CALISTA'S POV****Ten Years Later***Woah. It's already ten years, and everything just went fast like a flash. I couldn't believe that it was just ten years ago, since some nefarious calamities befell me left, right, and center.But, I'm grateful. It's been ten years of peace, ten years of love, and ten years of vitality. I am a better person now, and all the hurdles I've had to step over, have shaped me into the best version of myself. Just like the gold extracted from the earth has to go through fire to be called gold. I've gone through fire, I've survived it all, and all I can say is that I'm a better betwr person, right now.I just can't be grateful enough for everything that has happened to me in the past ten years; the good, the bad, everything that came with living the life. I enjoyed them all, the good and the bad — I think that's the two sides to life, and I've also come to terms that bad things are also part of life, and how I handle them when they come knocking at my door
The French village we stumbled into was named — Lourmarin, and since we didn't see any better alternative we decided to settle down in the French village.For me, it was kinda challenging to live among them, I didn't understand their language, and communication was a significant barrier. Despite this, I was grateful to have found a safe place for my pups and I, to stay after the traumatic events we had experienced.Damn, I forgot to say this. On our way to Lourmarin, we brought Meghan, an aged woman who also survived the wicked onslaught that collapsed the Mountain Dew pack.We stopped by at the Mountain Dew pack to take in on the damage one final time, and to properly bury our fallen heroes.But then, as we approached the remains of our pack's mountain, we heard a sound. It was faint at first, but as we got closer, we realized it was the sound of someone breathing. I exchanged glances with Malik, and I wondered if it could be possible. 'Had someone else survived?' I mouthed.We cauti
We were cautious enough, to not reveal our true identities to them, as we know that they may not accept us, and they might feel threatened by our existence. We are different from them in every way, and the fear of being ostracized or even hunted was always at the back of our minds.The thrill of being able to transform into a powerful creature was something that I cherished, but I also knew that it was something that I had to keep hidden from the rest of this village, and I also entreated Malik, and Meghan into doing so.Every day, we had to remind ourselves to keep a low profile, not to draw attention to ourselves. It's a hard task, as our nature often betrays us. We have abilities that are beyond human comprehension, and now we must use them sparingly — it was a brutally hard task to keep up with, but we managed to keep up with it, for ten good years.I remember the first time I transformed, it was an experience unlike any other. The sensation of my bones stretching and shifting, th
We brought home some green basil leaves, yam, antelope meat, and some other ingredients for dinner. Malik loved the swallows that Nanisca of blessed memory, served us back at the Mountain Dew pack. Out of all the swallows Nanisca introduced to us, Malik loved the pounded yam swallow the most, and that was also what he ate, the most. Sometimes, he even jokes that the pounded yam gives him extra strength.Malik had taught Kieran and Melinda how to properly pound the yam, into an edible, smooth lump, and they also enjoyed doing the pounding, because they also fell in love with the delicacy. I still do not know how to pound the yam, and I don't think Malik for once, learned how to pound the yam from Nanisca. I guess he just figured it out all by himself. I think this is a classic case of — when you love something, you'll go to any length to get it.Kieran and Melinda were now able to pound it without Malik's interference, and this time around, Kieran took up the job all by himself. Whe
"Wow, so much for keeping it simple…" Malik let out a low growl. I chuckled slightly, and everyone else on the table chuckled, except Melinda. Meghan was used to making long prayers, and I don't think she'll ever change."But that was simple, huh…" Meghan countered whilst making an innocent "Yeah. It is." I beamed. "Let's just eat, aight.""Hmm," Meghan mumbled, and she began to eat.She made use of the cutlery to do all the cutting and eating; Melinda also did the same, but Malik and Kieran opted to eat the traditional way. Malik in particular had always had apathy for using the cutlery to eat pounded yam, so he rolled up his sleeves, rinsed his hands, then he used his bare right hand to scoop up a small amount of the pounded yam and soup mixture. He used his thumbs to push the mixture of the swallow and the soup into his fingers, forming a small ball. Then, he brought the ball of pounded yam and soup to his mouth and he used his fingers to push the mixture into his mouth. Kiera
