by Nicole Yek
The Girl & the Wolf
Nicole Yek
CONTENTS
The Girl & the Wolf
CONTENTS
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Epilogue
The Girl & the Wolf
Copyright © 2017 by Nicole Yek.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author except in the case of brief quotations em- bodied in critical articles or reviews.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Book and Cover design by Nicole Yek
First Edition: July 2017
Chapter One
Garnet was nervous; her forest green eyes were wide and her outstretched hand was trembling slightly. Her mind was crowded with thoughts of getting caught. She eyed the tall woman standing next to the stove, stirring a pot of stew with a wooden ladle. She didn't know that she was there, she wouldn't turn around.
Garnet extended her arm further across the table but her hand stilled just mere inches away from the treasure; she was reluctant despite all the precautions that she'd taken. Just then, a head of light brown hair -not unlike her own- popped out from the other side of the table. Garnet's eyes widened upon seeing the little boy.
"Hey, Gar, have you gotten them yet-" the boy began to ask while crawling towards her but the tall woman's voice interrupted him.
"I know the two of you are back there, don't even think about it." She said, emphasizing the last part in a tone that sounded more like a dangerous threat rather than an honest warning.
The boy gasped. He quickly turned to look at his sister. "We've been caught, Gar-"
"Yes, we've been caught," she whispered to him. "But it's not over yet, Knox."
Knox's thin eyebrows rose up at her words. "What do you mean?"
"This is a battle, Knox, if we give up and retreat now, we're never going to get what we want." She told him quietly as he listened with a scholar's curiosity, hanging on to her every word.
"So what can we do now?" he questioned.
"We do the only thing that we can," Garnet said before she swiftly grabbed two small pieces of lemon cakes from the tray atop the table and stuffed one into his open mouth. "We get the treasures, and we run."
Without wasting another second, the brunette stuffed the other piece of lemon cake in her mouth, jumped up from her crouch and dashed out of the small kitchen. Knox, realizing what was happening a moment later, instantly shot up from the wooden floor and sped after his older sister. He winced when he heard the tall woman's angry yells boomed through the kitchen behind him. Not daring to look back, he scrambled to the top of the stairs where Garnet was sitting, munching contently on her piece of lemon cake, ignoring the furious cries from below.
Knox was breathless as he seated himself down on one of the wooden steps. His small chest was heaving up and down rapidly. He felt as though his lungs were on fire and his heart was threatening to jump out at any given second. He took out the remainder of his lemon cake from his mouth and sighed. "You should've told me about the plan before you just went ahead and stole the cakes, you know? She could've caught me!" he glared at his sister with a frown.
Garnet finished the last bit of her cake with a delighted hum and licked her fingertips. "Yummy," she patted her belly. "Now that hit the spot."
Only then did she finally shift her attention onto her frowning brother who was still glaring at her. "But she didn't catch you, right? You managed to escape from her wrath and with a lemon cake no less. You should be thanking your amazing big sister for her bravery." She said, ruffling his hair.
Knox looked down at the piece of lemon cake in his hand; its surface was baked to a perfect golden brown. He knew from having it countless of times before that it would taste creamy and delicious and would practically melt in your mouth. He glanced at his sister and cracked a grin. "Thank you, Gar, you're the best!" he said and took a generous bite of the cake.
"I know," Garnet smirked proudly with her hands on her hips.
Knox let out a satisfied hum and mumbled, "It tastes so good. I wish our house was made of lemon cake."
Garnet laughed. "If it was, we'd be homeless within a day."
"True, true," Knox hummed and took another bite. "This was worth the hard battle."
"Indeed it was." His sister agreed.
"Why do you two always make it seem as though I'm the wicked witch while you're both heroic warriors who had just come home from battle?" the familiar voice of the tall woman rang out. Both Garnet and Knox looked in the direction of its source to find her standing at the bottom of the staircase.
"That's because we are!" Knox chirped with lemon cake in his mouth.
The tall woman rolled her eyes and sighed. "What am I to do with the two of you? The both of you, come down from there right now, dinner's ready."
"Alright, Mom." The little boy stood up and made his way down the stairs and followed his mother into the kitchen.
Garnet decided to get up as well and headed down for dinner after a few seconds. She could smell the savory scent of meat and spices as she entered the room. Knox was already digging into his stew and his mother was pouring some into an empty bowl from the pot. She handed it to Garnet as she neared the table. "Thank you, Meriana." She accepted the bowl and sat down at the table on the chair opposite Knox's.
"Really," Meriana groaned, brushing a few strands of her long black hair away from her tan face. "I've told you two time and time again, these lemon cakes are for Grandma." She scolded them, grabbing the tray of lemon cakes from the table when she spotted Garnet reaching for one. "If you eat all of them, there won't be any left for her!"
"But isn't Grandma sick?" Knox interjected, scooping a spoonful of stew from his bowl. "Aren't sick people not allowed to have sweets? Wouldn't she only become sicker if she eats the cakes?"
