Chapter 4 — The Man, the Meat, the Monster

Hausten walked through the forest. It was as silent as a graveyard. Though the night made the forest seem mysterious and sinister, he was not afraid. The full moon shone brightly, bathing the forest in its soft light. He saw nothing harmless. All he saw was beauty.

As Hausten walked, the forest seemed to come alive. In the distance, he saw two bright green orbs illuminating the darkness. Fireflies, he thought. They were so captivating that Hausten could not resist going closer to have a better look. It drew him in.

As Hausten drew closer, he noticed a silhouette between the trees. It looked like some kind of animal. This seems familiar, he thought to himself. He cautiously approached the silhouette until he was close enough to take a long, clear look at it.

A few steps away, Hausten came to a halt. He had seen this creature before. The “fireflies” turned out to be the werewolf’s eyes. They were a piercing green that sucked Hausten in. He was transfixed to the core. The fur of this wolf was white, an untainted white.

The wolf stood unmoving, staring at Hausten. Yet, Hausten felt it beckoning to him, drawing him in until he could no longer resist. Suddenly, it howled, resounding and piercing the forest as if bringing it to life. It looked pointedly at Hausten as if expecting a reply.

Multiple howls resounded as if responding to the wolf. Still staring at Hausten, the wolf walked slowly towards him. He tried to walk away but discovered he could not! It seemed his feet were planted firmly on the ground. The monster was fast approaching, but he still couldn’t move. He seemed to have lost control over his body.

The wolf finally got to Hausten. There it stood, tall and majestic. Behind it stood hundreds of its kind, snouts dripping, chests heaving as if waiting for some command. Then they charged forward. At that moment, Hausten felt a hairy paw grab his shoulder, and then.

Splash! Hausten awoke with a start. He got up groggily to the sight of Adolpha holding an empty bucket. She had emptied its contents on Hausten on the bed. “Happy birthday Hausten!” screamed Adolpha, shaking Hausten awake vigorously. Hausten blinked rapidly, trying to focus. “Come on! Get up!”

Hausten slowly awoke, his eyes still a bit blurry. “Hello. 15th birthday today, remember?”

And it clicked to Hausten. “Ugh. I didn’t know it was today.”

“Of course, you didn’t.” Adolpha rolled her eyes. “Come on now. Father says you need to come down. Grenada is waiting.”

Hausten smiled at this. If he were not already awake, Grenada’s name would have done the trick. He smiled ruefully to himself. He was suddenly nervous. Why was she here? What was she doing here this early? He looked around him and hoped she had not followed his sister to his room.

“Get up. There’s no need to go into a trance. She’s downstairs,” Adolpha said, laughing hysterically. Hausten snapped out of his thoughts, scowling at her. Just as he was about to pounce on her, the door opened.

Rue walked in, staring pointedly at them. “What is this? Father sends you to get him; then you waste all morning with him?”

If they didn’t know Rue well, they would think he was stern. He tried hard to keep a straight face, but he could not hold out for long. His face broke into a wild smile before he engulfed Hausten in a bear hug. “And how is my favorite little brother?” Adolpha scowled at this.

Rue retorted, “Maybe if you read fewer books and acknowledged that I am a man, then you would be my favorite sister.”

“And that is why I worry about you, Rue. You have no other siblings besides Hausten and me. Pray tell me who you would make your favorite brother and sister beside us.”

Rue thought for a while, then smiled and said, “Hausten, you are my favorite sibling.” Adolpha huffed.

“Father has been waiting for you. You have guests,” said Rue. Hausten wondered who the guests were. “Come on, Adolpha. Let us leave him to get ready. There is a special someone down there for him.” Hausten’s cheeks burned while Rue and Adolpha sauntered out with a smirk on their faces.

Hausten got up to get ready when he suddenly remembered his dream. Why do I keep dreaming about werewolves? I thought the witch’s potion was supposed to make me feel better, make these dreams stop; why does it seem like it has intensified in recent times? he thought. But he was not going to dwell on it; he also was not going to tell his father. The man worried a lot about his children.