****MALIK'S POV****I was sitting atop the roof of our house — a small bungalow that was slightly on the outskirts of Lourmarin.I was thinking, pondering over events that happened to me in recent years.Ten years have come and gone just like that. It feels like only yesterday when I made the decision to sacrifice the best years of my life to be here with Calista. I vividly remember the day when we both left Lakewood pack together, leaving behind everything we had known and loved to embark on a new journey.The initial years were tough. We had to adjust to a new terrain, and build our lives from scratch. But we were young and full of hope. We believed in ourselves and our love for each other. It was the one thing that kept us going, through all the battles and obstacles that we encountered, and the occasional bouts of loneliness.There were times when I wondered if it was all worth it. I missed my friends back home, and I longed for the familiar comforts of my old life. Well, everyth
I sniffed the air, and I confirmed that the folks approaching my house with savage intent, was indeed the Lourmarin villagers. I was relaxed and unperturbed for a second, but the next second my mind was not at rest when their whispers metamorphosed into screams and chants, that didn't seem to be any friendly, but a mere declaration of war. "Brûlez-les. Abattez-les. Des bêtes vivant sous forme humaine." They chanted. Which I think means, "Burn them down. But them down. Beasts, living in human form." They soon surrounded my house, throwing fire torches and pouring greasy oil on the house.I jumped down from the roof, and yelled,"Calm down, y'all. What's the matter, we can resolve this amicably…" but they didn't listen, they just kept up with their chanting, and it soon occurred to me that someone had found out that we were werewolves, and he had riled them up, turning the whole village against us. I particularly hear
"Vamos. Vamos. Let's go, Melinda." Kieran yelled. Melinda swiftly swaddled backward, and she joined up with us. We all shifted to our wolf form, and we all sprinted through the village, dodging the confused and frightened villagers as we went. Kieran and Melinda led the way, their powerful bodies easily breaking through any obstacles that stood in our path.The villagers outside grew louder and more aggressive as they realized we were trying to escape. I could hear the sound of pitchforks and torches scraping against the ground, as they ran after us.The villagers were close behind, shouting and screaming as they pursued us. But we were faster, stronger, and more agile than any human could ever hope to be.I never thought that our secret would be revealed, but it happened. The villagers found out that we were werewolves, and they attacked us without warning. My heart was pounding as I ran through the woods, trying to escape the angry mob that was chasing us.I could hear their shouts
"Malik!!! Malik!!!" I yelled, trying to dissuade him from attacking the Lakewood warriors all by himself, but he wouldn't listen. I didn't want him to get hit again, but it seemed like he was utterly enraged, and nothing would stop him, from releasing all rage he had bottled up inside of him."Everyone, get into the pack, and burn it to the ground…" I could hear Menelik's voice faintly, from the distance, even amidst the heavy battle cries. "And Hammy. Finish her now!!!" He growled.Explosions ripped through the air at once, reverberating with a bone-shaking intensity, sending shockwaves through the pack. The deafening blasts echoed off the surrounding trees, creating an atmosphere of chaos and danger.The battle raged on, explosions continuing to rock the surroundings, I could still see arrows flying all over the place. And as I was still surveilling my surroundings, breathing haphazardly, an explosive was thrown, at where I stood, and I instinctively picked it up, and threw it back,
Malik and Melinda chose to be put in chains and cuffs, ready to be taken back to Alpha Menelik, against my wish, and I had no choice but to lead them out of the pack, to the battlefront. I walked behind them, as we neared Lakewood's pack camp outside our pack.There were several tents in their camp, but there was one big tent at the center, and I automatically assumed that that would be their Alpha tent. So we sauntered in that direction.And as we got closer to the tent, the Lakewood pack warriors trooped out of their tents, and the gazes of some, who were parading the pack, stretching as far as the eyes could see, shifted to us as we sauntered forwards. Some of them were jeering and making mocking gestures towards us, as we walked, but that didn't faze me one bit, I was only focused on the task at hand.A number of the Lakewood pack warriors formed a wall outside the big tent, with each of them wielding heavy metal weapons, pointing them in our direction."Stop there!!!" A gruffy
Ramsey and I were joined by the other Alphas in the bunker.The other Alphas made us know, that the Lakewood warriors had surrounded the pack, and they didn't give chase, nor did they pursue our own warriors into the pack as we retreated. The Lakewood warriors were only standing round, successfully putting the pack under siege.And that made me question their motive — because if the Lakewood warriors are truly here for battle, why can't they just waltz in, and finish the battle? Because it was crystal-clear that we were losing the war to the Lakewood pack, and it was glaring, even to the blind, that we were on the back foot, even in our own backyard.I was fed up and frustrated, and it scared me to the bone, to learn that the face of battle, that the face of warfare had evolved, beyond fists, claws, and fangs, to now explosives, and speedily moving silver bullets.The warriors reported, that with these new innovations, the Lakewood pack outmatched and outwitted them, annihilating and
