On the Pursuit of Power

Dayton kills his brothers, Aurelius and Magnus Lee

When Lillian stopped moving, Dayton closed her eyes. He looked up from her corpse, and his eyes fell upon her mirror on her dresser. His face was no longer of a boy, his youthful face, gone. Instead, replaced by with perfect round black hollow holes where his eyes used to be, his teeth, jagged and sharp. He looked at his nails, black, reminding him of the evil he just committed.

His appearance did not frighten, and he smiled to himself. He was a monster. In his mind, monster does not mean the same thing as it does in your world. It was a trophy of the new strength he believed he gained.

Lillian death was soon discovered. Dayton had thrown her body into the street as a warning to everyone, and it was reported to the Emperor. His grief turned to fury when he learned that his daughter's own murderer was her very own brother. Dayton was declared an enemy of the state. He knew his Father would chase after him. That is what he wanted. Now his siblings would come to him, and he could remain safely out of Tricia.

Internationally, the news of such atrocity rocked the world. Tongues around the world wagged that it could be the end of the Wolf Emperor reign. He had been the Wolf Emperor for well over 300 years. Dayton action was a direct attack to Emperor's power. Dayton was challenging the Emperor throne.

The Emperor oldest son, Hannibal Aurelius volunteered to bring Dayton to the Emperor and avenge his little sister, Lillian. Dayton had announced that he would wait for his opponent in the Grey Stone Valley.

Aurelius was 100 years old and second in line for the throne. He decided to go alone. Hannibal Aurelius was not afraid of Dayton. He was only thirteen years old and although Aurelius did not know Dayton had given up his heart. Dayton was still far too inexperienced and weak compared to Aurelius.

Dayton had run away to a rocky, mountainous region, The Rocky Plains in the North. Dayton hid in the mountains, sneaking into the village for food and water. He wore a thick black coat with a hood to hide his bright brown eyes and tattoos on his right arm.

In the Wolf Empire, Families tattooed their family symbol on the right arms of each member. It is usually large and visible for the world to see. To prevent alarm and to remain hidden, Dayton avoided crowds, hiding in the shadows listening to the people as they discussed the news. There, Dayton learned that his brother, Aurelius was searching for him.

Dayton decided he should meet him instead. Aurelius was a formidable opponent. He was strong, stronger than most wolves. The Wolves called him "The Crusher" because he enjoyed crushing the heads of his enemies under his boot. The crushing was usually the result of a long, torturous ordeal that Aurelius would initiate after he won a battle.

He could not do this to wolves because they would regrow their heads, instead what he would do to a wolf that displeased him is tie them to a large beam and set fire under their feet. He would leave them to burn for days, at one time, even months.

The poor victim cannot die but could feel every burn. As the fire died, his flesh would regrow and heal, only to have it re-burned and charred once again.

No doubt, Aurelius would do this to him should he lose against him. His father would probably leave him to burn for years before he forgave him or worse, throw his heart to the flames.

The only advantaged Dayton had was to pick the location that he would fight his brother. Therefore, Dayton paid a messenger to send notice to Aurelius that he would be in the narrow passageway called "Devil's Path."

Devil's Path was a narrow and rocky passageway between two large mountains. It was nicknamed the Devil's path because large rocks often rolled and sometimes crushed the travelers below.

Local legend stated that demons ran rampant in that area, and every now and then, they throw large rocks on travelers for fun. Before travelers entered the passageway, they wrote small prayers on sheets on papers and stuck them on the rocks. They prayed for protection as they crossed the Devil's Path. While the messenger went to find Prince Hannibal Aurelius, Dayton waited patiently for his brother.

And so it happened, after three days, Aurelius, son of Hannibal arrived at Devil's Pass around noon. It was a raining day with loud clapping thunder and bright lightening that lit the sky.

Dayton stood in front of his brother. In the rain and the flashes of thunder, he stood before his brother like a dark, short shadow, his light brown eyes glittering in the rain.

"Brother!" Aurelius yelled in the rain, "I come to offer you a deal as ordered by the Emperor, our father!"

Dayton remained silent.

"The Emperor says to surrender yourself to him. You will be imprisoned for the rest of your days, but you will live. Should you disagree and continue to challenge the Emperor's power, you will face death." Aurelius called.

"Will my death be at your hands?" Dayton asked.

"I pray that it is. I pray that you continue to fight so I may tear you limb by limb and burn the pieces in a pit of fire for all time," Aurelius replied. "Perhaps feed you as repast to the dogs. I have not decided yet."

