Measer Fern

The inner court was abuzz with a throng of clashing argumentative tones, ferried about, dutifully, by the tepid blowing breeze. Each voice sought to override the other in an effort to make its opinion known. On an on, this went as each individual resisted what was to become of life as we knew it.

"The outside world?" An elder sputtered, eyes enlarged in shock and mouth agape in incredulity at the absurd suggestion. Iona nodded in the affirmative and the elder smacked his forehead in exasperation. Peering at her from behind the space between his index and middle finger, he enunciated his speech, dragging out his words in a manner in which one would converse with a child. "The outside world as in the world outside of this one. The one harbouring our mortal enemies?"

Iona appeared, unmoved by the argument, having heard it a few times since the conception of the meeting. She attempted to put a word in but the elder cut her off, swiftly, steadfast in his mission to drive his point home. "Mortal enemies we deliberately separated from," He gestured to the horizon, pointing out the direction where the veil of dividence lay and looked back at the young she-wolf who no doubt, he was convinced, was dense. "Surely you and your lot don't think we'd willingly accept to be incorporated into their world..." he eyed the young adults on the opposite side of the courtroom and caressed his long white beard with calm strokes as he laughed, dryly. "...because if that was the case then you wouldn't suggest such utter rubbish," he harrumphed, disapprovingly.

Audible grunts of agreement from the board of elders went out around the spacious area, ricocheting off the walls and rising in tempo. The opposing side of youthful druid apprentices facing them, sighed, no doubt growing weary of the arduous task to convince them.

"In fact, I daresay they hast partaken o' bitters brewed upon our foes plain," another elder-much ancient than the first, Xyilian-humoured, flapping his cape back, exaggeratedly, before he took his seat.

His gentle voice revived the lost decorum in the courtyard as everyone turned to face the small wolf with intelligent heterochromia orbs, the colour of fire and ice. A jovial face adorned with a small birthmark, the shape of a rising phoenix by his left eyebrow and glossy cerulean tresses cascading down his back. Blessed with a prolonged vibrant life he was, remaining one of the four olden wolves who had witnessed the separation era in its entirety.

"For verily I charge thee to behold thither where it hath deposited their reason, rendering them dim of wit and slow of tongue," he pointed to the entrance with a frivolous wave of his hand, insinuating that the moment they stepped into the courtyard they had shed the girdles of their wisdom and entered as empty vessels spouting nonsensical words. "Or I be telling fibs?" he sassed, settling deeper into his chair with a cross of his arms.

"The veil of dividence between our world and theirs is weakening with each day," Iona gritted out, yet again, reigning in the urge to roll her eyes and give into the irritation that lined the slight frown in her forehead.

She was a long-standing apprentice of mine, having started her training at the mere age of six. Standing at an imposing height that was taller than most with blinding coral tresses and a temper to match, I could just about imagine that the strained control in her tightly fisted palms went into biting back the snide remarks that were bubbling up her throat.

"Measers are creatures characterised by patience, wisdom, and mostly observational silence, a mountain load of it," I had always told her, seeing as the young'un was prone to spontaneous burst of anger and irritation. "I mean how else can we understand wolves who are at times even more frustrating than the Sky Lordians?"

Usually she would huff with slumped shoulders and a resigned look, not quite understanding why she had to remain calm when in fact she was seething. She was but a child, impulsive in the expression of her feelings and quite naïve but while it was her innate nature she had learnt to deal, somewhat, with her temper.

"We will soon be exposed to their world and no amount of sarcastic comments will change that state of affairs. So rather than waste our time here playing who's the better orator..." she drawled, casting fleeting gazes at the elders, seated atop the high table. "...I would advise that we look for a way to adapt better to our new reality and protect ourselves if need be," she suggested.

"Besides, Princess Yil, our future Alpha and leader, is mated to an outsider. If she can survive the few months that she's been away then surely we can as well," Amot, another close apprentice of mine, voiced out, garnering a few nods of support from the small cohorts of druid apprentices about him. "Moreover, her affiliation with her outside Alpha mate is to our advantage because then at least his pack would be much more receptive towards us and desist from harming us," he reasoned.

"Oh, ye foolish youths!" another of the four olden wolves-this time a toned she-wolf with short wavy white hair, Amélie-cracked up, spitefully. "Do enlighten the bastards o' old who cast upon their mate's shackles o' bondage and marred their downtrodden spirits in the blink of an eye to obtain power," she snarled, reliving the era of her birth.

