Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The tree branches slapped me as I ran through the thick forest, looking for the path that led to my village. My heart was beating against my chest as I glanced up at the night sky, the sun was setting and it would not be long before the moon was out. I cursed myself for venturing out after my father’s strict warning.

He had told my brother’s and I; my sister was not known for leaving the village. He would have my head if I killed anybody.  I remembered my father’s stories about the old land; rival packs hunted down and killed many of our brothers who had ventured out of their village during the full moon. When my father’s brother was killed our grandfather the tribe’s alpha became overwhelmed with grief and anger, he stormed into a nearby pack’s village and attacked, killing thirty of them before he was slain himself.

My father now the Alpha did not hesitate to leave, he and his most skilled craftsmen constructed a ship which our tribe used to sail with the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes in search of a new land. While the other tribes were waging war on the natives our tribe travelled to the East. The inhabitants of the surrounding areas had not problem accepting us.

My brothers and I were born many years after our settlement; the four of us were now nineteen years. Like the wolves of the wild, our kind gave birth to litters of offspring. My father Godric the brave realized that we were not going to be fully human when my mother involuntarily transformed a month to our birth. If we were to be human then our mother Hilda would have remained human till the day of our birth. My brothers and I were born one day after the other; my sister was born three years after us, she was one of the very rare cases where a wolf gave birth to only one pup. The oldest of us was Edgar, followed by Bryce. I was born on the third day and they named me Cedric. Wilbur was born after me. My father named his daughter Audrey. We were born black haired wolves and only transformed back to human after Wilbur was born.  We inherited our father’s brown hair and our mother’s striking features.

I tripped on a low branch and crashed into the ground. I cursed myself for leaving the village; Anna had insisted that we met that night, completely unaware of my situation. I had met about three months ago during a hunting trip with my brothers. She was picking berries with her friend and had almost gotten in the way of my brother’s arrow.

She was the most beautiful person I had ever met, her hair was a brown waterfall that flowed down to her back and her emerald eyes sparkled in the sunlight. I became smitten the moment I laid eyes on her. She was from a nearby village and I spared no time courting her, our parents had just met each other and we were to be married in the spring.

The hairs at the back of my neck stood up and I knew exactly why. The moon was now overhead and the transformation would soon begin. I got up, only to stop in my tracks as my back arched backwards.

The curse was meant to compel us to transform during the full moon, inflicting excruciating pain to us; it was a curse that dated back before history was recorded. Legend says that the Greek god Zeus turned Lycaon, a disrespectful king, into a wolf to punish him for his wickedness while others say that a witch cursed a tribe of men who had hunted down and killed her pet wolves on a full moon to become wolves themselves. But they were all stories that parents told their children when asked about their origin. Originally, the men would only transform during the full moon, but a pack learnt how to transform painlessly at will and taught it to their sister packs. But this does not stop the full moon transformation nor does it diminish the pain.

I fell on my hands and feet as my bones began to shift. An ear piercing scream escaped from my mouth, echoing through the forest. The bones in my arms and feet cracked and broke, rearranging themselves in a different position.  My face shifted and grey longer, black hair sprouted from my body, tearing and ripping my clothes. My joints were on fire as the transformation ended.

I was now a slave to my instincts, I howled at the moon, hearing the howls of my brothers. I took off into the forest searching for one thing and one thing alone; food. I hated hunting during the full moon because the wolf took over and hunted anything it saw, even humans.

I let our small growls as I ran through the forest, feeling the wind slap my face. My limbs pounded the soft ground, my claws dug into them. I would have to dig the dirt out from under my nails the next day. I let the cool night air fill my lungs as I crossed a small river.

The transformation and lack of control were the only curse as far as I was concerned. As I ran through the forest the only thing I could feel was freedom. I came to a clearing, my enhanced eyesight making it very easy to find the large stag that nibbled on some berries in a nearby bush.

And then the fight began. Every fibre in my body wanted to rip the stag to shreds and feast on its insides. I fought the urge, but all my efforts were futile, I was a slave to my instincts. I crouched in the forest and watched the stag, I was about to pounce when another brown wolf leapt at the stag. Its razor sharp teeth came down into the stag’s neck, killing it instantly.

My dominant side took over and I stepped out of the bushes, growling to get the wolf’s attention. I could tell from its size that it was an ordinary wolf.  I growled and stomped my paw on the ground, asserting my dominance. It growled back and sized up to me. We circled each other for a while, and then it lunged at me, tackling me to the ground. I struggled against it as it bit me repeatedly

I finally twisted and pushed it off my and into a tree. It whimpered as its body struck the hard wood. I lunged at it, burying my teeth into its neck. It struggled but I had pinned it down. With a heavy bite, I snapped its neck.

