03

Kong frowned " Don't be annoying "

Chuckling, Arthit just closed his eyes. Kongpob at first glance seemed salty and rude but that was just first layer, inside he was very gentle and caring and sweet. At first, Kongpob's straightforwardness irked Arthit but after 3 years, he get worried when Kongpob isn't nagging and bossing him around.

Arthit was  deep in his thoughts when a jerk at his cheat dragged him out " Enough, five minutes over " Kong grumbled.

Arthit pouted but released Kongpob.

" Come on ," Kong entwined his finger in Arthit's  "let's go"

" Where? "

" Library "

" Why? "

Kong huffed " So that you won't be in gaze of King! Do you think his wolf will forget that you challenged him infront of the whole court? "

" Oh, okay..." Arthit nodded. He felt something sticky in his hand, so he pulled it out of Kong's hold.

" Kong , blood! "

" Yeah, I cut my palm, when your claws dug in to it."

" Why, didn't you tell me ? " Arthit asked distraught, " Let's go to a healer.."

" No"

" Why? "

" He will ask the reason... if he knows, he will caste you as violent wolf..."

"Everyone grows out claws..." Arthit tried to reason.

" Everyone doesn't grow in to a wolf this early " Kong hissed " what you did in the court now , coupled with this...will get you in trouble..."

" I don't care..." Arthit grabbed Kongpob's wrist " let's  go, first I need to stop the bleeding..."

" No..."

"Don't be stubborn"

" I said no.."

" we can lie..."

" Do you think healer is stupid like you ?"

" Then,..." Arthit took a moment to think.

" Come on..." he ran towards the royal library, Kong along with him.

" What is your stupid plan ? "

" I'll Lick your wound "

" Eww..." Kong made a face.

" I know it's disgusting but I saw por doing that once when healer was out of town."

Kong shrugged " I can make a salve for this.."

" It takes two and half hour! "

" Fine."

" Bind this " Arthit took out his waist sash from his royal robes.

" That is your royal robe." Kongpob's eyes widened.

" That is a sash" Arthit Sassed " Who is stupid now? " He wiggled his eyebrows while wrapping his sash around the palm so librarian wouldn't get scent of blood.

In a secluded corner of library where there were mostly ancient tombs were kept, Arthit quietly changed in to wolf.

" What are you doing? " Kong hissed fearfully " someone can see you.."

The wolf shook his head as if saying no. Then he nudged Kongpob's wrapped arm.

Kongpob unwrapped the binding and presented his hand to the wolf. The wolf licked with his long snobbery tongue, it tickled. Kong quietly giggled. The wolf looked at him amusing.

" You are beautiful " Kong said to the wolf who was busy Licking his wounds. The wolf raised his hands up and snarled, playfully showing teeth.

Kong giggled " Fine. You are very handsome wolf. Oh so fearsome alpha." The wolf puffed his chest, his tail wagged eagerly as he nuzzled Kongpob's hands and licked at his face.

" Eww..." Kong glared " I told you many times not to Lick my face, saeng! " Kong chided, delivering a friendly spank to the wolf.

Arthit's wolf was golden, like light so Kong had named him saeng (meaning light )

The wolf narrowed his eyes at Kong and then just licked his face some more.

" I'm telling you, if you don't change back this second — " Kong threatened.

" Oh ho...." a voice interrupted them, Guss stood there, sneering at them " I knew you were hiding something. I just didn't know you would be hiding this evil wolf."

Kongpob stretched his arms out and stood protectively before Arthit " He is not evil." Kong bit out.

"He tried to attack me." Guss shouted. " It is a royal crime to attack a prince! "

" Tried to ..." Kong hissed. " As you said yourself, He didn't succeed"

" He failed because our Butler jumped in or he would have tore out my chest ! "

" He attacked the Butler ? Was it my por? "

Evil glint shone in Guss's eyes " yes."

" When ?  "

" Two years ago.."

Kongpob looked at Guss " I would have believed you, were you not a liar."

" Believe or not omega, you are protecting the omega that tore your father's chest! How filial of you ! "

Kong trembled with rage  " Shut up..."

Guss tugged at Kongpob's just healed hand and wrenched him aside " Move..."

The newly healed wound tore again, the tangy scent filled the environment.

Arthit's wolf leaped upon Guss and stood on his chest, snarling at his elder brother.

" Saeng ! " Kong pleaded " go..run" he pointed to the open window leading to the forest.

The wolf snarled lowly , showing his teeth.

" I said go..." Kong urged .

Arthit's focus shook, he looked at Kong, trying to convey his dilemma. Taking benefit of the distraction, Guss took out the practice blade sheathed at his waist and stabbed it in to the wolf's thigh with all his might.

Since the blade wasn't that sharp, it wouldn't go in easily, the blunt force though helped in doing severe injury.

Arthit jumped off Guss in shock, howling in pain. Guss pulled the knife out and went straight for Arthit's jugular

" No one attacks the future King and lives to tell the tale..."

