Witch Crag was always in view, from every part of the hill fort. Lowering, jagged, like a broken fingernail scraping the sky, its lower slopes thickly forested with dark pines that never changed whenever the season. Sometimes, at night, green or purple lights flickered on the summit. It was forbidden to look at them, because they're made by witches who lived there, could be part of how they lured Omegas or Alphas a like to them.
The last omega gone to Witch Crag was many years ago, when headman was still a young man. Her name was Albion. Mystery surrounded her going, is she bewitched? taken? or escaped? It was forbidden to talk about her...
But once, when Arthur was a child, Britannia had talked about Albion. It was spring, Arthur found an wounded bird chriping by the kitchens. He scooped it up and nursed it while hiding it behind some wooden staves. He fed the bird with worms, as it heals it started attach to Arthur.
One day, it flew to Arthur and handed on his shoulder. Rubbing it's head softy against his cheeks. Laughing in pleasure, he turns to find Britannia standing there, white faced.
"I saved it! Britannia!" Arthur cried in triumph Why are you looking at me like that...?" Arthur excited smile was dropped when he notices Britannia's look.
Britannia glanced around hurriedly behind her, then got hold of Arthur's arm. "You must drive it off," she said, "You musn't keep it tame."
"I know... I know it's foolish, time wasting. Animals are here to feed us, not for fun or to be out friends. But-"
"It's more than that," said Britannia, urgently. "They'll think you're a witch"
"Huh? Why?"
"Because you befriend beasts. Albion... Albion could do that. She had a little wild wolf, a puppy. The headman found her with it - he... crushed the life out of it. In front of her. She went hysterical and attacked the headman. They tied her up and left her in one of the storage huts while they decide what to be done to her. But in the morning... she's gone."
"To the witches?"
"Yes... most likely"
Arthur clenched his fist. "And you think I'm one?"
"No, it's what others think darling. If she hadn't gone... they'd've slit her for sure."
Witches have a fearful history. Abducting omegas, luring them with witchery; murdering any alphas who dared to venture on the crag slopes - there were sightings of their corpses hanging like grotesque puppets from the pine tree branches.
Not long after Albion disappeared, 3 witches are found in the woods nearby. They're dragged out to the plains and slit as they stood. The headman himself executing out of them.
The following night, their bloodstained garments has floated eerily down into the hill fort, causing panic and dismay of the sheep people, who were sure they're under a curse.
Soon afterwards, a marauding tribe intent on stealing sheeps had besieged the hill fort. As their pact demanded, the horsemen had answered the bonfire summons and joined with the sheepmen; together they driven the marauders off. The fierce fighting has lasted until nightfall... The loss is terrible.
But less terrible, somehow, than what they saw from the hill fort walls when the sun came up the next day.
Three great stakes had been driven deep to the ground on the edge of the battlefields, stakes with crossbars. On one side of each crossbar dangled a bouquet with thistles, teasels and yellow flowering broom, all wrapped in ivy and vines to keep in place. Beautiful in their way.
On the other side of the crossbars three dead footsoldiers swung, hang and dangling by a foot. More vines and ivy coiled over them.
A message from the witches.
"I don't think you're a witch,Arthur..." Britannia had whispered, "but it's not me who matters."
In the omega's sleeping hut, Arthur snuggled up to the sheepskin nearer to Francis, omegas hardly could provide much heat to themselves with their naturally low temperature. "Ugh, at last," Arthur mumbled. "A bit of space finally. No people ordering us about. Francis, pinch me if I doze off, if we dont talk about this, Spring is our doom..."
"Shhhh," said Francis, he look around the hut make sure others are all asleep. "shhhh."
"We're going to be 16 this spring... 'The heat' is gonna affect us too?" Arthur shifted and hugged his knees, curling into a ball. "They've never allowed us near the older omegas during the Spring don't they...?"
"Arthur... I don't know... It's said that when it occurs, the Omega will attack others omegas in sight and tried to seduce an Alpha on 'em." Francis is trying his best to stay awake as his keep Arthur company.
"You think I'll attack you?" Arthur glanced at Francis.
"You already attacking me on daily basis so I dont see why not" Francis rolled his eyes.
"...Maybe. I saw Spain today. In the dung tunnel. Fitting isn't it? the only place you can get privacy is in a dung tunnel... He's being so brave, Francis... this place is killing us..." Arthur grumbled.
Francis was silent, although usually he was happy to talk about Spain. "What's up?" asked Arthur.
"I heard today," Francis murmured. "I'm going for a visit. The horsemen are having a feast next full moon. Six of our footsoldier are going to renre the bond of our tribes. And...I'm going too."
Panic seized Arthur. "Are you coming back?"
"They said so. But not for long. There're three men whose I might marry. Once we all met, we decide who I wed... Then I go back... and never back..."
"Are you scared?" whispered Arthur.
"Of course, I've felt sick the whole time since I've heard it... I don't like the fact that I'm going to married off to people I will meet for a few hours and not seeing you guys..."
