Chapter 71: Chapter Seventy-one: Damien’s Story XI: My son is a what?!
Jesse dashed through the woods as the screams and howls of the creatures resounded louder and louder in their ears. Mira on the other hand was having a hard time holding onto the fur of this transformed boy. She still found it impossible that she had met an actual werewolf. Her grandfather had told her stories about them in the past, even mentioning the fact that the kind had gone extinct many years ago.
She had believed him completely, acknowledging that her grandpa was the wisest man she knew. Boy was he in for a surprise.
The creatures were getting closer and ready to spring on them when suddenly, Jesse leapt high in the sky and landed on a tree branch gracefully.
"Ahhh!!!" Mira screamed in fear as he shot up, piercing through the air with sharp precision.
Jesse growled low and didn’t wait another minute before sprinting on the trees again. Mira shut her eyes tightly. There was no way this was happening to her. She gripped the fur harder, completely oblivious of the fact that she could be picking at his skin.
The air pressure was harsher above but he still didn’t stop or rest for even a millisecond. The creatures they had left below thankfully didn’t follow them to the trees. Or they just couldn’t? Either way, they were safe from them.
Jesse picked up his speed to the maximum level. At this point, Mira couldn’t even tell if they were still jumping on trees or flying. He was just so damn fast! How was he even maintaining his balance and grip all this time?!
All of a sudden, he took one strong, energetic leap, shooting himself through a portal that opened up in the sky at die minute. Just like that...they were gone.
The wind blowing harshly against her face ceased instantaneously and that’s when she finally released her breath. When she opened her eyes, she found herself in a meadow with yellow flowers that looked half-dead. To her uttermost surprise that shook her to the core, sitting on a small rock with a flower in his hand was Damien.
Mira jumped off the back of her savior and ran to him with tears in her eyes. She scooped him up, squeezing him so tightly to her body and running her hands all over him.
"My baby...oh...oh my precious child." she sobbed out, panting for air from the sudden joy that overwhelmed her. Damien immediately recognized the hand that cradled him and wrapped his small arms around her neck.
"Ma..." he croaked out as his tears fell on her bare shoulders.
"Yes baby it’s me." she reassured him, placing one hand on his bum and another on his head.
Damien said nothing else but cry softly until he started wailing. His voice rang out in the endless meadow coupled with loud sniffles and cries. At that moment, nothing else mattered to her. All her fears, worries and pain dissolved at that very moment when she held her child in her longing arms.
Mira stuck him to her chest, unwilling to even soften her hold on him as she tried to console him but she couldn’t. She herself needed endless consolation from what she had gone through that night. But that didn’t stop her from loving her child to immeasurable heights. Whatever comfort she was craving, she threw it behind her and focused on giving her child the one he needed from her.
All she offered him was her soft petting on his back and hair. The boy named Jesse still in his wolf form, laid down on his legs, watching the crying duo. His sharp, slit eyes held no emotions as he focused his gaze intently on them with utmost seriousness.
After a long while of endless sobbing, Damien pulled apart from his mother. Mira cupped his face and kissed his cheek that was stained with tears while Damien used his little fingers to wipe hers away.
"My poor child..." she whispered, feeling her heart burst from his heartfelt action.
Sniffling, she placed him back on the small rock before kneeling down in front of him. Her two hands cupped his face again, wiping the remaining tears off his chubby cheeks with her thumb.
"Mama..." he called out gently, slowly placing his hands on her elbow.
Mira took his hands, squeezed them and held it up to her lips.
"Yes baby?"
Little Damien’s face fell again and Mira felt her heart race in anticipation of what he had to say.
"Brother...what happened to brother...?" he asked innocently.
Confusion replaced her emotional face. "Your brother? What’s wrong with your brother?"
That was when it hit her like harder than a rock. She hadn’t seen Cassian with Damien. In fact, she hadn’t seen him at all. All this time, she only had Damien on her mind and completely forgot she had another child that was missing.
Mira felt like the most horrible person in the galaxy. What kind of mother forgets she has a child?
Damien tilted his head, pulling his hands down gently from her hold. "You...don’t know?"
Mira looked even more confused. What was this that had happened to Cassian?
"Darling what is it? What happened to your brother?" she asked, worriedly concerned.
"He...he..." Damien started but was soon silenced with another round of fresh tears. Mira, not knowing what he was even talking about, pulled him into her lap and settled on the flowerbed with her hands around him.
"It’s ok my love." she said petting him more as she felt the drop of tears on her hand increase. Mira was more than genuinely worried now. Just what exactly had happened while she was away?
"Your son was possessed by a witch who was after you." a voice came out behind them, startling her. Mira jumped slightly at the sound of the voice. It cut through her senses and numbed her for a second before she turned around slowly to see who had said it.
In front of her was the small boy she had saved some hours ago. He was no longer in his wolf form although he still had some scratches probably from the running.
Her fear gave way to shock then disbelief. "What?"
Jesse said nothing. His silence pricked Mira hard and she exploded.
"Don’t you know to speak when being addressed?" she asked in annoyance. She had painfully put up with his silence especially when she was in need of an answer. A deep frown appeared on her forehead but that was quick to fade away when she looked down. His new clothes were torn in several places from him trying to save her.
Jesse looked at her blankly like she had just said nothing. "I speak when necessary."
"And you saw my question as unnecessary?"
"I already answered your question." he replied plainly. Mira felt the strangest urge to smack him on the head. The thought surprised her so much because she had never had that even before she had kids.
She decided to return to more pressing matters. "Cassian...was possessed?"
"Yes."
"When?"
"Tonight."
"By who?"
"A witch."
"Why?"
Jesse stopped and stared at her with the same blank look. "I already answered all these. Your son was possessed by a witch who was after you."
The words sank into her skin like forced air. Her own cheery son was...possessed and on the loose?
"He attacked me mama." Damien added, peering up from her hand that was around his small head, covering his eyes.
"He did?" Mira repeated in disbelief.
"And almost killed me."
"What?!"
She grabbed him and made him stand in front of her. What evil being would do this to her? Mira hurriedly raised his small, dirtied shirt above his stomach to inspect his body. She saw a few garzes and sighed heavily. Cassian?
She grabbed his shoulders rather tightly and Damien looked at her with his large innocent eyes drowning in childish fear. "Do you know where your brother is now? Or what route he took?" He was possessed alright but he was still her son. Her beautiful, precious child.
"I—I don’t know mama. I ran away from him as quickly as I could." Little Damien said, scratching the flesh beside his thumb with his fore finger. Mira saw this and held his hand, shaking her head at him as an indication to stop.
She then turned to the boy who was responsible for bringing them both there. "And do you know where he is?"
"No I do not." he answered plainly.
Dejection seeped violently into her chest and she felt her heart tighten in pain. Mira had always believed emotional pain to be more hurtful than any physical pain experienced. This was because it wasn’t something one could treat with medications or herbs. It wasn’t something visible either.
"Who really are you?" she finally asked. One thing she knew for sure was that his name was absolutely not Jesse. Another was that he was a member of a widely believed extinct race.
Jesse stood there unmoving for a while before walking towards her.
He stretched out his hand and shook hers.
"My name is Severin and I’m a werewolf."