Her story was one of utmost sorrow starting with the horrific death of both parents, burnt right before her eyes. A proper burial, they were denied as the swampy marsh became their final resting place, accepting the charred offerings of their vessels. Resolute in her will to survive, she had fled her captors one lucky night. She was immensely weak with mortal wounds that were sure to alienate a grown wolf much less a teenager in her sixteenth year of existence. Knowing that she could never outrun her pursuers, she had taken refuge under the bloated corpses of her parents. There she waited, intermittently coming up to breathe, till she was much stronger to carry on.

Such trauma was enough to push anyone off the cliff of sanity. Especially when the one responsible for the death of her parents and her capture was her mate. The one supposed to love and cherish her. The one who had hunted her down, instead.

Bringing the cup of brewed mixture up to my lips, I studied the opposing parties over its rim and swallowed down its bitter essence.

Old versus youthful, rigid versus liberal, pained past versus accepting future.

We white wolves were certainly not a rowdy bunch, but this situation was different. It opened up old wounds and as such all restraints were tossed out the window. Tempers ran high, voices grew shrill and actions sparked up with volatile energy. In the end, I sensed that underneath the aggression and seemingly comedic comments was an ever-growing feeling of dread that gnawed at the deepest part of the majority of the wolves gathered here.

The sudden silence brought my attention back to the court. Expectant expressions faced me, patiently waiting for an answer to a question I didn't hear.

"Methinks he has fallen prey to the clutches of slumber," Xyilian sassed, dryly, with a derisive snort. "Nothing new there," he grumbled.

"Can you blame me?" I sighed with a small shrug and a careful drop of my cup. "I have to endure your boring unending jokes at every gathering," I noted, motioning to our close proximity and catching sight of his dwindling smirk just as Lira grumbled an incoherent, "Tell me about it,"

"Why you little-" he started but was interrupted.

"Enough of the word sparring!" Alpha Tyon thundered, slamming his fists on the long-mirrored table, and scowling at Xyilian and I. The crystal engravings rattled with so much force, they were sure to break in half. "I've just about had it with the arguments, snide comments and rowdy attitudes," he growled, pushing from the table to stand up and pace about as we all bowed our heads in submission at the Alpha essence, radiating in full force from his body.

"I understand your reservations with the possible move to the outside world," he stopped to address the board of elders. "Heck! I don't like the idea of being in the same breathing space as the whoresons who committed such atrocities to our ancestors. It makes my blood boil with anger and my muscles tick with despicable acts of vengeance and I'm sure for most of us forgiveness just doesn't cut it anymore," he groaned with his palms flattened against the glass and his head bowed as his form vibrated with fury.

Luna Yuna arose from her chair, gracefully, and glided to his side, her velvety gown sweeping the cobblestone floors as she walked by.

"Isn't there a solution to the tear in the veil?" she quizzed, rubbing soothingly on Alpha Tyon's back. "The veil, after all, was created from elemental magic. Surely, we can restrengthen its power source," she reasoned.

All eyes were on me now. An array of circular windows had been opened up and peering closely I saw into the souls of a hundred wolves, harbouring mirroring expressions of hope. Hope that I was going to dash into a million pieces.

"The pith of the veil is counteracting every elemental magic," I began cautiously, wanting to ease them all into the truth of the matter. Getting up from my seated position, I moved to the middle of the courtyard and motioned Iona over. "Instead of the magic reenforcing the veil in the manner in which one would have hoped, it is actually having the reverse effect of making the veil tear at an alarming rate," I explained just as Iona handed me a petri dish, containing a turbulent, watery sample of the veil.

Opening the lid, I released the sample into the atmosphere. Its hydrostatic essence morphed into an umbrella shaped bell, characteristic of cnidarians. A lilac hue burst out from within it and with much vigorousity it moved around the area, drawing in air, and then forcing it out again.

Over the span of a few seconds it expanded over the inner court to form a suspended canopy. Every source of light was blocked as it shrouded us within the midst of a thickening darkness.

