Her Fierce Protector

Chapter 5

AMARU went to the usual area where Ashera usually stays whenever she visits the forest. He got used to waiting behind the bash hoping for his luck to see the beautiful maiden.

He stayed there, sitting on the ground like he was just loitering there without any purpose. By this time of the day, with the weather being finely sunny, Ashera comes to pick fruits or flowers and rest under the shade of a mango tree and falls asleep there, after she gets tired of roaming around.

Amaru, being the secret admirer of the beautiful maiden, stays from a distance watching the surroundings making sure that the maiden is safe from any harm. There are times that he is tempted to stare, to feast on her beauty, satisfying his pair of ash gray fierce eyes but he is afraid that the maiden would wake up and get scared that might cause her to stop visiting the forest.

Amaru looked at the surroundings when he noticed that he stayed there for a long while now but he couldn't find any sign of the maiden visiting the forest. He looks up at the sky to make sure that the weather is fine.

He sighed and waited again, he was getting impatient.

Come on… Where are you? Would you still come?

He was starting to tap his fingers on his face as he sat there, his elbows leaned on his thighs near his knees and his hands near his face.

He sighed when he finally got enough time to wait, he tried to roam around the forest, Ashera will surely not go to the center of the forest, so he tried searching for her on the sides, an area dense enough to know that a person was already inside the Alawin forest.

He was getting frustrated as he searched for her, there is something in himself that he feels that makes him want to make sure that she is fine.

Ashera… where are you?!

He finally finished roaming and checking but he didn't find the woman he was looking for.

Maybe she got scared of me and Xerxes the last time we showed ourselves to her to introduce ourselves.

He went back to the pack in a very bad mood hunting for his foolish friend, Xerxes, who deserves to be blamed for what happened.

"Xerxes?!" He was walking while searching for Xerxes, he tried peeking at the corners and some other places that his friend could possibly stay, "Xerxes?!"

"Why are you too loud while looking for Xerxes, Amaru?!" his mother asked loudly, probably got irritated with his voice tone that sounds as if he was willing to start a bloody fight against his friend.

"Where is that foolish pact warrior, Mother?!" he asked, frantically looking for Xerxes.

"Why? What do you want from him, Amaru?" his mother curiously asked and immediately went out from their small house, "What did he do this time?"

"He… he just—" He couldn't continue his sentence when he remembered the reason. His mother should not know about Ashera, her mother will surely hunt down that beautiful maiden and serve as their meal. "I just need something from him, Mother," he continued in a calm voice this time.

"Then try to calm yourself, stop acting like it's very urgent that you sound like drawing trouble against your friend!" his mother scolded him.

"I'm sorry, Mother," he said and left his mother as he continued looking for Xerxes around the area of the werewolves.

He was glad he found his friend childishly playing with the little ones. He sighed and shook his head in disappointment as he watched his adult friend playing tag with the little ones or they call pups.

"Gamma!" Xerxes stopped fooling around with the pups when in a glance he saw the fierce gamma frowning at him with his dangerous gray eyes. "You don't look fine, tell me who bullied you and I will kick their ass, Loverboy!" he joked and laughed loudly.

Amaru maintained his emotionless face as he stared at the laughing pact warrior.

When Xerxes noticed the heavy mood of his friend, he immediately stopped laughing and pretended as if nothing happened and just played with his lips while looking around.

The gamma walked away, and Xerxes automatically followed the irritated gamma. He was playing with his cheeks and mouth like it was the only thing that entertained him.

Amaru stopped walking when he finally thought the distance was enough for them not to be heard by the other werewolves. He faced his friend who was obviously clueless about what made him mad this time.

His brows furrowed, his eyes shrink and throw that kind of glare at the pact warrior.

"Wait! Wait! Wait! Let me explain!" Xerxes stopped him with his fingers forming an x.

"Do you know what you need to explain then?" Amaru asked with his voice being so dangerous to hear.

Xerxes gulped, "I don't?"

"Xerxes!" Amaru's voice thundered out, making Xerxes jump in nervousness.

"Yes, yes, yes, Gamma. I'm ready to listen."

"She didn't visit the forest today," Amaru said with a controlled volume of the voice but he was greeting his teeth emphasizing the words.

"Who?" Xerxes curiously asked.

"The mortal, Xerxes! The mortal!"

