MARK OF THE FORSAKEN

Liana had always felt alone in the forest. The tall trees and quiet shadows were her only companions, and she had grown used to the silence. But even in her solitude, she sometimes heard snippets of news from the outside world. Today was one of those rare days when the forest carried whispers, and what she overheard made her pause.

It began with voices. She heard people drifting through the trees, their talks were faint but clear enough to make out bits and pieces of their conversation. They were travelers, a group passing through the forest, probably heading toward the next village. She moved carefully, staying hidden behind the trees, her ears sharp and her heart beating a little faster.

"... Alpha cursed… pack is suffering…"

Liana caught the word "curse" which was one she knew all too well. Whenever word like curse is mentioned, its attributed to fear and suspicion, and she had always been at the center of those whispers. She wanted to avoid eavesdropping, but the word "curse" pushed her to listen. Maybe it was curiosity or maybe a strange sense that this rumor might somehow connect to her.

As she edged closer, she could hear more.

"They say the Alpha's pack is falling apart," one voice said, sounding worried.

"Aye," another replied. "Ever since that strange illness spread, they say no one's been safe. Wolves are weak, some barely able to shift."

Liana's fingers tightened against the rough bark of the tree. A cursed Alpha? An illness spreading through a pack? She hadn't heard anything like this before. Her Initial thought was to ignore them and just mind her business, but the more she tried to ignore them, the more the words seemed to re-ignite her memory with her mark, filling her with a sense of unease.

"Do you think it's true?" asked another voice, softer and more fearful. "They say it's because of The Mark."

Liana whispered within herself "The Mark" She instinctively looked down at her arm, tracing the dark, swirling pattern etched into her skin since birth. It was a mark she had come to resent that had separated her from everyone she loved. It felt like a curse, but she would never understood why people feared it so much. Could it be related to what was happening to this Alpha and his pack?

"Some say it's an ancient curse," one of the travelers continued, his voice carrying a note of fear. "A mark passed down through bloodlines, bringing misfortune to those who bear it."

Liana took a deep breath, feeling curious with the whispers and afraid. She knew she was marked, but she didn't know the full story behind it. Her parents had been secretive about it, and there was no one left to ask after her exile. But now, hearing about a cursed Alpha and his suffering pack, she couldn't help but wonder if there was a connection.

The travelers moved on, their voices fading as they continued their journey, leaving Liana alone with her thoughts. She leaned against the tree, her heart was heavy. The forest felt different today, it felt darker as if the shadows themselves held secrets she couldn't see.

Why was this happening now? After years of isolation, why were these rumors reaching her now? The mark on her arm seemed to tingle as if reacting to her thoughts. She rubbed it absentmindedly, her mind filled with questions.

Liana stood there for a long time, lost in her thoughts. She remembered the way people had looked at her with fear and suspicion in their eyes. And now, hearing about a cursed Alpha, she couldn't shake the feeling that this was somehow connected to her.

Liana began walking again after she had stood there lost in thought, she just kept moving deeper into the forest. She kept moving even when she didn't know where she was going, only that she needed to move, and do something.

While walking, memories of her old life continued to surface. She remembered her father telling stories to her, different tales of the pack's history, of ancient battles and powerful wolves who had protected their own. One story, in particular, came to mind, a story about a curse.

She remembered her father sitting by the fire telling her a story. It was a story about a time when the pack faced terrible dangers and he spoke of a wolf who made a great sacrifice to save the pack, a wolf who had been marked by the gods themselves. Her father had said that this mark was both a blessing and a curse, a symbol of power that could bring either salvation or ruin to the pack.

She sat and thought about the story seriously and it all made sense more. She had always felt different among her pack like she didn't belong, like she carried something dark within her. And now, hearing about a cursed Alpha and a suffering pack, she couldn't ignore the possibility that her exile had been more than just fear. Maybe the elders had known that her mark held a power they didn't understand, a power that could bring harm to others.

Could it be that her mark was the same? That she, like the wolf in her father's story, carried a power that was both dangerous and valuable? It was a frightening thought, yet it filled her with a strange sense of purpose. If her mark truly held such power, then maybe it wasn't something to fear. Maybe, just maybe, it was something she could use to help others.

Her mind wouldn't rest after hearing the traveling villagers whisper about the cursed Alpha and the rumors of The Mark. It felt as if something was pulling her, connecting her own life to the mystery surrounding the pack.

Liana sat on a rock by the edge of a small stream, she tried to clear her mind, but thoughts about the curse, The Mark, her exile, and how were they all connected. For as long as she could remember, she had been told her mark was dangerous, that it brought misfortune. But no one had ever explained why. She had grown up in fear, yet without answers. And now, with whispers of a cursed Alpha and a suffering pack, she couldn't help but wonder if her past held secrets she had yet to uncover.

Liana's fingers traced the mark on her arm, feeling the rough lines beneath her skin. Could it really be that this mark held some power? That it was connected to a curse that could affect an entire pack? It seemed impossible, yet she couldn't ignore the possibility. The men in her village had spoken of a curse, and now, years later, she was hearing whispers of a cursed Alpha.

But how could she find them? She was alone in the forest, far from anyone who might know the truth. And even if she found someone who understood, would they be willing to tell her? Or would they, like the people from her village, treat her as something dangerous, something to be feared?

All she wanted was to understand, to know why she had been marked, why her life had been shaped by something she didn't even understand.

Liana stood and thought about getting answers to her millions of questions in her thought and that she couldn't stay in the forest forever, hiding from the world. If her mark was connected to the curse affecting the pack, then she needed to find out why. And maybe, in course of getting the answers, she could find a way to free herself from the chains of her past.