All is Well

Somewhere in Clearwater Pack A drop of blood. A drop of venom. A pinch of powdered python's fang. One by one, they were consecutively placed in the center of the seal of an old well, shaped like an eye. The well shook, and a thin glowing line spread from the eye across the seal, illuminating the image of a flower. "It worked," the man whispered in awe. "I can't believe it actually worked! I guess the babbling fool was right." Under the strong glow of the light, the seal dissolved to dust, revealing the deep, dark well. The man took out an electric torch. It flickered to life and shone white light that brightened the well. The sides of the well were lined with thick ivy vines covered in thorns. A small figure poked its head into the well. "Is it safe to climb?" The small figure's voice was surprisingly deep. The man shrugged and took out something squirming from a bag. It was a mouse. He walked to the well's edge and spotted a particularly wicked thorn. Without missing a beat, he stabbed the mouse onto it. "The hell!" the small man cried. "Shut up," the big one said. "Look..." The mouse's chest still rose and fell in shallow breaths, but its body from the bleeding point was drying up. Soon, the light was gone from its eyes, and the carcass was stiff as wood. The big man curled his lips in distaste and tossed the dead rodent away. "It's poisonous, so we can't go down ourselves, and we can't make someone else go. They'd be dead before they can get us what we came for!" "Shite!" the small man cursed. "Then what do we do? We can't go back empty-handed!" "They'll tan our hide," he hissed. The big man shrugged with a nonchalant grin. "They'll tan your hide. This is your mission, not mine. I just tagged along." "Help me!" the small man snapped. "...Please." "Tch, I do have a plan... But it will take some time." "Tell me, what is it?" "We will make a feral get it." The big man smiled smugly as he continued. "They can't be affected by any poison, so they're perfect." There was silence. Then a loud smack. "OW, what did you do that for!" The big man yelled. "You fool, how exactly are you going to control the feral, huh? How will you make them get the heart or stop them from consuming it themselves!?" "With the wicked eye, of course!" the big man snapped. He rubbed his painful arm and glared at his partner. The small man choked. "Th-the w-wicked eye?! Did you steal it, fool?!" The big man shrugged his wide shoulders. "It's to help you, so... Technically, you stole it." "Bastard! You're out to destroy me, right?!" "Oh, stop being such a big baby. We'll use it and have it back to the Unity before anyone even notices it's missing." He picked up their bag and walked away. "Come on, for the plan to work, we need to find us some ferals." "Wait for me, you big buffoon!" About an hour later, someone approached the well. A middle-aged man dressed simply, the diamond ring on his finger was his only ornament. He leaned over the well, careful not to touch the vines or thorns. "Someone was here," he mused. He looked around and spied a small figure in the grass. He walked over and nudged it with the tip of his pristine boots. The figure flipped over, and he could see it clearly. It was the mummified mouse. He glanced from the mouse to the well, then back to the mouse. "Interesting," he whispered. He looked around and saw deep boot prints near the well. His face puckered in a deep frown that made his kindly features turn savage in the darkening light. "We have a fool on a suicide mission," he murmured. His gentle tone of voice was a sharp contrast to his murderous expression. Half a second later, like an illusion, his eyes softened, and he smiled. "If he fails, the magic will kill him." He flicked his gaze to the dead mouse. "If he succeeds, then I'll kill him. Either way, I will have the heart of Virgo." *** Sinbad's POV I went about my routine as usual. I ate breakfast that was starting to taste like cardboard. I made my security rounds, surveilling the pack's boundary to make sure there were no breaches. From what I heard and noticed, I could see that my pack members were now more relaxed and hopeful at the arrival of the delegates. I was not expectant at all. They've been here a few days, but aside from visiting the feral holding and touring the pack, they haven't really done anything else. There was no use embracing a false sense of safety. And lastly, I went to school. You would think in these dire times, school would go on an indefinite break, but no, business went on as usual. The exams were fast approaching, and I was sure I didn't even know the subjects I was studying, talk more of having any substantial knowledge of them. But I wasn't worried. A full day's cramming session before the exams is all I need for my straight A's. For now, it was evening, and I was taking a walk. Away from all my external worries, to focus on the one most important to me. Finding my mate! As usual, I snapped out of my reverie to find myself right in front of her house. It looked empty, just like it did every day for the past few weeks that I've been coming here. I stared at the windows, hoping against all odds that the curtain would flutter, and I would spy her inside, laughing with her siblings or watching TV. The curtain did flutter. But all it revealed was an empty apartment devoid of life. I turned to leave. Then I felt it. A sharp pain straight through my heart, that felt like I was being sliced from the inside. I slumped on the pavement. Pain wracked my nerves, and my heart thumped so fast I was sure it would burst right out. I gripped my chest and tried to fight the urge to end my life. The intense pain lasted for three seconds and was gone. I sagged on the ground in relief. I blinked away tears and made to stand up when her door opened. Two pairs of feet rushed to me. One in boots and a smaller one in slippers. "Fool, I told you not to use the wicked eye on him," a deep voice growled. "Look here, I didn't use it!" the other replied. "He's a wolf pup, okay? Something probably happened to his mate or whatever... Should we kill him?" And right there on the hard ground, as I pretended to be passed out, many things went through my mind, but the prominent one was "Something happened to his mate." Something happened to Aria?!