The Enemy Is My Mate

I was born into a royal family, one that ruled over a certain village—like an American Indian (Native American) village but bigger with wooden houses and few tents. We weren't humans, neither were we any unique supernatural. We were the descendants of an Amazon princess and a demi god and a normal Amazon warrior and one of the descendant of Hercules. Don't remember well. We lived on a secret island, one magically hidden behind a waterfall. We were happy good people, my father was a great king. We were normal, at least before I was born, everything was normal. Everything changed the day one of our warriors went out of the island to hunt and caught a werewolf. My mother was vexed at the idea of killing the children of the moon goddess but my father strangely liked it.

So what did he do? He had the werewolf roasted and ate it.

Soon one werewolf became two and two, three and before my mother could tell what was happening, the entire village had become eaters of werecreatures. According to my mother, I was barely even conceived when it began. Unlike the others, she never joined them, never let my father corrupt me by eating poor werecreatures. My mother raised me to be nice, different from the other children. I was always alone learning her secrets, training to be a warrior for she believed that one day, our people would pay for their sins. She taught me to endure, for everything that would happen would fall on my head, for being the direct descendant of the king that started it. So all my life, I grew up keeping five words in heart:

1. One day my people would be punish.

2. I will take a side punishment for being my father's child.

3. Never to retaliate and kill a werecreatures, especially their favourite meal, werewolves.

4. Always endure.

5. Never let go of my kindness no matter what.

Each rules had more than one meaning, one only I knew. A particular occurrence I would never forget saved my life. I was twenty then, just returned from another intense training section with my mother. I saw the warriors dancing in the village square, surrounding something or someone. Mum stopped by to help a pregnant gazelle who was finding it difficult to deliver. Dad and some warriors went out to hunt for other werecreatures.

"What's going on here?" I asked sternly. They all stopped yelling and bowed. They made way for me to see the pregnant woman hugging her crying six years and nine years old sons. "Bidziil, what's going on?"

"A pregnant werewolf, a rare catch. My warriors and I caught them returning from a journey." He said proudly.

"So let me get this straight, you caught a pregnant werewolf and you are planning to kill her and her children?" He nodded. "That's barbaric!" I shouted. "She's a mother! A wife! You guys have upgrade to children now!!!"

"Sorry to disrespect you, Princess, but the king has given us orders to ignore you if you try to do anything or give us orders."

"And did he tell you to stand still and let me kill you?" I sneered.

"Sorry, Princess, that's the order. We are saving them for the king's banquet tomorrow night." I turned on my heels and stomped back to the palace, the biggest wooden building in the village. Tears pricked my eyes as I stomped into the house. I wasn't going to let them kill that innocent woman and her children, not one strand of her hair would be hurt.

Later that night, I snuck out of my room effortlessly. I went to the dungeon, going straight to the woman's cell. "It's okay, your father would find us." I heard her assuring her children.

Father had the royal sorcerer make spells to weaken wolves and delete telepathic communications. Her mate would never find her. "Hello," she came in front of her children immediately, snarling at me. "Calm down, I'm here to help."

"Help! You are going to kill us! I have heard of your people, how you kill and eat my kind…"

"How they kill and eat your kind, not I nor my mother. My name is Makawee but you can call me Kawee, I really want to help you." I whispered.

"And why should I believe you?"

"Do you have a choice?" Her face fell. "You either follow me and be safe or die tomorrow, that's your choice." I opened the bars and stepped back. One of her son ran out first, I grabbed him and carried him.

"Drop my son!"

"Just calm down and follow me," I bounced the boy up and walked ahead. They followed me quietly, shaking with fear. Did I forget to say I put the men to sleep? Well, I did. I led them under the shadows to the secret exit mum discovered few years ago. I assisted them to get into the canoe loaded with food and water. "Can you manage to sail this? All you need to do is hold on, tighten the sail if the wind gets rougher and loosen it when it gets lighter. Just ride straight until you get to where three colour rocks marks a riverbank. From there you can continue walking until your wolf recovers and you can contact your mate."

"Thank you," she sobbed. "What about you? They will kill you."

I shrugged. "I don't mind, plus, my own father won't kill me."

"Thank you, I will never forget what you have done for my children and I." I nodded and gave her our customary bow.

"Go," she got into the canoe with her boys. "Goodbye, Rick," I waved at the youngest boy. He waved back at me. I watched them sail away before I left, sealing the fate of my people; sealing my fate.