I look around me and see members of my pack hurt. Three lay dead, while a few pups limp around with blood seeping from various parts through their fur.
The man-creatures that did this surround us. The sharp things they hold held to us, as we try to protect our injured. They cut the skin and meat of the dead and leave their bloody corpses. I, and two other healthy adults snarl at the humans, we raise our fur. They are cautious of us but have no intention of leaving their kills. They take their bounty and walk away.
I turn and lick the wounds of my pups. Perhaps these few will live another day, but man knows how to kill us now. He is not afraid. I have failed my pack, and feel undeserving of alpha.
Perhaps I can stem the tide of death, though. They hunt us because we appear weak – but we are not. We can strike back. We can sneak into their camp at night and kill them while they rest. We are silent and deadly. We are hunters.
“You are a hunter, Marceline. It is time you hunted.”
The voice was ghostly, powerful. It sound like when Nemesis spoke, but it was different. Harder, but more compassionate. Like a woman who knew the hardships of the world but still cared for others like a loving mother.
Suddenly I was in a dark place. Human again – a girl. I carried my bow in my hand, but it was broken in half. I could hear Bleu, Peter, and Jaquleen, but I could not see them, for my eyes were fixated on something so impossibly bright that I could not understand how it did not illuminate the room. It was a bow but shined of gold with silver strands twisting around the shaft in the most beautiful patterns I had ever seen – more than I could ever have imagined.
As I picked the bow up the shine subdued, but the color and beauty remained. I drew the string and quiet bits of light quickly gathered leaving a golden arrow with the same silver strands resting and ready to be fired. I could feel otherworldly energy pulsing within it. As I turned in the darkness I saw a woman standing in the darkness. She wore a white mask – Nemesis.
Though her face was obscured I could sense her satisfied grin underneath.
-
“When I awoke from that dream, I knew exactly what it had meant. I felt ashamed, cowardice so deep that it sickened my stomach. I had betrayed my faith. I had failed my people. I was afraid of the change, afraid of the war, afraid of what I had learned of my faith. But I was wrong. It took the intervention of the gods to show me my errors, but I see them. Perhaps Nemesis will aid this Germanian man in the slaying of Demeter – but I believe Nemesis more rightful than any to decide that punishment for the betrayel of the Goddesses, over a century of lies, deceit, and failure. But the affairs of our Goddesses are no matter for a foreign pagan to meddle in. He marches his armies through our lands, he pillages and murders our people. He dares to interfere with our Pantheon – wholeheartedly acknowledging thier existence and power, and still defiling them by having his sister rain her pagan magic on our land and defying them. Just like the wolves in my dreams, if we merely lick our wounds then more will come and further transgressions will pile up until we are no more. But if we turn and strike, we show others that we are not to be trifled with.
And I am a hunter. That other voice…was it Artemis? The smile from nemesis. They want me to avenge Demeter. This is the way to serve my people. Wether this man succeeds or not, if he survives this day I will hunt him to the ends of the earth. He will feel the wrath of our faith for daring to insult is in this way.
I have a feeling that I have to find that bow, and so the first thing I will do today is read through the book that Peter has. Perhaps there will be some clues to it in there. For now though, Peter and I must join Jaquleen in Paris. We would not wish to miss an opportunity to end this quickly if we can. I just hope I am up to the challenge. I will let him know as soon as he awakes.
After spending some time thinking of the situation from Marceline’s perspective I decided to change her outlook on the situation. It also provided a tool for aiding in progressing the story so Todd and I weren’t stuck looking after the peasants.
