STARRY NIGHT.

CHAPTER SEVEN— NIKOLAI.

Two days had passed since I saw that suicidal lady with a robotic arm in the forest. She was beautiful, her eyes were blue like the ocean, it perfectly suited her beautiful blonde hair. I had pictured her in my head several times. I knew if I saw her at that moment, I couldn't forget her, it was impossible to.

I had no idea what came over me when she ran to her family home. I wasn't afraid of showing myself to her family, but I didn't stay, I had left when I heard shuffling of foots coming closer to the door. I was sure she wasn't aware of my absence. I continued watching over her from a corner where I hid, and I couldn't miss the excitement on an older woman's face and two young ladies who stood beside her, crying. They were all glad to have her back home.

I watched as they hugged each other tightly. I knew those were her family. After observing them for a bit, I returned home, and thankfully my brothers weren't on the lookout for me.

It was evening already, and I was seated on the sofa as I thought about the beautiful lady, a grumble escaped my lips. I fiddled with my fingers, which I did whenever I was nervous, before standing up from the sofa. I paced around the room. For the love of the moon goddess, I couldn't stop thinking about that Beauty. The Missy. The suicidal lady. I had contemplated many times about visiting her family home but I couldn't dare. I didn't want to be seen as an intruder, but I wanted to see her again.

I muttered words to myself when realization suddenly dawned upon me; I didn't know her name — she never gave it. She didn't even thank me for saving her life and leading her back home. It wasn't like I needed her thanks, I just wanted something to make her keep talking to me. I loved hearing her voice. It wasn't too feminine, it was rough, a bit on the alto side.

Sighing, I closed my eyes and laid down straight on the sofa as I stared at the wooden ceiling, into space. I ruminated on why I was fascinated with that Missy. She wasn't nice, but she was definitely beautiful. She was aggressive and rude, but that was what attracted me to her. I guess I never knew I had a kink for an uncouth mouth until I met her.

Then I felt a slap on my chest. "What are you thinking about that had you so deep in your thoughts?" My older brother, Volkov, asked me.

I sat up straight, leaving a good amount of space on the sofa. Volkov plopped down next to me. He was eating a chip from a bag of Doritos — ever since he came to earth and tasted Doritos, he called it one of the seven wonders of earth.

"So what got you all stressed up? I can see it on your face." He said, with peering eyes. At least he wasn't scolding me for leaving the house two days ago without his permission. I was glad he was different from Abramov. If it was Abramov he'd have given me a knock on the head while blasting my ears with his concerns, even though it'd been two days.

Abramov could be overdramatic at times, but it was obvious he cared.

I turned to face Volkov. "I wasn't thinking about anything." I didn't want to tell my brother that I was thinking about a woman. I felt shy, so I couldn't say it. I knew Volkov, unlike Abramov, was understanding but I didn't want to bother him with the little issue I had; If I could call it that. "It's nothing." I muttered slowly, but he heard me.

Volkov passed me a chip, however I rejected it. He stared straight into my eyes before asking, "Are you sure nothing is bothering you?"

I nodded my head in reply, giving him affirmation that nothing was wrong. I saw him give me a look. He didn't believe me at all, and I knew Volkov, he wasn't going to stop till he got an answer.

"Niko, I'm not going to ask again." He said, authoritatively.

While living with my brother for centuries, I had gotten used to their rules and I knew how they all behaved. Volkov could be a softie but he was relentless.

"Brother, I assure you. Nothing is going on, if anything was you know I would tell you." I replied to him.

Volkov hummed in reply, not saying anything. It was quiet once again, only the sound of Volkov munching on his chips could be heard throughout the living room. My brain resumed its thought about the Missy and it wasn't long after that, Volkov threw a chip, landing on my face.

"What is it?!" I asked him, picking up the chip. I threw it in his direction and he caught it with his mouth.

Smooth.

He looked at me before sniggering. "I'll be going for an evening stroll soon, want to tag along?"

I shook my head, "No," I replied quickly which earned me a kick to my torso. "You know, I always feel like an older brother whenever you do this." I said, taunting him.

