ZARAMANNI (BOOK ONE)

THIS SPECIAL SCENE IS IN MEMORY OF CLARISSA, ZARAMANNI’S WONDERFUL FRIEND. THE CONVERSATION THEY HAVE IN THIS CHAPTER HAPPENS AFTER ZARA STOPPED THE SHE-WOLF FROM COMMITTING SUICIDE.

~

Zaramanni was glad she found her way to the Manor’s grand kitchen without difficulties. She watched Clarissa down the grape juice she got from the Kitchen’s freezing and preservation unit, and satisfaction filled her soul, it was almost as though she was the one drinking the liquid.

Clarissa, whose tears were now dry, took a break from making gulping noises and stretched the half-filled bottle at Zaramanni.

The half-fairy was about to refuse but the she-wolf said, “You need to calm your throat as well. I think you cried more than I did.”

After a quick chuckle, Zaramanni settled on Clarissa’s bed. She accepted the juice and took a second to study the purpleness of the drink before saying, “It is bizarre how so many things here are similar to where I came from.”

“Earth is similar to Zenrada?” Clarissa was about to wear disbelief in her eyes but she seemed to realise something. “Well,” her brows jerked, “I read somewhere that every realm in the universe is similar.”

“Hmm…” Zara savoured the sweetness of the liquid. After smacking her lips and handing the bottle to Clarissa who pushed it back, she said, “But it is still weird that a lot of things in Zenrada are similar to Earth.”

“Really? How so?”

“The buildings are similar and we both speak one of the common languages on Earth. I mean, if you all didn’t speak Inglishi…” Zara couldn’t help but frown because her statement reminded her of the first day in that realm. “... which is known as English where I am from, we would not be having this conversation.”

“I guess you are right. I never noted that we understand each other so well. But, there are times I don’t understand your words. Sometimes you confuse me.”

Zaramanni, who was rimming the head of the bottle, had her shoulders shrugging while a chuckle escaped her. Then, she asked, “How do we have the same language though? It is odd.”

“Hmm, I guess some creatures take the great risk of going to Earth despite the danger around it. For some creatures, knowledge is something they must have at all costs. Some of that knowledge is used to develop our kingdom.”

“Uh… So, some of the similarities are because Zenrada or this entire realm adapted some of our inventions.”

“Yes.”

“That is cool. Has any human ever found their way into this realm? Humans can be curious sometimes. Too curious, actually.”

“Well,” with a crease on her forehead, it was clear that Clarissa was invested in their conversation, “I have heard of a case where a human found his way into Amok.”

“The land of the witches?” When Clarissa nodded, Zaramanni remembered Alisha and she hoped that the first friend she made in the realm was doing great.

“I don’t know if that person is alive, but he was gutsy enough to find his way to this realm.”

“I mean, werewolves also find their way to Earth. That’s more insane than a human finding himself in this realm.”

“True. But it is not easy to leave Zenrada for somewhere as distant as another realm. If any wolf leaves Zenrada, he or she is instantly labelled a rogue.”

“A rogue?”

“If they find their way back, they are never accepted back in the pack.” Clarissa tilted her head to the left and narrowed her eyes. “The only time someone was allowed to come back was when the Alpha went on a quest to Earth per the moon goddess’s instructions. If he wasn’t on a quest, the entire Kingdom would have labelled him a rogue. The same thing happens if a werewolf permanently leaves Zenrada for any other Kingdom in this realm.”

“That’s a little harsh, don’t you think?”

Clarissa shrugged. “The ones that leave know what will happen, so they don’t bother to come back.”

“One would think they would be given a second chance. Besides, the wolves that left might have felt suffocated in this place.”

“What’s there to suffocate them? Zenrada is the biggest kingdom in terms of landmarks. Our lands are so big, our ancestors decided to give the fairies of Amarxona a fraction.”

“Wait…” Zara ignored the fact that their conversation reminded her of the first few days she spent in Amarxona. “The fairies, the very ones that brought bloodshed to Zenrada, are tenants on this land?”

“Yes. Did I call that human in Amok gutsy? The fairies are the crazy and gutsy ones.”

