Egyptian Wolf

Third-person POV Maat set her portable rug on the ground while facing the river, kneeling and sitting on her heels. Placing her hands on her knees with her palms meeting the blue sky with her face. She channelled her senses with the flow of the stream, taking several deep breaths and exhaled before letting herself be one with nature. It took her longer than usual, but she allowed herself to meditate. Despite the shade, the sun’s heat was unbearable. A twig broke some distance away from her. She drew a deep breath, lifting her head with her nose, smelling the person hiding behind the tree. She smiled as soon as the smell hit her nostrils, knowing for sure who the person was. “Jendayi, please show yourself. I know it’s you.” She yelled as she stood up without glancing at her. “Ah, you always ruin my moment of surprise. And here I thought I got the chance today.” Jendayi whined, throwing her hands in the air in surrender. “To master the silent walk, I told you to align your energy with your senses.” She spoke as she wrapped the carpet and set it under her arm. “Come, let’s go home. I promise I will teach you how to do it tomorrow morning. But you should know that we start with meditation before everything else.” She stretched her hand for Jendayi to hold as they walked home. “You are no fun. Besides, meditation is for grownups just like you.” Jendayi poked her hip. “Ouch,” Maat exclaimed. Jendayi ran into the house, giggling. Maat chased and caught her before going through the kitchen door. Jendayi, her little sister who was born when their parents least expected it. They were at it a lot, and they were grateful when she arrived. They named her Jendayi, meaning thankful. Maat was the eldest, at 22 years of age. Besides Jendayi, who’s 12, she has three other siblings; 20-year-old twin brothers, Abub and Abubakar, and a younger sister, Naunet, who’s about to be 18 years old in three months. Their parents raised them to be loving, close and always stick together, no matter what. They are the sons and daughters of the Alpha and Luna of the Arimor pack. Their mother interrupted her thoughts when she cleared her throat. “Where did you find her?” She asked, pointing her finger at Jendayi, who had a broad grin on her little face. Maat looked down at her while holding her hand. “She’s always following me to the river and tries to sneak up on me while I meditate.” Their mother giggled and told Jendayi to go to her room. “She can be a nuisance sometimes.” She added, looking at her running inside the house. “Maat, once you’re done bathing, your father wants to talk to you in the study.” Maat nodded then rushed to her bedroom and freshened up. As quickly as she was done, she went down to the kitchen to get a glass of water and green apple slices laced with honey, sat on the chair, and ate. “My favourite.” Abubakar entered the kitchen, licking his lips. “Come and eat,” she said with a smile. He sat next to her and they ate in comfortable silence. When she was done, she stood up from the chair. “Please wash the plate when you are done. I am going to meet with Dad in his chambers.” She told him as she walked away. She knocked on the door and waited. “Come in.” She heard her father’s deep voice behind the door. She opened it, then stepped inside and closed it. “Mom told me you needed to see me,” she announced in her soft voice. She did not know why he would want to speak to her alone, without her siblings. Something they are used to doing, anyway. “Of course, my daughter. I wanted to talk to you about something that I should have told you when you turned 18 years old. Please, sit.” He gestured for her to sit next to him on the sofa. She looked at her father. Wondered what could be so important. He had to wait till she was 22 years old. She noticed a darker expression in his eyes, as if reliving whatever he was about to tell her. Fiddling with her skirt, she waited patiently for him to talk. “It began with our ancestors, many, many centuries ago. You probably wonder why we’re hidden from the real world. Our kind lived in these parts of the world and had magical abilities no other species had, but as soon as other selfish wolves learned about their uniqueness, they killed and sacrificed them for power.” “Fortunately, a dimension had been created; to hide the remaining wolves, and that is how our kind prevailed. No one knows who did it, but many believe that a deity has done it. But as years passed by, generation after another, the magic stopped and died. It’s as if the one who gave those powers forgot about us.” He heaved a sigh. “Nobody knew about our existence until today, as only speculations among our enemies. Therefore, one person attempted to search and find our world, and I suspect he was working with a witch,” he said with an unreadable expression on his face. “Wow... If there is a witch involved, then we are not safe anymore. How will our people feel about this news since we are used to living in peace? We have never received outsiders before, and I am afraid that it will bring chaos that we don’t need now.” She was clearly worried about her people. “I will have to announce it during dinner tonight because they deserve to know and raise their concerns since these affect them as well.” He trailed off. After talking to her father, she went outside to take a walk. Thinking about what her father said to her. If this person could find them, then how many will know about their realm and if this dimension comes to the light, who else will enter it? She heard her dad talking about humans when she was a little girl. How curious, cruel, and selfish they were. He probably knows them that way, but she has a feeling not all of them are the way her dad said they were. Her gut feeling tells her they will probably reveal it, study it, and put it in those magazines for the entire world to know about their realm. She hunched her shoulders and exhaled while sitting on a small rock under the tree, still deep in thoughts. It was a beautiful afternoon while she was watching pups playing. Mothers were trying to control their little ones, and the older pups were playing martial arts games. She sighed, staring at everyone and wondering how they would react to the news her father was going to reveal to them. They were the smallest community of werewolves, who were hidden for many centuries, and now the unknown wolves had found their location. But she had hoped everything would be alright and maybe, just maybe, by having visitors, it might bring a good impression of the outside world to her people.