The Alpha's Daughter

IV

Her frail body swayed with each haggard step, a paw buckled and gave way under her weight. The cold, unforgiving forest floor knocked out what little strength her lungs had left. Her chest rose and fell as shallow pants escaped her slightly parted muzzle. A pitiful whine escaped her lips as she shivered. It was at moments like these that she missed the sun’s harsh and mocking rays. The moon’s gentle glow did little to fend off the frigid Autumn winds that nipped at her limbs.

Her thoughts drifted in this weakened state. Her escape was no longer a victory, and true “freedom” seemed like a fleeting dream. As she lay on the forest floor, her flesh clinging to her bones and fur uncomfortably matted in some places, she could not help but wonder.

“Would it have been better to stay in that awful place?”

At least in that nightmarish den, they fed her and gave her shelter. Now, her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth. She lay unmoving, overwhelmed by unfamiliar scents and night melodies. If she had any strength left in her body, she knew she would curl into a pitiful ball. It seemed she was a worthless runt, as they said.

She would die here, having accomplished nothing.

Consumed with her thoughts, pondering when death’s icy embrace would come, she was unaware of the watchful eyes. The child had yet to realize the crickets had stopped their singing, the night’s orchestra met with an abrupt deathly silence. Her nose twitched and a familiar pungent stench wafted into her nostrils. Raw, paralyzing fear crept into her bones and threatened to top her heart.

Snap!

The sound chilled her blood more than the biting winds. Her heart jackhammered in its cage, her legs refused to work although she so desperately wanted to jump to her feet. Then she saw it, saw them. Stained snouts emerged from the shadows, her own dried blood. A low growl sounded, and their lips pulled back in taunting snarls.

It was then her legs found strength. Adrenaline devoured her fatigue, and she quickly leapt to her feet. Her heart rate increased exponentially as she sped through the forest. The child was too familiar with this game of tag. Two of the prison-like crèche wardens have hunted her, without rest, for the entire week. She might have had a fighting chance in the beginning, but now the odds were not in her favour. She prayed to God as tears welled in her eyes that he would have mercy and grant her a swift end. As if to laugh at her, the sky opened its floodgates. Her paws quivered, and it was her last mistake.

Her eyes snapped open with a gasp. Something brushed her fur, her eyes moved up. Something loomed over her face. The pup scrambled back quickly, her head snapping about wildly. Where was she? The thing she laid on was soft. The forest ground is anything but soft. She looked down but saw… what are these scrawny things? She raised the unfamiliar things to her face, scrutinizing them. She sniffed them and realised.

“They belong to me?”

There was a sound in front of her, a voice. Her head snapped up. A woman was sitting on whatever they were on. She tried to scramble away but tripped over these strange covers. The cream sticks covered by a frilly thing again surprised her. Where were her paws? She let herself be distracted for a moment, looking back at the woman. Her features were somehow familiar. The lady raised her hand and shook it. What was the meaning of that gesture? She watched intently as the woman crept her hand closer to her. Suddenly memories of that rainy night flooded her mind.

It was the Alpha woman from that night.

She began looking for an exit in earnest, but the only exit was behind the woman. The alpha seemed to notice the pup’s realization. The woman opened her mouth and a soothing voice flowed out, but the pup cowered. The woman used the language of the cruel.

Damn it, she was captured again.

The woman raised her hands in a non-threatening gesture. The scrambling child didn’t believe it. The Alpha lowered her head, blonde hair shifting to her left as she bore her neck. A sign of submission. The pup froze, her face distorted with surprise and confusion. Why would an alpha submit to a child?

A dirty, worthless stray at that.

She kept her eyes on the woman who willingly put herself in a defenceless position. The child hadn’t noticed it herself, but she had slowly crawled closer to the woman. The alpha heard the movement and slowly raised her head. The child froze as the blonde lady held her eyes with an expression the pup couldn’t read. The Alpha tilted her head and closed her eyes. An indistinct sound came from behind her. The pup watched, hairs on end. Suddenly, the woman opened her eyes again. She opened her mouth again, but the words the pup heard were like gurgling noises. Was that a language? She’s never heard it. She narrowed her eyes, and the woman looked helpless. The alpha released a faint bark.

“Hello.”

The pup sat up wide-eyed. That was the first time a human or shifter tried to speak, so she understood. They always tried to force her to speak like them. As she watched the woman, something shifted in her. She felt as if this woman could be trusted. The small voice that guided her this far told her she’d know this woman from the beginning of forever. The child slowly tilted her head.

She belatedly realised the woman’s drooping expression. The pup returned a low greeting, and the alpha’s face bloomed in happiness. Why was she happy? The alpha lowered her arms partially, then stopped. She tilted her head to the side.

“Was she asking me?”

