Chapter 5: Into Town

It was almost daybreak when they reached the first human town down the path from Crescent Peaks. Selene knew the town existed before, but she did not expect it to be this far south. She was exhausted by the journey last night. Thanks to her companions, night creatures were not able to even get close to her. Perseus picked them off while Archibald stayed by her side.

Selene was glad they tagged along with her. Her initial stubbornness could have had killed her if not for the equally stubborn persistence of the two werewolves. She reminded herself to thank them once they found a place to stay in town.

It was built surrounded by a high wall with wood spikes pointed outwards, maybe as a deterrent to the monsters lurking and hunting at night. As they approached the wooden gate, two men armed with pikes and clad in leather armor interrupted them. They stared inquisitively at them, especially to the two men with her, who she realized were caked in dried blood and dirt.

“What brings you in town?” asked one of the guards, his hands tightened around his spear.

She was worried that their looks were too suspicious for them to be allowed inside. If the townsfolk knew of werewolves, they will be immediately chased away. She has no energy left to run around in the woods. She felt like crying right then and there.

“We were robbed,” Archibald explained to the guards. “We were lost in the woods last night and these men jumped at us and robbed us of our clothes and belongings.” Selene felt flushed with relief with his fast thinking. She could never come up with a convincing lie to explain their situation.

One of the guards looked suspiciously at Selene. “Then why does she still have her clothes and her bags? What kind of thieves exclusively steal men’s clothes?” he interrogated.

“Me and my brother here,” he tapped at Perseus’ shoulder, “we made her hide in the bushes when we realized there were men approaching. The robbers thought there were only two of us, so they did not look for her.” Perseus grimaced at him, but did not say a word.

The guards looked at each other and mumbled something Selene could not hear. Then they turned to face them and pointed at the blood on their bodies. “Whose blood are those?” They looked down on their bodies; Selene had scattered spots on her dress, Archibald had red marks on his trousers and some on his bare torso, while Perseus looked as if he bathed in blood.

“These are from one of the robbers,” Archibald started. “There were five thieves, but they marched away as soon as we gave them everything we had. But, one of the men followed us and saw my sister here,” he pointed at her, “He maybe thought he can have her by himself if he sneaked away from his group and attacked us. What he did not know was that my brother here,” he pointed at Perseus, “is a great boxer. He beat the robber and killed him with his bare hands when he tried attacking our sister.”

Perseus showed the guards his hands to the guards to prove a point. “I never stopped clubbing the man until there was a pool of blood instead of his head,” he said. “I tackled him to the ground, looked him in the eyes and just started punching.”

 “He really hates it whenever our sister is put in danger,” he added.

The two guards nodded in agreement. “Where did you three come from?”

“We were from the west,” he lied. “We were on our way to our family down south in the city of Norwich and we got lost in this deep forest.”

The guards smiled at them. “You all must be tired,” one of them said. “Come in and stay in the town inn. I’m sure Ida will understand your situation.” He led them to the gates.

Selene and Archibald bowed in gratitude at the two men. “Thanks,” they both uttered as they walked in. Perseus followed them proudly behind.

***

“Oh, poor things,” cried the old woman. She dabbed a napkin on her eyes as she listened to Archibald’s retelling of the story. “Stay here as long as you need,” she added. “I can’t begin to imagine the trauma you experienced. You need every rest you can get.”

“Miss Ida, we can’t thank you enough,” Archibald said as he bowed to her.

“Nonsense,” she smiled. She looked at Selene, “Thank the heavens you had your brothers with you. I can’t even consider thinking what would have happened if you if not.” She then looked at Perseus and tried to hold his arm but he flinched and swatted her hand away. Ida did not seem to mind. “Take a seat there while I prepare breakfast. Then you can rest as much as you need.” Ida beamed them a smiled before going to the kitchen.

They went to an empty table and took their seats. He sat beside Selene, while Perseus sat opposite them, looking impatient.

“How long do you plan on staying here?” he asked her.

She looked down on table, and played with her fingers. “As long as I can,” she said. “If they accept me here, then I won’t have a reason to go away. At least, I will be with my kind.”

Perseus scoffed at her. “Well, that sucks.”

“Thank you for helping me get here, Perseus,” she said to him. She tried reaching out a hand to hold his but it was quickly flicked away. She withdrew her hand, wincing at the pain.

“What was that for?” Archibald confronted.

“Thank me all you want, but don’t touch me, unless I told you so.” He stood from the chair. “Where’s the room?” he asked Ida. He heard the old woman skittered outside the kitchen in a hurry.

“Can’t you wait for your breakfast? It is almost ready,” she said.

“Just tell me where the room is, hag,” Perseus ordered. Ida flinched at his tone but he relented. She led him slowly upstairs. Perseus looked impatient all the while.

“I hate him,” Selene said to him, rubbing her hand. “He is arrogant, selfish and obnoxious. He flaunts his strength as if it was the only thing that matters in the world. He is the epitome of what a werewolf is. No wonder he is the alpha.”

“Well, not every werewolf is the same,” Archibald explained. “Sure, most of us is like Perseus, but not all. Lucian, for example, is as civilized as you can get. He is different from all leaders in the werewolf history. From what I was told and from what I read, alphas were usually like Perseus; hot-headed warmongers, who prefers violence over anything. But he actually promotes civility in the pack. Thanks to him, we have been living in relative peace in the north.”

“You are different too,” she added. She looked at him, long red strands of hair drooping down her tired green eyes.

“I sure hope so,” he replied, smiling back at him.

***

The humans are weak. He could break them even without turning. Humans are pathetic creatures. The bottom of the food chain. The old woman was even harder to look at. She was thin, slow, and fragile like a vase. She won’t survive a night in the woods.

Perseus washed out the grime and dirt on his body. He marveled at the magnificence of his form as he traced his hands on his well-built body. The cool water flowed down his lean physique, dragging with it mud and the caked blood of his prey. He flexed his biceps and nodded in satisfaction. No one else can match him in terms of strength and appearance. He is perfection personified.

He smiled to himself as a familiar hot feeling flushed from his chest to his groin. My body is perfect, he thought to himself. Everything about me is perfect, he added as he looked down on his raging member.

His mind wandered to memories past; of women that yielded everything to him just for a taste of him. Regardless of whether they were in their human form, or in werewolf form, all of them went wild just from his touch. They submitted to his every will, bent down and over for him, and swallowed all he has in store for them.

But he has to release this burgeoning desire for flesh, creeping up from deep within his loins. It annoyed him that he was far from Crescent Peaks. Women there would have been clamoring already by the sight of him.

As he dried his body, he smelled a familiar smell coming from the window. It was the smell of a woman. He hurried to the window and looked down to see a long-haired woman walking down the street with an empty basket. He tasted a human before, but it was long ago. A curve went up on the side of his face as he eyed the woman with aching desire.

“Hey,” he shouted from the window above; he was naked except a towel wrapped around his neck and down his broad shoulders.

The woman looked up and stopped dead in her tracks as if she hit an invisible wall. Her face blushed bright red. He smelled a sudden wetness coming off her. The sweet scent of a woman’s desire.  She stood from the empty street, dumbfounded and shaking on her knees.

“Come up here, woman,” he beckoned her with a captivating smirk. The woman dropped her basket on the corner of the road and hurried to the inn. “Here comes breakfast,” he smirked to himself.