The Stolen Wolf Princess

Chapter 4 - Unfamiliar Territory

The first thing I noticed when I woke up was the heat. It felt like it was burning my skin as sunlight beat down on my skin. My body ached, and my head was throbbing. I didn’t want to move. I just wanted to lie there, keeping my eyes shut.

The world around me started to come into focus the longer I lay there. The ground below me was slowly bouncing, and the sound of crunching dirt filled my ears. Horses clopped their feet repeatedly, and I knew I was being taken somewhere. I felt other bodies around me and knew I wasn’t alone. 

Slowly, I opened my eyes, unable to open to more than a squint with how bright the sun was beating down on me. The bright light made my head throb even more, but as my eyes adjusted, the pieces started coming together. I was in a cart that had bars built around it to keep prisoners around. The people around me were dressed in fancy clothes that were tattered and covered in blood or dirt or both. They were my wedding guests, and now we were all prisoners.

The world around us looked unfamiliar. It was very different from the white snow that usually covered the ground and the pine trees and mountains that surrounded us. Green leafy trees were everywhere, preventing me from seeing much father. Grass filled the ground along the edges of the dirt path the carts were on. Splashes of purples and pinks swirled around the trees in flowers thriving on the forest floor. I had never seen so much color before. I had heard stories of the colors that flourished in other territories, but I had spent my entire life in the northern territory.

The air was warm and muggy, and it was almost difficult to breathe. It was very different than the cool crisp air that hovered above the snow, and I didn’t like it. It felt thick in my lungs, and the sun felt as if it was assaulting my body. I just wanted to crawl into a cave to escape the burning rays battering my skin.

Crying and soft whimpers touched my ears, pulling my protective instincts out. My eyes became more adjusted to the world around me. There were four caravans in a line, moving down the path, and I was in the last one. I recognized most of the people around me from my pack and there were several that I assumed were from the Ice Moon Pack. There were too many werewolves locked in these cages, and it broke my heart, knowing we failed to protect so many people.

There were children, too, which is where the crying was coming from. They were scared and likely injured. Everyone here was covered in dirt or blood or both, and those who were awake looked terrified. I shifted my position, trying to get a better look at the situation. I grabbed the bars keeping us locked away and looked forward.There were several men riding in the front of each cart, one steering the horses that were pulling us.

More men walked between each of the caravans, holding various weapons. They were all of similar build and look, tall burly men who seemed to have no empathy in their eyes. They were here to make sure we got where we were going. 

My stomach sank at that thought. These were clearly werewolf hunters, prepared for their attack. I had heard too many stories about the horrors of human hunters, but I never thought I would come face to face with the reality of it in my lifetime. As I looked at the people around me, my people, I knew I had to do something to try to save everyone. I looked at the bars around us, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to bend the metal.

I shifted to the back of the cart where the door to the cage was. I made my movements slow and deliberate, as to not draw attention to myself from the guards following behind us. The gate had a giant padlock on it, and I knew there would be no way to break the lock with my hands. I needed some sort of tool to break the metal, but I doubted there was anything inside with us that I would be able to use.

“Princess Kaiyana,” the little girl in the cage with me said. Tears were streaming down her face as she looked at me. She was covered with grime, and there was a large scratch on her forehead that was crusted over with blood.

“Hey, there,” I whispered to her, not wanting to draw too much attention to us. I hated seeing her like this. 

“Are we going to die?” she asked, sniffling.

“No, we are not. I will make sure of it.” I grabbed her hand to reassure her. I hoped my words weren’t a lie. “What’s your name, sweetie?”

“Liliana.”

“Is your mom here, Liliana?” I looked around at the people squished in here with us. There was a mix of men and women, and several of them were still unconscious. I prayed to the Moon Goddess that they were still alive.

Liliana shook her head and started crying again. “I got separated from her when they attacked us.”

“Shh,” I hushed, squeezing her hand. “I’ll get you out of here. I promise.” 

I turned to the woman sitting next to Liliana. She looked completely out of it, staring off into space. I grabbed her hand and put Liliana’s into it. “I need you to do me a favor.”

The woman looked over at me slowly and blinked a few times. “Princess Kaiyana? You’re alive.”

