A War of Tribes

Maia turned away from her father, her stinging eyes avoiding his pleading stare.

" I can't do it, I won't", she retorted.

"My sweet child. How many times will I tell you, we are wolf hunters by blood and heritage. As heir to my throne, this is something you must do to be seen as one of us.", he spoke gently.

Maia turned back to look at the dying pup in her father's hands, its limp frame sagged against her father's outstretched palms. Its silvery grey fur didn't look so silver anymore. In the span of minutes, the wolf had turned a dull grey, its thick coat matted with blood.

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she watched on. She winced at the gruesome sight. The thick long gash across its stomach throbbed with excruciating pain, and each ragged breath it released was more painful than the last.

"Well, I'm waiting", her father said impatiently. She looked him in the eyes, "Does he really expect me to kill this poor creature?", she thought to herself. It was already in a world of pain. It would be cruel to end it this way. Not only that, but she could feel a connection to this animal that she had never felt before, a sense of belonging, like she had known it all her life.

She picked up the silver knife.

"You would be doing the clan so much good by ridding the world of this beast, it may just be a pup for now, but God knows the amount of chaos it could unleash in the future." Maia held up the knife, steeling herself to deliver the killing blow. "This has to be wrong", she pleaded. "It's just a wolf lost in the wilds. We've done enough harm wounding it and bringing it here. Please don't make me do this, father."

Her father answers with a sneer. "When will you learn my child?". "The world out there is ruthless. As guardians, we have to make hard decisions to keep our forests safe from the savage beasts."

On that note, he rose from his regal chair, his patience wavering. "Now, be a dear and kill it."

Maia wanted to retort, to bring up a convincing viewpoint that would surely make her father see things the way she did. But she knew it was utterly hopeless to reason with him when it came to these matters. When it came to anything, in fact.

She gripped the gleaming dagger with her two outstretched arms, hands poised to strike down on the creatures side.

BOOM!

One gunshot, and then a gut wrenching scream of pain as something feral seems to tear down on a man. Suddenly, an explosion of gunshots filled the clearing outside, followed by the insidious sounds of the wild, the very one that signifies danger.

Howls.

Her father perked up, glancing between Maia and the injured wolf, as if unsure of leaving the injured pup with his daughter. "Here.", he said. "Finish the job while I go take care of whatever that was." And with that, Reynold marched out of the cabin, and into the commotion happening outside.

Maia looked back at the injured pup in her hands. She knew within herself the task was impossible for her to commit, but she believed she had to, for the sake of her father's pride and the clan.

As she thought to herself, the wolf pup perked up, as if suddenly alerted by the presence of something. It took a quick glance and Maia and the dishevelled interior of the wood cabin, and suddenly dashed toward the door, it's right hind leg sagging behind as it dragged its limp frame across the floor.

"Wait!" Maia shrieked. "Come back!" She pleaded. With a moment's hesitation, she picked up her silver knife and followed the wolf out of the cabin.

Outside, hunters and wolves had descended into an utter battlefield. The wolves crashed onto the humans in a flurry of fur and claws and the hunters unleashed dozens of silver bullets on the attacking wolf army.

Maia watched in horror as a primal wolf descended on an unsuspecting hunter and decapitated him in one clean swipe. Similarly, she noticed a wolf hunter stab a silver sword clean through the chest of a werewolf, drawing rivulets of blood from the felled creature.

In the midst of the chaos, Maia quickly remembered the reason she left the cabin and gasped in shock as an injured hunter stalked towards the downed pup that had somehow wobbled into the middle of it all, twisted rage filling his expression.

"You're kind has caused us so much pain!". "Now, I will make sure you die even if its the last thing I do." With that, he lifted both arms, in an attempt to stab the pup, when something huge and heavy descended on him, sinking it's fangs into the flesh of the man's shoulder. The man cried in agony, as the creature began to claw away at him, tearing him to ribbons in short minutes.

Suddenly, the wolf turned towards Maia, and her heart skipped a beat. This particular wolf was like nothing she had ever seen before. Its coat shone a silvery white, and it stood tall like a man, only bigger, with taut muscles rippling beneath the fur exterior. Its eyes were of both colours, blue and gold, which made it all the more intimidating as the massive creature stared her down, silently daring her to make a move.

Even at the scariness of the situation, Maia felt a deep connection to this creature. It was an inexplicable connection, a magnetic pull that drew her towards him even as he led the charge against her father's men. Somehow, she knew this was no ordinary wolf. She had stumbled upon the Alpha, the wolves' fearless leader, and was currently at his mercy.

After what seemed to be a long moment of silence, Maia dropped her knife and raised both arms in a placating gesture. "I meant it no harm. Please just take him and leave, there has been enough bloodshed today."

The Alpha eased up, but still had that cautionary look in his eyes. "After what you did to one of our kin you dare speak to me about bloodshed?" Still in his primal wolf form, his voice was husky and monstrous, sending chills down Maia's spine.

"I want to help, believe me I do. There has been enough bloodshed today please." The wolf, still primal, shrank back down to human form. Even as a human, the Alpha's features struck fear and awe. His auburn hair flowed down to his neck. His beard, trimmed short, encased his face like head armour. He had a handsome face with a well defined chin, and as he looked at Maia once again, his still multi colored eyes bore through her soul.

"If you really want to help, call off your men and I will call off mine." He negotiated.

"My men?" Maia exclaimed.

"But I can't, my father leads them", she pleaded.

"Then tell him to call them off!" He yelled.

Maia was torn. She looked back and forth with the commotion happening all around her, hoping to glance at her father in the midst of it all. As if in response to her search, Reynold's voice cut across the clearing.

"Now Michael!"

Before Maia could blink twice, a massive 7 foot tall man with arms as thick as tree trunks slammed into the side of the Alpha, sending him hurtling across the clearing.

Reynold jogged to meet Maia.

"Good job distracting that beast for me, I hope you're not hurt".

"Father, I wasn't trying to distract it…I mean him. I was only trying to help."

"Enough of that Maia. At least we have not lost all hope. We can slay their leader and end this battle once and for all."

And with that, the whole clearing erupted with cheers of injured hunters as most of the wolves shifted back to human form and surrendered, while the rest were too beaten to pick themselves up. Several feet away, was the Alpha, flat on his back and knocked unconscious.

Meanwhile, the wolf pup from earlier limped towards the Alpha, each step more strained than the last. With a grunt, it collapses, slowly shifting back to its human form.

A little boy.