"Ok. The pack is all clear now!" Melinda breathed, her heart pounding in her chest.Melinda, Ramsey, and I stood in the middle of the pack, gazing round at the empty structures, save for the scanty warriors who were holding their grounds inside of the pack. Melinda, Ramsey, and I had escorted the young ones, and the women, who couldn't volunteer in the battle to safety. "Ok I'm going to join the warriors in battle…" Melinda let out a low growl, her eyes booming with intensity. "I have to go, even the scores…""No…" I boomed with authority, holding her by her hand. "You ain't going, nowhere, Mel. I don't want them to capture you again, or even turn you against us, as they did to Kieran…""I gotta go, Mom." Melinda retorted, her face entwined with worry. "I know Kieran would surely be out there. And um, I don't know, I have to…""But you said, he was all out of control, and he doesn't recognize us anymore…" I said in a curious tone, my voice laced with sorrow, as I gazed intently at Me
The shadow warriors sprung up to action at the nick of time, and they caught Cassandra in the air, just before she could attack Ubuntu. They knocked her to the ground, they cuffed her hands, and they made her sit back in her seat.The hall was booming with silent tension, and the rest of the congress watched in silence, as their Alpha was being disgraced by her own warriors."Y'all see, she's a nuisance…" Ubuntu smirked. "But this is a serious allegation, Ubuntu." Adonis Graham chimed in. He was the Alpha of Woodbury Pack."He's lying…" Cassandra yelled, her face crumpled and distorted with rage. "Tell them, he's lying, Calista.""His words are true…" I muttered. "I can confirm that it's true. Alpha Cassandra herself, narrated the true version of the cause of the destruction of Ridgewood to both Ubuntu and I before she tried to murder Ubuntu...""What!" Cassandra bellowed. "You're taking sides with this traitor!!!" "No, I ain't. I'm just done playing this delicate game with you." I
******CALISTA'S POV*****"So, was that all that happened???" I quipped, sighing deeply, a great sense of weariness sweeping over me."Yeah, Mom," Melinda responded, her voice laced with subtle fury, as she laid her head on my shoulder.We were both seating on the bench outside the room, where Malik was being treated in the pack's clinic.Melinda just narrated the gruesome, heart-wrenching, and calamitous chain of events that happened, after we were separated from each other, and I just couldn't help but feel a great wrench of sadness. My spirit was heavy, and my heart ached with unspoken agony.I was close to tears, but I tried to hold myself together. I tried to picture the sleepless nights, the grueling events, the pain, the agony — that my family had to go through, all because of me, but I just couldn't. It was so hard for me to process.I thought about it, back and forth, and the fact that I brought Kieran and Melinda into the world, only for them to go through tribulations upon t
Malik tried to defend himself, but the energy remaining in his frail muscles was only a tiny fraction of Hammy's, and there was nothing he could do, other than to lie there, and humbly receive death blows from the boy he raised from birth.Melinda was shell-shocked, and for a second, she found it hard to believe, that her own twin brother, would viciously go up against her, and their Papa — Malik. For a second, she wondered why he won't even answer to Kieran anymore, but Hammy. Melinda was so shocked, that she couldn't even retaliate to Hammy's brutal blows.The Lakewood warriors aimed guns at Melinda but they couldn't shoot, because of the crowd, at the square. The scene was chaotic, and the warriors were trying to take control of the situation. The junior officers tried to disband the crowd, but they wouldn't leave.The whole of the Lakewood pack was stunned and thrilled, by the recent turn of events. and they wanted to stay at the square, to watch the showdown. It was as though th
*****AUTHOR'S POV*****The whole of Lakewood Pack stood at the pack square, all gloating and murmuring amongst themselves, as they stared down at the helpless Malik, with some pups even throwing stones and specks of dirt, at Malik who was kept in a silver cage fitted to the center of the stage for all to see.Malik was weak and almost powerless. He had withstood vicious attacks and beatdown, from Menelik's puppets, all week long since he arrived at Lakewood pack. They didn't stop the assault for a minute, save for the occasional moments, they'd stop to force some food and water down Malik's throat. Malik often rejected the food, and sometimes he'd try to summon his fangs to stop the warriors, but the warriors had to find a way to boycott Malik's defense. They had to use any means possible to see to it that Malik was fed, that he ate something, for it was all on Menelik's order.Menelik also made sure Malik was bruised, battered, tortured, and manhandled at Lebron Dave's abandoned c
"I won't harm you, kid," I resounded, placing my left hand on his shoulder. "...but that's only if you'll answer my question. You're a guard, and I know you hear rumors that even the whole pack does not get to hear about. So, you ought to know Malik's whereabouts; the fellow question is the Alpha's brother, and I wanna know, whether he's still…""Ooh, that's even who you're talking about…" He chuckled, and sat up slightly, looking me dead in the eyes. I was amazed at how his once fearful guise suddenly turned to a confident one, in a couple of seconds. "Well, he is on the stage at the square right now, and he's about to be executed… just like you are…" he groaned. And the next thing I saw was the bruised guard suddenly raising a gun at me. And before I knew it, he pulled the trigger, and a bullet came running at my head, but I dodged it, at the nick of time."Waoh," I exclaimed. My face turned red, a solar-red-hot fury streaming from me, and I unleashed all my anger upon him. Befor