Snarls of fury

CHAPTER THREE

Hera began her journey out of Wardsville and when she reached the border separating her town from Blood-Stone, the werewolf town, she was stopped by the town soldiers. Just one hostile look from her had them opening the gates for her to leave.

She took one last look at her town with tears in her eyes. This was the only place she ever knew but now she had to leave to find those monsters that were behind her parents’ death. She would not allow herself to be deterred by emotions and sentiments.

Strengthening her resolve, she walked out the gates and found herself in an unfamiliar place. There was not a soul in sight and the area was dry, almost like a dessert. Hera walked for days but she still didn't come in contact with any living thing. She was hungry and thirsty and she blamed herself for not packing any food.

She shook her head, reprimanding herself for having such thoughts. “My parents are dead. I do not deserve to eat or drink.” She muttered under her breath remembering how her dear parents were brutally murdered.

The memory left a surge of anger in her veins and she kept walking. She wouldn't rest until she found Blood-stone. Hera walked for a few more days and suddenly, she was standing in front of the largest gates she had ever seen.

She held her head, stiffening a groan as her head suddenly began to throb. She felt like she had seen this gate before. But how? She had never stepped foot outside Wardsville before now. She shook her head. Her mind was just playing tricks on her.

Hera attempted to open the gates but it was sealed shut. She banged on the gate roughly and a man dressed as a security guard came toward her with a stoic expression on his face. She wrinkled her eyebrows. This man did not smell the same as those at Wardsville. She knew at once that he was a werewolf.

His unkind eyes zeroed in on her and his lips sneered as he opened the gate.

“What do you want?” He barked and Hera jumped but she refused to back down.

“Let me in,” She said. “I need to get into Blood-Stone.”

“Where did you come from? What business do you have in Blood-Stone?”

“I'm from Wardsville and I need to find some werewolves.”

“You're human?!” He growled as his eyes flashed. “Seize her!” He bellowed and two other guards appeared out of nowhere and grabbed Hera by the arms.

“Hey! Let me go! What do you think you're doing?!” She protested, struggling to get out of their clutches but the men's grips were like steel.

“It's against the law for a human to cross the border,” The first guard said with a stern expression on his face. “Take her to the palace dungeons.”

Hera’s eyes widened. “Dungeons? Wait, no! Let me go. I had no idea such a law existed.”

The men did not listen to her as they dragged her through the gate and into Blood-Stone. Hera let out a sigh. Her struggles were futile. The men were like immovable rocks and she only wasted her time struggling against them.

She let them drag her through the town and she gawked at the town which was nothing like she expected. Hera expected to see a desolate, run-down town with werewolves roaming around the streets, killing each other but it was quite the opposite.

Blood-Stone was a city which looked pretty civilized at a glance and everyone went around their businesses in an orderly manner. Although Hera could tell that they were all werewolves from their scents, they were all in human form.

The guards dragged her through the streets, earning strange looks from passers-by but she paid them no mind. Instead, she worried about the fact that she would be thrown into a dungeon soon. This was not what she envisioned when she began her journey here.

She planned to get revenge on those murderers, not get imprisoned on her first day here. A huge palace soon came into view and Hera gaped at the massive size. The infrastructure was nothing like she had ever seen before and she almost drooled at the sight.

The structure stood tall and its regal white walls glistened like nothing Hera had ever seen before. Why did a werewolf town have a palace? Were they ruled by a king? Did their king know about what had been done to her people? To her parents? Was he behind it?

“Move!” One of the guards barked, shoving her through the back entrance. She stumbled through the door, shooting a glare at him and he shoved her once again. She sighed. Acting stubborn was probably not the best of ideas right now.

They finally reached the dark, cold dungeons and the stench of unwashed bodies hit her sensitive nostrils as she walked past the cells which held different prisoners. She wrinkled her nose in distaste at the horrid smell as one of the guards opened the last cell in the dungeons before shoving her in.

She landed roughly on the ground and glared at the guard as he locked the door.

“How long are you going to keep me here?!” She yelled but she got no answer. “Why are you keeping me here? I didn't even do anything!”

“You broke our sacred law. Now shut up wench!” The guard said harshly and Hera gritted her teeth as anger surged through her veins. She couldn't just stay in this horrible cell and do nothing while those murderers were out there.

She needed to find a way out. The cell was freezing cold and she wrapped her arms around her body, trying to keep warm as her teeth clattered.

“What happens to any human who crosses the border?” She asked in a quiet voice not expecting the guard to answer but to her surprise, he did.

“They will be left to rot in the dungeons forever or they will be executed.”