LEGACY OF THE FIRST WOLF

Werewolves

I jumped back. And shook myself hard, not sure where that came from. I turned to the stone again. It was old and beautiful and haunting, but it was everything I had been looking for. I came to Caelmont to follow the lead. The myth and existence of wolf humans and their origin and ending. And it looked like I just stumbled right into it. And maybe something more.

The something more made me question how safe I was. But I was already moving before I could second guess myself for the third time.

Following the cobble stone, I walked further only to come upon another wall of fog.

“This is messed up.” I shivered and eyed the fog but I only just got the first glimpse that proved that at a time, werewolves had once been real? I have to be dead to not push through.

Nothing weird happened this time. I walked right through and came upon a clearing. My heart stopped.

Nothing prepared me for this. Not the runes, not the maps, the crests, nor the symbols I have seen, collected, studied and searched for all over the country and over the years. No, nothing prepared me for the city that stood before me. Stoned buildings that towered above, with arched windows, wrapped in silence and glow. This was a settlement, a kingdom carved in stone and kept through time. This was a whole civilisation. This was what the fog was protecting.

There was no electricity here, not a single one. But as I took a step, something lit up. It looked like a lantern seated quietly at the window of the building. I took another step, and another lantern lit up, feeling the place with a glow that made my skin tingle. I stilled myself, unable to speak even for the camera. It was magnificent. That’s till two men appeared in front of me. I stilled. Panic returning.

“Aren’t you a little late?” One asked. They were dressed in suits and had guns attached to their hips. They looked ripped and f*****g scary. And I was sure they could hurt me more than those wolves in the woods. But I had seen movement around the woods, that was what brought me here. Were they people I had seen or wolves? Whatever the case was, I was here and so were the two men in front of me, which meant one thing. People knew about this place. People who knew the folklores were true. People who were not just curious, people who knew their way through the fog.

“I overslept.” I smiled sheepishly and one grunted.

“Go on in, before you miss everything.” They parted for me and I walked past them, warily. The more I walked, the more the lanterns lit up, making me realized that there were more men stationed in the stone buildings and on the streets. There were over fifty of them. And something instantly told me to keep my weapon hidden and make sure no one knew I was with a camera. So, I kept quiet, taking in the sight more hurriedly than I would like.

The more I walked, the tighter the security, till I arrived at the centre of the city. A large wolf statue sitting on its hind leg stood there. And it was beautiful, I wanted to remain there for as long as I could. But I couldn’t. That energy was beginning to hum again.

I walked. Following the lines of the guards until I arrived at a large gate. It was thick and high. Impossible to look at up close. Vines trailed the gate in intricate plaits, almost like nature was doing its own bid to shield it from eyes. More guards stood here, but I could hear voices inside. A celebration was taking place. I wasn’t the only there, so I walked through. And gasped at the sight of people.

Over two hundred people were there. Some dancing, some drinking, some cheering, some watching. Most men with their shirt off. Most women, with barely anything on as they danced in a way that made my head spin. Some stood, some sat, some ate, some watched, fully clothed. Music played. Drums. The kind I have never head and they danced to this music like it was engraved in their souls. Their movement, not like any humans I have seen. More like animals dancing around each other, yet, it was exotic, a little erotic, too energetic and I could not tear my eyes away.

It pulled me, left finger trails around my skin. Blood was pumping too fast in my veins again, I could feel it, hear it against my ears. The cells in my body came alive, my skin burned, my chest burned. The sound became too loud. Their scents and sweats too much. It became too hot, but I kept going deeper, passing through bodies, pushing through people, deeper and deeper, to the people that danced, to the people seated, through the people standing. I couldn’t stop, I could hear their heartbeats, feel their breaths, hear their voices all in one. Almost like I was in a trance, almost like I couldn’t hold myself back. The pull was a living, breathing thing and it was strong. Something was waiting for me and I had to see.

The drums suddenly stopped, halting me. Snapping me back to the present, to the people, to the place.

The dancers stopped. But suddenly howls ripped out of their throats. And around me, everyone joined in like they were wolves, animals deep down in their souls. I froze.

My mind clearer than it had ever been before. This wasn’t a guess, it was a knowing deep down in my bones.

This is where the wolves ruled, where the alphas speak, where the bonds deepen and the bloodline echoed back. The werewolves never vanished. And I, a human was standing in the midst of them.

Then it became silent. Too silent and I realized in front of me was a flight of steps that led to the entrance of an enormous castle. It was too beautiful to behold, too mighty to be looked upon, yet something about it hummed, like the energy in the air. Veiny roots took hold of every inch and part of it, wrapping the large place in a time that was long gone, yet preserving it enough for a time that was to come.

There were people seated at the top of the stairs. They rose, lifting their glass in the air and everyone else did.

“To the unification and the end of the war.” Someone said. And three men rose to their feet. My heart skipped, and that hum returned. But this time, it was no longer against my skin. I could feel it within my skin. Travelling through my veins, heating up my organs, right there in my heart. The hum sang, a song I knew, a song that had my chest rising and falling too deeply.

I stared, unable to look away. I stared, entranced by the song of fate. I stared as the three of them raised their glass. Dressed in black suit, each of different build, height and seize, yet their auras remained stifling. They were handsome. No, that word was belittling, too benign to describe what they were. They looked like the perfect temptation, the devil’s own gift to mankind. They were sin in the form of men and they were…

MINE

I jumped back. What was wrong with me?

Everyone echoed back the words they said, pulling me out of my head, but it still wasn’t enough to quench the hum echoing loudly in response to my heartbeat. I should leave.

My legs moved with my thoughts, my back turned to them, I was ready to disappear. But the crowd turned frantic and the drums resumed. But the sounds, people, faces faded. Shut off by something deeper, something stronger. It snagged me up with giant claws. Their claim permeated the air. I spun around, heart frantic and met those three eyes.

Something took hold of my heart. I felt it clutch tight. I heard the growls from their throats, the growls that no one else seems to hear. And I felt my heart respond. It grew hot. It grew hot. So hot. I wanted to tear my clothes off. I wanted to tear my skin off. I wanted to scream. To shout like them. To growl like them. To roll in the dirt. To be claimed, owned and completely theirs. Body, mind and soul.

No

I ran.