Chapter Two
Typhon
I smelled them both. Their scents drifted through the air, these intruders. We were tasked with dealing with intruders. Vance did not like any trespassers near the compound for fear that it would be discovered. This would please him. We would be celebrated as we returned, my brother and me.
Just as we had been about to reveal ourselves, the male attacked the female. He seemed vicious and it was a sign of weakness that he would try to intimidate someone who was so physically inferior to him. Strength should only be displayed when confronting someone who possesses greater abilities than you. Anything else was bullying. We could deal with her in a different way, but he deserved to be shown the laws by which we lived. These humans… they knew so little about justice and righteousness. Vance always spoke about how they were arrogant and hubristic, and how the world needed to be wrested from their grasp. It was ours for the taking and soon enough the wolves would be standing upon their bodies, ruling the world. Kull and I would be among them, having proved ourselves in the Great War. This was the beginning. This could be the first strike that would spark the flame, a flame that would grow into a blaze and consume history. We sought to burn it to ash and sweep it aside, creating a new history, one where the wolves were the apex predators, just as it should have been. Just as it was written so long ago.
We revealed our true forms as we approached this pitiful wretch of a man. The replica of ancient magic shimmered around us and for a moment I could pretend that I was a wolf of old, one of the true blooded ancestors that first settled in this territory. I tried to push away the whispers and taunts of my peers, the ones who told me and my brother that we were not true wolves. Perhaps after tonight we could prove ourselves to them and they would be forced to accept us as part of the pack. We could earn our right as warriors and lead the armies into battle, claiming blood and glory in the name of the Moon, and our valiant leader Vance.
My senses were quickly heightened, and the world became more vivid as I turned into a wolf. My paws padded against the ground. The woman’s scent drifted towards me. It was sweet and spicy. It did strange things to my mind, the aroma twisting and darting within me, as though it was a living thing. I never realized a human could smell like this. Then again, these were the first humans I had ever encountered. Vance had always told me that humans smelled rotten, and we could detect their stench from far away. He was right about this man. A fetid aroma rolled off him in waves that made my stomach churn, but the woman… no, she was different. I sniffed the air, wondering if Kull felt the same thing, but his attention was drawn to the man.
She had called him Derren. I heard her shout out his name. Her words were laced with fear. Was it this that transformed her scent and made her so attractive? He spun away from her, the aggressive intent in his eyes smoothed over by fear and surprise. But he was no coward. These humans were convinced of their place in the world. They were always taught that they were the superior beings, the ones at the top of the food chain. They believed they had pushed aside all the other predators in the world, but they were wrong. The wolves had simply waited and bided our time until we were prepared to take this world from them.
He would be the first beneficiary of this lesson, and his slaughter would be a message to the rest of humanity, showing them that their world was to be shaken to its core, and their tame existence was about to be threatened. Derren moved back quickly, towards the fire. Kull was racing towards him. Derren reached down and picked up a thick piece of wood. A flame burned at the end. It streaked through the air, sparks flying and dancing around as he swiped it towards Kull. Kull growled and ducked, nimbly adjusting his trajectory to move to the side. Derren looked triumphant.
“I don’t know what you are, but you should get away. I’ll kill you! You hear me? I’ll fucking kill you!” he swung the wood in an arc in front of him again, warning Kull against getting too close. Kull narrowed his eyes, watching carefully for an opening. I could see his limbs tensing, primed to lunge forward. Did this fool think we were afraid of fire? We had been forged in worse. Pain was nothing to be afraid of.
Pain was our companion.
The woman trembled, her face as pale as the moon. She wasn’t going to join this man. I turned my attention away from her and joined Kull. Derren seemed more agitated now. He jabbed the wood towards us, as though it was a spear. The fire hissed. I glanced towards Kull. We shared a moment of silent understanding. Smoke billowed in the air, the ashy taste bitter at the back of my throat. Derren’s face was illuminated in an amber glow, the whites of his eyes visible, fear slowly taking hold of his heart. With every passing moment he began to realize that fire was not going to be a decisive factor in this battle and that we were not going to be as meek as the prey he had thought he was going to abuse.
