Hidden Mysteries

Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven


          Anya pulled at the bandage around her neck. As the day passed, the scab that was forming had grown continuously itchy. Mason had returned only to give her the long, white strip of cloth and tell her that the guards had gotten the name out of the intruder.

          Mason had walked through the door, a small package in one hand and a letter crushed in the other. “His name is Zna.” He had told her as he made his way over to her. Kneeling, he pulled out supplies out of the package before he started bandaging her neck. “That is all the guards have been able to get out of him so far.” He stood up when the bandage was finished. “Do you know why he came?” He had asked.

          Anya had shaken her head. She would not tell Mason of the terrible past she had experienced. Bringing him into the whole mess would only make it worse. As soon as he had been certain Anya was fixed up, he had left, telling her to stay safe.


          Tired of staying indoors like Mason had asked her to, Anya left the house through her back door towards the woods. She was cautious as she went past the tree line, looking out for any human pair of eyes. However, she did not go very deep into the forest. Anya was not stupid enough to endanger herself after what had happened.

          At least, Anya thought she was not being stupid until a twig snapped near her. She whipped around, arms up and ready to fight. What she was not prepared for was the pack of large wolves entering the clearing. Her eyes widened and she turned to flee when a deep husky voice called out to her.



          “Miss Thimes, wait!” 



          She stopped and looked behind her. A man stood there. He was tall, dark skinned, and very handsome. His eyes were a dark grey, his hair black and short, and his dark eyebrows were pulled together.
 The only piece of clothing he wore was around his hips.

          Anya turned around to face him completely. “Who… are you?” 

She had not spotted any humans in the midst of the wolves before. Where had the man come from?

          “My name is Nyetus, the Alpha of this Akoi pack.” He replied casually.

          “Wait- I am sorry, but did you say… ‘Akoi’?” Anya asked. “They are... are supposed to be a myth, non-existant.” 



          “Does that seem to be true?” Nyetus asked, spreading his arms wide. 



          “N-no, I mean, yes. I mean... H-how can you prove it?” Anya stammered.

          The man said nothing, but Anya noticed hair starting to seemingly grow out of his skin. His nose lengthened to a snout, whiskers protruding with it. He hunched over quickly as his human shaped morphed into that of a wolf.

          “Y-you...” Anya had no words for it. It was not possible.

          The process repeated itself for Nyetus, only this time in reverse. It was not long until a man stood in front of her again. “I am sorry to have scared you, but do you believe it now?”

          “But… But how are you here?” 



          “I promise I will tell you of that some other time.” He said. The wolves behind him seemed relaxed; they were lying down and minding their own business, scratching their ears. 



          “Why are you here? How do you know my name?” She questioned. 



          “Please, Miss Thimes, I can not answer all of your inquiries. The only reason I am here is to inform you of our presence and that we are here to protect you.” 



          “Protect me?” Anya’s neck itched, but she ignored it. “Where were you yesterday? Why were you not there to protect me when I was almost killed?”



          “I beg your pardon, Miss Thimes-”



          “Do not call me that.” Anya said, eyes flashing. 



          “Excuse me- what?” 



          “’Miss Thimes’, I do not wish to be called that.” 
The name held too many memories for her.

          “Sorry, I only meant to be polite. Please, hear me out, though. Just a day ago we were forbidden to affiliate ourselves with you.” Nyetus told her quickly.



          “What changed then?” Anya asked, not able to keep the irritation out of her voice.



          “The Great Mother came to us, bearing news that we were to shield you.” Another wolf spoke, as he too morphed into a human next to Nyetus. “She was the first female of the Akoieas.”



          “She… Came to you?” She asked slowly, slightly confused.



          “She is the Goddess of our people,” Nyetus explained. “She appeared in a vision to Lakan- the leader of all of the Akoieas.” Without warning, all the wolves’ heads snapped up. “We must go.” Nyetus and the other wolf-man were suddenly wolves like the rest. They turn and ran together, in perfect synchronization. 



          Too many questions were whirling in her mind as she took cautious steps away from the clearing. One thought, though inappropriate, mused at how that cloth had remained where it was through his morphing.

          Anya waited until she could no longer see them before she finally turned around, going back to her house. A piece of parchment waited for her on the table. She went to it quickly and picked it up, unrolling it. It was not from Mason, she quickly realized, but from whoever Zna had been working with.

          Do not think you are safe, Anya Thimes, it is not over yet. Anya gasped and flung the paper into the fire. She let her breathing calm before making sure all of her doors were locked. It was all happening again and she knew she would not escape it easily.

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Alright, so I just wanted to get this out before the questions come. No, this is not Twilight, so no, the Akoi are not werewolves or shapeshifters. That will be explained at a later date. And there will be no vampires in this. At all. For pronounciation reasons, keep reading.

Zna- Za-nah

Anya- On-nah

Nyetus- Nay-a-toos

Akoi- A-koi (Like koi fish)

Akoieas- A-koi-ee-ahs

Kavoc- Kay-vock

Okay, that is all. Vote, comment, share. Whatever it is you'd like to do. :)