"This, as you all know, is the function of the veil," I voiced, speaking into the dingy void. A flickering sound could be heard echoing around the courtyard and in a flash, balls of glowing fire-hovering over the palms of a few Forlins-lit up the court one by one. "It hides our world from the outside world and vice versa as illustrated by the sample here," I continued, motioning to the kaleidoscopic overhead arch which had substituted the sun and hidden us from the world beyond the four walls of the inner court.

"However, as I have emphasised on many occasions, the veil is weak and can't perform its function as it used to," I lamented as the watery essence of the veil began to disintegrate, starting from the middle where a thin line had formed. "And resorting to elemental magic to strengthen it does more harm than good," I stated before I demonstrated my point.

Whirling around and gathering momentum which each turn, I assumed control over the still air within the dome and channelled a mini tornado towards the veil. The fiery balls of light went out with a whoosh and, instantaneously, the small tear within the veil spread faster than before. In the twinkle of an eye the whole arch ruptured. Specks of sparkly dust flittered down from above, catching the glint of the sunray.

"This is just a small minute part of the whole veil, spreading over large expanses of land, but if this small part can disintegrate this quickly then you can imagine it won't take long before the whole falls apart," I expatiated, walking over to my seat and leaving an aura of shocked silence in my wake.

"Furthermore, even without the direct channel of elemental magic the veil will still disintegrate at this rate," Lira chimed in, placing her elbows on the table. "Because by virtue of your pack members controlling the elements on a day to day basis, the vortex in the veil will continue to feed off their partial source of magic," she faced Alpha Tyon and divulged more information on the dynamics of the veil as a series of horrified gasps escaped the lips of a hundred wolves.

"So, you mean to tell me that in order to slow down its disintegration, somewhat, the whole pack will have to stop practicing elemental magic?!" An elder, Vaughn, exclaimed in disbelief.

"Precisely," Iona answered, and Lira nodded when Vaughn looked towards her for confirmation. "However, taking that route will only buy the pack a few weeks at most," she added, packing up the petri dish into her coat pocket. "We need a much better plan than tiptoeing around the inevitable, hoping it'll go away," she pointed out, looking towards the supreme leaders of the pack.

Luna Yuna moved back to her chair with ginger steps as Alpha Tyon stared into space. "The Sky Lordians haven't spoken to you on the matter?" He whispered, quietly, to my hearing.

"No, not at all," I simply replied, sipping on my brew. Its sour taste was one that provided me with immense relish and comfort but at the moment it acted as a regulator against the strong feeling, gaining momentum within me.

Confusion.

It was an emotion that druids steered clear of. After all, it was required of us to be certain of whatever we said or did. How else were the people to believe the gods they revered so dearly if the spokesperson was misleading?

These gods, however, had deliberately chosen to mislead me and in so doing had engineered every scene in such a way that there was no way anyone could opt out of the play that they had set up.

Yil was to go to the outside world but had we known that she wasn't the prophesied wolf or that her mate was born of our number one enemies then her parents would have fought harder to deflect her fate. Even I wouldn't have been so complacent, wanting to know what her real role was in this whole charade. The prophesied wolf was to control all the elements and she was the only one who did yet the Sky Lordians had stated that she wasn't the chosen one. So, had I interpreted the prophecy wrongly or had I been lied to?

Similarly, it so happened that the one person who could actually strengthen our veil was no longer in the pack.

Now who was that person you might ask.

Well, I was no closer to that answer than I was concerning who the prophesied wolf was. There were loads of white wolves outside the pack so they was no telling who it was. And the Sky Lordians had been tight lipped on everything, wanting me to find it all out myself.

"So, what's your suggestion, Fern?" The resigned tone brought my attention back to the meeting and I faced Alpha Tyon.

"Do not despair Alpha and neither should any of you," I empathized, holding their individual gazes to provide some sense of comfort. I stood up, once again, and with my posture, relaxed, and my facial features, calm, I assumed a false front of surety and confidence.

The hierarchical positioning of every wolf pack was such that after the Alpha and Luna came the druid who was next in the line of authority. I wielded more decision-making powers than both the board of elders and Yil, combined, to put it simply. Thus, in the scenario where the Alpha and Luna struggled with putting forth a plan that affected the whole pack, I could step in by order of either one of them. The dilemma here was that I was just as lost as they were, if not more than they were.

What if this was a cause to despair and I was downplaying the severity of the situation?

