Prophecy:

Umara:
In the twenty-second year of Lunh's reign, a prophecy came to Venrir, son Vermir, of the guild of Moon soothsayers:
"The prince born on the third day of the month of Huruk,
He will be great in strength and skill,
The earth will tremble under the power of his feet,
The moon, the sun and the stars will turn at his command,
His enemies will tremble at his name,
His glory will cover the earth and
Six Moons will crown his temples.
Until the arrival of the seventh Moon,
Outshining the first and banishing it,
Bringing with it a stronger light,
recovering what was lost
And restoring life to what had died.

The scroll trembles in my fingers. Sitting on a cushion on the floor, the most dissimilar memories come to me. My camp on fire, the journey to Tarmen, the slave market... Alessios!
I cover my mouth with one hand to keep from screaming. Now I remember, it was him. That relentless warrior who whipped the slave trader and put me on his mount. I remember it, I remember it clearly and I know it was him, because then he covered his face with a burqa and all I could see were his golden shining eyes.
Oh, those eyes, that deceived me so much!
I purse my lips and reread the poem. The first stanza refers to Alessios, there is no doubt about that.
And the second stanza, especially that part:
“Eclipsing the first and banishing it…
recovering what was lost
And restoring life to what had died.
It refers to me. It's undeniable. A cold sweat breaks out on me.
Destiny.
Could it be, that even the most terrible actions that others commit against us are already written?
If my mother hadn't sold me, if that merchant hadn't brought me to the capital, if Alessios hadn't been hanging around the slave market...
Small details, small facts that were woven into the fabric of destiny to form a picture and trace a course that has brought us here.
“Recovering what was lost
And restoring life to what had died.
Even that. My involvement in the restoration of the garden had already been predicted long before I was born. I smile, rolling up the scroll and returning it to its case.
It is a real pity, that the prophecy does not show us how all this will end.
Above the snow, the gigantic white wolf patrolled the perimeter of the camp. His thick fur was incredibly bushy and its extreme whiteness caused it to shine in the moonlight with a silvery glow.
Umara was impressed.
Those who had said that Alessios's animal form was impressive had not been exaggerated. His beast stood nearly ten feet tall, its fangs and claws evidently powerful, capable of tearing flesh and inflicting fatal wounds with a simple bite or scratch.
The animal sniffed the air around her, flicked its pointed ears, and cocked its massive head in the direction of where she stood, motionless and speechless with astonishment.
He had gone outside to urinate and had froze as soon as he saw this overwhelming creature.
The wolf gazed at her silently for a moment, raised its jaws in the direction of the moon, releasing a howl full of agony and suffering to launch into the forest in a furious run and disappear among the trees.
Umara felt that her heart was compressed inside her chest, the cry of that creature had caused her a strange sensation of pain.
"Our main objectives are here and here," explained the spy, pointing on the map to the points that represented the respective tents of the Emperor and that of his wives.
“The women's tent guard has become lax and uncaring, the Emperor on the other hand, doesn't even demand that they guard his tent. He is so confident in his own strength that he does not consider it necessary to guard soldiers.
"It could be a trap," Cassio whispered, "a ploy to lure us in with the possibility of a quick victory by getting the big wolf out of the way."
´´I don't think so.- Emir contradicted.´´ I myself fought countless times with Alessios and I always did the same. He is not afraid of ambushes, he really does trust his wolf too much.
Cassandra remained silent while the men deliberated the best attack strategies, taking into account the pros and cons of each one.
"We should set fire to the enemy camp in one of their moments of inattention," proposed one of the leaders of the rebellious tribes.
"I claim for myself one of his whores, it is said that the Russian has an incomparable beauty," another commented.
"I don't care how beautiful they are," another protested, placing one of his dirty hands on the cloth of his pants that covered his member and making suggestive movements with his hips. "as long as I can impale them all!"
All the men present in the tent burst out laughing, while Cassandra kept her face expressionless. beasts! That's all of them, he thought. A herd of filthy, mangy pigs fit only for slaughter.
´´We await your opinion, Cassandra. After all, we will carry out what you decide.- Emir intoned, looking at her anxiously.´´
Cassandra narrowed her eyes and measured her words with great care.
´´We cannot trust ourselves, trying to attack the enemy camp by surprise would be a mistake, Alessios can hear us before we even get within five meters of him. I know the leaders gathered here want their dose of fun after victory is achieved and believe me, there is nothing I would enjoy more than to see those dirty sluts denigrated and trampled as they deserve, but they have to die. All, without exception.´´
A disappointed grunt escaped the lips of one of the rebel leaders.
“We cannot allow the possibility of the wolf's curse to endure. If Alessios has impregnated any of those foxes, it is preferable to shed the shapeshifter's blood before it is born. This is vital. We cannot and I repeat, we cannot under any circumstances leave any of the other moons alive.
Cassandra glanced over her allies and they bowed their heads in respect.
We will attack head on. Our numbers will give us the advantage and victory.