Dayton stared at his brother. He was over 100 years old, 120 to be exact, but he did not look a day older than 23. He has broad shoulders, and his face was lined with arrogance and pride. A common look among the wolves.

Dayton needed to be cautious, if he pushed Aurelius too far, he might lose his life. Aurelius took off his coat and dropped it on the ground. "So brother, what do you chose?" His eyes were round, perfect black circle and his grin stretched literally from ear to ear while jagged teeth poked out of his mouth.

"I chose to fight." Dayton replied.

"Good choice." Aurelius said before he grabbed Dayton's throat and threw him to the ground. The key to surviving a battle with Aurelius was to stay away from Aurelius, and already he had failed.

As Dayton crashed to the ground, his brother his foot and smashed it against Dayton's chest. The little boy gritted his teeth in pain as his chest echoed the sounds of his ribs cracking.

His brother would break his limbs and tie them in different directions so he would not heal correctly. Afterwards, he would drag his body through the dirt all the way to Tricia before the entire wolves and Emperor.

Aurelius pressed his foot harder against his chest, so hard that Dayton believed that his foot would go through his chest.

He reached in his pocket and pulled out the dagger Neisse gave him and struck it in his leg. Taken by surprise, Aurelius face soften, and he removed his leg from on top of Dayton's chest. A burning sensation ran up his leg, and Aurelius looked at his wound. He never felt a wound that burned before.

Dayton rolled over and slowly got on his two feet. He coughed, and blood poured from his mouth. The rain washed his blood into a pinkish puddle. This was no time for him to wallow in his wounds. Once on his feet, he began to run. If he was going to survive today, he needed to avoid Aurelius’s.

Aurelius followed Dayton, walking calmly as Dayton attempted to escape. In the rain, Aurelius paid little attention to the ground until he realized he tripped over a wire. Immediately the mountainsides rumbled, and large, thick rocks rolled to the bottom. Aurelius escaped a few rocks, but large ones fell on Aurelius pinning him to the ground.

Dayton stopped running. He turned and stared grimly at the piles of rocks before him. The pile rumbled, and rocks rolled over as Aurelius attempted to remove himself from the pile, but his leg was pinned under the largest rock.

He groaned in pain. His leg pinned under the rock was the same one stabbed by Dayton.

The silver cut in Aurelius burned, and the pain was unbearable. He was confused at how such a small wound could affect him so. Aurelius sat up and tried to roll the rock off his leg. All the while, Dayton pulled out the dagger once more and walked to his brother.

"Dear brother," Dayton said, "in respect to you, your death will be swift, and I will remove the rock off your leg so that no one can say you died in dishonor."

Dayton pulled Aurelius head back and swiftly slit his throat. He dropped his brother body and stared at his brother. The key to surviving a battle with Aurelius was to keep him away from him. Dayton plan was executed perfectly, and he won. He decided against removing the rock. Rather he was going to leave his brother in his embarrassing position. An extraordinary general crushed under a rock with his throat slit like an animal. It would strike fear in the empire and create a name for himself.

Before leaving, Dayton stood in the rain and stared at his brother corpse. His chest was empty, but his mind was full, he had no regrets. He left his brother for the wolves to find. He decided to return to his hideout, but his wounds were not allowing him. He dragged his tired and beat body through the mud and rain until he found a small opening in the side of the mountain.

Dayton lay on the cave floor, tired and wet. The dirt underneath him felt gritty, but it felt better than the mud outside in the rain. Due to his young age, he could not heal as quickly as his siblings could. He groaned softly as his ribs took shape and his chest rose as each rib restored itself.

The world admired the ability to heal quickly, but it remains a painful process. As he becomes more experienced, the pain will no longer be an issue. In the meantime, He gritted his teeth as his body restored to its former state. Soon after, he fell asleep, content that he was closer to his goal.

He had rid of two of his obstacles. He has seven left.

It was not long until Aurelius body was discovered. Within a week, a prince and a princess had been killed. It spread fear throughout the Wolf Empire. Wolves are supposed to be safe as long as their hearts remained with the Goddess. What weapon does Dayton posses that he could defeat a heartless wolf? The Wolves demanded that their Emperor commit to action and do something about Dayton.

The ongoing scandal with Princess Constance and her ever-expanding belly and Dayton's threat to his throne, the Emperor was losing grip on his empire.

