“You weren’t interested in the lotus court affairs, Damian. So, I didn’t think it was so important.”
“Why won’t it be important? We are talking about your father for goodness’s sake! And please, don’t give me that excuse because we both know that this matter travels far beyond the lotus court walls.”
Sighs, “I know…. I’m sorry… but I didn’t bother to take any actions because I decided that my people and I will not be attending.”
Her words came as a surprise. “Why, Miranda?”
“For many years, my people have been treated as scorn. We lost so much from the last war and that was mainly because my father sacrificed so much for the battle to end. But in the end of it all, what did we get for all our leader gave? Dirt thrown to our faces like we never mattered. They had to wait until my father died before they realize the impact his life made to keep stability of all twelve tribes. Now they act like we’ve had their support for so long, whereas it was the exact opposite. I will not take such insult. The lotus….”
“Miranda. Where is all this coming from?”
“What?”
“This anger… it’s never like you to push away an opportunity that would favor your people.”
“How do you know that it’s in favor of my people? How are you not sure that the reason they are calling us out this time is to laugh at our faces? Do you even know the amount of suffering my people has seen after the wars?”
“I’m sorry… I might not know. I might have gone through a lot of emotional battles, I might have the problem of lacking resources, I might not be familiar with the term suffering. But I do know one thing…”
“What is it?”
“That strong woman that’s been mistreated, misesteemed, whom her people have been discarded as no good, as lowly, never to rise from the ashes again, that same strong woman I fell in love with, has never ever let anything stop her. The amount of pain she has faced has never made her to stop being kind to others, it’s never made her to stop helping others. It’s never made her to stop seeing the good in others, the way she saw the good in me.”
“Damian. If this is a way to get me to change my mind….”
“I won’t lie that it’s not, Miranda. Because the same way as you, I want nothing but the chance for your people to have a chance to rise and shine in the spotlight.”
His words lifted her spirit, she was thankful for them, but then one thing didn’t make sense for her in what he said.
“Why do you care about this bonfire ceremony so much? It’s not like your people ever care to attend such gatherings.”
“They will start caring, because this time as the silver alpha, I’ll be giving every single one of them the freedom to leave these borders to attend.”
“This is good, but then, you’ve never done something like this before, Damian. What made you change your mind about the silver wolves mixing with the other eleven tribes?”
“Apart from the peace treaty, this is another form of change I want to embrace. The pain of the past has taught me a great lesson which I’ll never forget, but I’ve decided that I will no longer let my personal feelings of anger and resentment about the things that happened allow me to deny my people of the opportunities they should be getting. And you shouldn’t too, Miranda.”
“If I honor their request, if I honor their invitation, it means I will have to dine with them like associates. I will have to act like I am on good terms with the same group of people who have constantly hurt the lotus wolves year after year. It’s because of them that the other packs discarded us as low lives, because of the way they treated us. And I just don’t think I can do that, Damian.”
“You can, and you will. No one says you have to put on smiley faces with them. No one says you have to act like they’re your friends, but please don’t shut your people out the same way I did. You have to embrace unity, Miranda. I know you can face them on your own, but if you ever need any help, I’ll be right by you.”
“But the day is so close now. It’s tomorrow, will we still be able to make it?”
“Of course, we can if we hurry now. You can send a call over to the Lotus circle and give them the permission for the wolves to attend the ceremony. It means we have to get going immediately so we’ll be there by tomorrow.”
She kissed him, “you give me so much strength that sometimes, I don’t know what I would have done without you. Thank you, Damian.”
“I should be the one thanking you, Miranda. The silver pack is about to do something they haven’t done in 20 years, all of this change, It’s all because of you, my love. It all started with you.”
**********
This was a first time for the majority of the silver wolves that left their territories to attend the honorary gathering of the late Lotus alpha, an experience that many of them had been denied of due to the choices made by their alpha, but now, a great change is on its way, and that change starts with unity. The kind of change where all twelve tribes would unite as equals, where no one is looked down upon.
That change started with the bonfire gathering held in honor of alpha Luther. All wolves gathered at the square of the goddess’s crescent. All the twelve tribes were represented in their numbers, and they each held torches in memory of the late alpha.
The shock that came to all the wolves was when the they met the silver alpha in attendance, not just the silver alpha, but the wolves as well. No one had seen a silver wolf for as long ago as the wars had ended, so the other wolf tribes didn’t hide their surprised faces.
The even bigger surprise came when many of them found out that the feared and mighty silver alpha was married to the Lotus princess. How? When?
How did the Lotus wolves rise to prominence all of a sudden? A mighty gathering in their honor. A union with the strongest and most successive pack after the war. Indeed, life was full of many surprises.