Swallowing the reasonable concerns swirling in my thoughts, I continued my speech. "While it is foolish to think that the outside wolves would accept us by virtue of Yil's affiliation to one..." I criticized, discrediting Amot's argument and catching sight of Xyilian's condescending smirk towards him. "...it is also foolish to think that we can continue to stay here," Xyilian's smirk died out faster than a candle in the rain and before he could atone for his mockery, Amot and a small group of druid apprentices blew silent raspberries at him.

Noticing the childish pettiness of their actions both parties burst into soundless laughter and shook their heads.

It was of little comfort to see that despite the current predicament they still held on to whatever little sense of humour they had left. It was sure to be of great help in the future.

"So, Queen Lira and I have decided to travel to the outside world," I continued, seeing Lira's eyebrow rise so far up her forehead, in disbelief, at the impromptu travel that she hadn't been briefed on prior to the meeting.

"Travel to the outside world?" she mouthed, pulling on my toga, discreetly, to get my attention but I ignored her.

There was something called thinking on your feet which I particularly excelled in.

"It would be of benefit to the whole pack if we were to scout out the place before we got exposed to their world," I explained. "The plan here will be for Lira and me to go undercover, blending in with the different wolf packs with the aid of faerie magic aimed at altering our physical features. Then through this we will be able to gain a better insight into the people's thoughts towards white-wolves and even if they believe we exist,"

"And if it so happens that their thoughts towards us are of evil?" Alpha Tyon probed, staring me straight in the eye with cerulean orbs that shook with troubled clouds.

"Then we have the right and liberty to protect ourselves. We are much stronger than our ancestors and while we won't resort to the barbaric acts of brutality that outside wolves are known for, we will nonetheless never desist from protecting ourselves if push comes to shove," I added with finality.

Alpha Tyon nodded his head before he took his seat, quite content that my words had aligned with whatever plan he had forming in his head. Silent chatter between the wolves picked up, steadily, as each individual reluctantly agreed with the final plan that I had proposed.

"If that'll be all Alpha and Luna, I'll be on my way to prepare for the journey. Iona and Amot will take over in my stead and continue to monitor the disintegration of the veil," I bowed down as Lira rose up from her seat. "Also, if I may propose another plan..." I hesitated, only continuing when Alpha Tyon acknowledged my request with a brief wave. "...it might be helpful to our mission if you consider imposing an early curfew to when our pack members can practice elemental magic," I suggested to the deep sigh of the Alpha.

In the last few days, it seemed like he had aged tremendously. Dark circles shadowed the underside of his eyes and his forehead showcased the lined canvas of deep-seated wrinkles. I could just imagine the amount of strain he was under, having to firstly explain to the crowd, patiently waiting outside the courtyard, about the phenomena of the tearing veil and our impending move to the outside world. Then secondly, imposing a restriction to when they could practice elemental magic which was intrinsic of them. It was a hard decision to make.

"As Iona said, this will buy the pack a few weeks at most and this in turn will give us just the right amount of time to glean as much information as we can," I persuaded.

"The Sky Lordians have made it clear that they run the ship so who am I to resist any further? Where has that gotten me anyway?" he smiled, sadly. Taking Luna Yunas' outstretched palm in his own, he placed a soft kiss to her knuckles and drew her close. I bowed one last time and made my way out of the courtyard with Lira behind me.

"Please remind me of when I agreed to this trip because my memory seems to be failing me," Lira hissed, dryly, shielding her eyes from the reflection of the sunray on her translucent wings.

I continued to walk ahead of her, exchanging amiable pleasantries with a couple of wolves and completely ignored her. Now that I think back to that split moment, I could have just given her an answer and saved myself the truckload of embarrassment that followed. For her next action was one I hadn't anticipated. At all.

Grabbing unto my toga in a fist hold and interrupting me mid-sentence in a brief conversation I was having with a student of mine, she pulled me to face her with mind-boggling strength.

"Mind you, I also have a kingdom to run...." She growled, attracting a couple of stares, ranging from amazement to confusion. "...and just because I've helped you on some-"

"Queen Lira!" A hurried shout interrupted her rant and we both turned to face the advancing Luna at once. "I wanted to thank you so much for helping us in this time of n-e-e.." her words died out, slowly, as she took in Liras' fist hold of my toga. "Is everything all right?"

