Being a Chief is a huge responsibility. When my son takes the throne, he will call the shots. He will tell us where to fish, how to hunt, and where to live. The laws of the Wolf People Clan are sacred. Cody is still learning the traditions of our people. When I was a boy, my father, Chief Bearpaw, took me on a hunting trip. Cody and I never had a chance to share our own hunting trip. If we had, I would have taught him that elk is a better meat. When my son marries I expect to pass down my role as Chief to him. As an elder of the clan, I will guide him and give him counsel on how things are politically run. But I will have no say, for it will be his time to make the final decisions for our people. Lucia is a noble companion as far as human females go. Her defiance with the Ghost is almost unforgivable though. I warned her about the Ghost. The Ghost is my father's former lover, a crazy woman who is power-hungry even in death.My father, warned me about the restless of the Ghost of the
Chief Wolfpaw uses magic to make a flame in his claws. He holds it like a tiny heartbeat, precious and guiding us along the green gem pathway. The cave has cave paintings of human and werewolf battles. There are other cave paintings of Wolf Clan hunts, weddings, and other ceremonies in honor of their great people. A living history living among the walls like a timeline of chalk art. I touch the art on the wall. It's chalky and powdery to the touch. It's very primitive and beautiful in its art style. I want to explore each drawing, and know it by name. Who are the names of the people in the wedding? Are they much different than Cody and I? "This is the history of my people. I've never seen it before. My father spoke of a place with our living history painted on the walls. He must have meant this place." Chief Wolfpaw removes my hand from the walls. I do it out of respect for him. I hope I didn't disrespect him by touching the walls in the first place. But it's history pulled me in,
The stalactites cling to the roof of the cave. But no matter how much they cling they are meant to fall down. As the cave walls continue to crack and fall, the stalactites break and descend upon us like little spears being thrown at an extinct Mammoth. The cave paintings break and the timeline of the Wolf People Clan demolishes before our eyes as we hurry along the corridor. A piece of the cave painting falls at my feet, I quickly pick it up and tuck it into my green cloak for safe keeping. Chief Wolfpaw looks at me briefly with his wolf eyes, by saving that piece of his history I hope I will gain some respect back. I haven't been following his orders, the way most Wolf People Clan members would. But I am not a clan member by birth, I am human and that's a fact. Being a human among wolves and seeing our years of hatred on the cave walls makes me question all of this. Our journey to get Cody, our efforts to get the luna lily flowers, is it all for nothing? Is our desire to unite our
The light at the end of the tunnel is near. The entrance to the cave shakes the earth. The staircase shifts as we travel pass the Great Grizzly. Although all living beings are frozen in time for us to escape, the inorganic materials like rocks are still moving about freely. The rocks drop on the staircase chipping away at the ground little by little. The stairs fall into a deep chasm within the Luna mountain. Rosemary spots us toward the entrance of the cave, she reaches her hands out toward us as if she is ready to consume our souls as we run. I chant in elder speech and raise up my hands toward the cave entrance. Chief Wolfpaw zips past me in time, as I collapse the entrance to the cavern. The force of the cave in pushes Chief Wolfpaw and I toward the ground, knocking us over. The Ghost smiles at our dramatic entrance, and takes on her human form. "Won't you join me, Chief Wolfpaw? I want to look into the eyes of the man who is the son of my former lover." Chief Wolfpaw returns
The sight of Lucia and my father, Chief Wolfpaw, is a strange one indeed. My father looks like he's been in a bar fight with a young drunk human man. I can tell they have been through a lot of turmoil and obstacles just to find me again. I was starting to think that Lucia had given up on me, and that perhaps she really did believe me to be dead. The touch of my father's hand on my shoulder is enough reassurance to let me know he is both happy to see me and is exhausted. His walking stick is proof enough that he is getting older, a lot faster than I anticipated. It means I will become Chieftain soon. It's a role I was born to play, but was never asked if I wanted to play it. I suppose they never ask. They just keep going until the bloodline ceases to exist. If I don't produce an heir with Lucia after we wed, then my bloodline dies with me. I can think of worse things to happen than a bloodline ending, due to a lack of child rearing. Does Lucia even want children, it's a question we h
The sun rises through the trees with a pink and orange tint. The dew sparkles against the bushes and twinkles when it does. Morning doves coo as Chief Wolfpaw continues to snore, and Cody rolls over. The Ghost reveals her eyes to me through the covering of the trees. I walk toward her, and know that I am being summoned again. I dare not disobey this inner voice that is pulling me toward her. "Hello, Lucia. I see you have been reunited with Cody. Is it true has he found the Luna lily flowers," Rosemary, the Ghost asks? The twist in her voice and deception in her eyes makes me question her motives. But if I don't obey I fear I will have to surrender the soul of my first born child, despite being successful on our mission to retrieve a soul for the Ghost. We held up our end of the bargain, but I no longer believe the Ghost will keep her word. My first born might be in trouble after all, if I don't find and surrender the luna lily flowers to Rosemary. "I don't know what he's found, Ro
I haven't been to my grandmother's house since she passed away. The day of her funeral, was the day I was taken in by the Wolf People Clan. Their generosity in my time of need will never be forgotten by me. Returning to my grandma's house after a year will be hard to do. No one came looking for me to settle her debts, because I was seventeen. My name disappeared from the town, and the only mention of my name was when I was blamed for the death of Cody. It was never true of course, I didn't kill him. If I returned to the human world with Cody at my side it would create a rabbit hole of interview questions. The Perez house was left alone until I would become of age. I am of age now, but I not ready to inherit the house or any of my grandmother's property. Despite growing up there the stuff within the walls never felt like mine. It always felt like it was grandma's, and to take it would feel wrong. I don't have room for a house full of stuff as the future wife of the next chieftain. T
Spiders the size of dogs scurry around the house and are heard on the inside and outside of the walls. The voice of the elders touches my tongue, as the two werewolves of the Wolf People Clan prepare to defend me and the luna lily flowers.The giant spiders chatter amongst themselves and chant to themselves in lowered tones. The spiders look like giant tarantulas as they creep up the stairs. A voice controls them faintly in the distance. Chief Wolfpaw and Cody bend their ears in the direction of the voice. A puppet master is pulling the strings behind the chattering of this giant spider horde. The spiders come in various colors. Some are light grey and others are white. The dark brown ones have large orange eyes and the black ones have red eyes. But all the spiders have one thing in common, they are here to destroy the Perez household and mean to kill us all. My reflection in the mirror is fierce and strong. My eyes continue to glow as the horde chews through the attic door. "Get