Chapter 7

“Where would we get that?” Anthony muttered in silence.

“There’s something really up with that book, it contains some deep mysteries if you ask me…” Cole confirmed.

He has been the right hand man of Anthony all this while, he’s from the same pack with him but lost his father at a tender age.

“So what do you think we can do? Where did you get the book from in the first place?” Anthony asked, holding the book as he paced around the room.

“My father…” Cole answered

“Your father ? What has he got to do with the book?” Anthony asked, seeming less enthusiastic.

“I got the book from my father dude, he passed it to me before his death” Cole answered back.

“Relax man, I don’t seem to get it…your father did?” Anthony asked again, seeming interested now.

“Yeah, he was on the verge of his death when he threw the book at me”

*** ** FLASHBACK ** ** *

It was a bloody feud between the Mooners pack and Maroon pack, their enmity between them has lingered for long as they felt this war would probably stop all hate and put an end to the rage.

“Cole, you shouldn’t stand there…Run” 

Cole looked around as he couldn’t really de mystify the happenings around him, it was the sound of the large howl he heard that woke him from his sleep.

He sighted his father in a long distance fighting, as he watched him shred the head of an attacking wolf into pieces.

He ran towards him oblivious of the danger ahead of him.

“Appa ! ! Appa ! ! !” Appa was the literal name he loved referring to his father to, he kept shouting his name as he ran towards him, eventually getting his attention.

“Cole, don’t dare move closer…” His father shouted at him, running towards him also.

“Appa! ! ! What’s wrong…Uncle Gab is dead, I saw his corpse outside the tent Appa… What’s happening” Cole asked amidst tears.

“Listen Cole, I’ve always taught you the two edges of life, you either get hunted by the predators or you become the predator yourself… Now is the time Cole, you gotta stand up to your responsibilities now… … Huh huh?” Caspian, his father said.

Cole nodded his head, thunder quaked in the forest as a heavy downpour began intensifying the war even more.

“You need to run now Cole, escape before they get you… Appa has to wait here” Caspian said with a teary eye, revealing his fangs to his child.

“Appa, so what about you? Where’s Mother… …” Cole asked, looking around. He saw his mother being dragged by one of the invading soldiers.

“Ma……” Cole shouted on top of his voice. Before Caspian could cover his mouth with his hands, the attention of the invaders diverted to them, as their leader gave a wicked grin ordering his soldiers to capture them and bring them to him.

Cole’s Father immediately grabbed him and threw him to his back as he staggered along the stony ground to the woods…

“After him … …he mustn’t escape and make sure you get the mystery book from him” the leade r of the invaders shouted.

Cole really didn’t know the reason why all this was happening, but he could bemoan from the incident before him that he was in danger and his father was trying to save him, he watched as his mother wailed aloud from afar. She tried running towards them but the chains with which she was bound with would not allow her to go far.

“Cole, Cole…”

“Yes Father” he knew he couldn’t call his father by his pet name, as his voice cracked along the stony roads whilst his father still ran.

“Arrrghhh”

An arrow pierced his father at his back, with another hitting him on his leg.

“Father, father pls” Cole said, as his father dropped him on the floor, lying on the road with blood dripping.

“Cole, Cole listen” 

“Father No, let’s go… … they’re near father” Cole said as he sighted some of the soldiers dashing towards them with full speed, he saw one of them giving a wicked grin.

“Appa, please let’s go… we can make it” Cole said maturely, sniffing in the mucus dripping from his nose.

“No Cole, you listen… we can’t make it”

“But father…” he was cut short by his father

“Shhh … yooo … u … sho… … uld …”

“Argghhh” he was cut short by another arrow fired to his leg.

He looked to where he was hit, and he could see heat spreading. It was then he knew the arrow was laced with wolfs bane, he knew he had limited time to spend right there either the wolfs bane spread across his body and heat him up to death or they capture him which would eventually result to death, he had to pass the mystery to his son now before he’s gone..

“Cole, listen to me… you have to go now, before they capture you” Col’s father bickered as he vomited blood.

