CHAPTER 2. THE GATHERING

"So...How did it go?" Dean said to Zeeb while they are scouting for driftwood to use for tonight's bonfire. 

"She was actually nice, though there's something about her. When I caught up to her and held her arm she looked at me like she was about to murder me." Zeeb said chuckling.

"She's a feisty one isn't she?" Dean said.

"That she is...I just couldn't seem to understand what I see in her, I felt some sort of warmth, my heart was beating so fast, it's as if she was the only one I could see," he recalled.

"That's some attraction you got there dude! Good thing you didn't get off when she was in front of you!" Dean said laughing hysterically.

"Damn you, Dean," Zeeb said smiling. "Let's go, I think we have enough firewood to light up the whole village." 

The elders and children were already gathering when they arrived at the camp near the beach. The group of teenagers Zeeb, Dean, Hector, Brad, Khalu, Jake, and Ashina build the bonfire as everyone chattered and greeted each other. The cold air was subdued by the heat that emitted from the fire. In a few minutes, big flames can be seen in the darkness of Wolf's Lair Beach. The talking stopped when two men one an elderly in his late 60s and a buff, dark, and tall guy in his late 20s arrive. It was Chief Robe and Damon who were considered the Alpha male of the older group of men. Just like Zeeb's friends, Damon has his own bunch of men who are always with him. Zeeb and his friends find it weird, the bond between these groups of men from their tribe is different, they are always seen play fighting, going on reckless adventures and they have their so-called night patrols. They call themselves The Moon Pride. 

As they all settled down to their faces. Chief Robe stood up and started his speech.

"Everyone, welcome to tonight's gathering. We have been doing this every week and for years, we have waited for this moment to finally welcome our new generation of warriors. When you were younger, we have been filling you with magical tales of our ancestors' past. The history of how our tribe the descendants of the Great Robe Chippewa was able to battle the monsters that are a plague to our land, the undead, the vampires, and our most tenacious foe the immortals."

Dean coughed a chuckle and Zeeb nudged him with his elbow. Chief, looked sharply at them.

"You youngsters might think this is a joke, but you should know that every story we have told is the truth. It might be hard to imagine the tales as true but it is the truth. For centuries there has always been a battle of good and evil, of Lycans and Immortals." Chief continued on, then he motioned Damon at his side.

Damon walked near them and as he was already a foot away from them. He looked at both, eyes full of rage and intensity.

Dean and Zeeb both swallowed, they were scared of him. He looks massive as he stood in front of them.

Suddenly he looked down and his spine starts to pop and his arms twist in ways inhumanly possible, all of the teens were shocked, they were transfixed with what they are seeing the children are crying as their mothers seemed unaffected. His bones continue to snap and his back appeared larger, his torso wider and his arms grew longer, His fingers lengthen, claws started to appear and his whole body is turning black as furs sprout out of nowhere, and then, he looked at them, his once dark brown eyes turn into a cloudy blue and his mouth start to salivate as his skin stretch forming into a sharp black snout and he howls, so loud it can be heard miles away and his face was no longer human but that of a wolf. He was massive about 8 feet tall and everyone was dumbstruck. 

Standing in front of them in his two legs is a mutation of human and wolf. He was enormous with his big snout and large fangs, his muscular body grew thrice as to what it once was and his eyes, a magnificent shade of steel blue. He grunted, huffed, and puffed, his eyes locked at Zeeb, seemingly challenging him. "You are all one of us." He said without talking, through his telepathic abilities he talked to the young ones. 

"You should not be afraid, I am the Alpha of the Moon Pride Pack. We are the defenders of Willow Creek from the infestation of Immortals. Werewolves, our ancestors are real, we are the more powerful, smarter, and stronger version of them. We are Lycans, and you are all called upon. This is your time to join us. In the next full moon, you will be one of us. A threat has been found in one of our patrols, he signaled to his pack and suddenly they all turned into savage-looking wolves that are standing upright. They were all shocked, the children screamed again. 

"Hush little ones..."Damon telepathically said. "We are not the enemies. It has come to our attention from our neighboring brother Lycans of River Salt that a group of Immortals has moved to our territory. These blood-sucking monsters are scarier and mightier than their vampire bloodline. They are mighty foes and their reason for being here threatens our existence. Our tribe and the lives of innocent humans."

Everyone seemed to calm down with Damon's telepathic voice sounding deep and assuring. "He looked at Zeeb's group and said "You are all being summoned to embrace your wolf bloodline and to become full pledged Lycans. Our tribe needs you and the whole human civilization. The rise of Immortals must be stopped before they create havoc and carnage into our town."

Chief chanted  "Lupum vocamus avos sangui- nemque Lyci monstrantem et praeterita proelia cum inimicis nostris."

Suddenly images of war between wolves and seemingly human creatures with fangs and light brown-green eyes of their enemies, are before our eyes in the flames of the bonfire. The human-like creatures are fast and strong as they ravage a tribe of wolves. They tear them apart grabbing their mouth and splitting it into two, some were beaten and eaten alive. One Lycan was able to survive, a woman. An immortal saw her and bit her but when she cried and said she was pregnant the Immortal man was taken aback and told her to run. Images of her feverish and alone in the woods, her neck were sore and blistered with the immortal's bite were shown. Days passed and she was able to survive. The full moon arrived and there in the woods she turned into a mutation, a werewolf that can walk in two feet and can also move using its fours.

The next images show her giving birth to a boy and the Lycan genes lived on.

Chief's voice thundered over the silence and said "We were born out of Sonja our great ancestor who gave birth to Lucian and married Selena from the wolf tribe and once more the bloodline of werewolves were mixed with a Lycan and thus, all of us here are descendants of Lucian and we are being called upon by our Lycan brothers from the River Salt to warn us of the imminent threat of Immortals that has moved into the city. We do not know who they are, they can be walking amongst us now. Unlike vampires, we cannot smell them. They act human and are disguising their evil intentions with their beauty. We need to remain vigilant. We call upon all of you, we will teach you the ways of the Lycans and you will become your stronger, better selves as we battle this evil that has been looming upon us. 

I am Chief Robe and I am the elder Alpha. Suddenly Zeeb's father changed he twisted and every bone in his body seemed to crack and move out of place, his transformation was quick and did not look painful. It was magnificent, magical if you will, as he turned into a Lycan too, his fur of deep brown and burgundy, his light blue eyes exude wisdom and strength.

Zeeb was dumbfounded. He couldn't believe his eyes. What he was seeing was so strange and mesmerizing at the same time. He no longer felt scared but he can feel the heat of his body radiating deep within his bones and he together with his friends shouted, but their shouts sounded like howls of wolves. 

Deep within the woods light, green eyes were watching almost the shade of gold. Then he jumped tree to tree with the speed of lightning and he disappeared into the darkness of the forest. The whole Moon Pride Pack was unaware of the danger that was looming on the horizon.