Kongpob jumped upon Guss's back, grabbing the knife with his bare hands with all his might.

Arthit took this moment to focus on Guss, despite the blinding pain searing through his thigh , he gathered all his strength " Guss, leave and forget you ever saw me here " Arthit's wolf commanded.

Guss's eyes stilled a moment,  he nodded. Kong released Guss, who retreated, tracing the same path backwards , like a hypnotised man.

Kong hurriedlytook off his shirt and wrapped around the wolf's thighs.

"Can you jump out of the window and walk till the lake? " He asked, tears welled in his eyes but he stubbornly wiped them with back of his hand.

The wolf licked his face, his salty tears along with it.

" YOU ARE INJURED"  a deep voice reverberate in Kongpob's mind..

" Not more than you..."

The wolf just cocked his head as if it couldn't belive Kongpob.

" Give me your hand " The voice again floated in his mind.

" Let's go to the lake first. " Kong urged.

After a staring match, Kong won. They climbed out the window, Kong first followed by the wolf, and ran in to deserted part of forest where the lake was.

In a trance, Kong ran around, collecting this herb and that. Cleaning two stones with lake water, he ground the herbs.

After unwrapping and cleaning the wound, Kong applied the juice on to open wounds.

The wolf growled low in pain

" It will trigger your healing, bear it for few moments, saeng! "

" You were always the best at healing, why do you not want to pursue healing, my healer? "

Kong glared at the wolf " I told you not to ask me that...not to call me a healer..."

" I'm just curious to know why ? "

" You saeng are more annoying than your human" Kong frowned.

" I am merely strivibg to sate my curiosity, My healer."

" I am no healer" Kong ground out " I will never be a healer again. History will not repeat itself."

"You were always stubborn" Saeng commented "  Your hands healer..." he reminded.

" Healer's duty is to heal others first." Kong automatically said the lines he had spoken centuries before.

" Do you not think the hand that can heal must be healed first, so they can keep doing the noble work, healer? "

" A lamp has to burn to give world the light, majestic wolf, if lamp would have kept light for itself first, there wouldn't be darkness under it." And Kong fainted, the crescent moon glowed golden on his wounded palms.

The wolf nodded solemnly, " Be that the case, moon blessed. Let me do what little I can for you." Saeng said, nuzzling Kongpob's hand. He licked the wound clean and then slobbered the wound with his saliva, so it can heal fast.

While omega's had strong protective and nurturing instinct and high pain tolerance, they were slowest at self healing. They always needed external aid.

After seeing Kong's wound will heal, Arthit curled around Kong protectively, hiding him under his huge frame.

Looking at the moon, Saeng howled.

He howled for the bitter loss. He howled for the sweet joy of finding his mate, his chief, his healer, his moon blessed.

He howled for grief of not knowing if Kong could ever remember him.

He howled questioning the mother moon why bless him with her touch if she were to punish him like this for centuries?

He howled and howled, letting out the centuries of anguish, letting the pain flow, tangled in melodies and carried by the wind in to the hearts of fellow wolves.

He howled and cried, until he could no more. And finally, he curled around his healer and fell unconscious, thinking, if this is his death, he was glad to have seen his moon blessed, to share the brief moment with him.

......................

The King was left in awe, everything happened in a blink of eye but everyone has felt those calming pheromones annihilate the aggressiveness built in atmosphere and spread and soothing, calming bliss.

The King adjourned the court, only his most trusted advisors remained.

" Sire, I would like to run some test on Nong Kongpob " the healer said.

" What kind of tests, Chief healer? "

" For the start, We will take some blood samples fron the scent gland and separate the pheromone to see what is it that enabled him to do what he just did. "

" It's nothing, chief healer. Wolves have generally strong protective instincts, may be that within us collectively activated, generating this wave of soothing pheromones."

" forgive me for interupting sire " Scholar Achi said " This kind of phenomena is mentioned in our epics, in legends of moon blessed, the mate of great Alpha Khun Perwat. Our guardian wolf"

" It's all a myth —" The general spoke.

" Some Myths do have some reality that got twisted with time — " another scholar said.

King regarded his advisors, his friend's words echoed in his mind. Moon blessed has already been born somewhere.

" Tell me what the legend says Khun Achi" he requested .

" Once upon a time, at the fringe of Khun Perwat's Kingdom lived a small warrior tribe who believed they were direct descendants of moon goddess, thus has her blood. They believed in magic but not the sort that we know now.

They believed that magic was in the soul and will power is the conductor. They lived by strict code of honor.

Every tribe member were taught art of weapon weilding since they were toddlers. They were fiercely loyal and honest warriors, as soon as a member turned sixteen usually deployed as King's personal bodyguard and special troop.

Among them lived a man, a omega who was most skilled weapon weilder who had never raised a weapon to attack. He was the healer, the epitome of restraint. People called him moon blessed because he had unusual white wolf whose  fur shone like fine silver strands under moon light. He had twin crescent moon shaped mark on his palm. Also, he had exceptional knowledge of medicine, a skill which they believed their moon goddess have.