One thing Volkov didn't like was when I tried changing his chronological title. He didn't like it for reasons I was yet to comprehend. I also knew it could just be his ego acting up. After I said that, he looked at me before standing up. Then he proceeded to leave the living room.

At least he was gone. But I did feel bad for taunting him with words he didn't like.

Closing my eyes, I thought I would finally have some peace and quiet, but I thought wrong. Another of my brothers entered, disturbing my peace with loud chuckling and giggling.

Even without opening my eyes, I assumed it was Antonov. "Can't someone just have some peace and quiet in this house?" I grumbled, opening my eyes.

Before me was my stern brother, Abramov. My mouth was wide open as I gaped like a fish, looking at Abramov who was scrutinizing me with his dark gaze. It was shocking seeing Abramov with a woman, crazy things were happening. I had never seen my brother with a woman, at least, not after what happened to him that left a huge scar in his heart.

Slowly, I stood up from the sofa, "I'm sorry, I didn't know it was you."

My eyes moved towards the lady. She was dark skin, beautiful; Emphasis on the beautiful, because she was beautiful. Although, she dressed scantily. I could almost see her blossoms through her see through dress.

Abramov didn't seem to catch my words, or maybe he chose to ignore me, because he rolled his eyes at me while I took that as my cue to exit the living room. Before leaving, I decided to taunt him because what fun would it be if I couldn't frustrate my older brother. "Have fun. And don't forget to clean up. If you mess that place up, I am going to tell Ivan that you did it in the living room."

I turned around with a huge grin adorning my face. I didn't care to look at his reaction, but I knew he was probably throwing daggers at me with his eyes. He knew I wasn't bluffing when I said I was going to tell him Ivan.

Ivan was our oldest brother, the first of our type. He was the moon goddess special creation — the first Lycan.

I hadn't even stepped out of the living room when I heard him shout back something between the lines of, "Shut up," And, "You shit!"

I bursted out laughing. Abramov was scared of Ivan. Everyone was. Ivan was nice, but he had the most craze between us brothers. Amongst my brothers, I was probably the nicest. Even Volkov didn't come close to being as nice as I was.

I walked out of the house, deciding to take a stroll. Since Abramov was busy with a lady, he wouldn't have the time to scold me. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity, so I grabbed it. I was walking in the busy streets of Khabarovsk when I heard my name being called. I looked toward the direction and I saw Volkov walking towards me.

"Hey, little man. I thought you weren't up for an evening stroll, or where are you off to?" He enquired as he got near me. He didn't seem mad at me like he did before leaving the living room not quite long. That was one thing about Volkov, he never held a grudge.

I didn't have a destination, "Nowhere. I just walked out of the house because of Abramov." I replied.

He looked at me skeptically, "What did he do?"

"It's nothing, I was just shocked to see him with a woman." I laughed after saying that.

Volkov chuckled, "Well at least, he has someone to share his cold bed with while you have none."

I rolled my eyes. I wasn't moved by the words my brother just said. I was not a hoe like my brother's. Ivan was an exception, I haven't seen or caught him with any lady or even a man. "That's because I haven't seen someone I like yet, and also, Ivan doesn't womanize like y'all." I simply said to him.

My brother widened his eyes to the point I thought they were going to fall out, "Oh my, I am offended. How can you refer to me as a womanizer?"

One good thing about my family was the jokes we shared. Although when it came down to serious issues, we knew when to be focused.

He added, "And also, you know that Ivan keeps stuff to himself. How are you sure he doesn't have one. . .You know, they might even be much." He said, wiggling his eyebrows at me.

I tried holding in my laughter but I failed woefully at it. After my laughter was put at bay, we continued walking on the dark empty street which led to an overhead bridge opposite one of the busiest parts of Khabarovsk. The stars were out in clusters and the moon stood high in the sky in crescent form.

From the corner of my eyes I noticed Volkov's eyes were set on me.

I sighed. "Why are you staring? What's wrong?" I asked.

"You've not been acting like your normal self after you came back from Temmny Forest two days ago." My brother stated. His tone of voice was different which meant it was serious.

"Like I said when we were back at the house, it's nothing I can't handle."

"Finally, it means something happened but it's something you can sort out yourself."

I looked at him, "Um- yeah, that is what I have been saying since morning."

