by Joe Fowler
“As much as I hated watching that fight, I have to say that Seth is still a little ahead of Josh. I don’t think any other creature wants to fight either of them though.” Alicia said.
“Alicia, Josh, and Walt are the only ones to see the whole fight and survive. I saw it all but I’m already dead. Since two of them are giving the nod to Seth, I will agree with them, although I really saw it more as an equal fight. What Josh hasn’t shared is that he broke Seth’s neck kind of early on and went after the witch. If he had wanted to kill Seth, he had his chance then.” Austin gave more information than I wanted known.
“What stopped you from getting to the witch then?” Seth asked.
“You did. I barely turned around before I heard your neck pop back into place and you were getting to your feet. Two seconds at most and a broken neck was good as new. That was discouraging to say the least.” I said with a smile.
Everyone laughed and traded stories and questions. Luckily Cynthia wasn’t long with the burgers and Seth and I got more food in us. We couldn’t get enough to eat. Once the burgers were gone, Alicia and the girls cooked some pork chops, mashed potatoes, and biscuits. I believe I could have stayed up all night just eating. Seth seemed to be the same way. We knew we were still expected in court the next morning or we might have tried.
“That was the hardest thing I ever had to watch. My husband fighting against the man I consider my father. Let’s hope nothing like that ever happens again.” Alicia told me as she got into bed.
“It took the threat of Lucifer to make us willing to fight each other in the first place. I don’t see it happening again.” I kissed her gently and we settled in for the night.
I barely got my eyes closed before I started snoring. At least that’s what Alicia told me the next morning.
Chapter 18
After the fight, court seemed anticlimactic. It was my day on the stand but I really wasn’t concerned any longer. My job was easy. Tell the truth the way I knew it to be. How bad could it get?
The courtroom was even more packed today than usual. I guess everyone wanted to hear my testimony. Once more I wished this was all over and we could get on with our lives. Hopefully, it would be soon.
“Mr. Thorne, you are one of the heroes of the war, are you not?” My lawyer began.
“People have called me that.” I answered.
“No one can doubt your courage shown against the vampires. Why do you think these three have accused you of murder? It seems they would know the rules of the werewolves. Why would they charge you with murder if your actions were justified?”
“It was really stupid of them to accuse me. I’m sure they hoped to cause me enough trouble that I would be detained, allowing them to escape. The funny thing is that we didn’t know these three survived. They could have run and none of us would know they even existed. We didn’t see them when they ran from the fight. They would have lived.” I began to explain. I knew I was about to step into sensitive territory but we planned on how the next few questions would be done.
“You say they would have lived. Please tell us what you mean by that.”
“These three are rogue wolves. Just like the others of their pack, these three must be put down. They will bite others and spread this curse. It is the responsibility of alphas, like Seth and myself, to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
“You are telling us in this courtroom that you, or someone like you, will need to kill them. That seems very harsh to us humans. Please explain further why it is so important for rogues to be put down.” My lawyer continued the prepared questions.
“As everyone has heard from the other alphas called to testify, rogues are a blight on humanity and werewolves alike. They play off of intimidation mostly, although they are more than willing to fight and kill when they have the opportunity. No human is safe around them. As with this pack, they like to turn as many humans as they dare. The larger the pack, the stronger they believe themselves to be. As far as these three are concerned, their pack is dead but all they need to rebuild it is some humans. It doesn’t matter how good the human is before he is bitten, he will be as bad as the rest once he has turned.”
“So killing rogues saves humans from turning bad. Is there anything being done in Washington to regulate rogues? We have the vampire laws in effect. Will there be werewolf regulations as well?”
“The President is already planning a meeting to do that very thing. Seth and I, assuming that I am found innocent, will be at the meeting advising the President.”
“Now to the night in question. You are being accused of blatantly attacking and killing an alpha werewolf without trying to reason with him or give him a chance to explain his side. Is this true?”
“Yes. There wasn’t any need for discussion. All the information I needed was right there when I pulled into the yard. I could smell the aggression coming from the rogue pack. They were reveling in it. Most of them were already in wolf form. Those that were turned stood in aggressive postures. The ones still in human form were laughing and enjoying the trouble they were causing.”
“You say you could smell the aggression. Seth said basically the same thing. Will you please explain?”
“A werewolf’s senses are heightened to an incredible degree. We can smell emotions. Our senses tell us things that would go unnoticed by a human.” I explained.
“So you readily admit to killing Tim Robbins. Everyone knows you killed thousands of vampires during the war. Do you consider this situation to be similar in nature?”
“They are very similar. Vampires were killing by feeding off the blood of humans. Rogues feed off of fear and adrenaline. They can be as dangerous if not more dangerous to humans than vampires.”
“If you were put in this situation again, would you kill this alpha as you did before? Or, would you try to reason with him?”
“I would do the same thing. You can’t reason with a rogue. The only thing I would do different is make sure the three accusers died as well.”
“No further questions.” My lawyer took a seat.
