The Wolves and the White Bird

02. The Alpha

Cora felt weak. Not as weak as other times where she was forced to heal. After all, Alpha Oren's wound was minor in comparison. But weak enough that she stumbled on the last step, sending her falling to the ground as she used her hands to brace her fall. Laughter surrounded her from random pack members who were loitering in the kitchen as she rushed to pick herself up off the floor, a weird sense of embarrassment flushing her cheeks.

"Awww, did the big bad Alpha hit you too hard on the head?" said Richard as he laughed behind her.

Of course, that's what he would think. Little did he know that every time she used her powers to heal, the energy drained from her more and more. Now that she was coming to the end as the timer on her wrist moved closer to zero, she was becoming weaker and weaker after each heal.

She didn't know why she didn't tell anyone. Maybe they would use her powers less frivolously if they knew it had an expiry date. Nevertheless, she simply shut her mouth, healed whatever injury people wanted and went on her merry little way. It didn't matter the size of the injury or illness or disease, every time the counter went down by the same amount. One.

It wouldn't be long now, and she would be out of here. Whether she believed in the afterlife or not was something she rarely thought about. But now that she was getting close to the end, she wondered what it would be like. Would she be reincarnated? Or would she spend her afterlife in the land of the eternal summer as the witches of the north believed? Either way, she was conflicted. One side of her wanted to live, the other wondered if it was better off dying instead of being shuffled from pack to pack as a prisoner for the rest of her life.

Cora walked back to the dungeon as slow as she could with Richard on her back. Every so often, she would run her fingers across the soft leaves of the dewy grass trees that scattered along the path through the forest. The feeling on her fingertips was one that she enjoyed immensely, but it soon came to an end. They arrived at the dungeon door and she stumbled down the stairs, back into her small, dimly lit prison cell. Her head still spinning from the effort of healing the alpha.

She collapsed onto the floor in a heap, her body trembling with exhaustion as she tried to get some rest. Cora sat there for hours with not much else to do but to focus on the aches and pains in her body until they finally subsided, providing her with some relief.

Yet there was another feeling that didn't dissipate like the others. A butterfly sensation churning around inside of her like a tornado hurtling towards its unknown destination. She had been kept in isolation in the dank cell since healing Alpha Oren, but it wasn't unusual for her to go a full day or even longer without seeing anyone. The only company she had were the mice that scurried around on the floor or the sounds of the swallow birds outside enjoying their freedom as they flitted in between the trees. The only light came from a small slit in the stone wall, and the air was thick with the scent of mould and despair.

Her ears perked up as the usual peaceful sounds of the forest were replaced with the sounds of growls and battle cries. A chill ran down her spine as the growls grew louder, the battle cries coming closer. Cora could hear the sound of bodies colliding, weapons clanging, and blood-curdling screams echoing in the distance.

Fear and curiosity mixed within her as she got up off the floor, stepping carefully towards the cell bars. Cora tried to get a peek down the hallway towards the dungeon doors, which had two window panels on the heavy door. She stood on her tiptoes, craned her head forward then sighed, relaxing back on the heels of her feet when she realised she couldn't see a thing.

Suddenly, the door to her dungeons flung open with a powerful crash, followed by the sound of heavy footsteps making their way down the corridor. With every step, she could feel her heart pounding harder against her chest even though she was doing everything in her power to keep her breathing normal. It wasn't like her to be afraid of unknown visitors in the dungeons, but something was different this time. She could feel it.