The tour guide showed Xendy his travel itinerary, which showed the places his agent had suggested visiting.
He wanted a forest tour or something like that now. The Zanzibar Land Animal Park (ZALA) was the only thing close to what he wanted.
They agreed to start out there.
As they got to the main gate, the first scent to hit him was cloves, and he looked for the plant that produced that mouthwatering smell.
There was no tree up close and his eyes darted around only to see the caged lizards, snakes, and all other animals on display behind the separation wire.
And he let out a frustrated growl which alerted his tour guide. The smell came not from there; what was his wolf thinking? He got out of the taxi and walked in to explore the park and see if he could find a place where he could shift and let his wolf take over.
Just when he was ready to cross the ZALA junction and walk into the park, he saw a bird running, trying to flee away.
Someone who looked like the leader was commanding the men to help him load the animals into the van. And to run after the bird.
And the watchman he had met at the entrance a few minutes ago just passed him on his heels after the bird. More men who were working loading the van joined the race, surrounding the bird at all corners.
The bird was running desperately in circles to avoid being caught. But then..... Right there at the junction, a speedy car that was getting out of ZALA was just a few steps in front of the bird.
Xendy raised his eyes to the driver and he could tell the driver was in shock after noticing how close he was to the bird. The bird was inches right in front of his speedy car.
Xendy could see the driver's struggle as he tried to hit the brakes, but he was too close. Whatever he did would not be fruitful. There was no other way.
He was going to hit the bird.
Everyone stood still and worried as they watched the scenario unfold.
The sound of brakes being pushed to their limit was the last sound everyone heard before the car came to a speedy stop.
The driver of the speedy car breathed hard with fear written all over his face. He quickly unbuttoned his seat belt with trembling hands as he walked out of the now-parked car. He walked to the front of the car to scan what was happening.
And to his surprise. The bird was not there.
His eyes scanned the area around. Frightened by the scenario. And his eyes almost popped out of their sockets at the sight of Xendy holding the bird by the side of the road.
Xendy was not aware of how many eyes were on him. Or how he had saved the bird. What got to his senses then was how good this bird smelled, the scent of the bird. It dazed him as the scent hit him again.
With a whiff of a good mix of cardamom, vanilla, and cloves, the fragrances were all over his nostrils that flared. The scent was killing all his sensory organs, from his skin that pricked, mouthwatering to his eyes that wanted to pop out.
The bird he held was the source, a peacock. It was taller than any bird he knew, about one hundred seventy centimeters tall. It covered its body in a vibrant ocean-blue color.
Its feathers were all green and covered the part between the body and the tail. The most beautiful, captivating colored tail had brown-like leaves or feathers with spots like eyes that were a mix of green, brown, blue, and black.
Xendy was still in a daze when the watchman snatched the bird out of his hands. And unexpectedly, he felt a sense of loss after the bird left his body, and when he raised his eyes at the watchman to warn him.
His eyes popped, with his mind wondering what was happening.
Emotions he had never felt were clouding Xendy as he felt so bad watching how aggressively the watchman was pulling the bird away from him. And taking steps toward the van. So many emotions were pouring into him all at once.
And weirdly enough, his mind fixed his eyes on the bird.
The bird was trying to protest. Still trying to be free itself. The watchman got agitated by the bird's struggle and raised his hand with all the force he could gather and hit the bird on its head.
The sound of the slap echoed in Xendy's mind like a bomb.
He felt pain so much pain but that was not enough for the watchman. The watchman was determined to hit the bird once again. Xendy did not know what happened, but the next thing he knew. He was standing right in front of the watchman, holding the watchman's waist in midair.
He would not stand for such abuse to happen again.
He could not stand to feel the pain again. Mentally It was as if the watchman was hitting them both at the same time as he hit the bird.
“What?” the watchman turned angrily to look at Xendy who was holding the watchman's waist up in the air. Xendy yelled.
“What do you think you are doing? This is against the animals' welfare. You are not supposed to do this.”
He then let go of the watchman's hand aggressively.
“Who are you to meddle in this?” the watchman shouted back angrily as he rubbed his waist gently.
The tour guide walked into the middle of the two men and pulled Xendy out of the scenario that was already capturing people's attention and forming a crowd.
Xendy walked to the taxi and half turned with a sad face to see the bird being pushed into the van that was ready for transportation.