“We will have a fifteen minute recess before cross-examination.” The judge banged his gavel lightly. I stood and walked to my normal spot beside my lawyer.
“Well? Was that what you needed?” I asked.
“That was perfect.” My lawyer assured me. “Remember, they are going to try and appeal to human rights. They will say everyone deserves the right to live and things like that. Are you prepared to answer those?” Mr. Smith asked knowing we had spent some time going over it.
“Yes, I believe so.” I saw Alicia and Seth approaching. Alicia had a bag of steak biscuits from Hardee’s in her hand. I was reaching for one as she got near to me. “You are the most beautiful woman, but those biscuits are looking awfully good too.”
“Yeah, yeah.” She smiled and handed me one.
“Why all the food? You were eating when you came in this morning too.” My lawyer asked as I took off the wrapper.
“We told you we had a huge problem we were dealing with that was much more important than this trial. Yesterday was the big day. To make a long story short, I had to fight for hours and needed to heal some very serious wounds. Repeatedly. That kind of thing takes a huge toll on us and food helps us recover.” I didn’t want to explain. I wanted to eat.
I ate three biscuits and Seth ate two by the time everyone resumed their seats. I wanted more. It felt like I would never be full again. I didn’t want to get back on the stand but I knew there was no avoiding it.
“Mr. Thorne, you readily admit to killing Tim Robbins as well as other wolves in his pack. How is this not murder?”
“It is no more of a murder than the vampires I killed during the war. I killed someone who posed a huge threat to humanity.”
“The rest of your pack wasn’t brought in on charges because they must follow their alpha’s lead. The sole blame for this man’s death is on you. What right do you have to decide who lives and who dies?” The D.A. asked.
“What if your decision to kill someone is wrong and you find out they were innocent?” The D.A. asked. I wasn’t expecting this question.
“I would not attack someone unless I knew they were guilty. This alpha had clearly shown he was rogue in nature. That is why I didn’t hesitate.”
“We have prisons and courtrooms like this one to decide who is guilty and who is not. Do you consider yourself above the law?”
“If I did, I wouldn’t have allowed myself to be arrested and I wouldn’t be sitting here now. For more centuries than you can count, werewolves have done exactly as I did that night. We face the dangers that humans can’t. We fight the enemies that refuse to accept the human laws. This alpha would never sit through a trial. He would not have allowed himself to be arrested. He would have killed every cop or soldier who attacked him until Seth, another alpha, or myself was brought in to handle him. I saved you the trouble and the funerals that Tim Robbins would have caused.”
There were some scattered applause from our packs. The judge called for order and warned against such outburst.
“So can you kill any werewolf and say he was rogue as your explanation?” The D.A. asked after a moment to let the room settle down.
“If you knew anything about werewolves, you would know how horrible that question is. The wolf spirit that fills us is as noble as it gets. We do not attack the innocent. We do not prey on the weak. We do nothing that you would consider cold blooded. If we kill someone, there is a damn good reason for it.” I took a breath. “One of the discussions we will be having with the President is to set up procedures for dealing with rogues. This kind of thing with wrongful accusations will be one of the key points.”
“So you yourself will be helping set up laws to make sure someone accused of being a rogue will have a chance to prove their innocence?”
“Yes. Seth and I, among others will be telling the council what to watch for to know which wolves are rogue and which ones are not.”
“So you will help insure that no one is falsely accused. That’s good. Who gave Tim Robbins the chance to prove his innocence?”
“He had already proven his guilt. No one knows who is rogue and who is not, better than Seth. You have already heard Seth proclaim Tim Robbins as rogue. We both knew it and discussed it on the way to the house where our own packs were being harassed.”
“Was it his guilt or your own anger? Could your pregnant wife have mistakenly thought she was in danger?”
“Alicia may seem tiny and weak to you. Just so you know, Alicia is seventy-six years old and has been through things that would make you curl up in a ball and cry. She wasn’t panicking when she called me. She was angry at what the rogue pack was doing. There were over twenty werewolves inside that house, not just my pregnant wife. They all saw what was happening. They all knew the forty or so wolves outside were rogue. You were the one cross-examining them. Weren’t you listening?”
“One last question, Mr. Thorne. Do you feel any remorse over killing Tim Robbins?” The D.A. asked.
“I feel remorse that I had to kill him. I do not regret doing so. I am sorry that he turned rogue when he was turned. One or two out of a hundred happens that way. If the wolf that turned him had done his job, Tim Robbins would have died right after he was turned.” I answered as calmly as I could.
“No further questions.” The D.A. sat down.
“We will reconvene on Monday for closing statements.” The judge let us go for the weekend. I went right for the bag of biscuits.
Chapter 19
Seth and I finished recovering over the weekend. Saturday was a celebration of sorts. We made a show of Walt coming home from the hospital. He had been shot through the shoulder and while they kept him for observation, he was never critical.
“So now that you’re back and going to be okay, we need to know who is gonna be the one to bite you. Have you made your decision about which pack you want to join?” Seth asked while we were sitting on the porch.