The Wolves were beginning to question if Emperor Andrew enough to the empire. The Emperor was losing support but mostly importantly respect. The Emperor realized that it was probably unwise to wait for Constance to change her mind. So he announced to the wolves that in three days time, Constance must rid of the child or it would be done forcefully. The emperor had hope that Constance would change her mind in the next three days and return to society.

Constance had different plans. On the second night, guards awake the emperor and the entire palace. Constance had fled from the tower. The Emperor was outrage. He and his men chased Constance, but Constance left the Wolf capital. The princess had escaped the Capital. The emperor and his men now had to search for the Princess.

The Emperor son, Hannibal Magnus Lee, decided to bring his brother, Dayton back to the Empire and before the king. As soon as it was that Magnus would be the sent after Dayton. Dayton sent him a message informing him of his whereabouts. He was in the Primos Valley in the east.

Primos Valley was a lush, hilly green grove. In this valley, rests small villages, free from any kingdoms rule. These villages were filled with small merchants and farmers but mostly mountain sheep herders. Every morning, the herders took their sheep to gaze and water. It was a quiet village but unaccepting to Dayton. Even he arrived, while he was still on the path to Primos Valley, the villagers met Dayton halfway and demanded that he turn around. They feared the Wolves and knew of his misdeeds. Should he rest here, the wolves would come to their village and devour them whole.

"Son of Hannibal, you cannot rest here," said one of the Village elders, an old man leaning on a stick.

"Old Man, do not tell me what I can or cannot do," Dayton replied as he continued to walk. He did not glance at them. Instead, he continued to walk straight ahead on the grassy path. The crowd broke into two sections as he walked between the crowds. They were too frightened to touch him. Wolves feasted on the hearts of their enemies, even worse should a wolf bite an unfortunate soul. They would be reduced to madness and die a foggy painful death.

The old man slammed his walking stick against the grass, "Son of Hannibal! You may not enter the Primos valley!"

The villagers quickly return to their villages and shut the gates, yelling, "Hannibal is at the gates! Hannibal is upon us!"

The villages shut their gates, hoping that the thick wood walls would be enough to keep the young boy at bay. Dayton reached one of the gates of the villages. He stood at the gate, staring at the thick wood beam. Inside the village, the villagers huddled quietly together hoping that he would their village. From inside, the gates of the village shook and crack. They heard growls and the sharp crack of broken wood. Dayton had broken through the walls.

When the gates crashed to the floor, Dayton continued to walk through the village. He walked silently with a solemn face, without a single glance at any of the screaming villagers. He walked through several villages, breaking gates but leaving the people unharmed.

Dayton rest stop was not the villages. He was going to wait for his brother, Magnus Lee at the Primos Dam. The Primos Dam was the only reason that people could inhabit the valley. It kept millions of gallons of water from sweeping the entire valley clean of its inhabitants.

When Dayton reached the foot of the massive dam, He took a long rope and tied it around a tree and around his waist. He sat down with his legs crossed. He was waiting patiently for Magnus.

The people of the valley noticed that Dayton had set camp by the dam. That was enough to strike fear in the hearts. Many did not want to wait for Dayton plan to come to fruition. Within hours, homes stood empty.

Dayton remained by the dam. No one came to him, and he did not speak to anyone. When night fell, so did the temperature. Dayton lit a small fire, but it did little to warm him.  He undressed himself, folding his clothes neatly and nicely. He changed into a wolf and huddle closer to himself to keep warm. For many days, he remained by the dam, waiting patiently for his brother.

Finally, one bright morning, commotion broke out between the remaining the villagers. "Hannibal is at the gates! Hannibal is at the gates! The Wolves are upon us! The Wolves are here!"

Prince Hannibal Magnus Lee had arrived to confront Dayton. At the time, he was 90 years old, but like all wolves, he did not look a day older than 24. He was a large, muscular man with a thick grey hammer with a long handle that could break down walls. His size was daunting. He was over 6 feet tall with large, powerful arms. Magnus could easily break the bones of any common man.

Dayton was only 5'3 tall, and although he was in better shape compared with many thirteen year old. He was nothing compared to Magnus. He looked like a twig or a grass compared to Magnus. Like Aurelius, it was imperative that Magnus never touched him.

Dayton healed slower then Magnus, much slower. Magnus could break every limb and even curl him into a ball. It would take a few days to recover from potential wounds he might gain from a fight with Magnus. By that time, He would be brought before the Emperor.

Dayton stood before the Dam and faced his brother.

