06

The moon hung high in the night sky, there was a full moon tonight and it cast an ethereal glow over the high-rise building next to the mildly dense forest surrounded by several mountains. Three werewolves emerged from below, making their way to the top of the mountain, their eyes blazing with fury and a fierce desire for revenge.

Lucien, Liam, and Lucas were the leaders of the Fuller Pack with Lucien as the outright Alpha, their territory encompassing nearly half of the state’s land mass.

The distress call from one of their subsidiaries had come in a little too late, by the time reinforcements had gotten there, there was nothing left. Every building had either been torn down or burnt. Dead bodies of different wolves littered every corner, the few who managed to survive wouldn’t survive the night.

Lucien was beside himself with anger, he couldn’t believe the Dundalk Pack had declared war on the Fuller Pack and their allies. He had always ignored their advances, they were a small pack, not large or strong enough to challenge the might of the Fuller Pack but their latest act had proven otherwise. They were ready for war and he would bring war to their doorstep.

“We cannot remain silent. It would be an insult to the memories of our forefathers who bore this silence if we do not avenge their deaths.”

“If we leave now, we can arrive at Dundalk by nightfall,” Liam added.

“We don’t need to waste any more time, we can’t afford to be late one more time.”

That was all the motivation they needed as they set out for Dundalk arriving just as the sun set. On Lucien’s instructions, they set up a perimeter surrounding the Dundalk stronghold and waited for the right moment to launch an attack.

Lucien stood high and tall on the mountain overlooking the Dundalk stronghold in his massive black-furred werewolf form, a confident air surrounded him, his muscles ripping underneath his fur, itching for action but patient enough to wait for the right time. Liam, on the other hand, sported a sleek coat of gray fur that seemed fused with the shadows, his eyes were similar to Lucien’s, piercing yellow eyes that held a thirst for blood. Lucas had a brown fur wolf skin and like his brothers, his beady yellow eyes were eager to see some action.

The clock struck twelve and the bells rang, Lucien howled and his brothers alongside their army of wolves howled in unison. A challenge had been issued by the Dundalk Pack and he knew that there could only be one dominant pack in the state. Lucien leaped off the mountain and picked up his stride as he ran towards the gate at full speed, the rest of this pack following behind. He slammed into the iron gate head-first and the doors gave way instantly. He strode inside cautiously, wary of any danger that might spring up.

The Alpha of the Dundalk pack, Derek, stood across from Lucien, he had a black coated fur as well, his dark eyes glinting with a hunger for power.

He howled thrice, panting and pacing the entire length of the open field. Lucien knew what it meant, a duel to the death.

Growls filled the air from both rival packs as their Alphas circled one another, sizing up each other’s strengths and weaknesses, muscles were coiled up like well-oiled springs, waiting for the right moment to jump into action. The tension was thick between them, each wolf eager and waiting for the other to take the first strike of the battle.

With a snarl, Derek lunged at Lucien, his massive jaws trying to snap at Lucien’s neck, but Lucien smartly read the attack and swiftly moved to the side, his speed aiding him as Derek’s jaws snapping shut inches away from his neck. Lucien retaliated with a deadly fast swipe of this lightning-quick paw he left a few deep gashes across Derek’s chest.

Blood poured all over the grass as the fight escalated, the packs felt the howls of pain and fury as both Alphas fought on. Derek relied heavily on his brute strength, he repeatedly pummeled Lucien with his strong powerful paws, hoping to wear him out before making the final strike. Lucien, however, was more methodical in his approach, he preferred to rely on his agility, making sure to duck as many blows as possible from the chaos, his strikes were more lethal. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Derek starting to whine anytime his paw connected with his body.

Their battle continued far into the morning, neither wolf willing to give up, their primal instinct of survival fueling their every strike. Fur was torn and bloodied from scratches and blows, teeth sinking into one another, bone cracking as they slammed into one another repeatedly. The ground trembled with the intensity of their battle, it was almost as if the earth understood the magnitude of their battle.

The moon reached its peak, illuminating the battleground, Derek found himself shifting into the defensive. His jaw was starting to weaken, he could feel his strength slipping away from him, and his wounds were starting to hurt, the pain intensifying as Lucien continued to pounce on him, eager to end this battle for good.

As daybreak drew closer, both Alphas were exhausted and unable to maintain the tempo at which the battle had commenced. It was seeking as the battle waged with a flurry of power, agility, and strategic prowess that would reach a stalemate to be continued when dusk fell again.

Both men charged into this battle with a ferocity stemming from a place of ancient pride, the wild nature on display for everyone to see with the moon as its grand witness. But all wolves weren’t equal and neither were the alphas. Derek knew he would go down with honor at having taken the Alpha of the Fuller Pack to the last round but yet, despite fighting a losing battle currently, he wasn’t eager to count himself out.

Lucien could feel the battle drawing to a close, his plan had worked, it was the perfect time for him to strike. Derek mustered every last ounce of strength he had in him and lunged at Lucien, who positioned himself properly to fend off his face before sinking his fangs into the exposed neck of Derek’s. He held on tightly as Derek struggled to no avail, his movements soon began to grow weaker as Derek whimpered.

Lucien tossed Derek to the ground and he remained lifeless, the battle was over. A roar filled the night as Derek remained on the ground, defeated for good.

Lucien howled triumphantly as he stood over his fallen rival, his victory complete but he wasn’t done yet. The rest of his pack were yet to taste blood and he couldn’t deny them that. Every wolf in the Dundalk Pack, having witnessed their Alpha’s defeat, bowed their heads in submission to their new ruler.

Lucien’s eyes gleamed with a newfound enthusiasm as they roamed over his new territory which he had just conquered but he couldn’t feel any iota of satisfaction. Beneath the veil of his victorious stance, a touch of melancholy lingered on. He couldn’t help but feel a renewed sense of anger for the wolf that had died due to his negligence. Perhaps, if he had seen Derek as a worthy adversary, he wouldn’t be in this position just yet. He had a certain amount of respect for Derek who had pushed him to the very limits of his abilities.

As the moon began to descend, Lucien let out a howl of revenge and mourning for the fallen wolves under his subsidiary, his pack echoed his lament, and together they wreaked havoc on the remaining members of the Dundalk Pack, their pleas falling on deaf ears as man, woman, and pup were slaughtered without remorse.

In the aftermath of this savage bloodbath, the forest and mountains fell silent, once could hear any sound from miles away. The result of the battle between two Alphas and two packs etched themselves onto the rubble and what was left of the once beautiful landscape as the moon, now waning, cast a fading glow on the fallen warriors and the victorious. Lucien and his pack rested and gathered their strength in preparation for their journey back home, aware of the fact that the war had just begun.

The conflict between the two Fuller and Dundalk Packs had been brewing for eons, fueled by jealousy and the ever-constant struggle for complete control.

“They couldn’t have done this alone.”

Liam spoke up, gazing far into the distance. They had all returned to their human form and their bodies were covered in blood.

“A much larger and influential pack had taken advantage of the generational dispute between both packs to fuel the Dundalk thirst for bloodshed,” Lucien added, drawing up several possible suspects.

“What do you suggest we do then? Stay quiet over the whole affair?” Lucas asked, his eyes fixed on Lucien.

“We do nothing for now,” Lucien concluded after a long pause.

“That doesn’t sound like a good idea, Lucien.” Liam chastised while Lucas wore an incredulous look on his face.

“We can’t think about that right now. Not when we have a wedding to plan for.”