The event troubled him so much throughout the day that he had to leave Zanzibar for Serengeti.
****
Today in Serengeti....
Sitting on the top of a branch in his wolf form, on one of the tallest trees in Serengeti Park. Xendy mirrored the surrounding area, trying to find a thick forest where his wolf could enjoy the shift comfortably.
His wolf 'Yendy' had tried to come out since yesterday's incident, but the environment did not favor him until today.
The weather here is too hot for his wolf. Yendy needs a more closed forest with wetlands and winds through his fur when he runs to cool down.
Xendy sees a separate forested area at about ten kilometers, and that is his target. He gets down and trout. Running and breathing in the fresh air. As he gets closer, he meets a pack of wolves.
He puts his head down as a sign of surrender, 'an intruder meaning no harm to their pack', and does not get any response.
He tries to observe them, and he notices they are not werewolves, but mere wolves.
He had never met mere wolves before, hanging around any packs in America, and it was his first meeting. They look like werewolves in a minor way. He had heard stories about these creatures that looked like him but were just animals.
And did not have the superpower of shifting from an animal form to a human one as he did.
Xendy had felt no barriers around Serengeti or Zanzibar since his arrival. He was not sure whether there was a pack around. He was not sure if there were werewolves around there.
He thought maybe the werewolves around here prefer living hidden among the humans, but then 'they have to be part of a pack, right?!' He questions himself with no answers.
Standing with the pack of wolves lost in thoughts on his merry way to the thick forest in Serengeti, that was just in front of him.
The scent of the bird from Zanzibar hit him again...... Something involuntarily pushed his body in fast steps toward the direction of the scent.
When he gets closer, the scene in front of him makes him tremble and shout with a loud growl. He sees the same bird, his beautiful peacock, in a more delicate situation than it was in yesterday in ZALA.
It was going to die at the hands of a wolf who had raised his canines, ready to tear the bird apart.
He questions whether he should get involved, but Yendy is already scaring him with the emotions he is portraying.
Yendy is jumping all over his head, dancing with happiness. He takes over and shouts, “Mate!”
Looking at the bird, Xendy does not understand what Yendy means.
Xendy had searched for his mate all over the world for the last century with no success. On every continent, he paid a visit, and he came out empty. His mate situation had led him to travel to the far end of America. Running away from a tragedy he called life, he did not want to see the look on his pack member's faces when he completely turned human and be stripped of the Alpha title. He failed his pack. And he had come to terms that he would no longer be. He would no longer be there for his pack members to protect them. He failed his people and now Yendy was playing tricks on him. He called a mere bird a peacock, 'Their mate'. Xendy felt sad at the turn of events. How can a bird be his Luna? How could this bird be their partner for life and soulmate? How can this bird that is not human or werewolf or any other supernatural being complete them and make them whole again? Bring their life back from the crutches of death that are now swallowing them bit by bit completely. His endi
After fainting again. Iyya woke up for the second time again. This time she woke up to the sounds of Park Rangers communicating. Not to her expectations and weirdly enough. The animal had not killed her. She was still being held in the same position by the gigantic wolf on its chest. How?! And why?! Animals do not serve their meals. What was the wolf waiting for? Out of instinct, she crouched into a defensive position. Putting up the last fight left in her. Pushing her nails and feathers into the wolf's fur to pinch its skin. She was trying to free herself in the only way she saw how. But it was all useless. The animal didn't budge. It's like it didn't feel pain. She believed her time was up and the wolf would sink its claws and tear her apart any moment now; there was nothing more she could do, so she went limp waiting. But weirdly, the wolf looked at Iyya with a quick eye that warned her of what was happening. Like a human would. She turned her head to scan the area. She wa
At the view of what was happening, Iyya questioned herself about why she was stupid enough to make this choice of siding with a wild animal. Forgetting she was all ready to die a few minutes earlier. Deep in her mind, somewhere and somehow, after she woke up and was still alive, held protectively in the wolf's hands, she had started to trust this wild wolf. Which was weird even for her. She was always scared of wild animals. To be in this scenario made no sense. But nothing made sense in her life, anyway. It was the only rope she could hold on to right now. She still adamantly hesitated in her mind. It was impossible to trust anyone again. She had promised herself not to entertain these kinds of feelings after her stepmom. Being lost in her mind, she almost lost a bit of her balance on the wolf. And reality hit her again. After a bullet almost hit her in the neck. Iyya as usual, involuntarily started to recite her survival words. It was like a ritual to call for help in her head t
