Son of hell: Blood of wolves

by Michaela Burdová

  Drel, a skinny girl, smiled widely. Her eyes gleamed with excitement if not craziness. "I saw it. Everything. Aragen, it was amazing!"

  Aragen grinned proudly. "It's much better than it looks and better than they tell you."

  "But it´s forbidden," Drel said with a mocking smile. However Aragen knew that Drel would never allow herself to violate the ban.

  "My father must never know," Aragen replied. "If he finds out … I had the right to give in to our nature."

  Drel glanced over at the corpse. She gulped nervously. "I've always ... I've dreamed of ... what´s it like?”

  "Words cannot describe it, Drel." Aragen walked over to her and placed her hand on her shoulder. "I promise you that one day, you will get to know the gift that was given to us – the ability to take a human life. He's dead, but ... if you want, go ahead and eat him."

  Drel's eyes twinkled. "Can I really? We haven´t had Real meat for such a long time ...”

  Aragen nodded her head in the direction of the corpse, "Go ahead, he´s yours."

  Drel knelt down by the lifeless body of the young man with a hungry grin on her face. As she bent over to take a bite her hair fell forward masking her head. Hesitating, she looked back at Aragen one more time. "We should get back soon, Aragen. They’ll find out that we have been gone."

  "Get on with it," Aragen urged her and Drel began to eat.

  Aragen and Drel made their way home high in the forested mountains. The others slumbered on warm furs around the extinguished campfire. Drel joined them quietly, curling into a ball, and winked at her friend for the last time. Aragen headed for her log cabin. They only made such a shelter for the leader in every campsite. She did not even manage to open the door. Her father, Ragar, was waiting for her outside.

  "Where have you been?" his booming voice hit her. She suppressed the trembling. She was determined to argue for her beliefs.

  "Just taking a walk," she said as nonchalantly as she could.

  He grabbed her arm with force and pulled her hard towards him. He sniffed her mouth and swore angrily. "Damn it, Aragen!"

  The girl boldly pushed her chin forward. He had to smell the flesh and blood. Ragar pulled her away from the pack into the shadows behind their cabin. "What have you done!" he hissed angrily. His eyes glowed in the dark like a red hot fire. He was an awesome sight, even when he was at rest, let alone when he was angry. He had inherited his massive, muscular physique as well as his wild looks and booming voice from his grandfather, Wolfgar. Aragen had his dark skin and dark hair, but had inherited her mother´s pale green eyes.

  As usual, she looked at his chest. A silver cross on a chain was burnt into his skin. He wore it to boost his resistance to silver, and to get used to pain. Aragen knew no other werewolf who could accomplish such a thing.

  "I had to," she replied. "I had to know what it was like. You cannot blame me. I was born with natural instincts!"

  Ragar was puffing wildly. "Don’t you see how dangerous it is? Humans have almost wiped out our entire race! Do you want our pack to be next?"

  "We are different, Father. You know that as well as I do."

  "That does not mean that we are not vulnerable. Humans are many. There are thousands of them to each one of us! We have to keep a low profile."

  "If you took advantage of your power ..."

  "No!" he roared causing Aragen’s throat to tighten. "That power is a curse! My father went insane because of those forces. Have you forgotten?" he hissed. "Today, my daughter, you have imperilled all of us."

  "I'm not the only one who longs for Real meat!" she cried."All of the Young do!Each of us has the desire, the need for it! It is not right that you deny us it!"

  "We bring Real meat for the pack as often as we can!"

  "Yes Father, but that's dead meat. Just fodder. We're hunters. We need live prey."

  "That’s enough!" He stretched out his hand, so for a second Aragen believed that he would hit her. "Hunting humans is something we cannot afford to indulge in. Aragen, we must suppress our needs, as I have always taught you. Why are you now so stubborn? To preserve the pack, we must give up our desires and feed only for survival."

  "Yes, Father. We really are just surviving. We can hardly call this a life. The pack is weakening, but you refuse to see it. We need live flesh."