"But you'll have a better life there. Everyone says so. Especially as a wife. Maybe you'll fall for one of the bridegrooms, they say young horsemen are gorgeous... I sure he'll fall for you too and love you... Oh I wish I wasn't so skinny and odd-looking, so they wanted me too!"
"I love how you look," Francis said, "but I'd won't change it if it only meant we could be together, since it wouldn't be you anymore..."
The night of the full moon came round fast. In its morning, six footsoldiers set off to walk the seven miles to the horsemen's fort, with Francis and a sheep destined for the spit walking with them.
Arthur have no chance to say goodbye to Francis as he escaped from his work hauling water up from the well only in time to see the great gates swing shut behind him. Arthur waited until the central yard is empty, then raced towards the rocky outcrop, clambered up it, and wriggled throught the brambles to his ledge to watch his brother-figure go. The footsoldiers surrounded Francis and the sheep, two of them carry a huge bale of wooven wool, on poles-more trades.
Arthur watched until they were out of sight, a stone of grief weighted inside her. Arthur then scrambled down and stood leaning against the wooden stoackade to catch her breath. Forking his fingers through his dirty blonde hair, he was suddenly aware of someone behind her. Then a hand shot out and grabbed her arms.
Frightened, he spun around. To face Alfred, grinning at her. He squeezed his arm hard, then let it go. "You climb like a tree rat," he said.
Arthur heart pounded in shock and fear. Had Alfred seen where he come from? Was his flint ledge discovered?
"What the hell are you trying to do?" Alfred stared at him.
"They've taking Francis," Arthur muttered. Too afraid to meet Alfred eyes, sometimes he just cursed his Omega instinct. "I was trying to see her go, but I couldn't."
"Course you couldn't. Unless you could fly, h'n? Like a witch?"
Arthur hung his head, didn't answer. He thought he'd get away with it after Alfred done.
Alfred looked at Arthur slightly trembling frame. "...You're not the only one sad to see Francis go," Alfred soften his tone. "Matthew was meant to be in that platoon today, but he's fallen for Francis' looks so bad that the headman noticed. Said he had to stop in case he cause trouble. Idiot. Missing out on a feast with the horsemen. Over a omega."
Arthur is too panicky to notice the change in Alfred's tone. Everything in Arthur wanted to get away from Alfred. To him, Alfred exuded a kind of menace, a violence. But he watched information more. "You went there the winter before last, didn't you?" he asked.
"Yes," Alfred glanced around. "For a feast - the biggest feast of the year. We stayed three nights. I'd just been made footsoldier - they were the best nights of my life. The horsemen know how to live. Their staple food is boars they hunt in the forent behind them, not stupid sheep. Their hall is decked with plunders they got from the tribes they battled with, and they honour their soldiers."
"You're honoured here," Arthur ventured.
"Not the same... Yes, we get fed the best, warmed first, wear leather... but that to make us fight better. There, they get proper respect. The warriors - they sat on high table above everyone else, and when the drums stopped, everyone shout their names, saluted them..."
"For that feast - didn't some of our omegas go?"
Arthur hated the way Alfred leered him when he asked that. "Three of them," he said. "You know why, don't you?"
"I thought... they went like Francis' going. To be considered wives. But none of them went back again. Did no one want to keep them?"
Alfred threw back his head and laughed. "And you're hoping no one will want Francis, so he'll stay here too? Forget it. Those three girls had a good time for a few nights. There was no plan for more. Remember the babies that was born, nine months later?"
Arthur went pale. With shock-and at her own stupidity. Of course. Of course.
" We boys were put to work, too," Alfred said. "Two babies came from us. Don't look so sick. My father was a horsemen, I'm sure of it. That's why I'm drawn to them. That's why I'm - like I am"
Arthur clenched his chest to try to surpress the panic he felt. "I never... I never thought of it..."
"Oh, Arthur. Dummy. Why'd you think headman's happy when someone brings in a wild sheep, found wandering? Fresh blood is good for breeding. Strengthens the strain. Better sheep, better men."
Before Arthur could stop it, tears slid down his cheeks uncontrollably. Shocking Alfred and himself. He ran. Straight away from the stunned Alpha.
"O-Oi!" Alfred watched as Arthur run away. Alfred's heart clenched as he watched the tears that slid down Arthur's face.
Arthur hide behind a hay stack as Alfred look around for him. He buried his face in his knees and hugged himself close. Argh! Stupid! Why the tears! Arthur felt both scared and embarrassing. An unknown feeling swirl around inside him, making his heart and stomach churn. Two babies came from us... came from us... us... Alfred voices echo in his mind. Us... are Alfred in it? Was he? There's 6 footsoldiers going right? Arthur groaned as this unsettling feeling, he felt it before when Antonio talked to other omegas but never this... Arthur pushes the stuff off his mind when Erika, a fellow omega called out for him. Time for work, concentrate Arthur.