you strong enough to come out of the tent and join me and my men outside?" he asked. "We can all talk there and we, my men and I, were suppose to be almost home by now but I stopped our plans for you," Abraham informed.

Maira looked at him surprised and touched by what he did, "I would like to come out but I think I'm paralyzed now. I have 4 days at most before I'm dead."

"The only cure to wolf-bell is lupus wort." Abraham stated.

"Yeah... Can you get it for me?"

"Where can I get my hands on some?"

"It grows mostly around the Water pack territory, but every werewolf pack possesses lupus wort,"

"Then let us go to your's,"

"We can't, I'm running away from my problems," Maira sighed.

"You have two choices; face your problems or prepare to meet your end. The water territory is far from here. By camel we will arrive at the port in a week or 2 by most in case of sand storms, enemies and predators. Don't even get me started with the boat trip, you will be dead by then," Abraham said, crouching down to Maira to hold her hands.

"Then our best bet is traveling east, to the grotto, she must've known they fed it to me," Maira said, mumbling the last part more to herself.

END OF CHAPTER 6 ▶️

***

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