At that time, Khun Perawat was the Army commander, the second in line of throne, who went to war against the barbaric Svetlons, a sphinx shifter clan. Althpugh he successfully defeated the sphinx and sent them back to their country in coffins, he was badly injured.

The poison the arrows were tipped with rendered the prince unable to shift and heal. The healers from all the country were unable to find an antidote, Prince's condition was worsening day by day.

The prince remained mostly unconscious, his pulse weakening with every passing hour. The royal healer gave up, saying prince was as good as dead.

Unable to see their master in such suffering, the twin brothers, who were bodyguard of prince carried him to their clan, in hope the moon blessed could heal him.

And Khun Prachaya actually did. The story says, he gathered some herbs from lake, crushed it and made a concoction that his apprentice administered to the prince every hour, while he prayed to the moon goddess to show the lost wolf his way back.

At the end of the day, as moon rose high in the Sky, the healer looked up at the moon and mumbled ' Thank you mother' .

He splayed his hands upon the bare chest of crown prince and smiled "Follow the light the mother is showing you and Come back to us your majesty, your loyal subjects are eagerly waiting for your return. "

The healer hadn't addressed him as crown prince but as King. This baffled the prince, but he was weak and frail at the moment, so he let it slide.

After a week when the  prince had mostly gained his strength , he asked the healer and the moon blessed replied " The things that makes us weak also makes us strong, your majesty. The poison if given correctly can work az medicine and medicine given wrong will work as poison. "

" I do not understand "

" The poison given to you was specially designed for you, your majesty. It was designed or atleast commissioned by a person who knows you well. He had taken your weakness towards cold to advantage and administered nightshade and belladonna in the amounts that would considerably slow the flow of blood, making your body cold and organs fail, ultimately leading to your death.

The same nightshade and Belladona had now made you immune to temperature variation, be it cold or warm.

Besides, the fight you fought to live, taught your soul and body the survival lesson that just made you stronger than before. "

" That doesn't answer me why you addressed me as King:

" I asked her the same question, why you ?

The moon has shown me the bravery and courage you have shown in war while staying true to your oath of not harming old, children or wonen, even they were again and again used in assassination attempt. "

Prachaya smiled, kneeling to the prince " I vow my loyalty and service as a healer to you our leader, Saeng (light). The moon has touched you, your majesty, she has chose you as our chosen leader. There will be only few who will be able to stand before you. I do not wish to be the one dishonourung mother moon's wish."

The Prince kneeled too, sitting on both knees he looked at the omega " My soldiers kneel because I have vowed to be their guide and protector. I have no right to accept your submission, healer. I have not offered you protection, nor my loyalty"

" And that is what makes you the chosen one, your majesty. Very few understand that submission is given , not taken. It is a free gift and big responsibility. By offering my submission, I am offering fealty of my tribe, as their chief and seeking the protection of my clan "

" From what do you seek protection, chief ?"

" From the storm that will wipe us soon..." The omega answered morosely " and in that moment, I want you to remember that, the moon has chosen you to become the light in the world, do not loose yourself to darkness."

The prince chuckled " has anybody ever told you how cryptic you talk, Chief ?"

" I prefer the term healer, your majesty."

" And I prefer the term perawat."

The healer blushed. " I will not dare , your majesty."

" Even if I order you as your King ? "

The healer lowered his eyes " King Perawat Saengpotirat..."

The prince chuckled " I see you have misunderstood my intentions my dear healer... I do not fancy being the King of these lands...but if you are offering your heart...now that I wouldnt be opposed to..."

The healer couldn't meet the prince's eyes " You jest, your majesty. "

" Most certainly not ..." The Prince said " I aspire to be King of your heart. "

" I have swore my life to being a healer, your majesty..."

"I too have sworn my life to my people, but not my heart. Do I have your permission to swear my heart to you, my healer? "

" And what will you do when your duty to your nation and your duty to your love collide, your majesty? Whom will you choose? "

The prince remained silent. After a moment he spoke " I'm afraid, I don't have an answer to your question, at the moment, my healer. "

" Your lack of answer is answer in itself, your majesty. Besides, you should not forget, We are men. "

" You are omega and I am an alpha... an ideal match in the eyes of people"

" You have a duty towards your nation, your majesty...a duty to provide heirs.."

Perawat chuckled " I'm not crown prince. I'm free to choose my lover..."

" You are destined to be King your majesty.."

" You are too far sighted my healer, be my advisor, when I become King." Perawat jested.

Prachaya knitted his eyes " You do not trust me ? "

" I don't know, my healer" Perwat smiled " What I know is that, the healer too needs healing sometimes. I want to be that place of respite for you, my healer. As a friend, comrade, leader or lover...I leave the choice to you ..."

" Your majesty— "

" I can understand and I admire the sense of duty you have towards your people, chief and that only makes me more attracted to you."

" Can you stop telling us teen romance drama and tell us how many times the pheromones and it's effects were mentioned? " The Army chief asked, annoyed.

.....