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“Solara! This is our spirit, the root, and the protector. When you find it in the forest, you'll find yourself. Do not be afraid, my child.” My mother handed me a carved toy wolf made out of maple wood. “Embrace it. It is who we are...” She locked the toy in my hand and her voice began to trail off. I looked into her deep brown eyes and I felt peace. I watched as her figure disappeared into a hole with a blinding light.
The sound of the village bells roused me from the recurring dream. Panic and confusion shrouded me. Not because the bells only sounded when there was danger or invaders in the village. I was in disarray because it was the third time that week I had found myself lying undressed in that same spot. It would often start as a dream and then I would wake up in the forest. It was dawn and the morning fog was starting to get visible. Quickly, I put on my clothes and started to race back to the village.
I moved past empty opened huts, herds of sheep and cattle, burning fires, and cooking pots unattended. It was like the entire village had disappeared. Then I found my way to the village square where everyone gathered. The elders, women, and children assembled before the Murs. They came masked in shemaghs with their galloping horses.
“You break the treaty by riding down here at dawn with your armed soldiers. Did I miss your emissaries?” Our king, Dinaka, stepped forward before Oso, the Mur king. He had fury and disdain in his eyes. He clenched his fist as if trying to refrain.
“The treaty broke when you let one of your wolves wander around the marked line.” Oso cast an intense gaze on Dinaka. His words had so much authority as he sat on his high horse not flinching. “It's the third time this week that my men have sighted a brown wolf. We followed the trail down here to Turaka.”
“We haven't had any wolves in a decade. They are extinct and you know it. We've purged the very last of them since the old generation. They are not from here. If you found any tracks around the marked line, you were there yourself. We agreed that no member of any clan or tribe would set foot on the marked line.” Dinaka steadied his gaze on Oso. He watched as the Mur king began to flinch. His once confident demeanor was replaced by jittering. Oso began to blink. He opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. He had shot himself in the foot by speaking about the marked line.
“Leave now. Do not ever come back here unannounced. Also, stay away from the marked line. We had a pact for a reason.” Dinaka, flanked by two of his guards, began to walk back into the village.
Oso angrily pulled the reins of his horse. Together with his soldiers, their horses puffed creating dust screens as they rode away.
Many years ago, our village Turaka and the Murs fought over the region that surrounded the marked line because of its bounties. The land was blessed with fertile land and mineral resources. The Turaka were protected by a pack of mysterious wolves. Those wolves were no ordinary wolves. Blood spilled and lives were lost until a consensus was reached. It was agreed that Turaka would get rid of the wolves and the marked line would be left untouched by both parties.
Later that evening, I sat by the fireplace after making dinner. As I oiled my hair with shea butter, I could feel my father’s eyes on me. He sat opposite the fire as he always did after dinner. He would sleep off beneath the dark sky on most days.
“Where were you at dawn?” my father's words stole a beat from my heart. I looked up and swallowed hard.
“I-I took a short walk,” I stammered.
“In the forest?” my father did not take his eyes off me. “I've warned you about the forest. It took your mother. That thing is out there. Now it is back. Do you want to end up like that?” His voice sounded like thunder on a rainy day yet, concern was written all over him.
“But mother said not to be afraid of the wolves. They are the protectors,” I muttered.
“What do you know about those beasts? Have you looked one in the eyes before? Yes, they protected the land but they had no mercy. One morning we woke up and your mother was gone. We traced her down to the forest.” My father turned his face away from me as he forced back tears. “We found only pieces of her clothes on the floor and a white wolf staring back at us. I can never forget those deep brown eyes. That thing took her. Stay away from the Forest.” He got up, paused for a moment then walked into his hut.
I knew my mother just disappeared but no one ever told me this part of the story. That night, I could not sleep. I tossed and turned on my bamboo bed. I could not stop thinking about my mother and the forest. I closed my eyes and began to drift away into a dreamlike trance. This time, I was conscious but unable to stop myself. I got out of bed and made my way into the forest. I walked to the marked line again where I saw some Mur soldiers on the land. They had indeed broken the pact. They had begun exploiting the land again.
I started to feel my insides churn. Soon my fingers began to hurt. Before my eyes, my nails turned into claws. My skin became covered by thick brown fur. I fell to the ground on all fours. It felt like I was going to explode. I let out a cry. The sound came as a loud howl. When I looked up. I saw a white wolf gazing at me with deep brown eyes. I knew those eyes very well. She never really disappeared. She only became the words she spoke. “Solara! This is our spirit, the root, and the protector. When you find it in the forest, you'll find yourself. Embrace it. It is who we are.”
She moved closer and rubbed her nose against my fur. Together, we faced the Murs and let out another loud howl.