He took his time to get ready. He wanted to impress Grenada. It was his 15th birthday, after all. He had to look his best. A while after, he strolled out to meet his father. Upon sighting him, Alarick boomed, “Oh, how wonderful of you to join us, son. Your humble servants have been awaiting your arrival.” Hausten heard Adolpha snicker, while Rue had a rueful smile.

Hausten looked around and saw Grenada smiling softly. He could feel his heart pounding. “I did not know I took so much time. I was looking for what to wear,” Hausten said as he smiled sheepishly. Alarick glanced briefly at Grenada, who had her head down, with her hair covering her face.

“Of course. You have to look your best. I understand, son,” he said with mirthful laughter.

Hausten moved towards Grenada, and they chatted away, with the men stealing glances at the two. Alarick and his two sons later joined them, and they all conversed. They wished Hausten a happy birthday while Rue and Adolpha continued throwing jabs at him. This went on until Alarick told them to let him be.

The small gathering continued until it got dark. Grenada announced her leave, with Hausten escorting her. Alarick and the boys bade her goodnight and retired for the night. And Hausten got back with thoughts of Grenada on his mind as he drifted to sleep.

The next morning, after discussing the new hunting routes with Dez Alec, Alarick decided that it was time for Hausten to finally learn how to hunt. He got home and found his son still sleeping. This did not come as a surprise because Rue, in his mischievous man-making move, had subjected Hausten to a lot of drinking the previous night.

Alarick went to his son’s room and shook the boy awake. “Come, son. Let’s go hunting.” Hausten got up, sleep still in his eyes. “Alright, father. I will be outside waiting.” Hausten got ready as his father left the room.

Hausten and Alarick went deep into the forest. “Show me what you can do, son,” Alarick said with a glint in his eyes.

Hausten looked at his father with a matching glint in his eyes, “I just might surprise you.”

Game on, Hausten thought.

At that moment, a deer passed by. They crouched down and approached it slowly. Hausten knew his father was a better hunter, so he tried to outwit him. He inched towards the deer slowly, pretending like he was not ready to pounce. Alarick smiled inwardly, aware of what his son was up to.

They moved towards the deer slowly. Hausten still kept up with his plan, believing he was fooling his father. They were close to the deer when a twig snapped, the sound piercing through the quiet of the forest and startling the deer. They looked at each other when Hausten realized he stepped on a twig.

They saw that the deer was about to flee when Alarick leaped out, barely missing by an inch. The deer ran for its dear life, with Alarick chasing behind with immense speed. Hausten watched his father with admiration. He noticed the way his father ran gracefully and impeccably. He hoped to be like that in the nearest future. If only half as good as his father.

He knew chasing after the deer was useless. Alarick was hot on his heels, determined to win over his son. He chuckled to himself. He should never have spurred his father on. Alarick may have initiated the challenge, but Hausten knew he was no match for him. He decided to wait and watch out for another game.

Hausten waited a while when he saw another deer approaching. He looked around for his father but saw no sign of him. “That deer must be a handful to deal with,” he chuckled to himself. This was his moment. He would take this deer down and rub it in his father’s face. He could not miss this.

He crouched low and approached slowly. He took pointers from his father. He moved very stealthily. Silently praising his moves, he prepared to shoot. He got into position and pulled slowly. Unknown to him, a wolf hid, biding its time to attack the deer as well. Just as he was about to shoot, the wolf leaped out, startling the deer and Hausten.

The deer did not get too far before the wolf pounced on it. The sight of the wolf triggered Hausten. It looked familiar. He racked his brain until he knew exactly what he was trying to remember. His memory instantly went back to his dreams. The wolf looked a bit like the one a few yards away. Big body, majestic build, and eyes, a piercing green just like his. So, this is what his father and siblings were talking about.

