Chapter 2
Deep in the mountain on a hot summer morning, a community of beast folks are already going on with their day. The beast folk were human but had animal traits; this was a village of wolf people. They had the ears and tails of wolves. In a large wooden house that resembles a Native American longhouse, a young girl with grayish-white hair sleeps. "Wake up, dear," a soft voice said.
The sleeping girl slowly begins to wake up; she opens her eyes and sees a woman standing over her. The woman has white hair and fair skin; her eyes are blue. She wore animal skin clothes like native Americans. The woman smiled as the girl woke up.
She was also a beast person; she had wolf ears and a tail, "Adolpha, it's time to get up; come, sweetie, it's time to go; your father is outside waiting." Adolpha was the young girl sleeping. She was also a part of her race. Adolpha was about ten years old; she woke up remembering they were going camping. She was excited.
Adolpha gets out of bed and changes; she wears clothes made of animal skin like the woman. "Mother, you should have woken me up earlier." The woman was her mother. Adolpha brushes her short grayish-white hair. "Come on, let's go," said a loud man, "Sierra, are they not ready?"
Sierra, Adolpha's mother, walked over to a bed on the other side of the room; she told someone else to wake up. Adolpha ready hears a boy's voice, "MMM, just a couple of more minutes." "No, we don't have time for that," said Sierra; she removed the blankets. A boy with the same traits as them was still sleeping.
The boy looks for his blanket; Sierra laughs, "How can this boy sleep with sheets on hot days like this?" "Ardolph, Adolpha, get up; we need to get going," said the loud man. Adolpha runs and jumps on the boy, "Ardolph, get up! We need to go!" The boy screams as he wakes up, Ardolph, Adolpha's older brother.
"Get off," he said; Sierra got angry with them, "Knock it off, Adolpha, apologize; Ardolph, get up; your father is waiting." Ardolph sits up; he stretches and yawns loudly. Ardolph gets out of bed and gets ready. Ardolph looks to be in his teens; he has a well-shaped body with some scars. He puts on clothes similar to them.
"How was practice," asked Sierra. Ardolph finished preparing; his hair and tail hair were messy, "It was hard; the other warriors wanted us to fail." Sierra smiled; she told him to give it his best. They finally leave the house. The sun beams on their faces. They see a large, muscular man standing before them when they get adjusted. The man has long grayish-black hair; his tail hair matches his hair, and his ears look more distinct; the man turns to the kids. He is a brown-eyed, tan-skinned man with scars all over his chest and arms; he wears bone necklaces and pants of animal hide. His shoes were also animal, and he had colorful bands on his biceps.
"Father, we are ready! Let's go," Adolpha said excitedly. The man was their father; he didn't look happy. Adolpha runs towards him and hugs him; he smiles and laughs. Ardolph taps him on the shoulder. "All right, let's get going." He picks up what looks like a backpack full of supplies.
They began to walk along a walkway. The village people greeted them, "Good morning, Chief Alarick," "Chief Alarick, good morning," "Morning, Chief." They greeted the children and his wife. Alarick, chief of the Gray Clan, because of their hair color.
The Gray Clan lived like native Americans; they lived in communities. There were gatherers, fishermen, hunters, and artisans; women cleaned, prepared food, and made other things. Chief Alarick greeted them; some villagers asked the children where they were going. Adolpha happily replied they were going camping.
The villagers told them to have fun; as they made their way to the village entrance, some of the people gave them some food to take. A group of warriors approached Chief Alarick; they were the strongest warriors in the village. Ardolph wanted to be like them.
Chief Alarick told them to take care of the village while he was away; the warriors agreed and told them to have fun. They continue to the village entrance. Adolpha was eating some dry fish she got; Ardolph came from behind and took it. Adolpha shouts, "Ardolph, give that back!" He eats it; Adolpha gets angry, "Father, he is messing with me!"
Ardolph laughs; Alarick waves to her to come. He whispers something to her; Adolpha giggles. She runs to Ardolph and pinches him; Ardolph gets mad and tries to get her back. Adolpha dodges and pinches him again; she moves, and Ardolph tries again. Adolpha again quickly escapes him; Ardolph gets mad.
