They all regarded him, their eyes watchful at first, then it changed to amazement. Jack Axgorn was the first to speak.
“Well, well well,” he beamed, clapping his hands. “What do we have here folks? It’s the banished wolf!” He yelled.
Some of the men let out a wolf howl, the women screamed, while others were silent, their eyes keen on Victor. Some of the werewolves ran to Victor, howling and screaming at him. With burning rage, he snarled at some, grunted at others and howled back at the rest. They bounded away, came back, half snarled and half roared at him, and bounded away. It was as if they were taunting him.
Victor felt the supernatural energy of the wolf strength ebbing away from his body gradually. He began to pace around, heaving heavily. He was impatient to get back to his human form. He needed to get a lot of something off his chest.
His former pack members all interestingly watched him. After a while, except for a few tattered pieces of cloth which managed to cling to his body while he had turned wolf, he stood before his former pack members, naked as he was born. He regarded them for a long moment, then his eyes rested on his former Alpha, Jack. Old Jack still looked good. He thought. His former Alpha, though still looked older, was leaner and athletic.
“Been a while,” he grunted. “What the hell are y’all doing in this territory of the woods? You should be in Raven Hills. What are you doing here?”
Jack spread out his hands. “We should be asking you that Vincent,”
Victor winced. He hated it when they called him by his birth name.
“You banished me from this pack, in Raven Hills, remember?” He snarled. “And I moved on with my fucking life. I came into this town for respite and peace of mind. You guys shouldn’t be here.” he grunted.
“You don’t have any right to say that.” someone growled, stepping out of the shadows.
Victor knew that voice. He jerked his head around. He saw Helldog step out of the lines of trees. He was dressed in black jacket, pants and boots. His skull-like face was hard and expressionless. The two men regarded each other.
“Helldog!” Victor grunted.
“Vincent!” Helldog said in his guttural voice. He grinned, but it was a wicked one. “What are you doing here, boy? You should be miles away from here. You are trespassing, boy.”
Victor scoffed, and folded his arms across his massive chest. His dark eyes looked like chips of ice.
“I’m not trespassing! You lots are,” He pointed his thumb at Jack. “You banished me. And for that I put a lot, lot of miles between me and Raven Hills. This is not your territory. Your territory is at Raven Hills. We all here know that! I should say the only reason why you stand a chance of staying here is because there’s no werewolf packs in these parts. I’ve been living in Fur Rivers for a while now and I know what I’m saying. This is a virgin land. Anyone can claim it.” He paused, letting that fact sink into their heads, then he went on. “Question is, what brought you guys all the way from Raven Hills to Fur Rivers?”
“War!” Jack said simply. “We are going to war with the humans in Fur Rivers,”
Victor narrowed his eyes as a realization hit him.
“So you are the one behind all the attacks?”
Jack nodded his head.
“So for once the rumors are true? There’s actually going to be a war,” Victor concluded.
“Yes! It’s imminent. It’s now or never.” Jack returned.
“What’s the problem, Victor?” Helldog jeered. “Don’t tell me you're scared of war, boy?”
Victor scoffed.
“Why should I be scared of anything? It’s not my war. It’s all yours, brother. You deal with it as you like.”
“It’s all ours, including you, Vincent,” Helldog said fiercely. “Ain’t that right Alpha?” He asked, looking at Jack, when nodded, he went on. “You see it’s ours. including you boy.”
“Since you are here, and since you are just like us. Then it’s best if you join us.” Jack said.
Victor shook his head.
“No! This has nothing to do with me. I don’t know the purpose of this war and I don’t care to know.” he seethed out.
“You should care, Vincent,” Jack replied. “We are taking back our lands.” He said evenly.
“Our lands?” Victor said bewildered.
“Yes, our lands. The town, the woods, every part of it,” Jack replied, and he went on to tell him the story of how their grandfathers, mothers, parents, brothers and sisters had been massacred when they were still little. When he was done, there was a terrifying look on his face. “We’ve waited too long, Vincent. It’s now or never.”
Victor was dumbfounded.
“But I didn’t know about all these?” He pointed out. “Why am I just knowing all these after twenty three years of my life?”
“You were too young then to know anything, then Vincent. Only a few of us here knew our left from right when those bastards came,” Jack returned. “The Fur Elders wiped out our families. They led the folks into our lands and killed them all. Wonder why the town was named Fur Rivers?” His eyes were blazing with fury now. “According to the story that was going around, when all the massacre had stopped. They looked around them and found furs all over the place. That fur is our skin. Some of our people had tried to change to werewolves during the attack. But they were too late. Those bastards killed them all. The furs were so much that the only way to dispose of them all was to toss them into the river. And that’s how the name of the town came up. Fur Rivers!” he paused and went on. “Now, that you are here, Victor. You are part of this war.”
