Chapter 2:Jared

Jared walked in dark street under the flickering street lights. He had come far away from home. To anyone else walking on the street he looked intimidating. He looked like one of the rogue boys who took steroids, who were irresistibly hot and equally dangerous. The sun has just set. The twilight had crept in. Seeing the sky, Jared increased his pace. It was a night he could not afford to be late. The initiation ceremony.

His parents and brothers would start worrying about him. He looked at the sky and frowned at the ever increasing darkness. He had to reach home quickly. Suddenly the town's click chimed, the gong rang seven times. Seven O'clock, not good, Jared thought. The moon would rise soon.

I have no choice left, he thought. He looked around. The whole street was deserted. He ran towards a dark alley and willed himself to change.

I'm breaking many rules today, he thought grimly as he continue for run at his fastest speed. He did not have any worry as there were nobody on the street. Even if there were somebody, he would appear as a fast blur that would disappear before the person blinked. At his current speed, humans could not see his proper form. They could not see a wolf running in an alley. Their eyes could not adjust to the speed with which Jared ran. In five minutes, Jared reached home. He turned his form to himself. As soon as he opened the door, he saw his parents looking at him reproachingly for coming just in time for the ceremony. But they did not say anything. This made Jared think that his parents knew where he had gone to.

"Oh! Thank God you are back home", a young voice said. Jared turned around to look fondly at the ten year old boy Michel, his brother. "Yes, but I knew you would come now. Say, how can you miss the day we have been training for ten long years. Oh! I'm so happy I'm officially an adult now, and that I get to initiate with you" ,said Gabe, clapping Jared on his shoulders. Jared looked fondly at his two foster brothers. They always believed in him and stood for him. He remembered the first day he had come to his present home with a tear strikken face, clutching a small bundle of clothes, ten years ago.

His parents were murdered by a group of assasins while Jared was sleeping in Gabe's home. He had gone to his house the next day to see both his parents dead with their throat slit. Since then the eight year old boy had lived in his friend Gabe's house. Gabe's parents brought up Jared as their own child.

Tonight the place where Jared has gone was the meadow where Jared dead parents were buried. He had gone there to bid his dead parents farwell. He wanted tell his parents how he was going to initiate today, a matter of pride for all parents. He also told his parents that he would avenge them.

The moon rose. The full moon. Jared and his family walked towards the forest were the ceremony was to be held. A ring of torches indicated the place where the ceremony would occur. A crowd had gathered around the ring. The full moon could be seen clearly through the trees. The crowd mainly consisted of parents and the ones who would be initiated today. Jared and his family went around greeting their friends. Suddenly a hush spread across the crowd. Eerily, the torches also seemed to burn brighter. Someone had entered the ring, it was the old master. He was the instructor and the chief of this pack. He was the most respected man even among the human community.

He gestured the initiates to enter the ring. On cue, Jared, Gabe and twelve others entered the ring as the parents looked on proudly. The initiation ceremony was a very important ceremony. It was conducted when the moon was closed to the earth. It was the day on which the initiated would get their full powers given to them by the moon. Standing in the clearing under the moonlight, each of the initiates already began feeling stronger. It was considered the starting step to adulthood. Soon after this ceremony, they would choose their way of life. Then all of them would eventually find their mates and carry on with their family life. This ceremony made their powers stronger. Each werewolf was gifted with strength, speed and the ability to turn to a wolf at will. All these powers would be strengthened and purified by the moonlight.

Now came the part were each of them said their names and said an oath of loyalty to the pack. The males had an extra oath to protect the females and the cubs. It was Jared's turn, he said" I,Jared , of the Riverway Pack, am hereby leaving this pack to find find my own way in life. "

Bidding farewell, Jared left his home with a bundle. The same way how he came there first, thought Jared.

"I'm coming for you, wait for me",he whispered. He smiled to himself remembering the nine year old girl he loved.

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