She paused and went into a daze, not believing the choice that she was about to make. After a brief moment of trance that felt like an eternity, Versailles shook herself awake and coiled her serpentine tail around herself.
Then, she waited. She bided her time.
...it wasn't going to be easy to bring her down.
The vampires that were closely following behind, saw her actions and paused in confusion.
"What's going on? Why did she stop?"
"Could she be tired?"
"You think!? We haven't seen any signs of her tiring. What if she is luring us into a trap?"
"And what if she was hiding her exhaustion? I mean, it's possible. After all, which beast would display its weakness in battle? This could be our one and only chance to take her down before she recovers."
"Hmm...you both have a point. But if we just stand here, then we will never make any progress. So, why don't we go and see for ourselves? The Pack Leader is still waiting for us to return with their heads."
The group of vampires exchanged glances and nodded in agreement. They then cautiously approached the coiled serpentine, their fangs and claws unsheathed, ready to strike in the event of a sudden attack. Versailles remained motionless, patiently waiting and baiting them.
"Awooo...?"
At this moment, the quiet black cub on her shoulder gently nudged her cheek, it's clear, black eyes filled with worry. As a beast with one of the strongest bloodlines, even in its cub state, its senses were sharp enough to sense their precarious situation.
However, there was no fear or despair in its black pupils. There was only concern for her.
A painful smile appeared on Versailles's lips as she reassuringly nudged the beast back with her chin. This might be the last time she ever saw him.
Her eyes flashed with resolution and determination as she slowly raised her lowered head, and gazed at the vampires that were now within three feet of them.
Without hesitation, she threw back her head and rotated in place, spinning with such speed and might that the ground shattered and giant a hurricane took shape in the air. Violent and vicious, the hurricane took all the nearby vampires on a spin, raising them into the dull red sky.
"Ahhhhh!"
"It was a trap!"
"Move back! Fall back!"
"No!"
One after the other, the vampires rose in the air and got sucked into the gaping mouth of the vacuum. Blood and shredded chunks of flash sprayed into the air, getting swept into the rotating vortex.
Within three breathes of time, the hurricane's range expanded to a thousand miles, raising a fierce hailstorm of rocks, debris, blood, and flame.
By the time it settled, only a wounded and blooded serpentine remained.
The serpentine, pale and trembling, dragged its wounded body through the desolate destruction and slithered into a crevice on the ground. Dark and humid, the tunnel spat out puffs of hot air that blustered the shedding skin.
However, even while under the fierce onslaught of the scalding heat, covered in gruesome wounds and blistering burn marks, the serpentine did not stop moving.
It continued its laborious and arduous trek through the dark tunnel until it spotted a red glow. Moving towards the red flare, it came to an opening and slithered out of the tunnel into a valley of flames.
In the valley, there were multiple cracks and ridges where flames intermittently surged out into the air like mini exploding volcanos. Among the flaming cracks was a distinct flame cave swarming with wolves anxiously pacing back and forth.
The serpentine came to a stop at the mouth of the tunnel and slowly lowered the young black cub onto the ground. The black cub was familiar with the territory and sensed the impending separation. As if to show its unwillingness to leave her side, it defiantly raised its head and ran back to her side, gazing at her with an imploring look.
"Little one, go on. Your clan is restless with worry. I kept my promise and protected you to the end. Now it's time that you honor my great efforts and stay alive. This is possible only if you return to your race and enter the Underworld Palace. Now...go." The serpentine finished her sentence with a gasp, her brows scrunched in pain.
The wolf's clear eyes pooled with tears as he sensed her critical condition. In the vortex of the violent hurricane, the serpentine had shielded him from the piercing wind blades by enveloping and covering his entire body with her arms. As such, there were various vicious cuts bleeding profusely littered across her upper body.
In that critical moment of life and death, the serpentine that wasn't related to him in any way had placed her very life on the line to protect him. She had used herself as a shield to keep her promise, to not allow him to receive even a tiny scratch.
Therefore, when she told him to leave, he did not move. He couldn't bring himself to lift a limb and leave her behind. It remained glued to her side and looked at her with soulful eyes that promised an eternity of companionship.
Versailles sensed the little creature's emotions as vividly as if they were her own. Her heart softened and she urged in a gentle tone.
"I can't enter...the Underworld Palace with you. I am a serpentine...from the Snake Clan. I need to return...to my clan. Don't worry. Once I return, my clan will treat...my wounds. I will be fine. Now go!"
He didn't move, his unwavering gaze remained firmly fixed on her pale face. It didn't believe in her words, because it could feel that she wasn't in the condition to travel back. Seeing that words alone were not going to get the job done, Versailles lowered her head and rubbed her nose against his furry one.
"Little one, if you waste time here...then I won't be able...to...leave for treatment. That will only...make my situation worse. If you...really care about...me...and want...me..to get better, then...go!" This time, Versailles shoved the creature, causing him to stumble backward.
"Go...so that I...can leave as well."
