The First Occurrence

Have you ever come to wonder how the concept of monsters came to be? Who was the first monster? Are monsters real? When I was small, my mother would always tell me the twisted tale of how time began. The method she brought a story to life with, it always left me with a different feeling from my father's way. First, before the story began, my mother would ask me a simple question: "Vivian, my dear, what is your definition of a monster?" This question ran through my veins, and so did its answer. From a young age, it was engrained in my mind that the true answer was 'me'. I was -as a beast in false flesh- cursed, and disgusting. The memories of my mother's verbally abusive words would always follow me. "Deplorable, my dear! Aren't you just a filthy half-put mongrel?" she would coo while her nails drifted through my hair. For many years of my life, my father bent over backwards in vain effort. Despite being a ruler of evil, he set his goal in trying to convince me, his little girl, of the "true" story of monsters. The story I was familiar with would always be too strong, I'm afraid, but the love my father spoke of in comparison to my mother's hatred was an eye-opening lesson. I would never be like my mother.

Thoughts -as the ones running through my mind now- let me recall the story of my parents' former engagement. Now, you see... Long ago, before the concept of time itself, the Supreme Deity created a plain man and a beautiful woman who bore wings like an eagle's, but she was unfaithful to her husband and therefore casted away and replaced. I am the child of that distasteful woman- Lilith- and her affair, Lucifer. Cursed for the sins of my parents, I became like a humanized wolf, a being of "disgrace" as my mother called me before she left. I was only five then, an age that is barely old enough to be influenced by such a thing. My mother had always wanted children, just not myself, and to fulfill her wants, she took to stealing young humans alongside the fae. At one occurrence, she attempted to steal the child of a lowly god, but by the end of her efforts, not only was she without the babe, but her ability of flight. Around this same time, Adam and his newfound wife -Eve- were in labor of their first child; I never did have the chance to meet their one boy. It is a shame what jealousy does to people, isn't it?

It feels as if his brother's murderous stare is holding to me in the night... I awake early from my past memories in sweat. The first notice I take is of the dim room; it is so early that the sun has not risen. My body moved to the window in fright, perhaps from the dream, but perhaps not. I saw a figure jump from here, I'm sure of it. The feeling of cold stone greeted my hands as they cling to the sill. "The stench clinging to him was very unfamiliar," I whispered aloud to myself. Turning to my bed, I begin to feel light-headed, and the walls seem to surround me. In a desperation to steady myself, I cling again to the window and stare into the abyss with a spinning nausea. Cold rain drenched my hair as I feel my memories fleeing from me. "Where am I? Who am I?" I shivered.

Quietly and with caution, I opened the creaking door of the bedroom. A seemingly endless hallway led in long paths to both my right and left side. There were many wolves asleep in the torchlight, but my held breath and tiptoeing didn't seem to disturb them. I released the air in my lungs once I reached the clear of the sleeping beasts, but I was met with a scream. No wolves awoke to the echoed screech in the castle I analyze from my crouched position on the floor. I began to assess the next potential threat, and whatever it was, it seemed to be approaching fast.

"Mommy!" cried a young girl. White hair curved around her tear-stained face, and I knew she couldn't be anywhere near of age. When our eyes met, it was like my world had stopped; the sound of rain became drowned out by the sounds of her bare feet rushing towards me. Emotions enveloped me: pain, adrenaline, worry, and love. My arms were open to her before I could comprehend why I felt this way. Had she called me "mommy"? I couldn't be. Lightning flashed and the child held fast to me. I hated to think what might have happened to her real mommy, and the off chance that she was abandoned. A memory of a woman played in my mind. What if she was abandoned... like me? I brush that mental picture away and smile sweetly towards the child. "What's your name, sweetie?" I asked. The girl looked at me with concern. "Juliet," she answered. Juliet was quiet. "Are you okay? Where are we?" I asked in the same silence. The little girl rubbed her eyes, "We're at daddy's castle, mommy." I nodded hesitantly towards her new name for me and her answer. "Where are we going?" I questioned as Juliet's little hand pulled me into the corridor. "Mommy sounds like she needs to see daddy," mumbled Juliet with worry.

There were many turns and stairs to be traversed before we arrived at the first truly lit room I had seen. As we approached the light leaking from the room, I couldn't help but fearfully anticipate what I might come face to face with. With a struggle, Juliet managed to open the heavy wooden door and run into the arms of a man with a beautiful white hair and two, pointed wolf ears. Juliet whispered to the large man and his animal appendages twitched in response. "Vivian," he called out for me to come closer. I flinched as he was near in an instant with his arms enveloping me in an embrace. "I told you to hide yourself! Don't you know that he'll be here any second?" whispered the large man. My heart pounded alongside the rolling of thunder. "Who's coming?" I ask.