The child nodded slowly. The alpha lowered them with a small smile. She seemed careful to keep her hands where the pup could see them.

“We found you near our territory last night,” the alpha communicated. Before the pup could react, she tacked on, “don’t worry about the consequences. We will not kill you.”

The pup still curled in on herself. How could she have let herself wander aimlessly, with such a guillotine hanging over her head? There is one rule Shifters and Were live and die by alike. Trespassing on territory equalled death. It was clear as day.

She saw the Alpha’s brows dip as if concerned weighted them down. She bit her lip and sucked in a breath.

“We won’t kill you”, she tried to console again but the pup wouldn’t have it. “At the very least”, she sighed, “can you tell me what you we’re doing so close to our borders?” The pup hung her head. “I see”, the Alpha hummed.

She righted herself and moved away from the soft mound. The pup scrambled, tripping over the covers to grab the woman’s hand. She shook her head vehemently, then met the Alpha’s eyes again. Then a sound erupted between them. The woman blinked at her slowly while the child paled. She grabbed her stomach and curled into herself, willing her body to be quiet. She could already feel the foot colliding with her side. Instead, tinkling laughter filled her ears. She cautiously raised her head. The woman covered her mouth. Her eyes were devoid of disgust, but rather, they glowed with warmth.

“Hungry?” she communicated again. It was the pup’s turn to blink slowly. The woman seemed to glow when she smiled. The alpha touched her own stomach. “need meat?”

The child nodded slowly. The woman gave her a proud smile. She felt her lips twitch. She pulled back the corners, trying to imitate the woman. The Alpha took another step back and her small hands shot out to close around the woman’s wrist. She shook her head vehemently. The lady couldn’t leave. She was the only constant.

The woman scratched her head with an unsure smile and then sat beside her. The Alpha respectfully kept her hands to herself. They sat there; the child peering intently at the woman.

After a while, the woman broke. “How old are you?” she smiled at the child. “What’s your name?” The pup tilted her head. “What are you called? Something I can go by?” The pup shook her head.

She didn’t have a name.

The woman hummed thoughtfully. She looked to the door, the only exit. The pup followed her line of sight.

Knock, knock.

It startled the child. Her hold on the woman tightened. However, the woman’s gentle expression never faltered. She merely pried the little fingers off her wrist, she raised her pointer finger. The child followed the line and the woman quickly stepped away from the bed. The girl reached for the Alpha desperately as the woman went towards the door. She glanced over the edge of the soft mound. The child swung one twig over its edge. She couldn’t feel the ground and quickly pulled herself back up. Suddenly, there was a soft click. Her eyes snapped in front of her.

“What’re you doing?” The Alpha asked. The pup’s eyes worriedly searched the woman’s face. Her heart calmed some after the scan. There wasn’t a sign of frustration in the woman’s features, if anything, she seemed amused.

Afraid she might upset the patient lady, the child sat obediently on the bed. The lady’s smile grew wider as she pulled a metal contraption towards where she sat. The Alpha uncovered the tray to reveal an array of appetite stirring dishes. It wasn’t extravagant as the one the caregivers would have, but they called to her, nonetheless. The pup looked at it longingly, then back at the Alpha.

“Don’t hold back, it’s yours,” the Alpha chuckled.

The pup glanced at the food nervously. The woman watched the child and then took up a dish. The child followed her with her eyes. The Alpha put the dish in her lap and took two familiar tools from the side of the metal contraption. In a graceful motion, she cut the meat into bite-sized bits before presenting it to the child again.

“Open wide”, the woman held the food to the child’s lips.

Not able to put all her fears aside, the pup leaned away, inspecting the meat. It was yellow and fluffy looking, seems like stuff was in its folds. She closed enough distance to sniff the cube. She caught herself and snapped her attention back to the alpha. Rather than being annoyed, she only smiled patiently. The child finally opened her mouth. A savoury flavour exploded in her mouth. There was the crunch of fresh vegetables as she chewed. The alpha cooed at the child’s sparkling eyes.

Before she realized it, the pup had halved the tray. The alpha fed her every bite. There was little of the dish left, but she could not have anymore. Before she could force herself, the alpha put away the leftovers and covered the tray. The child sighed despondently when the other dishes she had yet to try also disappeared from her sight.

The woman chuckled. “You ate well”, the alpha praised ruffling the child’s hair.

The child froze before giving in to the warmth. Her body wasn’t listening as her eyes drooped. She surrendered to the comfort when she felt the weight on the mound lessen. She snapped up and gripped the hem of the woman’s shirt. The woman smiled. She nuzzled the child to lie back, carding her fingers through her hair. As her eyes drifted closed, she hoped. She knows better than to hope, but she couldn’t help it. She wanted the kind lady to stay with her.

It seemed God heard her prayer.