It Is Time

Somewhere on a desert island

A soft cry echoes in a bedroom.
With a sigh, a sleepy mother shoves aside the covers on the bed and walks over to a crib. She picks up a pup who, feeling his mother's warmth, immediately stops crying. He looks up to his mother and starts to giggle happily. "Sweetie, don't cry. You know I'm never far from you. I had to get away for a while to show someone her boundaries. But here I am again," she whispers to the little man in her arms. The beaming pup extends his arms to her, grabbing a strand of her hair. The woman holds him to her neck, knowing that if he breathes in her scent, he will go back to sleep peacefully. Quickly she puts him dry pants on and takes him back to his cradle.
Then she walks over to another pup in a pink decorated crib. She was awakened by her twin's crying but quietly waited until her mother was ready to give her full attention. "Hey sweet Princess. Have you been waiting a long time for me? Come let me feed you and put dry pants on you too, my little pie". The little girl is delighted as her mother places a few kisses across her face.
The woman breastfeeds her, waits for her to burp and positions her on her bed. "Grandma will take care of y'all today while I go check on your father again. Promise me you'll stay sweet". She cuddles the pup a few more times before retreating to the bathroom. She is dressed in breezy summer clothes when she reappears in the bedroom after a relaxing bath.
Seven pups rush toward her as Drina goes down the stairs and walks into the huge kitchen. They nearly knock her over with their enthusiasm. Smiling, she bends down and pats each of them on the head.
The youngest envelopes her in a hug, all Lycan pups, taller and more robust than the average werewolf. They are twins, now two years old, look like a human of five. They are excellent archers, in the last three months they have not missed a single target. Then there are older twins, also boys, who always have their swords at arm's length. They too have performed miraculously in the last six months. They are four years old but can pass for humans of six to eight years.
The eldest pups are the triplets, all girls, of whom Erina is missing at the moment. She lives in the packhouse of Alpha King Enrick and is Beta Jace's mate. These three are the snipers, they can aim their weapons like no other. Their target is always the forehead or heart. Any confrontation with them is fatal. And they are the spitting image of Drina. As soon as they could stand firmly on their feet, their grandfather taught them advanced fighting techniques and the use of alternative weapons of war. They are now experts.
Drina and the seven pups now walk further into the kitchen where Drina's mother is busy making breakfast at the stove. "Morning, My Queen. What's for breakfast? And did these little royals help you pick the vegetables in the garden this morning?" Drina asks. She kisses the older woman on the cheek and sits at the dining table.
Mother Florence smiles. "My grandchildren are the best. They are always there when I need help," she replies, endearingly looking at the now proud faces. She points out to Drina the harvest they brought in this morning. Besides agile fighters, the pups are also helpful planters who help their grandparents considerably in the garden. The produce is more often consumed by themselves, much to the delight of the pups.
"Did anything else happen yesterday?" inquires Mother Florence as she continues preparing the meal. She throws an innocent glance over her shoulder and watches her daughter freeze. Drina shakes her head in denial. "Are you sure, Drina?" asks her mother, barely holding back her laughter. "Not much, mom. I only torched everything that bitch touched," she declares as if it were the most normal thing in the world to do. "Enrick wasn't even mad about it. You should have seen the spectacle," she further indicates.
Mother Florence can now no longer contain her laughter and bursts out.
"Your jealousy is precious. All in all, millions have been burned to ashes there. And I'm willing to bet there wasn't really a good reason for you to do this," she states while her daughter chuckles. "Enrick is obviously infatuated with you. No one is going to be able to distract him from you. And certainly not Alcina. My son-in-law is steadfast," she proudly indicates with hands on her sides. Drina glares at her. "No problem. If you pity him, you can help him set everything up again. Fortunately, he has a mother-in-law who is loaded," she notes. "But if he pulls another stunt like that one more time, everything will be in ashes again," she warns as she takes a bite of a cookie. Mother Florence looks at her head shaking.
"Well, the upside of all this is that Alcina has finally come out of her stinky shell. Now we're on our way to the war we've been preparing for decades," she cites. "My pups need their father; it has all taken too long. And now the end is in sight," she sighs. She notices a sudden silence around her. The pups are listening intently. They have often asked their mother why their father does not come to see them, and they know him only from her stories. Their grandmother keeps telling them that he is a powerful man who loves their mother dearly but that an old feud is delaying his arrival. And now they finally hear that the time to meet him is near.
Drina can hear their hearts beating with anticipation.
She too is looking forward to the moment of their reunion. Before she can think about it any further, they all suddenly hear noises from the garden. It comes from the side where Father Arthur is busy with the animals. They all run outside and see the man sitting on a bench, clutching his chest. "Dad, what is the matter? Are you not feeling well?" exclaims Drina. Her father looks at her dazedly. "My granddaughter! My Erina! Someone has got hold of her! She is sending weak signals to me, she is not fully conscious," the man stammered out.
"What!!! Dad, are you sure of what you are saying?"
The man nods, pained. "Drina, the time has come. Go to Midnight Moon and ask the right questions. We await your signal". ..