Alarick and Sierra laugh; Alarick tells Ardolph he needs to practice defending himself from all sides. Adolpha laughs; they reach the entrance, and some warriors protect it. The warriors greet them; Alarick asks them if all is good. They said there were no problems.
Alarick tells his family to take the lead; he will speak with the guards. They followed a trail through a large forest. Alarick catches up; he talks with Sierra about some village suggestions. Ardolph looks around the forest. Adolpha was happily walking.
Adolpha sees a branch, picks it up, and swings it, "Take that and that; no one can defeat the mighty gray huntress." She plays in front of them; Alarick and Sierra laugh. Ardolph mocks her way of swinging the branch. Adolpha suddenly stopped; she saw a bunny. Adolpha goes to see it closer, "Adolpha, don't go too far," Alarick said.
"I won't," she replies. Adolpha gets close to the bunny. It senses her and runs away; Adolpha gets sad. She turns around and can't recognize where she is. She shouts for her parents. Panicking, she walked and called again, "Mother, Father, where are you? Ardolph, come on, it's not funny!"
Adolpha begins to cry; she then hears a scream. It scares her, and she runs, "Mother!" Adolpha began to howl; she was frightened by a loud noise. She trips and falls, "Father, AWOO!" the cries of people scare her more. She was then in the middle of the village, engulfed in flames. Adolpha saw women and men dead, "Go get out of here!"
Adolpha heard her father; she called for him. Thunder strikes; Adolpha feels someone touch her. She turns and sees a shadowy figure; she gets scared and closes her eyes. When she opened them, she was in a dark space. Adolpha hears Ardolph laughing; she hears echoes of herself laughing with her parents. Adolpha sees a white light; suddenly, she hears a knock.
She opens her eyes; a door opens and shines light into a dark room. A tall man walks in, "Good morning, my beautiful princess; how did you sleep?" Adolpha older was sitting on an old bed. Adolpha has long, shiny silver hair, fair skin, light blue eyes, and tattered clothes; she said nothing.
Human maids walk in with lights; the light reveals the man. He was a tall, light-dark-toned, slim man with brown eyes. He resembles the Voodoo Man from The Princess and the Frog. The man wears a dark blue and purple suit with a top hat. The man tells the maids to get her ready.
"She must be the most beautiful thing here today; she has to be perfect. We need our guests to be entertained. After a long time of keeping you hidden, I can finally get rid of this stress." He excuses himself and leaves; he walks to a large house.
He enters, and inside, servants and chefs are working; they seem to be getting ready for a party. He looks pleased, "All my hard work will finally pay off; after today, I will be rich, and my status will go up. This auction must not fail." He laughs and heads to another room.
Outside in the back of the house, in a small cabin hidden by bushes and an orchard, the maids bathe Adolpha; they then brush her hair and dress her in a beautiful blue dress. They cover up a collar with a black crystal and finish with some make-up. The maids leave her; they leave some breakfast for her.
The door closed, and Adolpha sat on an old chair; she stared at the food on the old table. Inside the room was a dirty old bed, chair, and table. She moves some made blinds and looks out a window covered by iron bars; this was a prison for her. She had a sad and lonely expression.
In a large room, decorations were placed; the man was ordering his servants around. One of the maids approached him, "Lord Michael, we have finished preparing the young miss." Lord Michael Ghana, a nobleman, was hosting an auction. He plans to sell Adolpha to the highest bidder. He smiles and goes to see her.
Lord Michael goes to the cabin; he opens the door and sees Adolpha sitting at her table. She glowed with the sun shining on her. "Beautiful, simply beautiful…" Lord Micheal was excited by Adolpha's beauty; he ordered the maids to ensure she stayed clean. He leaves to prepare more; the maids go, and Adolpha is alone again.
Outside in the backyard, tables were being brought out; they started to decorate them. Adolpha could hear the maids and servants working. She saw them through her window while working close to the cabin. The maid that spoke to Lord Michael was the head maid and was in charge of the others; she was ordering them around.
