The Indifferent Luna 1 - Austan wolf

I stood before the castle which was five times larger than I imagined, the marble tilted floor surrounding it was covered with snow. Around the castle, there were houses, more like barracks. I mean why would they even need to build those? Isn’t the castle enough to accommodate everyone from the pack?

“What I think you should ask is how long she took to build this castle. I think I would like to have one myself.” Rieka suddenly said with a smile and I rolled my eyes.

Obviously, our quarrel has ended as my precious wolf has once again seen the object of her desire, the passion for dominion.

But honestly, this pack was bigger than Eric’s pack, no it was bigger than even my parent’s pack. Compared to this pack, their pack must be a tiny village, but how? How could one woman achieve so much power and resources?

I asked myself, my eyes gleaming with admiration as I followed them towards the castle, stepping out of the woods into the marble-tiled floor, covered in snow.

Rieka was right, maybe one day we can have something like this when we are done paying back our enemies that is.

I allowed my eyes to drift from the many windows the castle had, to the people. They were no doubt warriors. Their physic and build only screamed of their strength and the rigorous training they’ve gone through.

They also had___are those weapons?

Why would a wolf need a weapon? I asked myself in wonder as I walked closer.

They had weapons uncommon to our kind strapped to their body, swords, daggers, and guns. I stared at all this in marvel as Rieka pushed her chest forward and lifted her head high,

"I have found my match.” she said happily but I didn’t have time to react as I watched all these people go about their business, whatever that was.

Whenever they met us, they bowed a little, putting their right hand across their chest in greeting to Adela then they hurried off after she gives a nod.

By the time we got to the entrance of the castle, the air of seriousness was already around me and I look up to see that Adela and the rest had already assumed their position as the leaders that they were by putting on a stiff ice cold facial appearance.

“Selene, show Silveen to her room.” Adela said without looking back or stopping as she walked into the castle.

I was about to follow quickly, excited about seeing the inside of the castle.

“Your room is this way.” I heard Selene say and looked to see she had changed her route from the entrance of the castle to........

Wait! I wasn’t going in? I wasn’t living in the castle? So I don’t get to see the inside of the castle?

I asked myself in dejection as I stood there staring at the first group following Adela into the castle while Selene was walking the other way.

She stopped and looked at me.

“Beginners don’t stay in the castle Silveen. If you want to go in, you have to earn yourself a place there.” I heard her say with a smile and I frowned as I rushed to catch up with her.

She probably copied that smiling thing from Adela.

I can’t believe I wasn’t going to be allowed to see the inside of the castle. What was with the earning of it anyway? I wondered as I walked side by side with her.

“What do you mean earn myself a place?” I asked as I listened to the sound of the boots Adela had given me crunch the snow.

“You might not have heard but we have a lot of rogues coming in every year to join us, there might even be enemy spies among them. So we devised a method to keep them at bay and watch their actions. Hence why these barracks were built. This is where you would be staying until you have gotten strong enough in your training to earn yourself a room in the castle.” She explained as she opened the iron door of one of the barracks for me. I stood at the entrance and looked at the lonely corridor.

The only source of illumination was the light bulb. There was no window and on each side there was a door, facing each other.

“This looks more like the rumored human prison than a wolf’s home.” Rieka said calmly and I sighed in agreement before walking in. Selene followed.

“How do I earn myself a place in the castle?” I asked as we walked down the lonely corridor, we turned right at a T- junction down the hall.

She smiled, “just be diligent with your training and we would promote you. It all depends on your diligence.

I nodded as I looked around confused, we’ve been walking for quite something on this corridor and we haven’t gotten to my room yet. How big was this barrack exactly? And why was it so empty? Do they lock people up inside?

“Uhm.... where is everyone?” I swallowed as I asked.

I had to be sure that the reason Adela was so determined to recruit me wasn’t to throw me in a prison that they pretend was a room.

“They’re out for their afternoon training.”

“Oh,” I said nodding.

“We’re here.” Selene said with a hint of excitement in her voice as she walked to a door, pulled out a key in her pocket and unlocked it.

She opened the door and stepped in while I stood in the doorway with a slacked jaw as I looked into the room. It was nothing like the dull empty corridor I had been walking in.

It had a large king-sized bed overlaid with a white bedsheet squeezed into a corner between two walls. The wall at the foot of the bed had two doors that faced us, one led to the bathroom probably.

The other part of the room had a single sofa facing the bed, and a table and chair facing the only window in the room. The window was decorated with a white lace curtain.

“What do you think?” Selene asked.

“It’s.....” I nodded not knowing what to say as I walked in.

“The first door is the wardrobe, all the clothes and boots you would need are there. The second is the bathroom.” Selene explained as she pointed to them. “The dining room is down the hall. You are to be there by 6 pm tonight for dinner. Training also starts at 6 am tomorrow morning. Don’t be late. Ask someone to show you to the training ground. Take care.” she said quickly waving to me and before I could think of a response for her, she was gone and the key that was now mine was left in the keyhole.

I walked slowly towards the door that led to the bathroom and opened it. It was painted white, a basin and a vanity on one side with a side cupboard then a shower and a toilet seat.

I looked at the place that used to be my favorite place in the world which was rather small in this room and smiled sadly. It reminded me of Eric’s home, the one place where I thought I would live for a long time.

It doesn’t matter this was my new home now.