Amaia pov

“Chest out. Shoulder up. Back in. Fix yourself. I can’t keep telling you that every single day.” I nodded my head repeatedly. He hurls the stick to my side. I grabbed them and posed again. We’re in front of the mountain inside the Novak forest. This was my home, our home.

He approached me defensively, holding his pair of wooden sticks. I was made to attack him.

Ah!

He hits me on the head before I could attack.

“Slow, bad for a fighter.” He hits me again.

“Think of me as an enemy, think of me as the reason you’re here and not in the park like every other child your age. Now, Amaia, I’m your enemy.”

Ahhh!

I screamed and fought him, our sticks hitting each other fiercely, looking for any opportunity to strike each other. The old man was all gray, tall, and skinny. His hair was so long, and he didn’t once put a cut through it.

To him. His hair was his power.

Wondering if he was Samson. As he calls it.

I was the girl, seventeen, soon to be eighteen. With the old man, who I suppose was my father. I didn’t know who he was. I was told never to ask about his identity. So I call him. Teacher.

He was my trainer.

The old man.

My enemy, trapped me in here, where I couldn’t go out. I should never leave this forest. I was the witch of Novak.

Because I had no wolf.

“Attack!”

He yelled. This is my chance to vent out my anger, and the feelings I have.

I struck him on the bed. He looked surprised. Jumping, I head-butted him. He fell back to the ground.

Then a sly smile appeared on his lips.

“You’re doing good but not enough. You can’t stop there. You have to keep on fighting. You’re a fighter.”

“I should at least rest my butt.” I plan to sit but a hand hits my back. I felt it. It pushed me forward.

“What was that for!” I screamed in his face.

“Don’t be lazy and practice!” He screamed back. I scoffed. I wanted to punch him. He was annoying, there isn’t anyone as annoying as he was. Well, I haven’t seen anyone other than the man. How would I know?

While he lay down, doing nothing. I fought my butt off. Kicking, punching, jumping, and practicing archery too.

I didn’t know why he wanted me to do all that.

“Because he would help you. I’ve told you that countless times. Don’t you get it? It’s for your good.”

He says that. Every time she asked him the damn question.

“You’ll get to know once you turn eighteen.”

I opened my eyes to see the ray shining directly into the leaves. I lay low, not moving but watching the green leaves and huge trees surrounding me. I didn’t know if I was a wolf or not. I couldn’t shift or feel if I was a wolf. I felt weak and human. As the old man would say, this was where I slept off last night and he didn’t bother to take me up inside. What cruel someone.

I click my tongue I should better get used to it. I stare at my fingers, it was so red like they would burn off or something, the instinct to kill with flames was coming. I was scared. Because I didn’t know who I was. I could lift things. I could burn things too. If I was a witch. I had no idea. But one thing I know, I was a killer. As I grew older, my instinct to kill grew stronger. Then I get to see a reason he made me fight till I had drained all the power in me. And I become weak. And now each time I feel the urge to kill I fight myself.

I don’t want to give the member around Novak forest more reasons to panic and get the old man in danger.

I rolled up the sleeved shirt I wore and stare at my name drawn on my hands.

Amaia R.

I keep telling myself that’s my name. Maybe it was. I wasn’t so sure. But that’s what the old man calls me, Amaia, but I had no idea what the R. stands for. What does it mean? I have no idea. And he won’t say a word about it, if he knew who I was or who I was gonna be, he didn’t say anything. Nothing at all.

I blew off the leaf that fell on my nose. I better get out and prepare for my sparring with the old man.

I couldn’t leave Novak, because it was my home. I have grown up here all with the old man. Still wondering how I survive. How I feed. When there was no one. Expect him and he was mostly not around.

I would soon be eighteen. Then I would know if I was a wolf or a witch, the witch in Novak forest. Anyone who steps in. Is at his or her own risk. I won’t hesitate to kill, I could sense someone coming from a long distance. But I couldn’t sense the old man, I know what he did that I couldn’t sense him. Unlike others.

I jumped up from the ground where I had slept off last night. I stretched a little, my body was sore. I wanted to move out of the spot when I sense something, a wolf was coming.

I smirked, running into the cave, my home which was just a few minutes walks from here, but If I run, it wouldn’t be more than a few seconds. So I ran to get my black kinghood. And my small killer danger.

Who dares comes in here, the Novak forest was my territory I rule here. And I must kill.

I felt it stronger, the wolf was close to me. I didn’t wait for it to come. I approached the wolf in my threatening form.

The wolf froze when he saw me.

I smirk.

My first prey for today was a strong one. He was huge.

A male wolf, he was. Then he regains his composure. For a spar.

A chuckle.

How silly.

“I’m gonna send you back to your alpha in blood.”

Argh!