Hands Of Death

Dalia could feel the wolf's fangs gnashing fiercely, its enraged deep blue eyes glaring at her. Her trembling legs drew together, too stiff to stand and run or crawl.

The wolf growled so profusely that she recoiled with fear, her heart pounding so fast she feared it might take flight.

"Pl..," she could not even hear her own voice as she began to plead.

The gray wolf snarled again, its large teeth baring, snarling at her.

She backed away slowly, tears prickling in her eyes. She should have stayed in the palace if she had known there were wolves in this forest. She shouldn't have left.

At least that monster had not attacked her; it did not appear scary before her. She should have stayed back, and she wouldn't have found herself in this situation.

What would happen now? What would happen if she stood up to run? She was no match for this wolf. If she ran, the beast would attack her and tear her apart.

The wolf growled loudly, sending a shiver down her spine. Her quivering hands clutched her satin skirt.

What should she do? Her heart was thumping so fast she couldn't even devise a proper plan.

"May the gods please come to my aid," she whispered, still retreating slowly.

Dalia, you are on your own now. You must defend yourself," those were the words Keturah would use in this situation.

Dalia must not surrender. She must not allow this creature to harm her.

She scanned the entire forest. The trees were large and powerful like the iroko tree back home. They towered above her, the moonlight casting upon them, creating formidable shadows on the forest floor.

There seemed to be no escape route, no way to climb these trees, as none of them nearby had branches. She must think swiftly, for this wolf is not known for its patience.

"Do something," she could almost hear it as if Keturah were present.

Perhaps this was because Keturah cared more about her than her role as a first-born princess in their kingdom.

In their kingdom, being the eldest child meant carrying everything on your shoulders, holding knowledge of all matters, including politics, in preparation to become a queen.

Since Father had no sons, Keturah was the rightful heir to the throne. This meant that she would eventually have to marry but continue to rule over their kingdom as queen.

However, Keturah was more concerned about Dalia and Verina, her second older sister. She would stay behind and care for them.

This was something their parents never did, as they were always preoccupied with one thing or another.

Hence, Dalia could hear only Keturah's comforting words, which she would usually tell her in the midst of any danger she found herself.

She would have to do as Keturah would advise if she was to reassure herself, running seemed to be the best course of action in this dire situation - a far better option than falling victim to the clutches of this wolf.

"Grrrghhh!!," the wolf growled, watching her intently for every move she was about to make.

She observed it carefully as she started to rise to her feet, slowly. She needed to do this cautiously before running for her dear life.

The wolf began to advance, its steps initially slow. However, as soon as she stood up and began to turn, its growls grew louder.

Without waiting for this mighty beast to lunge at her, she sprinted away, racing through tall grasses and pushing aside leaves. It was a matter of life and death - if she were to survive, she had to run with all her might. And so, that was exactly what she did. She ran like never before, disregarding the wolf that was close on her heels.

She raced until she reached an open space where the trees were spread far apart, allowing the moonlight to illuminate the area.

She continued running, refusing to look back at the beast. Suddenly, her leg collided with a large stone because she had not been paying attention.

She fell with a wince, clutching her leg and noticing a small wound on her toe.

"Why would this ston..." Her eyes widened as the wolf's snarling sounded just beside her ear.

The hairs on her skin stood on end. Tears began to fall from her eyes. Every part of her body had succumbed to this fate. There was no way out of this.

The beast was already next to her, and unless it was a miracle from the gods, there was no way anyone could escape from a beast.

The growl came again, and she tilted her head only to be greeted by the murderous face of the wolf. His eyes were narrowed at her, with a glint in them, for this was the moment for him to feast on his food.

She staggered, falling to the ground, her eyes growing wide with fear. The beast had reached her.

Oh no, was this the end? She had barely lived her life.

Every day, she could only do things because she was a princess. She couldn't even go out without her own free will. Everything she did was watched by someone. She couldn't travel to places of interest to her. And now, was this how she was going to go? Without exploring places she had never been to? Without doing things that interested her? Could this even be called a life?

She shook her head, tears falling mightily like raindrops from her eyes, reaching her trembling hands that were clasped together.

The wolf got closer and closer, but with each movement, the only thing she heard was the loud beat of her own heart.

She closed her eyes. If she must go so horribly, then she wouldn't have to watch what would happen. She should endure this by closing her eyes and think of happy moments.

Moments like when Keturah, Verina, and she had escaped the palace once to visit the kingdom waterfall, where mighty rocks loomed and fresh orange and mango trees grew nearby. There were also colorful tiny fishes swimming in the clear water.

It was one day where Dalia had to defy the rules, even though she knew the trouble she was going to face.

And she must admit, ignoring the rules and doing what she liked was the most satisfying thing ever.

While the tears continued to fall, Dalia's mouth curved into a smile. Despite her imprisoned life, she had indeed experienced happy moments with her sister and some kind-hearted maidens who had taught her how to make basic foods and perform chores, despite knowing the trouble they would go through. And since she had also insisted, they could not resist it.

There are other minor things Dalia was still grateful for, despite not fulfilling some of her dreams, especially her freedom. But then, she could happily go, knowing she took a step toward her freedom that day, doing something of her own free will at least before finally leaving this world.

"I have never seen anyone smiling so widely in the hands of death," a deep, gravelly voice said with irritation, reaching Dalia's ears.