Chapter Seven (Arric – The Hunt)

The full moon illuminated the dark wilderness, casting an eerie glow over the rolling hills and dense forests. In the distance, a herd of antelopes grazed peacefully, unaware of the danger that lurked in the shadows.

Suddenly, a low growl echoed through the night, causing the antelopes to freeze in fear. Three massive werewolves emerged from the trees, their fur standing on end as they bared their sharp teeth. The leader of the pack, a giant black werewolf with glowing blue eyes with a tinge of gold, let out a deafening howl, signaling the start of the hunt. Its fur was matted and its eyes glowed with a fierce hunger

The antelopes panicked, scattering in every direction as the werewolves charged toward them. The black werewolf leaped into the air, landing on the back of an antelope and sinking its teeth into the animal's neck. The antelope let out a piercing sound before falling to the ground, motionless.

The second werewolf; a grey and black mixed-colored one, chased after another antelope, its powerful legs propelling it forward at lightning speed. The antelope tried to outrun the werewolf, but it was no match for its speed and agility. The werewolf caught up to the antelope and tackled it to the ground, sinking its teeth into its throat and ending its life in a matter of seconds.

The third werewolf, a white one with a mix of grey, went to intercept the scattered animals, the white ring around its piercing blue eyes glowing in the dark. It was the second largest of the three and appeared most cunning. It stalked its prey carefully, waiting for the right moment to strike. An antelope made to dart passed it, and it pounced, tackling it to the ground and tearing into its neck. The antelope let out a final cry before falling still. The third wolf then continued to kill more of the antelopes,  picking one after the other, leaving a trail of carnage in its wake. 

The ground was slick with blood, and the smell of death hung heavy in the air. The third werewolf howled loudly with its blood-covered muzzles raised to the moon. Meeting the gaze of the big black wolf for about a minute, it then lowered its head to carry one of the antelopes with its sharp teeth. The two others joined in, imitating the act. And then the three scampered away, leaving behind the carnage of their hunt. 

Alpha Roffe Barther and his two sons: Arric; his first son, and Marcus; his second son, set up camp deep in the wild, surrounded by towering trees and the sounds of nature. For the past two days, Alpha Roffe Barther had been teaching his sons the art of lying low and hunting like a predator. He’d shown them how to track and stalk their prey, using their heightened senses to hone in on the antelopes that roamed the forest. And on the third day, he figured it was time to let them hunt on their own and show him if they had learned anything at all. 

"Alright boys, it's time to show me what you've learned," Alpha Roffe Barther said as he rekindled the bonfire in the middle of the clearing. "Now go out there and bring back some meat for dinner,” he said over his shoulders.

“Yes, Father,” the boys chorused and got up, heading into the forest.

When they were about a kilometer away from camp with Arric, scouting and tracking antelopes tracks, the boys shapeshifted into wolves, their bodies contorting and fur sprouting as they prepared for the kill They prowled through the forest, their eyes scanning the grounds and ears pricked, catching every sound.

They soon caught sight of two antelopes grazing on the grass. Arric and Marcus crept closer, their hearts pounding with excitement as they prepared to strike. They lunged forward, tackling the antelopes to the ground and killing them quickly and efficiently.

Returning to camp, Marcus spotted a third antelope and wanted to kill it, but Arric stopped him. "We don't need it," Arric said. "Two is enough for the three of us for dinner."

But Marcus was insistent. "We can always use more meat," he argued, "what's the harm in one more?"

Arric shook his head. "We need not kill unnecessarily, there’s always tomorrow…" he said firmly. "Two antelopes is enough."

“That’s funny considering you were consumed with bloodlust on our last hunt with Father…” his junior brother scoffed before reluctantly releasing the antelope, which scampered away into the forest.

“I was hungry. Father deliberately starved us to get that effect. It will not happen again,” he replied, sounding a tad angry with himself.

“No judgment here… just saying… we are what we are after all. Why deny ourselves,” Marcus said.

“It’s called self-control, you are too young to understand,” Arric snapped.

“What? You are just five years older than me…” Marcus replied irritated. 

“Exactly…” Arric said with an arched eyebrow.

“Father is not going to like it…”

“ I know…” Arric replied. “ I will take full responsibility.”

Back at camp, Alpha Roffe Barther was waiting for them, a fire already crackling in the pit. "Where's the rest of the meat?" he demanded, a scowl on his face.

"Two is enough for the three of us," Arric said, trying to keep his voice steady.

His father glowered at him. “What did you say to me, pup?! he spat, grabbing Arric roughly by the throat before pushing him to the floor. “Mingling with those fucking unchanging is beginning to mess with your head, turning you into a bloody weakling. Now you listen to me, you little shit!  No son of mine is going to act like a fucky pussy! When I say kill, you better do as I say or I will skin your hide and have you thrown inside a pit!" When Arric didn’t say anything nor look contrite, he added, "I think you are full tonight. You should go up the tree and stand watch then." 

