A Father's Unholy Bargain

"Hey, where are you guys going?"

I called out to them. They were not strangers, nor were they adults. They were my children, my little ones.

"Mum, Ethan is eating a bug."

"Eh?"

I was startled, quickly chasing after my second child. Ethan Nightshade, the middle child, was putting something in his mouth.

"Ethan, what are you doing?"

"Mum, I'm hungry."

He looked at me with a sad gaze, and it tugged at my heart.

Five years had passed since that incident. I got pregnant and was kicked out of the group. Now here I am, on the edge of the forest raising these three twins.

"Ethan, what do you want to eat? Another pig's foot?"

"Mum, I'm tired of it," he complained.

His eyes watered, and when I looked at my other children, I saw they shared the same expression.

"Then what do you want?"

My three children exchanged glances as if they had agreed beforehand. The oldest, Ryder Nightshade, seemed to hesitate a little before telling me.

"Mum, we want grilled venison."

"Deer? That's too hard to get, kids. Mum can't leave you for too long."

I said this, but they didn't seem to believe me. Hope still flickered in their eyes as they expected me to fulfill their request.

"Mummy, I'll look after Ethan and Ryder," the smallest, and most beautiful, of the triplets spoke. Her name was Aurora Nightshade, a cheerful girl whose eyes sparkled with determination.

"Aurora, isn't that the other way round?"

I pinched her cheek and she gave a small grimace, pretending to be in pain.

My three children are so adorable. It's a shame their father wasn't interested in them and left. Their father, the man I once loved, is now dead to me.

"Mum, come on. I'll look after Ethan and Aurora."

The slightly older of the three twins, Ryder, came forward again and volunteered to protect his siblings.

"Are you sure you can handle it? Hunting that deer might take a while."

My eyes scanned their faces, all beaming without fear.

That's when I sighed, letting out the air I had held in my chest. Giving in to the three little angels who wanted to eat deer this time.

"Alright, then I'll bring you a big deer."

My three little angels came closer, hugging me with joy and excitement.

I waved at them and they waved back, their minds full of thoughts about the delicious food they would eat later.

I transformed into a white wolf with beautiful fur. I'm not exaggerating; my friends in the pack used to refer to me as a silver-furred wolf.

I moved quickly, my paws lightly padding the forest floor. I was on a mission to find a deer for my child who was dying to eat it.

***

This place is called the Soundless Forest because it's eerily quiet. Not even the sound of animals can be heard.

It's not uncommon for people to think of this forest as barren, but they're wrong.

I don't know why, but sound seems to be swallowed up by the forest. The atmosphere is eerily quiet, as if devoid of life.

"Deer?"

I spotted movement. A deer. With my strong claws, I sprinted after it.

The deer was large, and its body full of tender-looking meat. Something that would fill my children's stomachs later.

"Stop!"

I knew it wouldn't hear me, but I was just trying to disorient the deer for a moment.

I pounced, quickly catching the deer. It was larger than I expected. It felt surprisingly easy to bring down.

It's a big catch, I initially thought. But when I bit into it, the deer's body began to glow. It slowly faded and disappeared, leaving only a swarm of fireflies behind.

"What's going on?"

I shifted back to my human form, reaching out to touch the fireflies that fluttered around me.

"I didn't expect to meet a werewolf here."

A light voice caused me to turn. A man had emerged from behind the bushes.

"You... who are you?"

I quickly adopted a defensive posture, but the handsome young man seemed dismissive, even a little amused.

"Me?"

"Haha."

He laughed crisply, which made me feel even more unsettled. There was something off about this man, something that made me unable to determine who, or what, he was.

"I asked, who are you?"

I asked again, irked by his nonchalance. However, he merely gave me a blank stare, his smile insincere.

"Werewolf girl, didn't anyone teach you manners?"

Before I could react, he was behind me, one hand over my mouth, the other holding my neck. This was insane. He was clearly no ordinary man.

"Interesting, I see a unique destiny in you."

"Stop it!"

I struggled, but his grip was strong.

His sharp eyes, framed by eyebrows reminiscent of eagle wings, were intimidating. Then, inexplicably, he bit my left ear, whispering into it.

"You have an interesting destiny."

"What... what do you mean?"

I tried to push him away, but he was solid as a wall, immovable.

He tilted my chin up, our eyes meeting. The man looked back at me, flashing that insincere smile.

"Do you know what you killed?"

I shook my head, fearful of this man's intense gaze.

"It's called the Deer of Destiny. It can only be killed by a person whose destiny differs from what the universe has set."

I got a hint of what he meant, but he was too close.

Our lips were nearly touching, and I could feel the man's warm breath on my skin.

If this continued, we would end up kissing.

"So... what do you want then?"

I turned my head away, trying to put distance between our faces.

But this man was too strong. I couldn't resist him. It felt as if he could overpower me in the blink of an eye.

"What can you do? Maybe accept your fate."

He didn't pull back. Instead, he pressed his lips against mine.

I tried to pull away, but he grasped my waist tightly, holding me in place.

He broke the kiss. It was something I hadn't experienced in a long time. I could feel the rush, the heat in my chest, and a desire I had long forgotten.

That worldly desire.

"You... what are you doing?"

"Leaving a marker of our meeting. I hope we can meet again under better circumstances."

He waved a hand, releasing me from his grip. The handsome man suddenly vanished, transforming into a firefly.

"Who is he?"

I stood there, dazed. Then I remembered. The deer I had chased was gone. I returned home, disheartened, to meet my three children.

"I'm sorry, kids, if you can't have deer today."

Tears welled up in my eyes. I quickly wiped them away.

I didn't want my children to see me crying, returning home empty-handed.

I picked up some branches and plant roots, weaving them together. I covered the bundle with large leaves I found nearby.

Wiping away my tears, I stepped into the house.

Sure enough, my three children were waiting there with smiles on their faces.

"Mum, I took care of Ethan and Aurora, just like I promised," Ryder declared, thumping his chest lightly with pride.

I stroked his hair gently, and he chuckled.

"Mum, did you get the deer?"

"I did. A big deer, wrapped in these leaves."

I showed them the bundle of leaves and twigs. My three children seemed to believe it was a deer.

"Hooray, we're eating deer!"

"Hooray!"

Their innocence tugged at my heartstrings. I made my way to the back of the house, tears welling up in my eyes once again.