Victor, despite himself, was confused. There were so many things he didn’t know. So many things he needed to know. What did his parents look like? Does he have a sister or a brother? How old was he when the Fur Elders had led the attack on their families and wiped them all out? He needed time to think about all these.
“What say you, boy?” Helldog said, injecting into his thoughts.
Victor heaved heavily.
“I still need to think about all these,” he said evenly.
“Think?” Helldog yelled, abashed. “These bastards killed our kinds………your kind.” His bony face looked like bleached bones in the flame of the campfire. “Those bastards killed Conan. Bill Castle killed Magnum before I ripped him out. Blew Magnum brains all over the place. And you stand there, and say you’ve to think before you can fight for your people?”
Victor was mad with rage.
“Fight! For which people? You banished me!” He snarled. “You……banished….me.”
“Yes, for screwing around with the Alpha’s Luna.” Helldog fired back at him.
A deafening silence erupted in the camp. No one said anything. They were all looking at Victor’s face. He opened his mouth to say something, thought better of it and closed his mouth. He would always be guilty. He would always be. He would never be free from his past. So why bother saying anything. One way or the other, men like Helldog would always remind him of his guilty pasts. So why say anything?
“Vincent, forget what Helldog said.” Jack said calmly. “Helldog please apologize.” the voice was hard and even.
Helldog screwed up his face. It was evident he didn’t like this. He drew in a long, slow breath.
“I take my words back, brother. I was only spurred by the moment.” he grunted. There was no contrition in his voice Victor didn’t even say anything. He stared into the burning campfire, his dark eyes, empty and expressionless. He had come this far, all in the name of running from his pasts and now his pasts yet again, in an inexplicable way, had caught up with him.
“Vincent! You are joining this war. This is a war for you and your brethren.” Jack continued.
Victor lifted his eyes from the fire. He looked around the campfire, his eyes roving at the men and women. Then, he began to talk slowly, but with steel in his voice.
“You banished me! I’m not part of your pack. I’m a lone wolf now. And I can do as I desire. No one owns me.” His voice was bellicose.
“Don’t be stupid,” Jack spat out. “We need this war. We need it to clean off everyone who had a part in the death of our families. Those Fur Elders and that bastard Ivar needs to die”
Victor stiffened. A cold fear poked at him under his heart.
“Ivar?” He croaked. “Ivar is in Fur Rivers?” His voice sounded bad.
“Hell yes!” Helldog said. “That bastard killed Conan. I’m gonna kill him. Oh God! I’m gonna so fucking kill him.” he said through locked teeth.
Victor was stunned. Ivar killed Conan. That only means what thing. Cold fear ran up his spine as the whole thing dawned on him. It can’t be! It just can’t be.
“Ivar!” He began. “Is he Caesar?” I mean are they the same person?” His throat felt very dry.
“Yes he’s the one. Ivar is Caesar’s second name,” Jack replied. “I didn’t know until much later when we left Raven Hills and came to down here. One day, we were all in the woods hunting when we saw Caesar. We believed he was also hunting too. Anyways he saw us. I recognized him instantly. Though I was just a young boy when I saw him for the first time. But I could never forget that face. The face of that kid who had stabbed my sister mercilessly in the gut as a sort of sport. From where I was hiding, I saw his father came to him and speaking into his ears. Using my wolf senses, I heard him calling him by the name Ivar. That how I knew his name was Ivar. His father told him to stop. But Ivar did not listen. He continued stabbing her with the rest of the men who had come for our families, standing around and looking at him horrified. I couldn’t take any more. I ran off into the woods with the rest of you. I knew he would grow up to be a evil werewolf hunter. I could sense the hungry evil in him. That was why I warned you all to stay clear from any town that bears the name Ivar. The day he saw me in the woods, he would have loved to fight and kill some of us. Both he was outnumbered. He was smart. So he didn’t do anything rash. I told him we were taking back our land. I told him to go back to the Fur Elders and deliver my message. That’s why we spared him. Ofcourse, I warned you all about how dangerous and cruel he his. But this is our rightful lands. Ivar or no Ivar we are getting it back.” he finished.
Victor cursed under his breath.
“Do y’all know I fought with this bastard? I fought with this Ivar or Caesar or whatever he calls himself?”
The faces of everyone in the camp changed to wide shock, their eyes bulging out. Some of the pack members began to murmur.