"Oh, the mortal?" Xerxes scratched his head and laughed awkwardly and was trying to look for a way to save his life. "Gamma—"

"This is your fault!" Amaru said being too problematic and turned his back from Xerxes, starting to breathe in air to calm himself down.

"But, Gamma…" Xerxes walked beside him, his finger pointing up like he got an idea to suggest, "Is it my fault? I-I… I don't control her feet—"

"Xerxes!!"

Upon hearing the voice of the fierce gamma that sounds like a warning, Xerxes suddenly runs for his life and looks for Amaru's mother for protection.

Amaru shook his head seeing his friend run so fast.

That foolish evil pact warrior!

He sat down on the log as he calmed himself down. Maybe she will visit the other day, she just didn't have enough time to visit the forest today.

But what if she will never visit again?

His shoulders fell with that thought. His face frowned, unable to accept the thought. He sighed a lot of times to calm himself even more.

Maybe I should try checking tomorrow… the other day, the next day… every day.

His hands turned into a fist, the bones on his face highlighting the shape of his visage is now evident.

ASHERA has been trying to escape from his father's alert eyes who had been watching her move this past few days. It's been seven sunny days since she hasn't visited her beloved Alawin forest because of the strict oversight of his father, not only that, almost all of the people in their tribe watches her move as well knowing that she is the only stubborn member of the tribe who has the bravery and strength to go to the Alawin forest.

Just because of a howl, they're now watching me as if I'm a hostage, she pouted her lips as she draws random kinds of stuff in the ground using a stick.

He sighed and looked at her father who was busy feeding the pigs with their chopped banana stem.

Her eyes widened when she saw an opportunity, she glanced at her father who is not looking in her direction and was about to sneak away.

"Ashera?!" She stopped from taking her third tiptoeing step when she heard her father's voice.

She smiled innocently at her father. Oh no!

"Get back to your seat."

Ashera's shoulder dropped out of disappointment and went back to where she was sitting earlier with heavy steps.

"Father, you're killing me!" she grunted her complaints about staying there, "I want nature, I want to see flowers, I want to see trees…"

"You're seeing flowers and trees here, Ashera. You can also eat fresh fruits here. Nature is just right at you, you can see it from where you are sitting right now."

She laid into her seat being so hopeless.

"I can't believe this!" she said almost crying as she frowns, "I will really die now, Father. Why did you let Ria go and enjoy her adventures but you held me here under your guarding? That is just so unfair!"

"I'm trying to save you from becoming like your stubborn sister," her father reasoned out.

She sighed and looked at the blue and clear sky as she laid in the bamboo bed trying to think about something that could make her escape.

"Father!" She suddenly gets up and looks at her father when an idea popped out of her clever mind.

"Hmm?"

"Can I help Mother and Zelda prepare our lunch?" She asked with a wide smile.

Say, yes! Say, yes! I will visit at the forest before I go back home. What a brilliant idea, Ashera!

"No."

"What?!" she asked, her bubble just burst.

"No, Ashera," his father said, "I know what's working on your mind."

"Uhh," she groaned, "This is unbelievable!"

"Just stay there, you will not die by sitting there and listening to me, Ashera. I will only let you have your freedom once I can assure you that you will never go to the Alawin forest."

She pouted again.

I'm the right age to get married, they even announced that, yet they are here now treating me like a kid.

"Mang Gido, good morning!"

Ashera looked at the source of the voice.

"Good morning, Ruso."

Ruso is one of Ashera's suitors. He is also one of the unmarried men in their village that is dreamed by a lot of maidens. He has a well-built body, with wide shoulders, muscles, and abs. He has tanned skin and has commonly jet-black hair and eyes.

Ruso turned to her and smiled at her, "Good morning, Ashera."

Ashera rolled her eyes. Ruso is the most favored by her parents among all of her suitors. Though Ashera hated the air around the man, he is just so proud of himself and she doesn't like him.

"Good thing that you're here, Ruso," Ashera's father said and turned to her, "Ashera, why don't you go with Ruso instead? You can take a walk and roam around to pass your time and boredom."

Ashera grimaced, I will agree with the "pass your time" but not with "boredom".

Ashera irritatedly stood up and walked with heavy footsteps, "Let's go!" she said harshly.

Ruso chuckled at her, "Just like I thought… you could never resist my charm, Ashera." Ruso smirked.

Ashera rolled her eyes. Just wait and I will surely find a way to escape and you will really lose your charm as you sweat while searching for me. She evilly smirked and continued walking with her suitor.