Victoria Tustin is an older woman; she is the head maid. Victoria looks like she is in her sixties and of European descent; she has gray hair and brown eyes. The maids were Victorian-style maid outfits.
Lord Michael was in the house office; the room had several bookshelves and was well-decorated. He was sitting at his desk reviewing some paperwork, excited for later that night. After several hours of work, he had time to relax; someone knocked on his door.
Lord Michael asks them to come in; Victoria, the maid, enters, "Sir, a letter has arrived for you." Victoria walks over to him and hands him the letter. Lord Michael takes it; he sees the king's seal, "What is this about?" Lord Michael opens it and reads it; his facial expression changes. Victoria excused herself; she knew about his hardheaded temper.
Lord Michael slams the letter on the table; he has an annoyed expression, "Why is this happening? Summoned by the king! He couldn't have…no, this said that other nobles have also been called; could've someone ratted me out? If so, I need to think of something; they'll have no proof if I sell her today. I need to make as much as I can then."
Lord Michael waited for the evening; all preparations were ready. He couldn't stop thinking about the summon; the servants were waiting for guests to arrive. Lord Michael was all dressed up and ready, waiting by the entrance. It got late, and there was no sign of guests; he was getting irritated. Some maids were scared because they could see Lord Michael upset.
Lord Michael points to one of the maids, "You bring me something to drink!" The maid comes out with a bottle and glass. Lord Michael begins to drink to ease his frustration; he pours one glass after another. It was getting dark, "Where are those dam fools!" He throws his glass away; Victoria suddenly calls out, "Sir, a light."
Lord Michael sees the light approaching; he calms down and gets his composure back. Lord Michael takes his top hat off and combs his hair; he puts his hat back on and smiles. Impatient, Lord Michael goes to meet them; he walks down to a dock. A boat slowly approaches.
Lord Michael's smile disappears when two men are the only ones on the boat; they dock and get off. The men were dirty henchmen; one was fat, and the other skinny. They got on their knees and apologized. One of the men hands him letters; Lord Michael is confused. He takes the letters and sees familiar stamps; he opens one and reads it.
He suddenly gets angry; he releases Mana. He opens another one, and everyone there gets scared. Lord Michael tore the rest and angrily headed back to the house. When he gets home, the maids see he is upset, "Throw everything away, now!" They were confused; head maid Victoria told them to throw everything. The maids and servants go and clean up everything.
Lord Michael heads to his upstairs office; he tells Victoria not to disturb him. Everyone wonders what happened; one maid said it was obvious, "No one showed up; Lord Michael must be distraught." Lord Michael has locked himself in his office. They were done with much of the cleaning when Lord Michael summoned them.
It was late, and everyone was in the backyard talking about what would happen. Lord Michael came out, and everyone became silent. They saw he looked in a better mood; Lord Michael stared at them, "As you well know, this party didn't go as planned; some of you have been wondering what is going on; well, let me explain something."
They get nervous about what he will say; Lord Michael smiles, "It seems like something happened at the capital, so King John has summoned all the nobles. With that, it seems that is why they did not show; also, I must make an appearance too…" Everyone wanted to say something, but they knew better.
Lord Michael said he would leave and that some maids would stay to look after the house and Adolpha. "I may be gone, but remember why you are here," Lord Michael said in a menacing tone. He told them to finish cleaning and went over to the cabin.
Victoria was with him; Lord Michael stopped in front of the door, "During my absence, you are in charge; I am leaving some workers to keep this place clean when I return. I shouldn't be long; don't let anyone come here. Keep in mind what would happen if my princess disappears." "Yes, Lord Michael, everything will be as you leave it."
Lord Michael opened the door; Adolpha was sitting on her chair. She has a sad expression. Lord Michael calls her over; Adolpha gets up and walks towards him. She saw that they were cleaning behind him; she was confused. Lord Michael takes her hand, "Princess, you still look beautiful, but unfortunately, you will have to spend more time with me…"
Adolpha felt fear but didn't show it. "The auction was canceled; I have some business to attend to. Once that is done, we will continue; don't worry, Victoria will look after you." Lord Michael kisses her hand and leaves; he closes the door behind him. Adolpha began to cry.