“Horseshit!” Helldog snarled. “Conan tried it and paid with his life. Who did fuck are you, boy?”
Victor pointed his thumb at him.
“I was Delta before, remember? This position that you are now, was mine. Never compare me to Conan.” he said evenly. And he went on to give them a blow by blow account of Marianna, Selena, everything that happened in the church. When he was done, there was the expression of surprise, awe, praise and respect on their faces. Even Jack Axgorn was impressed.
“Vincent! for you to fight with Caesar, without knowing he’s Ivar, I must commend you. That was a mighty fine thing you did.” And he came around in half circe, so that he bypassed the campfire and came to where Victor stood. He held him by his arms.
“I’m proud of you. We need a man like you. Let me make you an offer. We want you back in this pack,” And he paused and faced the whole gathering. “Brothers and sisters, I’ve got an announcement. If Vincent agrees to join us I would make him the alpha of this pack.”
The whole camp erupted into a pandemonium. Some were murmuring, others whispering and the rest were shouting. But none of them could voice their opinions.
“What?” Helldog shrilled. His face was twisted with hatred and anger. “Leader! You can’t do this!”
Jack Axgorn ignored Helldog. He was smiling at Victor magnanimously.
Victor's mouth gaped open but he did not say anything.
“Yes, you will be the Alpha,” Jack continued. “I’m getting old and weak, Victor. You’re strong, agile and fast. We need men like you. You will make a great leader.”He paused and when my on. “You can also have my bride. My beautiful Luna” and he stretched out his hands And that was when Victor saw her. His worst nightmare.
Out of the stiffening shadows, a girl stepped out. She was around the age of twenty one or thereabout. She wore a black sweatshirt, black jacket, tight fitting pants and boots. Her hair was jet black and streaked with silver, parted in the center, a thin white line, as exact as if it had been drawn with a sharp edged tool and a ruler in marble. Her eyes were big, very blue, and glittering. Her skin was like an alabaster and her mouth wide and scarlet. Her chest was flat but what she lacked for chest she made for hips and legs. Her hips were well shaped, her thighs thick and her legs were long and straight. She was lean, beautiful and wicked-looking.
Victor stared at her. He looked like a stunned rabbit.
She was watching him, her icy blue eyes, mean, hard and unfeeling. She didn’t say anything. She just stood there like a statue, looking vacantly at him. It was as if he wasn’t there.
Safiya! He thought. This was the girl. The girl that had made him be banished. The girl who had used her wiles on him. He had thought she had fallen in love with him. He never knew he was just a play thing to her. A toy. She had seduced him and used him after he had made love to her. When she got tired of him, she lied to Jack. Saying it was he who seduced her and had forced himself on her. For that he had been banished. And now, he has been offered this same woman? Christ! Isn’t this whole thing enough for one day?
Jack, seeing the conflicting emotions on his face, grinned and flicked his finger at the girl.
“Go!” And he watched her as she turned away, waving her hips at them deliberately as she walked off into the darkness. He turned to Victor “Your doom huh?” He chuckled, when an evil glint jumped into Victor’s eyes. “Don’t worry. You can do with Safiya as you please when you become an Alpha.” there was a lascivious look in his eyes now and it sickened Victor.
The whole thing sickened him. The revelation about the massacre of their families and finding out Caesar was Ivar all made him sick. And now seeing Safiya, his worst nightmare, even made him sicker.
He turned and began to walk away.
“Where the hell are you going?” Jack yelled, startled. “Look at this oaf! Don’t you want power?” He jeered.
“I want power! But not your own,” Victor fired back. “And leave the folks of Fur Rivers alone. Stay out of that town. Some of the people there are innocent.”
“Innocent?” Jack yelled incredulous. “They raped our mothers and deflowered our sisters. You dare say innocent? You prodigal bastard! I offer you what many want and you dare throw it back at me! You fucking oaf!” His mouth squeezed into a thin, miserable line “There’s gonna be war. Tonight! We hunt!!”
A loud scream of howl and roar and laughter erupted among the pack. Above the roar, Victor’s voice rang out.
“Just stay out of the town,” he retorted, finding his way back to the cabin hut in the stiffening darkness. “Stay out of it! He yelled. Then he heard the voice of Helldog.
“We’ll rip that town out! It’s the night of the full moon, boy! There’s gonna be blood!” Helldog screamed and another whopping roar erupted.
They are just kidding! Victor thought as he shambled up the slope, where he had descended from. They can’t do anything tonight. They just want to scare me.
He never knew how wrong he was.