I dropped its dead husk and moved to the stag’s carcass. I dug my face into it, ripping the raw flesh with my teeth. My urge to vomit was suppressed by my wolf instincts that told me that the carcass tasted delicious. I finished off the carcass and staggered to a nearby tree; the bite wounds were many and would take some time to heal. I laid my head down beside the tree, letting the sounds of the forest swim around my ears. It wasn’t long before I succumbed to unconsciousness, thankful that I did not come across any humans.

 

The next morning I woke up with a sore body. My mouth was covered in animal blood and I smelt awful. I quickly made my way back to the village; thankfully I had not stalked too far from the village. The village was located in a large valley that was surrounded by large trees; a large river snaked around the village and into the vast countryside. I stood upon the large hill that sloped down into the village. At the far side of the village stood the cage, it was a large circular pit where the non-human town’s people went during the full moon to transform without hurting anyone. The cage was fully stocked with several animals that were fed bountifully in preparation for every full moon.

Our house was far into the village near the opposite end of the village. We were heading to harvest season and the villagers were getting ready to harvest the farms that stretched along the rolling hills. The town was practically deserted as I walked through the main gate.

Most of the villagers were in the cage while the rest of them were either manning the cage or in the village going about their daily activities. I quickly snuck through the village, stopping to throw a stone into the large hearth at the centre of the village.

The man that manned out gates was a wolf so he was absent. My father being the alpha was considered the leader of the village meaning that the villagers were under his command. Unlike the primitive wolves back in Germany, members of our pack did not challenge my father for the right to be the alpha so the estate was ours, although I had heard rumours of Orvyn one of the high ranking villagers who was waiting for his chance at leadership.

The estate was made up of a rectangular hall surrounded by other living quarters. The quarters were joined to the main hall by wooden passages. The stables were near the eastern wall; my father had insisted that we all learn horse riding even though any of us could easily outrun the fastest stallion. I quickly disposed my tattered clothes and replaced them with a clean tight fitting tunic, a pair of trousers and soft shoes.

“Good morning master Cedric” One of the cooks greeted as I entered the dining quarters in the main hall. Her name was Moira; we had found her and a group of people wandering the forest on one of our group hunts. We agreed to take them in and in gratitude they decided to serve us, not as slaves but as workers. Any of them could leave the estate at any time of their choosing.

She had set the table and filled it with piles of food; we tend to consume a lot of food.

“Good morning Moira, and what a lovely morning it is” I greeted her with a smile, placing a light peck on her cheek. She giggled and bowed before leaving the dining quarters.  I took a seat and picked up a small loaf of bread.

“My brother is still a man-w***e I see” I heard Edgar’s gruff voice say from the entrance. I turned to the sound of the voice and saw my siblings enter the dining quarters, dressed in clean clothes. Edgar was huge even by wolf standards; he had made his first kill before Wilbur’s birth. He stood tall, an astounding six and a half feet, only an inch shorter than our father. He was the one that guided all of us through all our problems and he was especially protective over Audrey much to her dislike. He was heavily build, his bulging muscles tugged against his tight tunic shirt, his hair was cut short.

“I’m just being nice to them” I protested as they took their seats.

“Maybe a little too nice don't you think” Bryce said with a wink, his face was twisted into a mischievous grin, a grin that has become his signature. He was six feet two inches tall, two inches taller than my six foot frame. He was known to be a troublemaker ever since he let the horses loose when we were four years old. He was slightly less built that Edgar.

“Oh hush Bryce, we all know that Cedric is betrothed” She scolded them. She might have been the youngest but she could still scold any of us. She inherited our mother’s fiery personality and mother-like behaviour. She was quite petite, standing at only five and a half feet, her black hair fell down to her waist.

“Oh yes, like we don't hear enough of that” Wilbur groaned as he bit into his bread. Wilbur was the most curious of all of us, reading anything that he came across, he was the same height as me although my long hair made me seem taller. He was a very calculated individual, pausing to asses every situation at hand even during a heated argument. Audrey shushed him again and turned to me.

“So how is Anna, did your meeting go well” She asked, it was more like a demand. The last time I visited Anna with Audrey she had abducted her and drilled her with numerous questions. It was Audrey who has set up the meeting in the first place.

“I hope you did not have your way with her” Edgar said in a warning tone, having sexual intercourse before marriage was a strict abomination to our kind. Bryce was trying not to laugh and Wilbur only smiled.

“I can certainly assure you; I did not have my way with Anna” Audrey wriggled her nose at the word.

“I would like to have a word with you son” I heard my father’s voice call from outside. I gulped, expecting the worst.

My father stood beside my quarters, his beefy arms folded over his broad shoulders. Edgar had gotten his stature from him. His black eyes spoke before I even got to him.

“I am sorry for leaving the village father, it was foolish of me and I assure you that it will not happen again. Forgive me.” I stated simply, my father did not condone any form of excuses. You simply stated your case and waited for your punishment.