Lord Michael's smile had disappeared; he returned to the house to sleep. The following day, Lord Michael ate breakfast; the servants had his suitcases ready. He hears a horn and gets up from the table. He, most servants, and all chefs leave the house. They get to the dock where boats are waiting. The servants begin to get on the ships. Lord Michael is the last one; he talks to the remaining maids again. He expects them to behave.
On the last boat, the two men were waiting; Lord Michael called them. They get off and stand in front of him. Lord Michael smelled them; he covered his nose, "Sam, Mike, clean yourselves off; you two will be staying here to help. Listen to Victoria, and don't make me regret giving you another chance."
Mike was a fat, dirty man; he was of European descent. He was average, with black hair, long sideburns, and dirty, stitched clothes, "You won't regret this, sir; we will do a good job." Sam was the skinny man; he was also dirty and of European descent. He has black hair and a small mustache; his clothes are loose. Sam nods; these two are like the idiot henchmen from movies and shows.
Lord Michael rolls his eyes, "Why am I leaving these two idiots to do this?" Lord Michael gets on the boat; he has someone else drive it. He tells the driver to depart. Mike and Sam wave to him. Mike sees Lord Michael's back turn to them; he stares at him menacingly. Lord Michael turned around; Mike smiled and waved. "OH, I forgot to mention; I left Wolf here on the island. Don't get in his way." Sam and Mike became scared.
As he left, the maids bowed to him; they were on an island. Lord Michael passed more islands; it looked like he was by a chain of islands. There were orchards on them, and workers were harvesting from some; they saw Lord Michael, so they waved to him. Lord Michael smiled and waved back.
"This could be my chance; if I play my cards right, I can climb higher as a noble. Anyone who gets in my way will be eliminated like all others," he laughs. The driver was scared by his laughter; they reached a town after some time. Lord Michael walks to a carriage waiting; he gets on and tells the diver to go.
Back on the island, everyone has returned to the house. Sam and Mike took showers and changed into something better; they sat on the couch and relaxed. The maids do some cleaning and feed Adolpha. Adolpha had taken the dress off and thrown it on the ground; Victoria had given her new clothes.
It had become late, and Sam and Mike were drinking on the couch; they became bored. Sam was reading a new paper from town, "HUM, it says that something happened in the capital." Mike wasn't interested. It becomes late, and the maids eat; Sam and Mike are fed, but they eat in the living room.
After dinner, the maids wash the dishes and feed Adolpha. One maid goes and throws some scraps; she returns to the house, and with the other maids, they head upstairs. Victoria goes over to Mike and Sam; she tells them they are forbidden to go upstairs. "You can't do that," Mike replies. Victoria stares at him angrily; Mike gets scared.
Victoria explained their situation; she told them the girls would be sleeping upstairs. They would be sleeping downstairs; Mike was not happy about that. Victoria noticed Mike staring at the girls earlier; Sam understood and agreed. Victoria excuses herself and goes.
Mike, upset, goes to the living room; Sam follows. "Can you believe that woman? Who does she think she is," Mike said. Sam tells him to calm down; upset, Mike goes to the kitchen. He looks for alcohol; he can't find any, so he pours some water. He takes a sip from the cup. Mike stares out the window; he notices the cabin.
Sam comes in; he sees Mike looking outside, "What are you looking at?" Mike points to the cabin; he asks Sam if he has ever seen Adolpha. Sam said he hadn't; Mike was still bored, so he asked Sam if he wanted to. Sam was unsure they should; Mike told him he had nothing to worry about. "Come on, what's the problem? We were told to guard the island." "That's not what he said."
"He practically meant that; besides, I heard she is beautiful. What do you say?" Sam was still unsure about it; Mike opened the door to the backyard, "HUH," he politely waved his hand, saying after you. Sam nervously goes out first. Sam slowly walks towards the cabin; Mike walks behind him.