“I am, and I’m going to do what I can to get us out of here, but I need you to do something for me. This is Lilana. I need you to keep an eye on her for me. Can you do that?” I held their hands together, hoping they would be able to help each other out.

The woman nodded slowly. “You’re going to get us out of here?”

“I will. I promise,” I said. I wasn’t sure if it would be possible, but it was my responsibility to help my people in any way possible.

I made my way back to the lock, but I didn’t mess with it right away. I dug through my hair, feeling for one of the thousand pins that were used to make my hair fancy enough for my wedding day. Pulling one out, I looked at the lock again. Lock picking wasn’t my forte by any means. A princess should never have a reason to pick a lock, but luckily my best friend wasn’t a princess.

On the rare occasion where Dalla actually convinced me to sneak out at night, I had seen her pick several locks, allowing us to explore places I was not normally allowed to go. I had never picked a lock myself, but I hoped watching her would help me now. I waited for the right opportunity to start trying to pick the lock. The two men walking behind the caravan looked bored, but they were scanning the area, looking in my direction every minute or so. I wouldn’t even be able to attempt the escape at this rate.

Several minutes passed as I waited. I knew I couldn’t rush this, because if I were caught before I finished, I knew I wouldn’t be able to try again. I heard some whistling nearby, and then the caravans started to slow down. The hunters looked at each other confused. Someone shouted something at the front of the line, and then the two men started jogging up to the front.

I knew this was my opportunity, so I slid the pin into the lock. It was at an awkward angle, since I had to slip my hands around the bars to get to the lock. I wiggled the pin, unsure of what I was doing. I had seen Dalla move the pin around until she heard a click. I could feel the eyes of the rest of the people watching me as I continued messing with the lock. I started to panic the longer it took. I didn’t want to break my promise to these people.

Finally, I heard a click, and the lock fell open. I turned to everyone in the cart and whispered, “I’m going to check out what’s going on and see if I can help the others out. When I give the signal, run away as fast as you can. Go into the trees to get away and hide if you can. If for some reason I don’t come back, run if the guards start coming back.”

The people around me stared at me, terrified at what I was saying, but slowly they all nodded. Running away was risky, but it would at least give us a shot. We couldn’t just sit here and wait for someone to save us. For all I knew, everyone back home was dead, and there would be no one to save us.

I started opening the door to the cage when I felt a tug on my dress. I turned back and saw Liliana holding onto me.

“Please don’t leave me.” Tears bubbled in her eyes.

I gave her a reassuring smile. “I’ll be back. I need to help the others so they can escape. Stay with her, and I’ll come find you as soon as I can, okay?”

Liliana nodded. I gave her one more smile before pushing the door open and slipping out. It sounded like there was some sort of chaos going on up ahead, which I was grateful for. It was the only reason I even had this opportunity. I stayed low as I moved forward. I moved slowly, checking around for a hunter at every step. It seemed like they all abandoned their posts to help with whatever was happening up ahead.

I made it to the next caravan, crouching next to the door. My chest tightened when I saw Dalla lying inside the cage, still unconscious. Her face was bruised, and there was dried blood on her forehead. Her chest was moving up and down, so I knew she was still alive, but I needed to get her out of here and fast.

I stood up, looking around again. I put a finger on my lips, signaling everyone to stay quiet as I tried to pick the lock. I felt the scared eyes burning holes into me as I tried to pick the lock. It wasn’t any easier the second time, and I really wished Dalla was awake. She would be able to do this in seconds. I could practically hear the clock ticking with each moment that passed with an unsuccessful attempt at picking the lock.

Sweat started to build on my forehead, and I knew I was running out of time. Click! The lock fell open, and I took a deep breath of relief. The people were still watching me closely as I pulled the door open slowly. I crawled into the cage and moved to Dalla’s side, shaking her awake.

Her eyes fluttered open, but they were squinted as she adjusted to the light. “Where are we?” she muttered.

“We were taken. I don’t have to explain, but we have to go,” I said.

The people around me were still watching me closely, but then I heard some shuffling and then the sound of metal hitting against metal. One of the men jumped out of the caravan, swinging the door open in the process. The sound still hung in the air, and then I heard footsteps racing back towards us. The hunters were coming.

I pulled on Dalla’s arm. “We have to go. Now.”