"No, your words were different." He responded.

Not wanting to talk, I nodded my head in reply. We approached the busiest part of Khabarovsk, it was less crowded, it could all be accounted for by the fact that night was slowly approaching.

I felt a sting on my hand. It was Volkov that had pinched me, and it ticked me off a bit. "You need to stop pinching me bro." I said to him.

He looked at me, "You're a lycan, stop being a pup."

I sneered at him. "Tsk." I didn't like being compared to a puppy.

"Look at that girl, have you seen her around her before?" He asked, nudging his head towards a direction.

I looked at the direction he was pointing at and then, I saw her. The suicidal lady who had been invading my thoughts ever since I met her in the forest.

She was looking brighter than the last time I saw her. She was clad in a black cargo trousers with a v-neck top which was also black, paired with a black face cap. Her hair was free and bouncing, and no longer in that ponytail cage. She looked stunning, almost knocking me out of my breath.

I looked at my brother who was still scrutinizing her with his eyes. I didn't know what response to give, should I tell him I had seen her or not? Although before I could say anything, Volkov ran towards her. While I followed closely behind.

By the time we got to where she was standing by a bridge overseeing the lake, she was already looking at Volkov dead in the eyes, not flinching at all. She didn't notice me though. Then Volkov began questioning her while she responded, adding insult with her words. Still feisty.

Volkov wasn't the type to easily get pissed, but with what the Missy kept saying to him, I felt bashed. And I hoped it didn't tick him off. Volkov was nice, but he was always quick to lose his patience. He was like a ticking bomb, unlike Abramov who was predictable, he wasn't. No one could tell when he could explode.

When he figured out that he was getting nowhere with her, he threw his hands up in the air and faced me. "I'm leaving, this little girl frustrates me." He said.

Volkov could easily use his powers to control her but Ivan had told every single one of us to never use our powers on humans. It was the number one rule on his unwritten decalogue.

The said girl looked at him, "Uh, hello ass face, I'm not a little girl. How old do you think I am compared to you?" She asked.

My brother turned to face her, he was blatantly glaring at the girl who matched his look. Oh boy, just a little more push and I knew Volkov could probably snap at her. "Old enough for me to know that you're still a little girl." He sneered at her.

Suicidal lady ran her hands through her hair. She was obviously frustrated. I watched as she tousled her hair in between her fingers and I wondered why she wasn't looking at my direction. I wasn't an ant, scrap that, any ant would even get more attention from her than I was getting at that moment.

Volkov turned to face me, "I'm leaving." He said, not waiting a moment before doing as he said.

"Well, how do you know that rude Lycan bastard?" I heard her say.

I turned to face her and I saw her staring at me, "Are you talking to me?"

She looked at me like I was stupid, "If not you, who else is here?"

I moved closer to her, "So you noticed me?"

"I'm pretty sure I asked a simple question. That guy, he's also like you, right?"

I could hear her heartbeat which was beating fast against its cage. It was surprising to see she was troubled, yet, she was acting strong. "Yes, he's a Lycan. You've got a prejudice against us, suicidal lady?"

As soon as I said that, her nose flared up and her cheeks were red, which was cute. I laughed, which made her more exasperated at me. "Just because you saved me from committing suicide doesn't mean you have the authority to belittle me by calling me names as you please." She said, loudly, which made heads turn towards us.

I looked at her, not bothered by the way she was shouting. It didn't move me at all, even if she shouted like a crazy lady.

She spoke again, calmly this time, "Anyways, T-thank you for saving me. But that doesn't mean I still don't hate your kind. You people created wolves that you couldn't control, leaving them to kill billions of people. I lost my arm while protecting my comrades from your animals who are ruthless."

She paused.

"They killed my Father, and I promise myself, I will exert revenge in every wicked way possible." She finished.

I saw her eyes. Hatred and hurt filled it. She hated the wolves and my kind. We Lycans knew about what was going on and that was why we came down from our realm. We needed to know what made the werewolves go rogue since they were our creatures and our liability. We didn't like the turnout of events, threatening the existence of the human race, but there were some things that were beyond us. One thing I did know was that my eldest brother, Ivan, wasn't going to rest until things about the event made sense. Most especially since the race of werewolves was basically hanging with a single thread.