They reach the door, "What now," asks Sam; Mike looks for a window, "Over here," they go to the side. The curtains were closed; Mike asked Sam to help him. He wants to see inside; Sam grabs Mike. Mike could feel Sam shaking; he looked at him, "What is it?"
Sam was staring at something; he pointed to a shadowy figure. The shadow moves towards them; Sam screams and returns to the house. Mike tries to be brave but also ends up running home. From an upstairs window, Victoria, the maid, watched them. Adolpha heard them but did nothing. The shadowy figure leaves the area.
Sam and Mike were back in the house and breathing heavily. A maid walked in to throw something away; she saw them lying on the ground. Sam smiled; the maid gave them an awkward look and left. Mike stood up and looked out the window; there was no sign of the shadowy figure. Sam catches his breath and stands up, "Do you think that was Wolf.?"
Mike didn't want to deal with it, so he returned to the living room; they went to sleep after a while. The following morning, Mike and Sam were woken up by Victoria; she told them to go into town and get some supplies. Mike was still upset with her but was happy to go. Mike and Sam were at the docks; they had to push a row boat down to the water.
After much struggle, they were ready to go. Sam rowed, and Mike enjoyed the ride. As they slowly head to town, Sam feels uneasy about this situation. Sam stares at Mike, "Hey, Mike," "What is it," he replies in a lazy tone. "Do you think Lord Michael has faith in us after last time?"
Mike looks at him, "There is nothing to worry about; this job should be a piece of cake." "But what if…" "Sam, trust me; we will not mess up," Mike said confidently. Sam reminds Mike that Lord Michael was mad at them for their mistake. Mike just told him they were not at fault; he thinks back on it, "They were slaves to begin with; it wasn't my fault."
Back on the island, the maids were done eating and began to clean the house. Two of them went to bathe and feed Adolpha. Adolpha had woken up and opened her curtains; she enjoyed the sun's warmth. Suddenly, she heard a noise from the orchard; she tried to see. She saw a large shadow.
Adolpha gets scared and goes to bed; her door opens, and the two maids walk in. One was carrying a bathtub; she placed it down. Adolpha stood up and walked toward them nervously; the maids wondered what happened. The maid made a crystal glow; she pulled water out of the air, and it fell into the tub. The other one made a fire and heated the water.
Adolpha got naked and sat in the tub; the maids washed her, making her clean. They then dried her and brushed her silver hair; they gave her washed clothes and finally fed her. It looked like Adolpha was used to this because she didn't try anything.
Once she was done eating, the maids cleaned up and left; Adolpha returned to her bed and laid down. Thoughts about her family ran through her mind. After a while, she got up and moved the bed. Pictures were drawn on the wall; they looked like a child had drawn them. Adolpha took a hidden rock and began to draw more on the wall; it was her family. Adolpha shed tears, "I miss you," she said, sobbing.
The day went on, and nothing eventful happened; it got late, and Adolpha was given her dinner. She sometimes didn't finish it; the maids took it and left. Adolpha was looking at the night sky when she heard a noise by the cabin again. She nervously looked; she saw what looked like a fire going.
Adolpha tried to get a better look; a large shadow passed her window. Adolpha saw scary glowing eyes; she got scared and ran to her bed. Adolpha covered herself with her sheets. After a while, she took a look; there was nothing there. Adolpha was scared but eventually fell asleep.
The following morning, Adolpha was up and nervously looking at her window. She was waiting for the shadow to pass. The door to the cabin opened, and the head maid, Victoria, walked in; she was in charge today. Adolpha walked over to her, "Monster," she said softly. "What," asked Victoria. Scared, Adolpha spoke, "There is a monster outside."
Victoria looks at the window; she thinks and figures it out, "Child, there is no monster. His name is Wolf, and he is a slave guard." Adolpha didn't know what to say. Victoria fed her and left; Adolpha sat in her chair and thought about Wolf, "Another slave."
In an opening in the trees, a small hunter's tent was made; inside, someone sleeps. They had messy, long brown hair and a tail. Their clothes were dirty and ripped. This was Wolf, an enslaved beast man. He was a wolf-beast left by Lord Michael to protect the island. Wolf slept, resting and waiting for nightfall.