“That’s stupid of them. But then, I always thought fairies were good creatures. How could they have done such a thing?”

Clarissa smiled. “The fairies are not all that pleasant. I have often heard that one of their ancestors used to be a dark elf who found his way to pollute a fraction of Amarxona. So, if you meet a fairy who is highly sketchy, he is probably a descendant of that dark elf.”

“Were Zenrada and Amarxona enemies before the attack?” Zara asked further.

“No. But we weren’t allies either. Zenrada and Amarxona were two kingdoms that had an agreement.”

“An agreement?”

“Well, many years ago, when the Alpha King on the throne struck a deal with the Fairy Queen, they agreed that the fairies would provide a lifetime supply of fairy juice.”

“Fairy juice...” It sounded fancy to Zaramanni.

“That is what we used to power most of the electronics. We use it to fuel the weremobiles as well.”

“Oh.” Zaramanni had often wondered how Zenrada was able to get power supply.

“But now that there’s a huge wedge between the kingdoms, we have to manage the remaining supply we have.”

“Is that why most of the corridors in the manor are not fully lit?”

“Yes.”

“I am sure an alternative can be found.” As she spoke, Zara adjusted her position and made her body lean in Clarissa’s direction. Then, she continued, “ I heard from Sham that there are four packs in Zenrada. Well, he did say it used to be five, but the fifth pack became invisible.”

Clarissa chuckled. “Yes, they did. Though Gamma Sham is from that invisible pack, not much is known about the Minamo Pack.”

“Minamo Pack.” Zara pondered on the name for some seconds. “Why are there so many packs in Zenrada? I know werewolves move in packs, but I was expecting a single pack.”

Clarissa laughed again, Zara’s question appeared to amuse her.

“If there was just one pack in Zenrada, things would have gotten terrible. Zenrada might not even exist.”

“Really?”

A look of reminiscence settled on Clarissa’s beautiful face. She faced the sky beyond the window and said, “A long time ago, thousands of years ago, Zenrada was just a one-pack kingdom. The only pack that existed at that time was the Crown-Blood Pack.”

“Oh.”

“Yes. But things changed when the Alpha King at that period vexed a witch. Shortly after his marriage and coronation, he did something terrible to a witch he met on his way back from hunting and she cursed him.”

“With what?”

“Increased fertility.”

“Huh?”

“Each time his Luna gave birth, as opposed to five to seven pups per birth, she gave birth to fifteen to twenty at once.”

“What?”

“She was pregnant five times and all her children were males. The multiple births made childbirth hard for her.”

“What? Now it makes sense. It was really a curse.”

“Exactly. The Luna would conceive even when they didn’t intend to have pups. It was strenuous for her and after the fifth time, she passed away.”

“It must have been hard for her. Oh,” Zara rubbed her chest as she pictured the pain that Luna would have been in, “I feel so sorry for her. The pain would have been a lot.”

“It was. And I think she was wronged because the Alpha King never told her about the curse even at the point of death.”

Zara’s frown deepened and she settled properly on the bed. “That was cruel of him.”

“Well, the Alpha King got what he deserved. After the Luna’s death, his fairly grown sons began to fight for the throne while he was still alive. In a bid to ensure that their feud didn’t turn into a large-scale war, the Alpha King told his sons to group themselves into five. Then, he had them fight against each other.”

“To the death?”

“No. The last one standing would become the one that would lead the

Crown-Blood Pack while the rest would find a way to create more packs. So the chosen leader of the newly-formed groups became the Beta of those packs.”

“Oh. I always wondered why there was one just Alpha when there are many packs.”

“The Alpha King is supreme. To lessen the workload on the King, the Betas take care of their packs and they only report issues that are beyond their abilities to the Alpha King.”

“That makes sense.”

“Anyway, despite the feud, the moon goddess did not pick the next Alpha King from that bloodline.”

“She did them dirty.”

“There is a saying, when you think you know it, those in heaven know it better.”

Zara’s head leaned to the right as she processed that statement. While the statement was quite vague, she still understood what Clarissa was saying, so, with a small smile on her lips, she replied, “I have heard something like that.”