Arric got up, rubbing his sore shoulder, and walked away from the clearing with jaws clenched and eyes blazing with fury. He knew it would not always be like this. Soon he will grow as big as his father and the older man would no longer be able to push him around.

The full moon illuminated the dark wilderness, casting an eerie glow over the rolling hills and dense forests. In the distance, a herd of antelopes grazed peacefully, unaware of the danger that lurked in the shadows.

Suddenly, a low growl echoed through the night, causing the antelopes to freeze in fear. Three massive werewolves emerged from the trees, their fur standing on end as they bared their sharp teeth. The leader of the pack, a giant black werewolf with glowing red eyes, let out a deafening howl, signaling the start of the hunt. Its fur was matted and its eyes glowed with a fierce hunger

The antelopes panicked, scattering in every direction as the werewolves charged toward them. The black werewolf leaped into the air, landing on the back of an antelope and sinking its teeth into the animal's neck. The antelope let out a piercing scream before falling to the ground, motionless.

The second werewolf chased after another antelope, its powerful legs propelling it forward at lightning speed. The antelope tried to outrun the werewolf, but it was no match for its speed and agility. The werewolf caught up to the antelope and tackled it to the ground, sinking its teeth into its throat and ending its life in a matter of seconds.

The third werewolf, a white one with piercing blue eyes, was the second largest of the three and appeared most cunning. It stalked its prey carefully, waiting for the right moment to strike. As an antelope passed by, the white werewolf pounced, tackling it to the ground and biting into its neck. The antelope let out a final cry before falling still. The white wolf then picked on another and another, leaving a trail of carnage in its wake. The ground was slick with blood, and the smell of death hung heavy in the air. The third werewolf howled loudly with its blood-covered muzzles raised to the moon. Meeting the gaze of the big black wolf, it carried one of the antelopes with its sharp teeth. The two others did the same and then the three scampered away, leaving behind the carnage of their hunt. 

Alpha Roffe Barther and his two sons: Arric; his first son, and Marcus; his second son, set up camp deep in the wild, surrounded by towering trees and the sounds of nature. For the past two days, Alpha Roffe Barther had been teaching his sons the art of lying low and hunting like a predator. He’d shown them how to track and stalk their prey, using their heightened senses to hone in on the antelopes that roamed the forest. And on the third day, he figured it was time to let them hunt on their own and show him if they had learned anything at all. 

"Alright boys, it's time to show me what you've learned," Alpha Roffe Barther said as he rekindled the bonfire in the middle of the clearing. "Now go out there and bring back some meat for dinner,” he said over his shoulders.

“Yes, Father,” the boys chorused and got up, heading into the forest.

When they were about a kilometer away from camp with Arric, scouting and tracking antelopes tracks, the boys shapeshifted into wolves, their bodies contorting and fur sprouting as they prepared for the kill They prowled through the forest, their eyes scanning the grounds and ears pricked, catching every sound.

They soon caught sight of two antelopes grazing on the grass. Arric and Marcus crept closer, their hearts pounding with excitement as they prepared to strike. They lunged forward, tackling the antelopes to the ground and killing them quickly and efficiently.

Returning to camp, Marcus spotted a third antelope and wanted to kill it, but Arric stopped him. "We don't need it," Arric said. "Two is enough for the three of us for dinner."

But Marcus was insistent. "We can always use more meat," he argued. "What's the harm in one more?"

Arric shook his head. "We need not kill unnecessarily, there’s always tomorrow…" he said firmly. "Two antelopes is enough."

“That’s funny considering you went all bloodlust on our last hunt with Father…” his junior brother scoffed before reluctantly releasing the antelope, which scampered away into the forest.

“I was hungry. Father deliberately starved us to get that effect. It will not happen again,” he replied, sounding a tad angry with himself.

“No judgment here… just saying… we are what we are after all. Why deny ourselves,” Marcus said.

“It’s called self-control, you are too young to understand,” Arric snapped.

“What? You are just seven years older than me…” Marcus replied irritated. 

“Exactly…” Arric said with an arched eyebrow.

“Father is not going to like it…”

“I know…” Arric replied. “ I will take full responsibility.”

Back at camp, Alpha Roffe Barther was waiting for them, a fire already crackling in the pit. "Where's the rest of the meat?" he demanded, a scowl on his face.

"Two is enough for the three of us," Arric said, trying to keep his voice steady.

His father glowered at him. “What did you say to me, pup?! he spat, grabbing Arric roughly by the throat before pushing him to the floor. “Mingling with those fucking unchanging is beginning to mess with your head, turning you into a bloody weakling. Now you listen to me, you little shit!  No son of mine is going to act like a fucky pussy! When I say kill, you better do as I say or I will skin your hide and have you thrown inside a pit!" When Arric didn’t say anything nor look contrite, he added, "I think you are full tonight. You should go up the tree and stand watch then." 

Arric got up, rubbing his sore shoulder, and walked away from the clearing with jaws clenched and eyes blazing with fury. He knew it would not always be like this. Soon he will grow as big as his father and the older man would no longer be able to push him around.