It didn’t matter. He lost earlier. He would not lose again, certainly not to one wolf plaguing his dreams. Hausten decided to fight the wolf. He saw how huge the wolf was, but that did not discourage him. He remembered the wolf-fighting lessons Alarick had put him through. It did not matter that this was a real-life werewolf, and he most likely stood no chance, but he launched in any way. That was Hausten, impulsive as she was sweet. He took his gun and pointed at the deer and fired. He missed.

Stunned, the wolf let go of the deer that wasted no time running for its dear life. The wolf regained itself and stared at Hausten. He held his breath and didn’t move an inch, as if doing so would make him invisible from the glare of the wolf. The wolf just stared at Hausten, and for a moment, he thought it would not do anything.

Suddenly, the wolf charged at him. Momentarily blinded by panic, Hausten found himself rooted to the spot. He did not know what to do. He thought of scrambling away to safety. But then, he remembered his father and siblings and everything they taught him. He knew that running was the coward’s way out. So, he willed himself stronger as the wolf charged towards him.

Advancing in full speed, the wolf hurled at Hausten. Hausten stood his ground and prepared for battle. From a distance, Alarick saw his son about to battle a wolf. Rather than run, the foolish boy stood his ground, unmoving. Alarick panicked. They had taken his wife. Now they wanted to take his son. No! Not this time. I won’t let you, he thought.

Alarick hurried to the place. He knew every second was vital. He would not lose his wife and son again. As the wolf was about to attack Hausten, Alarick panicked and lunged at the wolf. Snarling, he bared his fangs to the beast. The wolf stared at the both of them as if trying to figure something out. It came closer, but Alarick hissed at it again. The wolf growled at Alarick, looked at Hausten one more time, and raced through the forest.

“Hausten, what were you thinking? You could have seriously gotten hurt or worse.” Alarick shuddered, thinking about what could have happened.

“I am sorry, father. I don’t know. I just had this urge to stay and fight. I don’t want to run away again when things get tough. I want to be like you and Rue and Rudolf. Strong and unafraid. I am sorry, father. I just wanted to be like you.”

Alarick looked at his son with love in his eyes and pulled him closer gently. He remembered the pretty baby he was and smiled to himself. He wished Serah was here to see this wonderful boy and witness the joy he brought to their lives. He loved Hausten so much that it hurt.

He looked Hausten in the eye and said, “Son, that you see me fighting does not mean I am not afraid of anything. The same goes for your siblings. Everyone is afraid of something. I am afraid of losing you. And I am not invincible. Anything can happen to me. I’ll tell you about your mother all the time. She was just like me, just like us. Yet, she’s gone.”

“I know you want to be the best version of yourself. But please, there is such a thing as being careless. A warrior knows how to pick his battles. You are strong. But that does not mean you are untouchable. I am not saying you should be a coward and run at the slightest inconvenience. In fact, I am very proud of you for that. But there is no shame in asking for help. I never want to lose you. Do you understand?”

“Yes, father. I won’t get you worried like this again. I am sorry.”

“It is alright, son. I love you. Never forget that.”

“I love you too, father.” Father and son hugged each other. They held each other tightly for a while before separating. “Let’s go home.”

Gonzalo and his council were having a meeting to discuss the vampires. They heard a knock, and the guards let in Vance. He walked in and took a seat. The hall was silent. Vance let out a shaky breath calming himself. At that moment, Gonzalo knew that something was troubling him. “You called us here for a reason. Speak Vance. Let it out.” Then Vance bared his mind to them.

“This is tiring. These vampires won’t let us be. We go somewhere; they are there. We go somewhere else; they are there as well. We cannot move freely again. The other day, Reese and I went hunting. We ventured far into the forest until we got to a point where we could not go further. Those bloodsuckers marked their territory. They were hunting there.”

“We tried to go deeper, but those things snarled at us. Can you imagine, Alpha? Us! I can’t believe this! Who do they think they are? To claim hunting grounds as if it is theirs?” Gonzalo tried to interrupt, but Vance cut him short.