“You disobeyed my instructions son. Two humans were killed last night, do you see what happened when you disobey instructions!” He yelled, I was sure that even the fish deep in the river could hear it.

“Father I swear to you, I did not kill any humans” My father did not look convinced; in fact the statement seemed to make him more angry.

“And how do you expect me to believe you after your behaviour!” I flinched as he spoke; trust was the most important thing in our family. I tried to speak but the words became stuck in my throat. My father sighed.

“You are forbidden from leaving the village until further notice” Was all he said before he walked away.

 

I spent the rest of the day shovelling dung from the stables as part of my punishment. My father finally relieved me of the duty at noon.

“I heard that you killed two humans” Edgar’s voice snapped me out of my exhaustion. My brothers crowded into my quarters, making themselves at home in the neatly arranged room.

“I did not kill any humans” I groaned.

“That is not what the maids are saying” Bryce replied.

“Yes, word is spreading through the village. You are beginning to be known as the out of control prince” Wilbur concluded, not looking up from the leather bounded book that he seemed to be lost in.

“I only killed another wolf for a stag and fell asleep after the meal” I explained. I could see Edgars mind working as he considered what I was saying.

“If it was not you, then we have a rogue wolf on our hands. No normal wolf could shred human skin like that”

“Boys, I need to speak to your brother alone” I heard my mother enter the room. My brother’s bowed and left the room. My mother took a seat beside me, her blond hair was braided and her brown eye’s stared at me with caring and understanding. If nobody believed me, she surely would.

“I did not kill anyone mother”

“I know, unfortunately your father does not agree with me” Her soft but authoritative voice said.

“I will probably never leave the village again”

“Oh don't be silly, I will try to change your father’s mind.” She assured. “Now, let us take our mid off that. How is Anna” She asked, reminding me of what got me into this trouble.

“She is well, her sister has just delivered a baby boy” I remembered the last night, we had walked through the forest talking as we always did. She seemed so eager for spring to come. My mother and I spoke about Anna and I for a while before she left to prepare dinner.

I went back to shovelling dung into the evening, I was lucky to be given a break. Most times punishments lasted for the entire day and sometimes into the night. I was shovelling the last piles of dung when Wilbur burst through the stable doors.

“Cedric come quick, it is Audrey” He called before running out of the stables. My heart almost stopped when I heard that, I dropped the shovel and dashed out of the stables, catching up to Wilbur at the gate.

“What is going on?” I asked, sensing his anxiety. He was pacing around the gate. He was about to answer when our attention to was drawn to the company that was making its way to the gate. I noticed Edgar carrying someone; Bryce was walking beside him, the expression on his face made my heart sink. Curious villagers trailed behind them.

When I saw the person the Edgar was carrying I almost lost consciousness.  Edgar laid Audrey’s limp and lifeless body in the courtyard. She was pale and blood dripped from her mouth.

“No, not my daughter” My mother’s bawling could be heard two towns away as she knelt and cried over her daughter’s dead body. The rest of us attempted to keep our emotions in check, but Wilbur couldn’t keep it up. He knelt beside her and sobbed. I felt like my heart had been ripped out of my chest, Audrey that I had seen just moments before was now lying dead before me. I clenched my fists, my sadness turning to anger. Whoever did this was going to pay.

“What happened” I finally managed to ask.

“I...I don't know. She went out for a horseback ride and we heard screaming. Father rushed out to get her and did not come back. Bryce and I found her body by a river; father is nowhere to be found”

 

We had buried Audrey in the courtyard and some of the villagers came to pay their respects. Audrey was a very friendly girl so she had a lot of friends in the village. Edgar had become the new alpha, and he had sent several search parties into the forest in search of my father, none of them brought back any good news.

My mother was affected the most; she began distancing herself from everyone. Most days she did not leave her quarters. She had made friends with a woman from Anna’s village, I did not know anything about the woman but her presence always gave me a strange feeling. I had been hearing strange noises from her quarters during the woman’s visits.  I had voiced my suspicions to my brother’s but they were still grieving and did not consider it. Whenever I tried to speak to her, she would just keep on rambling about her family’s safety and preserving us.

My suspicions were confirmed a few weeks after the incident. Out of the blue, my mother called my brother’s and I and told us that she was taking us out for a dinner in the woods.

We were missing our mother and jumped at the chance to spend some time with her. She led us to a clearing and laid her basket on the ground.

“Mother, how have you been” Edgar asked as we settled down. Our mother poured us wine; the wine must have been very rich because it was so thick that it could have been blood. She only smiled as she took a sip of her wine.

“I will be fine my son, now drink your wine” We knew better than to argue with her.

I took a sip of the wine, the murky liquid slid down my throat making me shudder. I took another sip and that was when it started. The wine landed in my stomach with a thud, I could see the similar confused expressions on my brothers’ faces.