  Ragar grabbed her elbow. "I have been the leader of werewolves for decades. No one has ever dared to stand up to me. Are you, my own daughter, a sixteen year old girl, trying to advise me how I should lead my people? You want to lecture me?" he growled into her face. Aragen had always respected her father and with those words her courage faltered. With her heart in her throat she turned away.

  "You will never resist me again, understood? You must never visit human dwellings again. You must never again kill, unless I, your master, permit it! Now get out of here. I don’t want to see you anymore!"

  Aragen ran into the cabin and collapsed onto her furs in the corner. Her mother was asleep in the opposite corner. Aragen knew that her father would not come in that night because she had infuriated him so much. In her mind she had hoped above hope that he would not learn of her expedition. On the other hand, she was relieved that she could openly tell him what she thought. Although he would not listen, she knew that she was right, she knew that one day the truth would out.

  It was just after dawn on a chilly autumn morning when Aragen climbed a nearby hill. A cold wind pushed against her back, ruffling her hair to the sides so it flapped like raven's wings. Yellowed grass brushed against her ankles as she walked up the hill towards the cloudy sky.

  Three tall rocks stood at the top, forming a narrow arc. As Aragen had hoped, she found Wenir sitting there. In the few weeks since they had settled here, the place had become their refuge. In the shelter between the rocks they hid from the world.

  Aragen squeezed herself onto a vacant spot next to Wenir. He was hugging his knees, gazing into the distance. The astonishingly beautiful landscape stretched out before them. Wenir was one of the strong, promising Young. As a child, everyone mocked him because he was unusually tall and thin, all skin and bones. During adolescence, he had grown stronger and gained muscles, but his silent, melancholic nature had remained. He never stopped avoiding others. Aragen had been his friend since childhood.

  "We are moving after breakfast," he said without taking his gaze from the view. "I will miss this place."

  Aragen sighed. "Wenir, I visited a human village yesterday. We're leaving because of me."

  He looked at her in amazement. "You went among humans? That´s forbidden! Only Predators can meet humans and hunt. The rest of us ...”

  "I know. I did it, anyway. I have killed."

  His pupils widened. He had very bright, brown eyes. "What was it like?" he whispered.

  "Even better than anyone can imagine. My father is angry. But one day, I will lead this pack. Wenir, I will not stand in the way. I'm not afraid of people. I have the power with which we can be invincible!"

  Wenir looked at her in fascination. "I know, Aragen, but your father rejected it and ..."

  "All of us have an unimaginable innate power within us, but I have something more." She pointed to the grass between them. Wenir held his breath as he watched a clump of grass with soil and roots rip itself from the ground and levitate in front of their eyes. The grass blackened and the soil crumbled into hundreds of tiny pieces. "That´s just a fraction of what I am capable of."

  Wenir turned his eyes away from the spectacle and looked at Aragen. He gently touched her arm and the soil fell to the ground. Aragen focused purely on him. She had ceased to regard him as only a friend a long time ago, ever since she had come to the realization that he attracted and fascinated her. His touch was now etched into her skin and triggered in her a tingling sensation.

  "Aragen, you must keep it a secret. Your father is our leader and he will never allow this. You have to accept that."

  "Maybe," she replied and stood up. She crossed to the other side of the hill
top. There, standing under the trees, she caught a glimpse of the small village of Maily. Wenir stood by her side, so close that she could feel his warmth. "Wenir, instead of running away, we could wipe them out. It would be so easy."

  He did not answer, but she knew that he agreed.

  "My father is sick," he said after a while. "It's getting worse."

  "You know why. We need real meat."

  "He says that ..."

  "He is loyal to my father. He would never say anything that would undermine his authority."

  Wenir turned in silence and led her back to the camp. Then he said: "I think the same as you, Aragen."

  Chapter 2

  Family Ties

  Aragen loved her father. During her adolescence their mutual beliefs and attitudes began to diverge and Aragen rebelled against her father’s rules. However, in her life there was nobody more important to her than him. She greatly admired him and secretly wished that someday she would make him proud of her.