“No.”

“Alpha! That is not all! It gets worse!” The council of elders looked at each other uneasily as Vance interrupted Alpha Gonzalo.

“We went to another part of the forest, just to avoid trouble. We did not want to create problems or give those filthy creatures a reason to attack. So, we moved. We believed the hunting grounds there would cause no problem. To our greatest surprise, those creatures were there too.”

“I mean, how hard can it be to be considerate? How can they take over every hunting ground as if they own it? They need to hunt, but so do we as well. They don’t see us taking over every hunting ground. If they want to hunt, they should do it and leave. And not spread their lecherous selves everywhere. Is this some sort of show of power or what?”

Gonzalo opened his mouth to speak, but Vance interrupted him again. “No, Alpha,”

Gonzalo was slowly losing his patience with Vance.

Gonzalo calmed himself down and let it slide, seeing as Vance was so upset. The councilmen were getting uncomfortable as they knew Alpha Gonzalo was getting upset. They tried to give Vance a signal to calm down and stop interrupting, but it was to no avail. Vance was in his own world of frustration.

“Alpha, we need to do something and fast. If not, who knows what they will do next? They may come and overtake our lands and make us prisoners in our own land. How are we supposed to hunt when they take over every hunting ground? What are we supposed to do? We have families to take care of. Our warriors need to eat to be able to defend the pack. Things can’t go on like this. We need to act fast.” Vance concluded, his chest heaving with frustration.

Gonzalo was silent for a while before he spoke. “Vance, I understand your frustration, but you will do well to understand that you are talking to your Alpha.” Vance’s eyes went wide. He had not realized his tone and manner were a bit disrespectful to the Alpha. And he knew that an Alpha does not like to be challenged. An alpha wolf is very proud, and the slightest threat perceived would make it snap.

“I am sorry, Alpha,” Vance hung his head in submission. “It is fine. Just don’t do that again.” The council shifted uncomfortably in their seats. “What these people are doing is not right. I understand that we have some scores to settle, but this is too far. Overtaking hunting grounds? That is pushing it too far. I don’t know what will make them back off. Any ideas? These people are on our necks. We need to stop them before they swallow us whole.” “Alpha, I think we should just let it be. They are waxing stronger. We can use other hunting grounds,” Boris said.

“Did you not listen to Vance? They are taking over every hunting ground. Do we just let them have it all? And what happens when they take over the hunting grounds left? Do we die of hunger? Something drastic has to be done, and it must happen now,” Lowell thundered. He was the youngest out of the councilmen and had a thirst for bloodshed.

“Let us remain calm. We need to think straight,” Ralph advised calmly to diffuse the situation. “I think we may just have to take matters into our hands and fight for our lands. I see no other option. The way I see it, they are taunting us, thinking we can do nothing.”

“We may just have to go to war to reclaim our lands,” Gonzalo said after thinking deeply.

“No, Alpha. We do not have the manpower for another war. We do not have enough warriors or enough food to keep them healthy. The last war took a toll on us. The last thing we need is another war,” Ralph advised.

“So, what do we do?” Lowell asked.

Gastos, who had not said a word throughout the meeting, spoke up. “We need to tread carefully. Diplomacy is the best option here. I think we should sit with them and discuss things over.”

“Let them know that we are not planning to go to war. We cannot survive another war,” Ralph said pointedly to Lowell.

Gastos continued, “We need to meet with them so we can have common ground. This way, they won’t see us as a threat.” They were all silent, pondering on Gastos’ words.

After some time, Gonzalo spoke up. “I think this is the next best course of action.” They were in unison with this.

“In the meantime, we need to avoid problems. They might be trying to lure us into a trap. Let us hunt within the grounds close to us. That way, we can keep an eye on everyone in case something goes wrong,” Ralph added. They saw sense in Ralph’s words and agreed. It was a safe option as anyone hunting would still be close to the pack.