"Of course, everything is dandy. I'm just admiring the fabric of his toga. It's so exquisite," Lira breathed with a saccharine smile, feeling the wool between her fingers. Luna Yuna looked unconvinced by her answer but before she could comment further, Lira chirped out a sentence, dismissively. "Also, there's no need to thank me. It's the least I can do for your pack,"

Luna Yuna smiled, gratefully with teary eyes. "We all owe you for your kindness. Thank you,"

"Sure, sure," Lira grinned, nodding her head, enthusiastically. "So, this wolf here and I will be off to prepare for our trip," she emphasized through clenched teeth, pulling me towards the Wonderan Forest and turning back to throw the dazed Luna a forced smile.

"I know it's been a lifelong fantasy of yours to hold onto my toga and maybe brush against my biceps but all good things must come to an end," I mumbled, trying to release myself from her hold.

She stopped walking, let go of my toga and turning towards me, I caught sight of her murderous gaze. However, before I could react to her sharp movements, she placed her arm around my head and held me in a neck hold.

"Wrong, Mr know-it-all," she jeered, pressing down on my jugular. "I'll give you three seconds to tell me why you made such a decision without consulting me,"

I tapped on her arm, gasping for air, and wheezing out a few words. "Let.... g-o-o,"

"That's not the answer I was looking for," she singsonged, tightening her hold. "Just because I help you out sometimes doesn't mean I'm at your beck and call. I happen to be the sole monarch of a whole nation, you know?"

At this point, my vision was lined with tiny floating dots, a sure sign that I was losing oxygen and my breath was coming out in short gasps. "I-I-I.... n-e-e-d...y..."

"Argh! Spit it out before I pulverize you," she groaned in exasperation, letting go of my neck. I staggered away from her and placed my hand by a nearby tree to steady myself. Then I bent down and inhaled as much air as I could, grateful for the refreshing oxygen coursing through my nostrils. It was still a wonder how such a slight creature like her wielded so much power.

"I need you, okay," I breathed, wiping my brow. "The Sky Lordians haven't been communicating with me for a long time and letting the people know of that fact will cause even more panic. They'll believe the gods have deserted us and I can't let that happen," I rested against the tree and looked at her. "I had to think on the spot at that moment and travelling as scouts to the outside world seemed like the best plan,"

"You seem to forget that I am a queen now not that little, misfit you met years ago. I have duties to fulfil and a nation to take care of, I can't just up and leave to help your pack at the detriment of mine. Especially with the appearance of a Jerlion," she countered, crossing her arms. "The least I can do is to give you a team of faeries to help in your journey,"

"What if I told you that the Jerlion was summoned by someone from the outside world? And her source of power seems to be tied to that individual as well," I arched an eyebrow and walked towards her slowly. "If you follow me to the outside world we will not only be able to find out about her plans but we'll be able to take her down if you get to the individual wielding her power source," I persuaded with a slow smile.

"And I should trust you because?"

"I know it for a fact," I replied, simply with a shrug as I walked past her and towards my shed.

Internally, I began a countdown of five seconds and hoped to hear the soft pitter-patter of her footsteps behind me. There was just something about the young'un that made me smile, internally, despite her sassiness. Though I would never admit that to anyone.

5...4...

She was being extra stubborn today.

3...2...

Sigh, I was going to have to persuade the little rascal with a much tempting offer.

1...

"Fine, I'll help you out with the Yulkion spell and teach you how to manipulate it," I bargained with my back to her.

"Is that really all you've got, Fern old boy?" she yawned, exaggeratedly. "Well, sorry to burst your bubbles but I'm much closer to its secret formula than you think," she bragged, fluttering her wings in a self-conceited manner.

She could fool someone else but not me. The fae was lying through her teeth.

"I'll let you touch my biceps," I mumbled with a cringe and heard her hurried steps towards me. Why I needed her to follow me on the trip was beyond me.

"Really?" she purred, falling into step with me and eyeing my physique.

"No," I deadpanned, and she scowled. "But I'll stay true to the Yulkion spell deal if you do an excellent job of masking us up nicely," I smirked, knowing I had the upper hand now.

"Yeah right," she scoffed, walking ahead of me. "Strip for me in my private quarters and maybe I might reconsider," she mumbled as I chuckled, silently.

"I don't think the Sky Lordians would approve," I teased, hearing her grumble a few obscenities that were sure to make even the gods' blush.

Gods that were as cunning as they were mysterious.
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