The on-repeat dream of the last conversation she had with her late mother made it hard for Iyya to keep asleep. Iyya was up already. And the day had finally ended, and it was now nighttime, and she did not want to close her eyes anymore. The last conversation she had with her late mother was going to come back again in her sleep. It scared her so much. She thought it was way better to stay awake than to sleep again. She was up looking at the sky. Mesmerized by the midnight sky, with the wolf sound asleep beside her. Suddenly, she heard movements. Looking to the side. She then saw torch lights moving closer and coming in their way. The Park Rangers had found them. With fear clouding her, she pinched the wolf through its fur using her claws. To wake the wolf up. Just what she expected from this wolf. That she now knew to be as much a human as she was. When the wolf shot, its eyes opened. Looking straight at the torchlight, moving closer. The wolf hurriedly picked her up. Put her b
Iyya pushed away the memory of the last conversation she had with her mother. It was not doing her any good at the moment. And she put all her concentration on a one-in-a-million opportunity that had presented itself to her. On second thought, maybe she shouldn't have done that. The human in front of Iyya was fully naked and blessed. When Iyya realized she was checking him out, she shifted her eyes away as quickly as possible. Embarrassed that she was brushing inside, his body looked so perfect, like he worked out every day, with ripped muscles, and a bit of hair all over his body. His face was covered with a good-looking beard around his pointed jawline. Then there were those red-ripped lips that hunted Iyya's mind. Even after Iyya had shifted her gaze away. If she wasn't Iyya, a woman in peacock form, she would be on the run for her life because this wasn't normal. Iyya raised her eyes again to meet his eyes. She needed to know if he still wanted to save her as he had done or i
Three days after..... Iyya sat on the beautiful, well-furnished table, with a clear view of the cabin beach and the beautiful garden in front, with her beautiful man sitting beside her. She had dissolved all her worries about this man. He had no superpowers. She had slept awake the first and second nights to see if there was anything different about him. Or if he had any plans of harming her, like her overthinking mind kept pumping her to believe, but he was just another human privileged to be born rich. A few minutes after his transformation into a human in the Serengeti, the sirens and convoys of cars and private jets that came to his rescue were beyond any less fortunate man's doing. He had access to so much money. This was not hassle money. This was old money. A lot of money. Iyya had been in constant private jets and presidential-like convoys since they left Serengeti with her human, who she now knows is addressed as ‘ Xendy.' This human was a billionaire, and he held too m
A knock at the door. And Xendy opened the door. “Alpha.” Alpha Billnas saluted Xendy shaking his hands and Xendy allowing him entry into the room. “I have prepared a private jet for you as per your instructions. At what time would you want to depart for America?” “I am just finishing up… we leave in thirty minutes…. I am so sorry about what happened to your cabin. I didn't mean to break the wall.” Xendy spoke curtly as he walked deeper into his room. Xendy's mind was still disturbed by Joshua's call from the morning. Joshua is his second in command. His beta and the only person in his pack, he would trust him with his life. They have been best friends forever, and he has been there with him in all his struggles. He had a way of putting himself in Joshua's shoes whenever Joshua was worried. Before he left the Pack for Zanzibar. The Pack was out of control. It must have gotten worse. With a sad face, he concluded. Aunt Naina was the remaining council member who supported him. She
It did not take long for Alpha Billnas to put the security details in place. After they put together the security details. Xendy and Billnas walked out of the room together. A few steps from the hotel, Xendy's gut feeling felt off. Same scenario and feelings, like the time he found his mother dying after Trajan had stubbed her to death. His gut told him something was wrong. He stopped and walked back to the room and saw his bird sitting still. He walked outside and saw the two security guards standing at the door, paused for a moment, and told himself off. “Is everything okay?” He heard Billnas's voice from behind his back. “Yes. Let's hurry. I need to be back as soon as possible. I don't think I can stay away from my mate for too long.” Alpha Billnas nodded, and they walked out. He felt even worse with each step he took on his way to Alpha Billnas Pack's house. And he hated himself for allowing this. Maybe he should have brought her along. Back in his room. Iyya waited uncomfort