Garnet gave a vigorous nod and, with a mouthful of stew, exclaimed. "I agree!"
Meriana opened her mouth to protest but decided against it and simply shook her head. She set the tray of lemon cakes down on a smaller table next to the cabinets. "Please give it a rest, you two, I don't think I have the energy to deal with more lemon cake thievery." She carefully placed the cakes into a pretty weaved-basket along with a couple of fruits and a bottle of homemade rum.
"Now, don't forget to bring the basket along with you tomorrow, Garnet," Meriana reminded as she came to sit down at the head of the small wooden table with her own bowl of stew. "And please try not to snack on anything inside that is meant for Grandma, especially the lemon cakes. They took almost a day for me to bake."
"But it's not my fault that they're so utterly delicious!" Garnet argued with a pout. "You're the one who should be blamed for making such amazing cakes."
The older woman rolled her eyes at her. "I know what you're trying to do, Garnet," she said in an indifferent tone. "And flattery will not get you anywhere."
Despite her unamused voice and impassive face, the slight tug at the ends of her lips didn't escape from Garnet's keen eyes. The brunette broke into a grin that resembled the Cheshire cat's and raised a hand to her mouth as sh
e chuckled. "Oh, really?" she teased but she was completely ignored.
When she regained her composure, Garnet craned her neck around to look at the pretty basket sitting on the table. She would be heading out to visit her grandmother the next day and she had planned to stay there for a while. Meriana told her that the messenger who traveled to and fro between the kingdom of Cerenth and their little village to collect and distribute letters had informed her that Garnet and Knox's grandmother was terribly ill and possibly on the verge of death.
Garnet's plan was to remain at her grandmother's little house at the clearing next to the forest and take care of her. Although the messenger had mentioned that she might not have much time left, she couldn't help but hope that things would turn around, either due to a miracle or just by sheer luck. All she wanted was to be there beside her grandmother like how her grandmother had been beside her when Garnet's father died.
Garnet returned her attention forward and took another spoonful of stew. She gazed out the window behind Knox. It had a clear view of the Great Bridge outside. The bridge was the only path for one to use if they wished to travel between the kingdom and the village as there was a deep ravine that separated the two lands apart. The bridge was also what allowed the kingdom's messengers to come to their village weekly and how Garnet had managed to visit her grandmother throughout all the years. The villagers didn't have any knowledge of the bridge's history nor who its maker was. It wasn't anything grand; it was just a simple bridge made of wood and logs, yet they were still thankful for its existence as it allowed them access to sources of education, information, business trades, and the likes.
All of a sudden, a deafening clap of thunder boomed above their roof, causing Garnet and Knox to jump in their seats. Garnet nearly knocked over her bowl of stew while Knox's hands were shaking slightly from fear. He was trying his best to hide his trembling by pulling the long sleeves of his knitted shirt over his hands like mittens. "Looks like a storm is coming," Meriana observed, looking through the window at the onyx night sky. "Let's just hope that it won't last until tomorrow morning."
Thunder continued to rumble, rattling the windowpane. Lightning flashed across the raven sky like a blinding bolt of electricity shooting across the infinite black. Knox's grasp on his spoon tightened as he timidly shrunk back into his seat.
"I hope so, I wouldn't want to get my favorite cloak soaked," Garnet said, referring to her crimson cloak that hung over the rocking chair in front of the fireplace.
Knox's deep brown eyes widened suddenly and he snapped his head up from his bowl of stew which had already gone cold. He looked back and forth between his mother and sister with a frightened countenance.
"What's wrong, Knox?" Garnet inquired with a raised brow.
"D-do you hear t-that?" the little boy stammered, clasping his trembling hands together on his lap.
Garnet's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Hear what?"
That was when she heard the screams. They were faint and distant, especially with the thunder still roaring above their heads, but she could hear people screaming and yelling. This perplexed her further and she looked over at Meriana. The prominent creases on her forehead and knitted brows told her that she had heard them too.
Garnet turned to look out the window, and the sight made her gasp.
The Great Bridge was on fire.
Chapter Two
By the time the rain fell, the fire had already burnt through half of the Great Bridge. The bridge on the village's end was completely charred and could barely withstand a child's weight while the middle of it was entirely gone. Most of the villagers had come out of their houses to see the damage done to the bridge despite the heavy rain pelting down on them. Garnet stood among them, standing as still as a stone, her forest green eyes staring at the pathetic remains of the bridge.
The villagers began murmuring to one another, concerned that their only path to civilization was destroyed. This soon resulted in cries of panic from a few of them. Garnet was oblivious to everything that was happening around her as a hurricane of emotions spiraled in her mind. There were so many feelings boiling within her that she could only recognize her confusion. She wasn't even aware that the downpour had drenched her completely until she heard Meriana's familiar voice call out for her.