  As she was sitting at breakfast, watching Maura, her father's sister, folding furs and getting ready for their journey, she was overcome by strange feelings. Sieena, Aragen´s mother, had been chosen by Ragar himself. Aragen was therefore his direct descendant and sole heir. However, wolves were allowed to mate with other females of the pack in order to perpetuate the race. Aragen already knew that continuous mating amongst themselves could only lead to their eventual destruction. Now she looked at Maura and her bulging belly, where another of Ragar´s offspring grew.

  "Are you looking forward to it?" Aragen turned to her sister Amitha.She did not know what Amitha meant by the question. Amitha turned her head towards the pregnant Maura.“To our new sibling! I'd like another sister. It would be great if there were three of us, wouldn’t it?"

  "I would like a strong brother, one who would stand beside me." Amitha smiled and bit into a raw roe liver.The pack breakfasted at a single table formed by adjacent boulders.Nobody knew about Aragen’s nocturnal revolt.Her father was apparently trying to ward off the hostility of others. If they were to find out, Aragen was convinced that they would not condemn her. On the contrary, she thought they would regard her actions as a sign of courage and strength.

  "I don’t want to leave this place," Amitha sighed. "I love the local cliffs. You know how much I like climbing the peaks and taking in the fresh air. I almost got used to living here. We will probably never settle down, will we?"

  “Amitha, I did something yesterday. That's why we're leaving," Aragen continued slowly. She wanted to boast to her sister, to show her her superiority. Amitha was one year younger.They had the same father but different mothers.

  "What did you do?" Amitha began to poke around with curiosity.

  "I killed a human."

  Amitha's eyes widened. "I don’t believe you!"

  "I swear by the Lord of Hell."

  "Wow," Amitha chuckled all excited. "How did you dare?"

  "I'm tired of just dreaming." She knew that Amitha would ask why, so she answered right away: "It was the most powerful experience of my life."

  Amitha grabbed Aragen´s hands, her eyes shining. Her skin was not as dark as Aragen’s, but she had her father's deep blue eyes. Strands of light brown hair fell over her shoulders, while her narrow pink lips burst into a smile. "Sister, that´s amazing! I would never dare, but I've imagined many times what it must feel like when they are dying in my hands! Tell me, did he suffer a lot? Did you feel his pain? I knew that you could it, Aragen, I knew it."

  "Amitha, his suffering rushed through my veins and his screams entered my heart. It was pure ecstasy."

  The girl closed her eyes so she could better imagine the scene. "Our father must have been mad."

  "Yes," Aragen’s gaze hardened. "But he did not break me."

  "Aren’t you afraid of him?"

  Aragen turned to the table and took her share of venison. "Afraid is not the right word."

  Drel sat down next to them, once again with that crazy expression in her eyes. "Have you already told her?" she asked excitedly.

  "She knows about it?" Amitha looked scornfully. She never liked Drel because she hated foolishness. She considered Drel’s existence to be the ultimate foolishness. She could not guess how much intellect was hidden behind Drel’s mask.

  "I tasted it too," Drel whispered, wanting to scream with excitement. Amitha frowned.

  "You took along this one rather than your own sister?"

  "I took nobody along," snapped Aragen. "Drel followed me."

  "Followed you?" Amitha growled with contempt. "Even a child would have noticed her presence."

  "Don’t underestimate her, Amitha, nor my instincts!"

  "It was nothing against you, sister. You know that I always stand behind you."

  "Where are we moving to?" Drel asked. "Most probably far away from humans," she added with chagrin.

  "Humans are everywhere," Aragen replied."They have infested the whole land, haven’t you noticed?"With a grin she looked at Amitha, whose attention was now focusedelsewhere.Aragen saw that she was looking directly at Wenir and held her gaze on him for just a little too long.At that moment, a doubt crossed Aragen’s mind, a doubt that would linger and worry her for many days to come.

  The trek through the forest was slow.Nobody knew where Ragar was leading the pack, but everyone followed him obediently.Aragen occasionally saw her father standing on the side of the road consulting the Predators, then walking on ahead to lead the group again.The Predators were completely loyal to their leader.Each of the Young boys wanted to join them.They were Ragar’s entourage, the strongest and fittest werewolves of the pack.They took care of security, defence, and hunting.