“Stay back,” Derren said. This time his voice hitched with fear. It was a sign of weakness, a sign that he was going to buckle under the pressure of our intimidation. Kull and I snarled in tandem. Our bestial bodies bristled with vicious strength. How many foes had we defeated together? I had lost count. The blood flowed into a river, trailing behind us, a legacy of death. With each kill we grew closer to earning the respect of Vance and the pack, until eventually we would be seen as true wolves rather than the shadows we currently were. I nodded towards Kull.
He went low. I went high. Kull darted towards Derren’s feet, while I unsheathed my claws and directed them at Derren. They looked sharp in the fire. Derren cried out in anguish and swung the wood towards me. I could see it arriving, and was prepared to take the hit. Heat singed my fur. The pain flared against my flesh and seeped beneath, darkening my soul. As this happened, Kull crashed into Derren and sent him flying. He lost grip of his weapon, and it rolled away, the flame dying out as it hit the grass, smoldering to a faint glow with a plume of smoke drifting into the air. Derren scrambled back, moving as quickly as he could to escape us. Kull took a moment to check on me, but I gestured towards the human. I winced in pain, embracing it, making it a part of myself, for it would make me stronger. Pain always made us stronger.
Derren kicked out and threw whatever came to hand towards Kull. The stones and sticks rained down upon Kull but bounced off him harmlessly. He prowled before Derren, the hints of silver in his fur illuminated by the fire. Derren was shaking his head in shock. Every aspect of him was in motion as he sprinted away to a car. He slammed the door and revved the engine.
“What are you doing? Get back here! Don’t leave me!” the woman cried. She had managed to get to her feet now and she was stumbling towards the car, reaching out for it forlornly. Kull bellowed and propelled himself forward at top speed, becoming a stormy blur that rushed towards the car. Shafts of light emanated from the headlights as the car was brought into motion. Tires spun as the car trundled back, turning away from the cabin. The woman screamed again, her arms stretched as far as they could go but it wasn’t far enough. A sickly scent was spewed out from the car as it screeched away, Derren slamming his foot down. It jerked from side to side as it headed to safety. Kull chased after it, his legs pumping, all of his strength and vigor focused on this metal behemoth. The car continued to accelerate, roaring with desperation. I could picture the anxious sweat that trickled down Derren’s temples. Kull was so impressive when he moved like this. He chased the car down and then lunged forward, swiping towards the rear bumper. For a moment I thought he had succeeded in taking hold of it and halting Derren’s escape, only for the bumper to come loose and clatter away. Kull was taken with it, and Derren was able to speed into the darkness and accelerate away. I snarled as this failure was hard to swallow, but then my head swiveled and I stared at the woman he had left behind.
At least we still had her.
I stalked towards her, turning my back to the fire. My fur was sizzling with heat, and the scent of burnt flesh was rising from the wound. The woman looked defeated and betrayed. Fear lined her features. She fell to her knees and clasped her hands together. I studied her carefully. Her flaming hair was lustrous, a few strands matted to her head by sweat. She had strong features and an intense gaze in her emerald eyes. Her lips were full and vibrant with color, while her body flowed in sensual curves. Her arms were slender, while her chest pressed against tight clothes. She wore a dress, and it looked as though she had been poured into it. It almost seemed as though her body was about to burst out of the fabric. Her thick thighs were visible beneath the seam of the dress, which rose up as she knelt down. One strap fell away from her shoulder, revealing a constellation of freckles against her pale, milky skin. The valley of her cleavage was deep, and the swell of her breasts rose dramatically with each panting breath. Sweat dusted her skin, and I inhaled all of her. She made me want to devour her.
“Please don’t hurt me, please. I’ll do anything. Just spare me. I don’t know what this is. I don’t know who you are. I just…I don’t want to die. Please, just let me go,” her voice was deep and soulful, even when it was trembling with fear. Desire flickered in my eyes. What a prize she would be. Kull returned to me, sour for having allowed the other human to flee, but she was far more than a consolation prize. I turned towards him and as our eyes met I knew that the same thought passed through our minds. That was no surprise, however. We were brothers, after all.