The cubs eyes trembled and he hurriedly got back on his feet. Even though he was still doubtful, he decided to leave so as not to delay her treatment. Giving one last, deep glance to the weakening serpentine, he turned and reluctantly ran towards the Flaming Cave.
Versailles remained in her position and watched the wolf's receding back.
For an unrelated and unacquainted wolf from another clan, she had exhausted every last drop of her flame powers and serpentine abilities. As if that wasn't enough, she had even used her lifeblood to stage a final suicidal strike that shattered all roads of recovery for herself.
Strangely, however, she didn't feel any trace of regret or remorse at her actions, nor did she feel resentment towards the young cub.
The only emotion she perceived was one of accomplishment and peace.
Once the wolf cub reached the group of anxious wolves, her tense muscles relaxed and she spat out a mouthful of dark blood.
'Little one, I kept my promise.'
Her gaze turned murky and she turned and slithered back into the tunnel.
Weakly trudging through the dark tunnel, a trail of blood followed in her wake as she left a crimson pool on the fractured floor. A few heartbeats later, the wounded and burnt serpentine's movements visibly slowed and proceeded in a stagnant manner before stopping completely...
Numerous fissures and fractures appeared on the red tail and snaked across the wrecked body before exploding into a foam of crimson blood.
'The Fiery Serpentine' of the Snake Clan, Versailles Skyler, had completely and utterly disappeared from the surface of the Nar realm.
*
"Ahhhhh!"
The heart-rending wail snapped Ramose back to reality and he tightened his hold on his mate's hand. The piercing pain in his heart and soul could not numb nor distract him from the suffocating guilt engulfing his mind.
"Light, I am here..."
Once, when he was nothing but a weak and powerless cub, she had radiantly protected him with all her might.
Once, when he was nothing but another beast in the savage Nar realm, she had brightly stood in front of him and promised to protect him until the flame in her soul burned and the venom in her blood remained.
Once, when he was plugged into an endless abyss of despair, grief, and loneliness, she had appeared like a glorious beacon of light and brought him the warmth of life.
That fateful encounter 18 years ago had haunted and tormented him, both in the form of a beautiful dream and an unbearable nightmare.
For 18 years, on every gathering of the beasts, he had continuously sought out her figure among the group of the Snake Clan. However, every time he was left disappointed and distressed, fearing the worst and yet, not daring to think of the worse.
For 18 years, he appeared in his wolf form at every gathering of the beasts, and every venture out of the Underworld Palace. He hoped that somehow, somewhere she would spot him, and in the most unlikely case, connect him to the young wolf cub she had once called 'little one'.
For 18 years, he hadn't dared to approach the Snake Clan and ask after her, for fear of hearing the worst. And so, among the various regions and various beasts, he continued his silent search for her ethereal figure that was irrevocably and unquestionably, seared into the deepest recesses of his mind and heart.
And the day he finally saw the figure that he had been desperately and insanely searching for, he felt his heart fiercely pound in his heart.
She was still the same fierce, glorious, and breathtaking serpentine that he had come to admire, adore, treasure, and love over the past 18 years that he had been searching.
Although her snake scales had changed color and her radiant beauty had amplified an entire stage, he knew her aura, her intoxicating scent, and her presence like the back of his paw.
With one single glance, he knew that it was her.
His serpentine, his light.
Even though the meeting was brief, the reunion not as he had imagined, he was not disappointed. Because after more than 18 years of nightmares, he had finally seen his light again. His hanging heart dropped back in place and he bided his time.
Since fate had brought them face to face again, he wasn't planning on letting her leave him. However, the issue was how he was going to keep her by his side. The two of them were beasts divided by clans and race.
How was he going to keep a serpentine of the Snake Clan by his side in the Werewolf Clan?
Fate solved this issue of his as well, as the serpentine he had dreamed of day and night, was bonded to him in soul and became his mate. She became his soul-mate, their fate and destiny linked together for the entirety of their immortal lives.
And the moment their souls linked, he finally found his meaning in life, the reason for his existence.
To protect and provide her with a happy and carefree life in the brutal Nar realm, he was willing to undertake any trial and overcome any tribulation. For her happiness, he was willing to make any sacrifice.
Because she was his life, his glorious light in the ever-encompassing darkness of the Nar realm and lifeless his immortal life.
And yet, he had still failed in protecting his light from the very pain and threat he had vowed to shield her from.
And for his failure, she had to pay.
His red eyes started leaking with blood tears, reflecting his bleeding heart and similarly writing soul.
This incident made him aware of his incompetence and his shortcomings. Even though Ramose had the power and status to protect his mate from a frontal confrontation, he had no ability in guarding against hidden schemes.
It was a matter that he had never considered, as his belief, like most of the races in the Nar realm, was that the strongest fist reigned supreme.
However, reigning supreme didn't mean that he had complete control of the overall situation in the realm.
That wouldn't be possible until he became the ultimate ruler, the one and only Werewolf Emperor!