Garnet's head jerked towards the direction of her voice to find the tall woman standing in the doorway of their little home, making a gesture with her hand to urge the girl to come back inside. Without thinking, Garnet walked back to her warm and welcoming house. She realized after stepping inside that it was what she needed. After witnessing the depressing sight of the burnt bridge and being soaked by the heavy downpour, she felt glad to be somewhere familiar and comforting.
Meriana quickly put a woolen shawl over her shoulders once Garnet had set foot inside. She turned to shut the door behind her, sealing them away from the frightful storm, the ruined bridge, and the negativity from the panic-stricken villagers. She turned around and took in the sight of the brunette.
"You're completely drenched, Garnet." She said, taking her cold hand and guiding her to the fireplace. "Come here."
Garnet let the older woman lead her next to the warm fireplace without protest, silently reveling in the heat of Meriana's hand as it clutched over hers. She hadn't known how cold she was until she felt the black-haired woman's sudden touch of warmth on her freezing skin. The older woman released her gentle grip on the brunette's shaking hand so Garnet could crouch down and hold out her numb hands in front of the crackling fire. Meriana placed her hands on her hips and exhaled a sigh. "It's best that you take a hot bath afterward, we wouldn't want you catching a cold anytime soon."
Garnet was about to nod when a faint creaking sound interrupted her. Both she and Meriana turned towards the source of the unexpected noise to see Knox standing on the bottom step with his skinny arms draped around the wooden railing of the staircase as he stared at them with innocent eyes that betrayed slight fear.
"Knox, sweetheart, what are you doing down here?" Meriana asked, walking over to her young son. "I thought I'd told you to stay upstairs?"
"Is the Great Bridge really gone?" the little boy blurted out, causing his mother to halt in her tracks a few steps before reaching his side. Knox was unfazed by her questionable reaction and continued, "Are we not going to give Grandma lemon cakes anymore? Or send her letters?"
Garnet watched as Meriana slowly unfroze from her spot and closed the short distance remaining between her and her son. She placed her hands gently on his shoulders and bent down so that she could look him in the eyes. "Yes," Meriana murmured. "The bridge is gone."
The brunette could see how hesitant she was about telling Knox of the tragic news from the tense set of her shoulders. "But it's nothing to worry about," she carried on, stroking Knox's brown hair. "It's getting late, sweetheart, it's best that you get to bed."
Knox shook his head without even a hint of reluctance. "Not until you tell me a story. Are you not going to tell me one tonight?" he stared at his mother with sad eyes.
Knox had to grow up faster than the other children in the village after their father died. Garnet assumed that Knox had felt pressured to act mature and grown-up, as though the responsibility of being the head male of the family was pushed down onto him, the only remaining male in the family. But at that moment, as he stood there at the bottom of the staircase with pleading eyes, and asking for his mother to tell him a bedtime story, it reminded Garnet that he was only a seven-year-old child; a child who should have been living the simple yet wonderful time of his childhood by making friends and playing with other children in the village. Instead, he threw that all away, and responsibility and burdens were thrust upon him like a pile of bricks.
Garnet had wondered a few times before if her overly-enthusiastic personality and childish behavior were a result of a plan that her self-conscious had concocted to help Knox live a somewhat decent childhood that he could look back on without regret, even though he had
decided to abandon the thought of it years ago. She kept silent and watched as the pair of mother and son conversed with each other.
"Of course I will," Meriana replied to Knox's question. "I'm just a little busy at the moment, so would you be a good boy and go upstairs and get ready for bed? I promise that I'll be up there in a while to tell you a story."
Knox eyed his mother carefully. He seemed to have caught the crack in her false smile as his lips fell into a thin line and he said, "It's alright, mom, you don't need to do that. I'll get ready for bed and you can go back to doing your things."
Meriana's eyes widened at his words and, from her crouched position next to the fireplace, Garnet was taken aback by them as well. "Knox, you don't have to do that, I'm actually not all that busy and I can tell you a story right-"
"There really is no need for it, Mom," Knox interjected before his mother could finish. "I think I'll to be fine without one tonight." He gave her a small smile of reassurance.
The expression on his mother's face was one of utter defeat and helplessness. Both siblings noticed it but only Garnet decided to take action whereas her brother stayed quiet. "You may not need a story tonight, Knox," the brunette began, getting back on her feet as her eyes fixed on the skinny little boy. "But I do! Can't you please consider my feelings and just let Meriana tell us a story tonight?"
Garnet looked at him with big, hopeful eyes and a quivering pout while her hands were clasped together in a pleading gesture. Knox stared at her for a long, hard minute before eventually giving in to her whim. "Fine." He sighed, pretending to be exasperated but the tiny tugs at the ends of his lips told her otherwise. "I'll go upstairs and get ready while you quickly go take a bath so Mom can tell us a story!"
"Alright, I'm going to have the fastest bath that you've ever seen!" the brunette exclaimed animatedly. At this, a wide grin broke across the little boy's face and he started hopping up and down as his eagerness for the bedtime story grew.