They decided to set the day for the meeting. After different opinions, they agreed to set the meeting after the next full moon. When they reached their agreement, they bowed in greeting to the Alpha and filed out of the hall.

Alarick and Hausten walked back home after the incident in the forest. Alarick left to meet with the council to discuss the incident while Hausten went home alone. Alarick sat with the council with Dez Alec in motion.

“I have never been more terrified in my life. It was nothing like I had ever seen before. That mutt looked at my boy like it knew him from somewhere. I was not close to him at the time. All that was on my mind was that it should not take my boy like they did my Serah.”

Alarick narrated his tale with a faraway look in his eyes. Dez Alec could see how affected he was by the ordeal. He knew Serah’s death still shook him to the core. He vowed that he would never let Serah’s death slide.

“Those mutts think we have forgotten! Never! Let them think whatever they want. They will pay with everything they have. I swear to you, Alarick, they will pay!” Dez Alec seethed in his mind.

“I never want to experience that again. But I can’t forget the sight of my son, with squared shoulders, ready to face that bloody mutt. I couldn’t be any prouder, but it was the worst moment of my life. He stood tall and proud, ready to fight for that deer as his life depended on it. At that moment, I knew I had done well with my little boy. There he was, without fear in the world,” Alarick recounted.

“You mean to tell me that Hausten stood in the face of that useless mutt? No fear whatsoever?” Raul asked.

“I don’t think I have ever been that brave in my younger years,” Alarick answered. “Wonderful!” Councilman Darren exclaimed.

Cassius would not be left out of the praise session. “He is one strong young man, facing a beast like that. An exceptional warrior in the making.” They all hummed in unison. Each council member had something to say about Hausten. Knowing his history and watching his growth, they all agreed that he would be a great addition to the pack.

Dez Alex spoke up, “I have always known that Hausten would be a good kid. And this story we have heard today only solidifies the fact. To face that mutt like a true warrior, as one of us at only 15, takes guts. And Hausten proved to be one of us. Don’t you think so, Alarick?”

“He is truly my son. He is one of us,” Alarick answered.

Dez Alec continued, “I have given this so much thought, Alarick. Don’t you think it is time to turn Hausten? Isn’t it time for him to truly be one of us? For him to fully unlock his potential as one of us?”

The councilmen agreed with Dez Alec. There was no point for Hausten to continue being human when he could be better as a vampire. It would be best to turn him now to unlock his super abilities as a vampire.

While the council was in agreement, Alarick had something to say. He had nothing against turning Hausten into a vampire. He just felt Hausten was not yet of age. “Of course, I want to turn my son. I want him to be one of us in every way. But I like to turn when they are up to 18. That is my only rule for turning. But, for Hausten, I will make an exception. He is growing up way too fast anyway. And he acts mostly on impulse: a good example, today’s ordeal. Rather than wait till he is 18, I will turn him when he is 16. I think that is better before he lands himself in trouble.”

The council pondered over this and thought it a good idea. They asked him when Hausten would turn 16. “He will be 16 after the next full moon. Not so long now,” Alarick answered. This answer pacified Dez Alec and the council. They all agreed to wait until the next full moon to turn Hausten into one of them. After discussing a few other things, Alarick paid his respects to the Dez Alec and council and took his leave.

Later that night, Hausten and Grenada took a walk where he recounted his forest ordeal to Grenada. “It was as if it wasn’t me. At first, I was afraid. But the thought of my father and siblings gave me immense strength. It was like I was possessed by something. I was so ready to tackle that mutt. But my father came right on time. Who knows? That wolf could have throttled me,” Hausten smiled sheepishly.

“No. Don’t talk like that. I know you. You have strength and courage like no other I have seen. Do not doubt yourself. You give yourself less credit than you deserve. You are amazing; you know that?” Grenada said with stars in her eyes. She saw nothing but Hausten and believed he was the next best thing to blood.

Hausten could not help but believe Grenada. If she thought him to be the best, then who was he to change that? He would be the best version of himself for Grenada if she wanted.