Endania

I woke up to the sound of a car door slammed. Shortly followed by another door shutting. That’s when I remembered they were going on their two-week vacation. I shifted into my human form and winced. Still a little sore. I heard them drive away and quickly pulled out a safety pin from my pants pocket. I picked the lock on cell the door. What? I’ve had a long time to learn how to pick a lock. I just knew they could catch me if I escaped while they were here. I went to the basement door and found it unlocked. I then ran out of the house, through the gate in the wall, and to freedom.

When I thought I was far enough from the house I looked around. I can’t believe I’ve lived this long without seeing anything. Everything looked beautiful. I started walking North and got the scent of smoke eight hours later. I walked toward it cautiously. I ended up at a gate that looked to have a tunnel of trees behind it. The sign above the gate said Endania.

I watched the two guards for a while. I could smell humans, other wolves, and other things that I don’t know the names of. I looked at the guards and could tell one was a wolf and the other was a human. I watched someone walk forward and hold out an ID card. They were allowed in. I don’t have one of those and it seems I needed one. But maybe I could get in and get one in the town that was behind that tunnel of trees? I walked over to the wolf guard. He looked at me and sniffed the air.

“ID?” He asked coolly.

“Um, I don’t have one,” I said nervously.

“Then you can’t enter.”

“Okay.” I turned to go.

“Hey! Wait!” A female voice called.

I turned back to see a young woman who seemed to be about my age. She had blue eyes and white blonde hair. She smelled odd too. “Yes?” I said shyly.

“You can come in,” she said.

“Monica,” the wolf guard growled. “She has no ID.”

“Her Grace will want to meet her,” Monica said. “She’s a wolf and has a lot of scars which means she’s been beaten. Her Grace hates it when we turn away someone in need. In fact, she made a rule about, remember?” She looked at me. “Are you running from someone?”

“I…yes,” I said. “I only escaped because they left for a two-week vacation.”

She nodded and looked at the guard. “I will personally escort her to the Duchess of Endania, Dominic.”

“Okay, but don’t let her out of your sight until Her Grace gives her an ID,” he said grumpily.

She smiled. “I won’t.” He nodded and opened the gate. She looked at me. “Come on. Let’s get you somewhere safe.” She walked into the tunnel and I followed her. We walked in silence for a while. I admired that work. She saw it. “My sister, Nature, created this tunnel. Beautiful, isn’t it?"

“Yes.” A pause. “I don’t mean to be rude,” I blurted out. “But may I ask what you are?”

She blinked. “Me? I’m an Element Dragon. Ice is my element.” She glanced at me. “What color is your fur when you change?”

“Black. I know wolves can speak mind-to-mind. Can…”

“We all can speak mind-to-mind,” she interrupted.

“Oh.” I was silent for a minute. “What other supernatural beings are there?”

“Wolves, Element Dragons, Vampires, Shapeshifters, and demons.”

“Demons?”

She nodded and looked happy to explain everything to me as she said, “The ones we have here are on the good side. The ones who aren’t good work for Lord Flame.”

“Lord Flame?”

“He’s someone who’s trying to take over Endania. That’s why there are guards at the gates. If someone attacks the guards push a button on the gate and it sets off an alarm.”

“Did you have the gates guarded before Lord Flame came around?” I asked curiously.

She shook her head. “There were no guards, gates, or ID’s. Everyone had been welcome.”

“Is Lord Flame a demon?”

“He’s a wolf actually. A wolf who has demons working for him.” She paused. “He wants to kill our Duchess too.”

“Oh, that’s terrible.” I hesitated. “Is she an Element Dragon?”

“No, she’s a shapeshifter.”

“Is there a Duke?”

She shook her head sadly. “His grace died fighting Lord Flame. He was a wolf too.” She looked at me. “His fur had been night black. Her Grace grieved for years. Now we do not speak of him in her hearing because it upsets her.”

“Oh, did he have no children before he died?”

“He said he got a human woman pregnant before he married our Duchess. He said he hadn’t known she had gotten pregnant until he felt a change in the air that meant a wolf had been born. He searched but could never find the kid. He always hoped…Are you okay?” She asked suddenly looking concerned. She stopped walking.

I had felt the blood drain from my face and I knew that was why she asked. I swallowed. “Y-yes,” I stuttered. I wasn’t but I wanted to hear more. We started walking again.

“Are you sure? You look really pale.”

I nodded. Please just let it go, I mentally pleaded. I wasn’t sure if I was right about what I was thinking and hearing more will help tell me if I am. “I’m sure. Please continue.”

“Okay.” He always hoped that the child might someday stumble on Endania and then he could raise it with the Duchess. The Duchess had hoped too because she is unable to have kids. Even though shapeshifters are extremely fertile.”

“Did he ever mention where he met the human woman?” I asked.

“At a human bar. They had both gotten really drunk and the kid was the result.” She sighed. “The Duchess is still hoping the kid might show up.”

And just like that, everything fell into place. My mom had met the werewolf in a bar. She said she thought he had been human. She didn’t find out until I was one. She got pissed when she found out and that’s why she and her husband tortured me. She had been taking out all her anger at herself and my father on me. Her husband had been taking out all his anger at her and the werewolf on me too. They were both from a long line of werewolf hunters. So they, of course, hated werewolves and everything they stood for. Which meant they hated me and were going to punish me for it.

Of course, I only knew this because she had told me to make me feel guilty, which it didn’t. I was proud of what I am and I wouldn’t change that for the world. But there was one fact that was going in circles in my head at the moment. It was so shocking that I almost tripped myself. I hadn’t even thought of this possibility until I heard the Duke’s story. I knew it was true though. I had been thinking about it at the beginning but didn’t say anything because the rest of the story had to be said for me to be sure. But now that I was, I wasn’t going to let anyone suffer. I shut my eyes and let the truth wash over me. My father had been the Duke of Endania.

I opened my eyes as we came to a stop outside a big house. “We’re here,” Monica said.

“Monica?” I said deciding to tell her.

She looked at me. “Yes?”

“The Duchess doesn’t have to look for the Duke’s kid anymore.”

She frowned. “Why do you say that?”

I sucked in a deep breath and said, “Because she’s standing right here.”

“What?” A female voice whispered behind us. We both turned to find the Duchess of Endania standing there.