Sacred falls

Atasha’s Point of View

I was too excited to start my training, to unlock my wolf and my enhanced abilities but having been hurt terribly the last time I was in the East land, Elijah had advised me to take it easy since I need to rest. He was only concerned that if I pushed myself too hard to train straight away, I may harm myself again.

I took a deep breath. I couldn't get the memory of Clarence beating the hell out of me out of my head. I was concerned that she would repeat the same behavior if we happened to cross paths again. If that occurred, I would make it a point to stop her and show her that I managed to become a completely different person, someone who she could no longer hurt.

As I was sitting here on the sofa, I was given some books by Elijah to read. He took it from the small library in this wooden house. Earlier, after we finished our breakfast, we checked each room and we found out how enormous it really was. It had a master bedroom that we used last night. We also found a locked basement near the backdoor.

What surprised us the most was the small library that had some books, scrolls, and documents about witchcraft. Elijah told me that I had to focus on studying and learning everything about the history of their pack, and so I started reading books that pertained to their history.

It was odd that there was such a book inside a witch’s home. Everything I needed to know was all written inside of it and as I flipped to the next page, I found myself getting brainwashed by the ideology of the Crimson Moon Pack.

Still, I proceeded to read the book. There were pages that indicated how to find the inner strength of an individual. As I read through it, I was completely amazed to find out that there were some great talents that a werewolf could unlock after the process of shifting, which could be used to fight and survive.

I huffed out of frustration, thinking about my struggle to unlock my own wolf.

“Elijah, may I know what your hidden talents and skills are?” I asked curiously as he was also reading a book while we were here in the living room.

He then glanced at me with his furrowed brows.

“I’m afraid that I can’t answer it,” he said, which made me more curious.

I then looked at my hands, recalling that day when I partly shifted into my wolf form. My claws were as stone-cold as ice.

“Do not put so much pressure on you,” Elijah muttered as he caught me glancing at my hands. “Forcing yourself will only make it worse.” He stood up and put down the book on the center table. “Would you like to take a walk? I believe we need to breathe some fresh air.”

“But I am not done reading this book,” I replied.

“The book can wait. Let’s go, mettle!” His tone was encouraging that I ended up putting the book down, nodded my head and followed his lead.

The moment we stepped outside, we were taken aback when we noticed that it was raining on the right side of our pathway while it was totally clear on the left. We were standing in this pathway that would lead us to the secret door where we entered yesterday.

“This place is weird, don’t you think?” I expressed to Elijah who seemed very amazed as to what his eyes had witnessed.

Devon, the white witch, then appeared out of nowhere that made me startled.

“I hope you had a good night's sleep.” She smiled at us.

“We had. Thank you,” Elijah replied.

“I can tour you around here . . . and please don’t mind this,” she said and pointed to the side where it was raining. “I only need to water some of my plants.” She chuckled.

“Witch thing,” I murmured.

It seemed that she heard what I said as she nodded her head. “You can say that. Anyway, I want to tour you around this mountain. Nothing beats the beauty of nature, which you do not have in your land. There’s a breathtaking sacred fall near here. I am confident that you’ll enjoy it.”

Excitement went through me. I’ve never been into falls . . . I glanced at Elijah to see if he would agree to the witch. He looked at me and tilted his head.

“What do you think?”

“Sounds great to me! Based on the books I’ve read before, falls are the place where someone can relax and meditate!” I clasped my hands together.

“Let’s go then.” Elijah smiled at me and then glanced at Devon.

“Just so you know, the fall is sacred. Once you bathe in it, your souls will be cleansed and you will be given strength to deal with your nightmares. Both of you, in my opinion, are in need of it.”

Those words she said intrigued me. It didn’t sound terrifying though. Who wouldn’t want her soul to be cleansed after all?

We followed the white witch. A fine natural scent of forest mist lingered in my nose as we exited the secret door. We were welcomed by tall trees, birds chirping, and fresh air as we emerged from the witch's hideout.

“Devon, I am wondering how you managed to build all of this.” I voiced out as I looked back at the secret door that turned invincible right after we exited.

“My magic wouldn’t suffice to build this place. My mother helped me with everything,” she replied.

“Does your mother live in the witch mountain?” We then began trekking our way to the falls she referred to.

“You’re asking personal questions, Atasha,” Elijah whispered.

“No, that’s fine,” Devon said in her serious tone. “My mother used to live in the witch mountain. When I ran away from the witch mountain, my mother visited me here before she went to the werewolves’ territory where she was called to provide service in return for some precious stones and gems. She helped me build my home and with our combined magic, we were able to form a powerful spell that kept me protected for a long period of time,” she said.

“How old were you when you escaped from the witch mountain?” I asked.

“I was fifteen back then.” She smiled. “I admit that it was an abrupt decision but I found peace and happiness when I became independent.”

I was curious as to what it was like to be all alone in this place without a mother.

“But then, she didn't show up again. I haven’t seen her ever since she crossed into the land of the werewolf,” she added and sighed.