Karina kept on talking, going on about how she hated Lycans; but at this point, I had already muted her voice, my eyes settling on her beautiful face. I admired her and her audacity to speak up in front of a Lycan that could easily decapitate her without breaking a sweat.

We were interrupted by the sound of an older woman's soft voice, "Karina!"

The little fire pitbull turned to face the woman whom I had seen hugging her two days ago. "Mum? Have you gotten everything you need to get in the market?" She asked.

Her mother nodded, raising a filled up basket as she walked towards us. She looked at her daughter before staring at me, a wrinkle of worry and a smile etched on her face. "I'm Karina's mother," Her mother said, politely. I also mentally noted down the suicidal lady's name — Karina.

What a beautiful name.

"May I ask who you are?" The older lady prodded. I didn't blame her for not recognizing me, not everyone in the village knew me, but everyone knew my brothers.

"I am Nikolai."

Her mother looked deep in thought before saying, "You're one of Ivan's brothers, right?"

I answered her affirmatively, she introduced me to her daughter who was quiet as a mouse since her mother arrived.

"Nikolai, everyone here in Khabarovsk is grateful and indebted to your family. Thank you for saving us all, we wouldn't be here without you people, none of us would be." She said,

I smiled, "You don't need to thank us," After all the origin of the whole problem was caused by our own kinds, that was one reason why I couldn't invalidate suicid- Karina's hatred towards me. "Aren't you scared of us?" I asked.

"Oh, not really, because if you wanted to harm us you would have done that a long time ago. Also you guys saved us."

I looked at her daughter, and we met each other's gaze. She had a scowl on her face as she stared at me, "Your daughter doesn't seem to think the way you do."

Karina's mother looked mortified and apologized for her daughter's misjudgments. She even offered me bread but I declined politely. She regarded me before facing her daughter, "I'm done getting everything I need from the market, let's go home now."

I watched as Karina and her Mother walked away, her mother looked back to bid me bye while she didn't even bother turning back. I was looking forward to at least hearing a goodnight from Karina, but If wishes were horses beggars would ride.

Until they were out of sight, I set my path home. My mind kept tracking back to what Karina had said earlier. It all made sense why she hated all werewolves, not giving a damn about the consequences.

I got to the entrance of the living room, hoping I wouldn't run into Abramov doing his business. I didn't want to corrupt my eyes, I wanted my last memory for the night to be the beautiful scowl on Karina's face. I turned the knob of the door, entering into the living room. And I was met with my three brothers, all of them occupying spaces on the sofas. They watched me enter.

"Where have you been? It's been awhile since I left you with that feisty girl." Volkov said the first word. A smile was playing on his face and Antonov was looking at me with the naughtiest eyes ever.

I got goosebumps.

I could only imagine what Volkov had told Antonov and Abramov.

I sat down on any available chair that wasn't too close or far from them, "Her name is Karina brother."

All Three of them shuffled beside me, "What happened? And don't tell me nothing, Nikolai. Did you sleep with her?" Abramov asked.

"No." I quickly debunked. Apparently, they were all interested in my ‘Lady’ and ‘Sex’ Life.

I relayed to them most of the things Karina said, things pertaining to her hatred of the werewolves kind. I intentionally left out little details that were not needed. When I was done explaining, no one said a word as they returned back to their former positions.

"No one is going to say anything about it?" I asked

Antonov responded, "We can't say or do anything about it until Ivan returns. We don't really know much about what is happening but one thing I can vouch for is they are being controlled, they are not just rogues, Niko! They are being controlled by something. Something of a higher power."

"Anto is right, we can't do anything till Ivan comes back." Abramov back him.

I stood up, "People are still dying out there brothers. Innocent lives are being taken by our own kinds, our creations."

"We don't belong in this realm, Niko, we came to help them! So do not talk to me about neglect." Abramov replied.

"Yes, we don't belong. But the werewolves are our responsibilities. After all, the existence of werewolves only came about due to our own existence."

I looked at all of them before walking away. I could hear them calling me back, but I kept going to my room and I shut the door behind me.

Ivan had to come back on time.