Chapter 4
Txälina
I lay on my bed, staring at the half-moon that glowed in the sky. Its light filled the room, turning the ground a bluish-silver color.
I frowned. It was only midnight, yet I couldn't sleep. The earlier conversation in the dining room consumed my thoughts. I was still dressed in the forest green gown I wore to dinner, too lazy to change it.
Rising from the bed, I poured myself some wine, then crawled back under the covers, drowning myself in it. Soon after emptying one wineskin, sleep consumed me.
I dreamed that night. I saw myself in the temple, where werewolves visit to pray and worship the Moon Goddess. But females were not allowed here. We were not allowed to worship the goddess or even speak her name, for the men fear that the powers she gave us long ago would return. Speaking her name or possessing anything tied to her would result in death.
A shaft of moonlight glowed through the small opening in the ceiling. It fell upon the face of a beautiful sarcophagus lying upon a stone slab. There was another near it, but this was a statue. Like the first, it depicted a female. Their faces were bathed in the moonlight that shone into the temple. Candles were lit near the walls, and stairs led up to the sarcophagus and statue.
I looked around, wondering how I ended up here. The temple was empty. Turning back to the altar, I walked up the stairs.
The woman in the sarcophagus was beautiful. She had long black hair like midnight, and her skin was a warm brown. Her eyes were soft brown. She held a moonstone pressed to her chest, and a summer wreath sat on her head.
This woman was no ordinary woman. Though human, she was the mother of werewolves. She was the chosen one, the human whom the goddess gifted the ability to bring werewolves into the world. Her name was Anäsang.
Long ago, before the existence of werewolves, the humans served Säli. Säli adored their loyalty and wanted them to be something more than human.
The humans chose Anäsang. She was brave and kind to everyone in her village. When Säli approached her, she gave Anäsang a goblet filled with the moon's essence. Anäsang drank from the goblet, and a few months later, her stomach swelled with seven cubs; each cubs granted supernatural abilities by Säli. The werewolves grew inside her, and when the time came for them to be born, they clawed their way out. She died, sacrificing her life to bring forth the new dawn of Werewolves. Since then, she has been worshipped alongside Säli.
Säli granted her the chance to live in the afterlife. The royals Anäsang gave birth to were tamed by humans. Every full moon, select humans were chosen to partake in the full moon ritual, transforming them into werewolves.
I quickly lowered my head and kissed the moonstone in her hand. Then, I walked over to Säli's statue.
Anäsang was the opposite of Säli. While Anäsang had brown skin, Säli's was pale, with long silver hair. Her irises were blue, with little to no pigment, making her terrifying. I lowered my head and kissed her hands.
I didn't know what i had done to warrant such sacred moment with them. Even the male werewolves of the pack are forbidden to step foot in this altar. No one but the priest of this temple.
"Anäsang," I whispered, lifting my head.
"Txälina," a soft feminine voice spoke up from behind, and I jumped, nearly tripping and falling to the floor. I turned around in fear to see who had called my name.
The fear vanished when I saw Anäsang. She smiled.
"Na xali yiwa oe mïnu," she murmured in Ngäerawa.
(You know who I am, child)
"Is this a dream?" I asked.
"Na wingai miwï," Anäsang replied, glancing at her sarcophagus. (You were led here) I caught a flicker of sadness in her eyes, quickly replaced with a smile when she turned back to me. "Säli wingain miwï"
(Sali led me here.)
Led by Säli? I wanted to fall to my knees and worship.
Anäsang took a step closer. "Xi'ä txilu na, Txälina. Xas na txagai... Särmu..... Txägan..... Xiwan." (This is her message for you, Txälina. What you endured.... Pain.... Torture.... It all has a purpose.)
Bile rose in my throat. Tears burned my eyes as I remembered the suffering of Säli women.
"Nä'a kerts sarmui. näxin... Näxin txanaïn Säli Laminut," Anäsang continued.
(Your heart aches. You're tired... tired of the suffering of Säli Laminut.)
"But I tell you….., all that is and that will be, Säli has already seen it. And she's chosen you to save Säli women," she said, changing language.
"But—"
"Säli sees you. Follow your instincts, and the voice..... There's a reason you are the only Säli woman with the voice...."
Anäsang whipped her head toward the sound of footsteps. I looked and saw the priest locking the temple door, his back to us.
"My time here fades. I must go."
"I don't understand. How can I save them when I don't even have a wolf? I can't even defend myself. I'm powerless….. I'm nothing."
Anäsang placed her hand on my chest. "You are strong. You have courage, and you have the voice, something absent from Säli women currently. Let it lead you."
The priest began to sing in the Ngäerawan language.
My eyes widened. If he found out I was here, he would skin me alive.
"Go, child," she said, pushing me through an open door at the left. I ran, and I didn't stop until I reached my room.