“The feud happened because some of the King’s sons eyed the Alpha’s seat but the Moon goddess decided to pick someone else. That person is the direct ancestor of the present Alpha.”

“Oh. That’s something. I guess places like this also have their history.”

“Is there anything else you would like to know?”

“Hmm…” Zara’s eyes met the ceiling. “I have always wondered about the age of everyone I have met so far.”

“I know Lord Elias is almost five hundred years of age.”

“Huh?”

“I don’t think you should measure our age with your earthly knowledge. Despite the similarities, other things are still different. Like time flow, it is particularly different in every kingdom.”

“So time flows differently in Amarxona and Amok?”

“Since Amarxona shares our land, we have the same time flow. But yes, it is different in Amok and other lands.”

“I still can’t believe Amarxona were bold enough to attack their benefactor.”

“Some creatures will always be ungrateful. And speaking of being grateful…” Clarissa grunted as she shifted forward so that she could hold Zara’s hands. But she couldn’t reach her, so the half-fairy moved closer.

Once their hands met each other, the ladies enjoyed the warmth that came with their contact and after a thick breath, Clarissa said, “Thank you for saving me from making a grave mistake.”

“You are okay, Clarissa.”

Clarissa did not hide the tenderness in her eyes. “I thought dying would be as simple as it sounds, but when my feet landed on the window, I knew what I wanted. I did not want to die.”

“Are you about to cry again?” Zara asked, her hands finding Clarissa’s cheeks. “If you do, I will cry as well.”

“I think crying is therapeutic,” Clarissa replied with a smile and their foreheads met. Clarissa held onto Zara’s cheeks as well and the half-fairy felt more at peace.

Like two souls meant to be, their eyes found each other and they communicated their affection through the hold each hand had on the other’s cheek.

Zara’s voice then added subtle mushiness to the moment. “Clarissa, you will get many chances to conceive again. I am sure of that. So, please, don’t try to take your life again. Don’t break my heart in that way, okay?”

Clarissa’s eyes briefly closed as she nodded. “Okay, Zaramanni. I won’t. And you need to know this…” The she-wolf opened her eyes. “... No matter the kind of pain etched in your soul, you will certainly find something that will overshadow it. Or someone.” A smirk grew on her lips. “Something tells me you and Beta Zoey have done more than share gazes and smiles.”

“Well… He makes me feel good.”

“And he will continue to do so. I know the Beta I serve. He will take good care of you. So, don’t hold back, okay?”

“Yes, mother.”

Clarissa threw her head back as she laughed loudly. Zaramanni joined her by wearing a smile on her lips. That smile showed how appreciative her heart was to have that moment.

When Clarissa’s mirth ended, she faced Zara again and asked, “Why do you always call me mother each time I tell you to do things?”

’Well, even though you look young enough to be my elder sister, I sometimes prefer to think of you as my mother.” Zara looked down at her hands. “I never knew my parents. And my grandmother who raised me is back on Earth, probably unsure about my existence.”

“Of course, I look young. I am just eighty years old.” Zara’s eyes bulged in surprise and Clarissa chuckled after asking her what was so shocking. Zara shook her head and Clarissa wore a soft smile. Through the caress she still maintained on her cheeks, the she-wolf assured her and said, ’As long as you are here, I will be whatever you want to me be. Your mother, sister, or friend. You just mention it and it is done.”

“Thank you, Clarissa.”

“No, thank you, Zaramanni.”

They shared another smile and the next thing that followed was a hug. It was an embrace that reminded both ladies that they had each other no matter their differences. It was an embrace that reminded Zaramanni that it was not a bad thing that she was still stuck in Zenrada.

After all, apart from having Beta Zoey who didn’t fail to hide how much he cherished her, she found another family member that made her feel like she was home.

So, all Zaramanni did at that moment was pray to the heavens that nothing would happen to the people she had come to care about. She prayed especially for Clarissa, that the woman would have the strength to pull through the burden in her life.

~~

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Hello everyone. Thank you for walking this journey with me. The ZARAMANNI story continues in Book Two which should be available by the start of April. Before then, do check out the other stories, especially the new one that will be updated a couple of hours from now.

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Till the next story... Have a nice day.