  Aragen walked with her mother. On the trees the leaves were turning yellow whilst pine needles crunched underfoot. It was cold, but the pack kept warm because of the inner flame of their diabolic nature. Aragen watched Wenir’s back up ahead. He was walking with his friend Kar. Kar was his exact opposite. Aragen never really understood how the two could be best friends. Kar was wild, rebellious, impulsive, and arrogant. He was one of the strongest among the Young and just like Wenir, had also reported for the Autumn Hunt.

  Wenir’s back was broad with well sculpted girdle muscles. His thick, black hair grew over his neck and transitioned into a fine strip of hair that ran along his spine. He wore only something resembling short pants. Aragen admired every inch of his body.

  In contrast, Kar was taller and slimmer, his muscles more flexible. He would trim his dark brown hair with a knife to form shaggy bristles and on his narrow chin, he grew a beard.

  "I saw you eating breakfast with Amitha this morning," her mother said. Aragen shook herself out of her stupor. She had been so submerged in her thoughts that she had completely forgotten about her mother. Sieena was walking beside her, her back hunched, her face pale and sunken, her hair sparse and whispy, and with large eyes that sparkled with true insanity.

  "I eat breakfast with her almost every morning, Mother," Aragen replied. Sieena looked over at Amitha and fixed her with her gaze, her eyes narrowing into hateful slits.

  "She's a bastard. Stinking vermin. I do not want you to socialize with her.You must promise me that Aragen."

  "Mother, you ask me the same thing every day, and every day I give you the same answer. You keep forgetting."

  "No, no, that's not true," Sieena said as she shook her head. "You've got to be with me, my little daughter. You must stand by my side. Believe me, I want only the best for you. Mothers always know what´s best for their children."

  "Mother, Amitha is my sister."

  "No, she is not!" Sieena cried until several wolves turned their heads to see what was going on. Aragen grabbed her hand. "Be silent, Mother."

  "Your father is a bastard," she said. "He even sleeps with his own sister, only to beget more bastards!"

  “He is trying to preserve our tribe, Mother, you know that. It´s the very reason why you chose to become his keishah."

  "He used to still
love me back then," she said wiping tears from her eyes with her clenched fists. "Anyway, his sister’s bastard will be stillborn, I know it, I know it! He is cursed! We all are! Our whole damned tribe!"

  "Be quiet!" Aragen hissed angrily. She knew that her mother was regressing fast, and although she loved her, her evil talk sometimes made her hate her.

  Ragar led them to the Wezarian Mountains. He chose a tranquil spot under a rock overhang. A couple of men set to work immediately to build a log cabin for the leader and his family. As the evening drew in Aragen went to explore the surrounding local forests. She found a small creek flowing nearby. She drank and bathed. Just as she was wrapping herself in a cloak, Amitha appeared. They walked together until darkness fell and the moon´s beams glowed through the crowns of the trees.

  They came to a raised rocky ridge from which there were incredible views of the wild forests and hills below them. From the edge of the ridge fell a steep precipice. Bent pine trees grew from its face clinging on for dear life. Amitha looked up at the full moon. "Sometimes I want to be like an eagle," she said, and then looked back at Aragen. "I think we're more like wolves than people."

  "We are neither animals nor humans, sister. We are unique. We came from the Fiery Gorges. We are much more than any mortal creature on this Earth."

  Amitha smiled. "How is it possible that I feel so much stronger when I am with you?"

  "Because I don’t suppress my nature. Amitha, we are different.Different from our relatives."

  "Different from other werewolves?"

  "Did you ever hear the story about Wolfgar? Wolfgar was our powerful founder. He made a deal with a demon so that his descendants could be given a power, a dark force. We can do anything, when we are no longer afraid."

  "Wolfgar was our great grandfather," Amitha pondered. "And you're the first born ..."

  "Our father has that power, but he is afraid of it."

  "But you're not afraid, are you?"