"Hello Brother," Dayton said.

"Dayton, return to Tricia and face the Emperor. Should you disagree, I will break your bones and drag you back to the Empire," Magnus said. He had a booming voice that echoed throughout the valley. He swung his hammer in the air.

Magnus hammer was Magnus final terrifying detail. A single hit of that hammer could crush a man's head like a watermelon. In addition to that, when Magnus swung his hammer, it could travel in the air at nearly 40 miles per hour.

"So what is it?" asked Magnus asked once more.

Dayton stood firm. Magnus accepted Dayton quiet defiance as a response. He charged at Dayton swinging his hammer with full strength. Dayton move out of the hammer crushing blow, but the hammer nicked his ear. The force was enough to knock Dayton to the ground. He was grabbed his bloody ear. He cursed under his breath. Before he could look at his bloody hand, Magnus struck once more.

This was not the time to fail, but there was little Dayton can do against Magnus. All he could realistically do is run away from Magnus. As he ducked every swing, Magnus noticed the grey rope tied around Dayton's waist.

"Why is there a rope tied around your waist?" Magnus asked.

Dayton touched the rope, "I am not going to Tricia, not until the Empire is mine. This rope is to make sure of it."

Magnus smiled arrogantly. "I doubt a rope is enough to stop me from taking you back to Tricia."

Magnus charged at Dayton once more but Dayton avoided the swings repeatedly and stood by the dam's wall. Magnus threw his hammer hoping to hit Dayton. Dayton ducked instead. Magnus hammer stuck the dam's wall. For a quick second, both Magnus and Dayton froze in place as a small crack erupted into a million smaller cracks. The crème colored wall resembled a shattered mirror. Once the final crack ripped through the wall, the dam burst into a mighty flood.

The powerful waves of water hit the valley like a giant punch to the land. It swept both brothers, but Dayton did not go far. The rope around his waist kept his safe from being flung around and lost in the waves.

It only took minutes for the waters to sweep through the valley and flush below into the villages. When the rush of water died, Dayton got to his feet. The water was about ankle high. He untied the rope around his waist and walk through the debris searching for his brother.

He found his brother lay upon rocks and pieces of woods. His eyes were closed, and his hammer lay beside him. The crunching sound of debris under Dayton's wet boot woke up the injured wolf. Magnus's leg was broken, and it dangled unnaturally over the rock. As soon as Magnus was conscious, his leg began to heal. Dayton picked up Magnus hammer and smashed it against his knee and part of his shins.

His brother gritted his teeth in pain, refusing to cry out lest he looked like a coward. His pain ended swiftly however, when Dayton took out his silver dagger and ended his brother life.

And so Dayton's plan came to fruition. He managed to get his brother to break the dam providing the advantage he needed to rid of his brother.

He left his brother-wet corpse behind and walked to the flood areas. He swam through the waters until he was found by a rescue boat. The workers did not recognize him until after they pulled him onto the boat. Out of terror, the workers did not speak a word to the boy and neither did the survivors.

At the end of the day, the workers dropped off the survivors at the safe center. Dayton left, and no one stopped him. Everyone knew he was responsible for the Dam breaking, but even the authorities were too frightened to stop him. He simply left the center, quietly and calmly. His face stared straight ahead and he paid no attention to the injured.

The next day, the rescue workers found Prince Magnus Lee's body floating on the waters. Such discovery rocked the entire world. All over the news outlets and newspapers, the picture of Magnus and crushed for the world to see.

For the world, to see wolves killed like normal human beings at their own hands was shocking. To the world, the wolves were normal organic creatures like the rest of the Perfects. Perhaps, they could be taken on, and the ironclad ring of fear began to lessen. Perhaps the world could stand up to the Wolves.

For the wolves, the image of Prince Magnus Lee was one of terror. The Wolves believed they were above the rest of the world. The photos of Magnus Lee were too human for the Wolves. It was too real of a reminder of what the wolves refused to admit about themselves. They were humans and no great length to remove that part of themselves can ever erase that.

In the empire, small revolts erupted as Perfects under the Trician rule. Outside Countries began to send aid and soldiers to help the dissenters. All the while, Constance remained missing. Unrest brewed in the Wolf Empire. Many wolves stop supporting the Emperor and shifted their support to Dayton instead. The Wolf Empire was on the brink of a civil war.

And so it happened that Dayton killed his brother, Prince Magnus Lee.

May reign supreme, Amen.

 

Author's Note

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