“Well, I was having a hard time deciding between the two packs. I like you both equally. Then the clear answer of what I should do hit me. I am going to flip a coin.” Walt smiled when everyone started cheering.
“That’s the fairest way.” Jimmy said as he dug in his pocket for a quarter. Once he found one, he handed the coin to Walt saying, “Feel free to use it to decide which animal to become too. We all want to know.”
“That decision can wait.” Walt held the coin for a moment before he smiled and said, “Heads, I’m with Seth’s pack. Tails, I’m with Josh’s.”
Everyone watched in rapt attention as the coin spun in the air. It landed on tails. There were both cheers and boos. I couldn’t help but smile at how everyone was accepting Walt and making him feel so wanted.
“Ready to get bit?” I asked teasingly.
“How bad will it hurt?” He asked with wide eyes.
“It’s awful. You might even wish for another bullet.” Sarah teased.
“It hurts like hell for days and days.” Jimmy added.
“Alright y’all, don’t scare him too bad. It isn’t that bad, Walt.” I said as I stood up from my chair.
He was almost shaking with fear. I stood behind him and partially changed enough for the bite to turn him. He winced and cried out when my teeth sank in to his good shoulder, the other was still wrapped up from being shot. There were more cheers when it was done.
“Welcome to the pack.” I told him as I sat back down and drank some beer to get the taste of blood out of my mouth.
“How long before the full moon?” Walt asked us.
“About three weeks. The bite mark and your bullet wound will be gone in a day or so. Like most things, it varies between wolves.”
“Everyone’s been telling me about how different it is for each person turned. I just have to decide which animal to change into now.” Walt was then assaulted with more than a dozen suggestions. I heard elephant, tiger, lion, giraffe(Jimmy of course), polar bear, and even one shout for a skunk.
“A skunk? Really? Wow, a were-skunk spray would be pretty bad.” Jimmy was laughing at the thought. Then added another equally bad one. “Could you be a bipolar bear?”
We all had a good time drinking and teasing Walt. He did really well when the time came. I still remember him fainting when Gabriel brought him to my house on that first day. One question that he hadn’t been asked yet was voiced.
“You got to see the whole fight between Josh and Seth. We have gotten answers from Alicia, Josh, and Austin. Who do you think won the fight?” Cynthia asked.
“Well, the first hour was a draw. Then after the witch stopped Seth from biting, Josh broke Seth’s neck and I saw things turning in his favor briefly before Seth asserted his strength advantage more during the second hour. The third hour was Seth until right at the end. Truthfully, Seth looked ready to beat Josh at the end until Josh made that final move. So overall, I would call them mostly even with maybe a slight edge to Seth.”
“Finally, someone tells me about how long we fought. That has been my biggest question. Alicia said it seemed to take forever but couldn’t give times. Austin says he can’t judge time very well anymore as a ghost. Josh was in the fight and I know how hard it is to judge time in that situation. Now I have an idea.” Seth said with satisfaction.
“Yep, it was about three and a half hours, as near as I can figure it. I am usually good at keeping time.” Walt stated.
I remember the exhaustion and the wonder of the fight. I wouldn’t have thought a fight of that intensity could last so long.
“The fight in Paris lasted much longer but you weren’t having to heal from any wounds. I guess Brazil was the same.” Austin was saying. “I suppose it’s a lot different when you are fighting someone who is your equal.�
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“The fighting in Paris can’t compare. That was more like exercise. The healing is why Seth and I are so exhausted.” I wondered if there was a way to make them understand better. “I guess you could say—”
I lost my train of thought when my mother’s ghost appeared.
“What’s wrong?” Alicia sat up worried.
“Hi Mom.” I said as an answer.
“What has been going on? Hell is in an uproar because of you.” Mom said.
“Really?” Austin asked. Mom looked at him in shock. Normally I was the only one who could see and hear her. Once she recognized Austin as a ghost she understood.
“Something had been building over the last couple of months and then two days ago everything went crazy. All I can hear down there is how you messed up their plans. No one will tell me what happened.” Mom said in a rush.
“A witch merged with a demon. It’s a long story but she wanted to summon Lucifer to take over my body. Alicia killed the witch two days ago, which is why there was a fuss.” I explained to her.
“Well that would do it.” Mom said in a calmer manner.
“We have some good news for you. How would you like to be a grandmother?” Alicia spoke in the general direction she assumed Mom would be.
Mom’s eyes got big and she smiled from ear to ear. If she could have cried she would. She put her hands over her mouth trying to compose herself. In all the time I knew my mother, she had never been so happy.
“Really? Oh I wish I could hug you both right now. When are you due?” Mom asked.
“We aren’t sure yet. Near as we can figure, she is close to three months pregnant. Werewolves don’t need to go to doctors so much as humans would.” I told Mom then turned to Alicia. “Mom is wishing she could hug us. I think she would have cried if she were still able. She is as happy as I have ever seen her.”