She then stopped walking and pointed to an oddly looking flower. It had silver-colored leaves, its shape was like a star from the sky.

“This flower is used a lot by many witches to cast a spell on werewolves. Once the spell is casted successfully, they won’t be able to shift into their wolf form.”

I gasped upon hearing those words. I looked at the flower she was pointing at. It was beautiful yet what it could do was terrifying . . .

“It is an extremely effective ingredient for that significant spell. A werewolf’s body will then become feeble, its heightened abilities, including the ability to shift will deteriorate and will gradually disappear.”

Elijah and I glanced at each other. I swallowed hard.

“Do you remember any instances where you came across a witch?” Elijah asked me curiously.

I shook my head as I couldn’t recall any events in the past in which I came across with a witch . . . Did he think that a witch casted a spell on me?

“A witch will not cast a spell on a certain being without an exchange for something. In the past, my mother shared that witches are after precious gems, jewelleries and pieces of land. However, if that being does not have anything from those I mentioned, then he could offer his own life, or someone else’s life. Those are the usual things witches would ask for,” she added.

“Do you know any spell that could determine whether someone was cursed or not? Is there a way for us to know?” Elijah asked Devon.

“I’m sorry but I am not a highly skilled witch and there are some things I can and cannot do. Are you asking this because it has something to do with Atasha?” she asked.

I walked closer to Elijah and whispered, “Let’s not ask her anymore.”

Elijah then nodded.

“We are just curious, Devon. But don’t worry, we can help to find your mother. We know someone that might be of help!” I said.

She then smiled and we continued to trek in the wild forest.

After almost two hours of trekking. The air that I breathed was beginning to become thinner and thinner.

“Are you alright, Atasha?” Elijah asked worriedly.

I thought I was going to pass out, but then Elijah held my arm and helped me walk.

“Hang on. In a few minutes, we will reach the falls,” Devon announced.

When we finally got at the sacred falls, a beam of light hit my face. The rapid flow of water cascading from the falls made a tremendous noise, and I soon realized what it was. We were surrounded by beautiful white rocks, gleaming because of the reflection of both the water and sunlight.

“The water that is pouring down here came from the sacred white river,” Devon explained.

The water was crystal clear, some parts were sparkling like diamonds because of the sunlight. It was so inviting, and I instantly felt the excitement to have a dip.

Elijah then took out his shirt. “I’m going to have a dip!”

I sighed as he was like a kid overly excited to dip his toes into the pool of cold water from the falls. The wind was cold and fresh and embraced my skin. It felt as if a sudden energy restored in my system as I looked up above and watched the water falling from above the huge rocks.

My eyes wandered. That was when I noticed that Devon was no longer around.

“Devon?” I called her name. Was it a witch thing again?

I only came back to my senses when I heard Elijah crying out for help.

“Atasha, help me!” he yelled as he was drowning in the water.

Adrenaline rushed through me. I removed my clothes immediately as I didn’t want to get it damp. I swam and headed towards him, grabbed his am and pulled him out of the water. I checked on him and I was bewildered when I realized that he was no longer breathing. I immediately put pressure on his chest.

“Elijah! You can’t die here!”

I was planning to give him air by doing a mouth-to-mouth resuscitation but I gasped when his eyes opened up when I was nearing his lips. He then smiled and chuckled, which made my cheeks flushed.

“Stop playing! You have no idea how worried I was!” I exclaimed. He then shook his head and shrugged his shoulders.

“It means you care too much for me,” he said with a wide grin.

I just rolled my eyes but I must admit that I had felt the same Adrenaline rush back in the forest when Leo and our pack mates attacked the two of us. The terror when I thought Elijah would die made me partially shift . . .

“Hey, Atasha, what’s the matter?” Elijah asked.

“Nothing,” I said and gave him a sweet smile. “Don’t ever do that again!”

“Alright, I promise.”

We enjoyed bathing together in the water. It was this moment that I felt I was relieved from all my worries and fears. My body seemed like floating in the air and my chest was strangely lighter.

Elijah grabbed me on my waist and pulled me near the waterfall.

“Is it dangerous?” I asked curiously.

“Let’s see for ourselves,” he said and then dragged me underneath the pouring water.

I screamed and we both laughed as our heads were being hit by the strong pressure of water.

“This is insane! I can’t handle the pressure!” I exclaimed but we went on.

We walked past the waterfalls and there was a rock behind it. Its space was enough for us to sit back and enjoy the view.

“It’s amazing to see this kind of beauty. It makes us forget the world. I think I can spend the day admiring and enjoying this place. What do you think?” I commented in a calm tone.

“Hmm, I agree . . . Seeing an amazing beauty right beside me makes me want to spend more time here,” he responded, which made me turn and glance in his direction.

Our gaze locked at each other. There was something in his eyes that made my heart raced so fast. I tried to look away but then, when Elijah leaned forward to claim my lips, I found myself stunned for a moment. His lips moved gently which made me close my eyes.

I didn’t know why but it made me smile, sharing a kiss behind the waterfalls, not worrying anything if someone would see us or not.