I coughed, my entire body began shaking. My mother’s friend strolled out of the forest; she was holding a ceramic bowl and was chanting. She wore a tattered red and black robe and her hair was a rat’s nest. Her eyes were lined with black and her lips were black as well. He nails were long and bony as they scraped against the ceramic bowl.

“Mother, what is the meaning of this!” Edgar coughed.

“Shh my son, soon you will have no need to fear death” My mother cooed. Wilbur was the first to go, his body went limp and he lay unmoving in a heap.

“Wilbur!” Bryce chocked as he dragged his body towards Wilbur. Edgar was losing consciousness and I had lost control of my limbs.

My heart was beginning to pound so hard that I my chest almost burst; I could feel the pounding in my head. My throat nasal passages seemed to me closing up and my throat burned.  I suddenly felt exhausted, I could feel my body slowly giving up and the realisation crawled up my spine. I was going to die; my own mother had poisoned me. My body fought against the tiredness, my mind refusing to give up on life. My heart was now racing and all then I felt it stop abruptly. Then it felt like was falling asleep. I felt like I was slipping away from my body then suddenly I was dragged back.

I lunged upwards, cool air rushed into my nostrils making me cough. I could smell everything around me; I looked up and almost had to shield my eyes. Everything was so sharp; I could see the antennae of an insect rise and fall as it crawled through the ground. My mind was confused and I noticed that my brothers had woken up also.

“Mother, what have you done to us” Bryce demanded, Edgar’s head was whipping around, staring at everything.

“I have made you immortal my sons, never again will you fear death” she smiled and then I concluded that my mother had gone insane. I managed to stand and so did my brothers. The other woman was nowhere to be seen.

“What sort of witchcraft is this mother, what do you mean by immortal?” Edgar demanded, he stepped forward but his knees buckled, we rushed to help him up.

 My mother did not answer Edgar’s question instead she stepped aside as the other woman stepped into the clearing.

“You need to complete the transformation” She said, and then I noticed the person. Anna struggled against the woman’s grip; her eyes darted out in fear.  The woman produced a knife and stabbed Anna in the back.

I finally snapped, I rushed to the woman, a little faster than normal and pushed the woman aside. Something was definitely wrong because she flew straight into a tree. I heard the snapping of bones. My mother backed away as I stood. Then a scent hit my nostrils that drove me crazy. Anna was unconscious and bleeding from her shoulder.

My eyes and throat burned and I lost control, I could see that my brothers were behaving in a similar manner to me. My limbs moved without control and within seconds my brothers and I were gathered around Anna. I dug my now sharpened teeth into her arm and began sucking, the sweet taste of her blood making me drink more. After a few sips I jerked away and so did my brothers, and then the real pain began. I clutched my stomach as my insides burned. I could feel my nails growing longer, I was on my hands and feet when I felt my back tear open.

I suddenly felt something grow out of my back, the thing felt light and by the flapping I realised that they were bat-like wings. The pain finally subsided and I came back to my senses. The realisation hit me like a wrecking ball; I knelt over Anna and took her head in my hands.

“Anna my dear, I am sorry” I begged her; I wanted to kill myself for hurting her.

“It is not your fault... you are a victim of witchcraft” She said in a soft pained voice, I could see tears fall down her pale spotless cheeks.

‘I love you Cedric” Those word killed me on the inside, I had killed her and she was still in love with me. Then she glanced dreamily at the sky and was gone.

I cried for a full minute, a minute that my brothers used to complete whatever transformation our mother was referring to. At the thought of her, all my grief turned into rage.

“Enjoy your immortality my sons” He voice made me snap. I whipped around and lunged at her, grabbing her by the neck. She tried to talk but my grip restricted her.

“You, you turned me into a monster.” I squeezed her neck until I heard a snapping sound then dropped her lifeless body in a heap. All emotions that I had for my mother had died with Anna

My brothers now stood beside me as we glanced at our mother’s dead body, I had no doubts that they felt the same way I did.

“What do we do now?” Bryce asked, he was finding it difficult to talk with his extended fangs.

“We flee, don't you hear Orvyn” Wilbur said. Through my new sensitive ears I heard Orvyn leading a hunting group to our location.

“That traitorous dog, I knew he was planning to overthrow us” Edgar said to himself.

“We have to leave, there is nothing here for us” I urged them, walking away from our mother’s body. I took Anna’s body, planning to bury it.

And so we fled deep into the forest, away from everything we had ever known. That was a thousand five hundred years ago

Reviews

[Will Neill]

Michael, Fantasy is not my usual genre to read so I tend to avoid it. However I found your chapter well balanced and very well written. You did repeat the odd word here and there but thats ok, a good proof read will allow you to tighten it up (No one's perfect) I look forward to reading more of your work.
Will.