CHAPTER 66 : THE RIGHT QUESTION

Bryan wiped his mouth and stood up after they were done eating. "We should head out," he said to Aiden, who was already on his feet.

They left the pub and made their way to the woods. The men earlier had described what part of the woods the old man would be in, so it was easier to find the man, but even without that, it was still possible that they could have just tracked him down.

"This place feels… off," Aiden muttered as his eyes scanned the whole place. "There is some kind of energy here."

Bryan nodded in agreement. "We are getting close though," he said quietly as they kept walking.

A small cabin finally came into view, its thatched roof sagging and looking old. They wondered how the old man managed to survive in the woods all alone.

"This has to be it," Aiden said, his voice low. "It's definitely it."

Bryan nodded as he and Aiden went closer. But before they could knock, the door creaked open.

"Alphas." The old man's voice rasped from the doorway, his eyes sharp and clear despite his age. He looked at them as if he had known they were coming all along, which was quite shocking to them, especially the part where he referred to them as Alphas.

At this point, there was no doubt he was one of them. They could also smell him now. The old man was a werewolf.

"I have been expecting you," the old man continued, stepping aside and gesturing for them to enter. "My name is Baba Razz."

Without a word, Bryan and Aiden followed him inside. They both wondered why one of their own would go around spreading tales of their kind, knowing how dangerous it could be. They were going to ask him, but they remained silent for the meantime, taking in the sparse interior of the cabin.

"Please, sit," the old man said, motioning to two roughly carved chairs near the hearth. "We have lots to talk about."

Bryan and Aiden sat, still on guard but curious about the man's intentions. This Baba Razz spoke to them like they have known each other for a long time, and it was somewhat… Suspicious. 

Baba Razz sat across from them, his hands folded in his lap. "I know what you are thinking," he began. "And I will explain everything."

"We have heard you have been telling people about…our kind," Bryan began carefully. "You know that is something we don't discuss with humans or rather expose so freely, and you should know how much danger you are putting yourself in if people found out what you truly are."

"I am aware of that," Baba Razz said and sighed, leaning back in his chair. "It was not my intention for all of these. I had a human friend years ago. This human friend found out things he was not supposed to find out, and that is how all these things started. Now, the villagers think I am a madman, but that is not relevant right now. You need not worry about it." He told them and waved a hand dismissively, "What is done, is done."

Aiden let out a breath and frowned. His mind was racing with questions, but the old man shook his head before they could ask more. 

"Now, it is my turn to ask," he said to them and then asked. "Why have you come to see me?"

"What do you mean?" Aiden asked him. "We came to find out who it was that knew so much and spoke about things they should not know so much about."

"Yes, but why are you here," Baba Razz said and then got up, pacing around the room. "Ask the right questions. Earlier I told you I was expecting you both, and we have a lot to talk about. Why?"

"That is what we would like to know," Bryan cut in. "Why?"

"No, no boys," Baba Razz chuckled deeply, waving his fingers at them. "You need to ask the right questions, to get the answers you want. There is a reason you have found me today."

"And what would that reason be?" Aiden asked, getting annoyed with the whole turning around and not getting straight to the point. It was, no doubt, frustrating.

"I am a man of knowledge. I know many things and could give you answers to things you want to know," he informed them, "you just need to ask the right questions so that I can answer. Now I have given you both a hint. You are here because you have to be in order to understand many things that have happened, will happen and are bound to happen."

Bryan and Aiden looked at the old man, their brains trying to process everything he had said and what he could mean by those words. And the way they saw it, Baba Razz was not their typical old man, he looked strong, the way he moved, so fluid and effortless, and he did look full of knowledge.

"Those eyes of his," Bryan thought while thoroughly examining and observing the old man, "when you look into his eyes, you can't help but see it, feel it. His eyes seemed to hold a thousand stories, having seen more than most lifetimes."

And despite Baba Razz being so suspicious, they felt like he was also being sincere, which made their judgment of him confusing.

"What pack are you from? Or have you been banished?" Aiden asked Baba Razz, after taking some seconds to think.

"That is a good question," Baba Razz confirmed with a nod. "But not the question I want you to ask. If you ask the right question, you get answers to a lot of things and who knows, some of this information might be useful to you one day."

"This is crazy!" Aiden exclaimed and rubbed his face. "Are you trying to play with us? You make it seem like you are the one who brought us here, and not us coming to look for you."

"What if you were destined to find me?" Baba Razz chuckled and asked, his eyes filled with so much amusement. 

"Brother, relax," Bryan said to Aiden, patting his back. He was also frustrated, but he could not resist how he felt about Baba Razz, and after he calmed Aiden down, he turned his attention back to Baba Razz and asked, "What are you? Are you a seer? I know you are a werewolf, but there is more to it, isn't there?"

"There is." Baba Razz responded with a smirk, "You are catching up really fast, I thought it might take a long while before one of you truly understood what is happening here, and I do enjoy testing your brains. So now ask!"

"How did our kind come into existence?" Bryan inquired, earning a wide smile from Baba Razz.

"Why did you ask that question?" Baba Razz asked Bryan, the smile on his face still intact. "There are so many questions to ask, why that one?"

"It is a question we did not know we needed to ask but somehow feels right and judging by the smile on your face, I am sure my brother has asked the right question," Aiden replied.

"I would say instincts guided him to ask that particular question, and of course that is the correct question." Baba Razz said to them before sitting back down.

Taking his seat, he leaned back, his face now serious. "It will be a long answer. Let's get comfortable."