Diego pointed the blade directly at the Master's face and shouted, distressed:
— "Where am I?!"
The Master laughed under his mask, mocking the situation.
— "What are you laughing at?!" — Diego shouted again. — "I'm armed! Can't you see the situation?!"
The Master calmly turned his back, walked to a rustic table in the corner of the room, filled a glass with wine, held it with elegance, and mocked once more:
— "Hehehe... I think you're the one who doesn't understand the situation here."
— "I'll kill you!" — Diego yelled.
— "And then what? There are at least fifty of my men downstairs... and you don't know where you are or where to go."
Diego hesitated. His expression shifted to despair.
— "Where is Marina?"
— "She's fine…" — said the Master with a dry laugh. — "She's under our care."
— "You bastard! What did you do to her?!"
The Master turned slowly, facing Diego with a calm that was almost ironic:
— "I have a proposal for you..."
— "A proposal?"
— "If you become my slave, I'll order her immediate release... What do you say?"
Without hesitation, Diego lowered the blade. His eyes were full of fury, but also pain. He threw the weapon to the floor.
— "I accept."
— "Wise choice," — the Master murmured. — "I could tell from the beginning she meant something to you."
— "What do I do now?" — Diego asked firmly.
— "Go down the staircase wrapped around the tree, and bring me more wine."
Without question, Diego descended the staircase.
As soon as he disappeared, the Master turned again. Slowly, he lowered his hood. Long blond hair fell over his shoulders. He removed the wolf mask and placed it on the table. His features were delicate, yet marked by time and suffering.
He took a sip of wine... and a single tear ran down his cheek.
— "It's really you, isn't it...? Diego..." — he whispered, in a soft voice… a woman's voice.
Across the forest, Felipinho thrust an improvised spear into the water.
— "Got it!" — he shouted triumphantly.
— "Uhuuuul! We've got lunch!" — Drica replied excitedly.
— "It's a big one, Drica!" — Felipe said, pulling up the fish.
— "The fire's already going!" — she called out.
They prepared the fish over the fire and sat on a fallen log. As the aroma filled the air, Felipinho looked at Drica with admiration.
— "Seriously, you always save me. I didn't know you carried a pocketknife, lighter... even a first aid kit in that bag!"
Drica blushed and smiled shyly.
— "Well… nowadays a woman's gotta be prepared."
— "You're amazing," — Felipe said, smiling.
Embarrassed by the compliment, Drica tucked her hair behind her ear, looked away, and replied:
— "Thanks, Felipe."
Felipe then turned around, picked up the map they had found in the ruined cart, and said:
— "I think if we follow the river, we'll reach a small village. I'm sure we can find out where we are there."
— "And how are we crossing the river?" — Drica asked.
Felipe gave a confident smile:
— "We'll build a raft with what's left of the cart and the remaining ropes."
— "You're really smart, Felipe!" — she said, impressed.
He scratched his nose, awkwardly:
— "Thanks."
The fish was ready. They cut it and ate hungrily. Then they gathered wood, tore cloths, and cut what was left of the cart's ropes.
By late afternoon, the raft was ready.
— "All set?" — asked Felipinho.
Drica, tying some apples into a cloth, answered:
— "Yes! Let's go!"
Carrying two torches and the cloth with apples, the two boarded the raft and floated down the river. The sun was setting on the horizon.
Elsewhere, Marina and Lupita were gazing at the starry sky.
— "It's beautiful, isn't it?" — said Lupita.
— "Very," — Marina replied.
— "I used to watch the stars here with Rudy..." — Lupita said with a sigh.
— "You really love him, huh?" — Marina asked.
— "Love isn't even the word… But girl, aren't you hungry? I can get your dinner. We've got chicken soup or roasted buffalo meat."
— "You've been with me for hours… Don't you need to rest?"
— "There's no one else to watch over you. We lost some warriors at the fortress. We just recruited new ones, but they're all on duty."
— "Then I'll take the soup. But... my ankle's really hurting, girl..."
— "What happened?"
— "I think it's these shackles..."
— "I'll take them off. If you're in that much pain, you won't be able to run anyway."
Lupita removed the shackles from Marina's feet. Marina gave her a sincere thank you.
— "Wait here. I'll bring your dinner," — said Lupita, walking away.
As soon as she was alone, Marina took a deep breath... and ran. The ankle pain had been a lie.
She crossed the garden of hydrangeas and entered a dense forest. On the other side, two masked men shouted:
— "Hey! The prisoner!"
Marina dashed back into the forest, thinking in panic:
— "No! I was so close to escaping!"
— "She went that way!" — the masked men shouted behind her.
She managed to lose them, hiding behind a tree. She kept running until she stopped in front of a silent lake.
— "Now what...? Where do I go?" — she thought, out of breath.
The full moonlight reflected on the water revealed something unexpected: a handsome, naked man bathing in the lake.
Marina froze, feeling a mix of fear and... curiosity.
The man emerged from the water. Tall, with bronze skin, long dark wavy hair. His green eyes sparkled like emeralds.
— "Who are you?" — he asked, in a deep and seductive voice.
— "Marina..." — she replied, unsure of what she felt.
— "No one usually comes here. This lake is sacred," — he said.
— "It's beautiful."
— "It's called Moon Lake."
A scream echoed from the woods:
— "We found her! She's over there!"
Marina turned to run, but the man took her hand.
She looked at him. A chill ran down her spine. The simple touch of that strong hand, that gaze... she had never felt anything like it.
— "Don't be afraid," — he whispered.
Five masked men appeared.
— "We must take her to the Master immediately!"
Marina panicked. But the man held her tightly and faced the attackers:
— "You're not taking her anywhere."
— "Who are you?!"
— "Funny you don't know. You must be new recruits."
Swords were drawn.
The man leaned close to Marina. She felt his warmth... his scent.
— "It'll be quick," — he said.
Two masked men rushed forward. The man spun and knocked them down with a swift leg strike. A third, large and heavy, tried to hit him with a club. The club shattered against his arm.
They locked hands, struggling for dominance. The big man started pushing him until...
The man's eyes changed. Fur began to grow. His teeth lengthened.
With a monstrous roar, he broke the man's arms. He transformed into a massive, fur-covered creature.
A werewolf.
The fourth masked man let go of Marina and ran, screaming:
— "What is that?!"
The werewolf slashed his stomach open with its claws.
The last masked man, further away, pulled out a bow and arrow. The werewolf leapt through the trees. Marina saw his shadow fly over her.
He landed in front of the masked man, who barely had time to react. The werewolf broke the bow, grabbed him by the neck… and tore off his head with a bite.
Marina turned to flee, terrified.
But then she heard that same voice:
— "Wait… don't go."
She turned around.
And there he was. Back in human form. Naked, beautiful, wild. His green eyes still glowed.
— "I won't hurt you..." — he said.
Marina, with fear and curiosity in her heart, whispered:
— "Who are you?"
He smiled.
— "My name is Rudy."