“Father, No… … No Father, I want you… …let’s go away from here” Cole said, with tears in his eyes. He was too young to comprehend all that was happening to him.

His father brought out an old book looking tattered and dirty, wrapped with an old garment, he stretched it to himself, which Cole denied access to.

“Take Son, this will help you in your journey in life” His father said, pushing it to his hands.

“This contains the mystery of the lycanthrope, the truth embedded in it would raise the next generation of strong packs” he said, vomiting blood. He looked at his son’ s face who starred disdainfully at the book, taking a look at the back, the soldiers were just some meters away. He decided to tell the son the implication of misplacing the book

“Son, keep this safe. It has the potential to keep you as the Alpha of a strong pack and bring the lycanthrope to an end… Go now son, Go” He said wearily, vomiting more blood as he pushed his son towards the forest.

Cole could only shed tears as he held the book, he had no idea of its use, but since that could be what his Father passed on to him upon his death then he had to secure it.

“Go Son, you’d be caught and killed if you don’t run…Go ! ! !” he shouted with his all his strength, jerking for the last time, turning his head down signifying his death

Cole felt the word stopping immediately he saw his father down, he had never imagined a day like this would come, even if it would come… he never k new it would be so early.

The hot spring took permission to flood his eyes, but it appears the spring was dry. He looked down at the book his father gave him and he knew this might be the next step to his life, unveiling the mysteries in the writings.

It took the sound of a shot from an arrow for Cole to be alarmed, he looked up as he saw the soldier’s steps away from him, and he turned back and ran with full speed to the forest not minding where he was steppin g on.

* ** ** *BACK TO PRESENT *** * ***

“You went through all this?” Anthony asked “So what about your father?”

“He died on the spot…” Cole said, sniffing tears as he moved to the window blind to check out the atmosphere.

“So bad buddy, and you’ve never heard anything as regards their death or the pack…” Anthony asked

“Nothing dude, since I escaped I didn’t hear anything, I tried visiting there years back, but the place was still lying in ruins, my father’s blood was still fresh on the grass he gave up the ghost on…even though his remains weren't found…” Cole said, still standing across the window rails.

“But the mystery, have you cracked it?” Anthony asked.

“Not yet, it has been a burden to me that I’ve never even opened the book for once except for today” Cole snapped.

“C’mon buddy, you were given such a huge thing and you never bothered to check you couldn’t even make a move towards it…” Anthony bickered, feeling bad.

“Cut the crap! It’s really not useful… just some Lycanthrope shit…that is…”

“Some lycanthrope shit that ended the life of your father, the same that took your mother’s life, the same that made you mate less and not even recognize your identity” Anthony asked. He knew the past history of Cole, but never knew he had such a painful past.

“Me being mate less ain’t my fault, I wasn’t fated from the start…” Cole snarled, placing his hand on his forehead.

“Yeah, it’s the moon goddess shit… but when she appeared to you, what did she tell you?” Anthony asked.

“She only said, my fate lies with my Father, and he alone could open me up to some mysteries… … to some mysteries” Cole repeated the word, sounding alarmed, he looked up with a snap.

“She said, my father has the mystery to navigate my path…” he repeated, looking at Anthony, seeming to get the gist.

“And don’t you think the mystery was the one he gave to you…” Anthony asked.

“Yeah… …”Cole said, hurrying to grab the book from Anthony who in turn handed it over.

He scanned through the text, but really couldn’t make out what was written, the cause being some faded text and some torn part in the book.

“Oh Fuck! Not now” Cole snarled, getting irritated.

“Don’t blame yourself now, you should have checked this out a long time ago” Anthony said, coming closer to him.

“I really don’t know how I can just get this now, I’m damn confused” Cole said, almost with a teary eye

“Relax man, I’ve got you covered”

“Covered? How ? ” Cole asked

“I think I’ve got a way we can get the meanings to those texts and mysteries behind them all” Anthony snapped.

“How ? ” Cole asked again.

“Sophia… …”