CHAD: THE BEGINNING

The world they say is a playground. It is not dangerous because of those who harm but because of those who look at it without doing anything. Through the woods, one can find many things, both the expected and the unexpected. However, there is a reason children are told never to play in the forest at night. The collection of trees and wildlife is dark, mysterious, and incredibly thick. The tall trees seem to radiate a sense of wonder- but also terror. This is a place of mystery and is by no means a place for children.

I sat upon a branch, enjoying the tranquility the forest brought thereof. Listening to the chirpings of the morning birds, I could hear a pin drop from a mile away and the blaring sound of the train. Suddenly, a young boy in a yellow cape breaks through the trees. He is being chased by an unseen force. Although it was not seen, the terror on the boy's face relays the danger of his pursuer. He runs and keeps running, stopping only to catch his breath before taking off again. Every time he stops, it is only for a short while, as the drums get louder with every break he takes. Finally, he can hide and the face of his pursuer is brought to light. All this while, I looked closely from the tree. It is an angry wolf, quickly jumping off the branch I sat on, advancing with full speed! Angry wolves could sense your fears and it would not be long before he sensed and fetched the boy out.

Running. Running. I need to get there. I advanced and pounced on this poor creature. It did not stand a chance. Pinning it to the ground, I pierced my claws into its throat. It whimpered with pain. I am enjoying this. And just then, I plunged my fangs into its intestine, dragging out its guts. The blood from its guts stained my well-ironed white coat. I only stood up when I had my fill. Looking back down on its corpse, it looked beautiful, dead.

"Come out kitten, you are safe now."

His relief is short-lived for the boy realizes he does not know where he is, much less how to escape. The boy picks himself up and looks around, seeds of fear building in his heart. He is frenzied, he is completely lost. He takes on a quick pace as he looks around for any sort of landmark to orient himself, but it is of no use. This part of the woods is off-limits. Stretching my hands to him "Take my hands, you are safe now. Come quickly, I can get you home."

Pause!

Now, fast backward. To the very beginning. The dawn of time. The time when it all started.

Dearest reader, thousands of years ago, before dynasties and civilizations existed, an era more ancient than empires and kingdoms, before religion and beliefs, in the outskirts of Goilth a small village in Galieea, a certain Galieean woman named Elsa met and fell in love. Being in love is a good thing, being loved in return is even better but what made it abominable in this case was Elsa fell in love with the wrong creature, a creature she was groomed to hate and kill on sight. Sometimes these things are never meant to happen but love always has its ways of twisting our fate. The young Lady Elsa came from a long line of ferocious beasts hunters who were renowned for their hunting skills. They were the very best hunters in Galieea.

They operated in a different dimension out of the usual. They didn't aim with their hands instead they aimed with their eyes; they never shot with their hands, they shot with their minds; they didn't kill with their swords, they believed he who kills with his sword has forgotten the face of his savior. They killed instead with their hearts.

As several years passed, Elsa's feelings for this creature grew stronger and stronger, so she visit Glagria, an ancient witch that stays in the Candor cave, up the Phila's mountain. Her sole aim was to cajole Glagria into giving her a portion that could turn her beast lover into a human. Glagria being all wise had perceived her intentions from afar and without any form of blarney handed her a portion that could change her lover into a human.

Elated Elsa hurried back to Galieea to meet with her lover, on dropping Glagria's portion into this creature's mouth, it was transformed into a full-grown beautiful man with two legs, two arms, chiseled chest, broad shoulders, long curly silky hair with a charming face. In the memories of Elsa, she described him adorable. No young lady could resist talking less of Elsa who has been yearning for his touch many several years. She named this creature Raphael, meaning the man of my heart.

She laid with Raphael multiple times as Raphael had the brains and physical features of a complete human. Back then in the village, most young ladies admired Raphael but no one dared went close, he was Elsa's property and she was his. They say love is the greatest power in the universe. Its presence can be deeply felt where ever it resides. Love can overcome everything and can magnificently transform intricate situations for the better. For Elsa and Raphael, it was love at first sight, at last sight, at ever and ever sight. They both took sacred oaths to always find each other even in death.

Dearest reader, if I may, do you believe in soul mates? Someone who you carry with you forever. The one person who knew you and accepted you and believed in you before you believed in yourself. The truest person that finds you even without looking, I mean, you can not even blame gravity for falling in love, but sometimes, it lasts in love, sometimes it hurts instead.

Elsa and Raphael's love began to crumble faster than it started. Soon Elsa was with child, It was a full moon on the day of birthing, Raphael had an unusual taste for blood as he turned back and forth into the creature he once was, this time more hungry, tasty and untamed. Elsa's father who felt the need to protect his family and people drew out his second and strikes this beast down. Just after pushing out the baby, heartbroken Elsa crawled to her lover's corpse as it spat out cold red pigmented thick blood. She uttered in a subtle sorrowful voice with tears rolling down her cheeks, -look, Raphael, I told you it'll be a boy, then she gave out a loud wail, as the whole labor room was thrown into chaos.

As days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, she was fueled only by hate. Her vendetta grew so strong she went up into the mountains, where Glagria stayed. She was no match for the ancient witch, but never underestimate the power of a heartbroken hunter with such rage, who feared nothing and had nothing to lose. Glagria who has always been deceitful by nature. She double crossed Elsa by handing over to her a portion she crafted from black magic, a form of very powerful dark sorcery which was forbidden and held serious consequences. Just like in the laws of science, to every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. The witches' code was about give and take, they grant you a wish and then, they take something far more valuable. It was not wise to trust them.

In changing the fabric of destiny, allowing Raphael a human soul, the balance of the world was upset, to keep the balance, he had to become the ferocious beast he once was on every full moon, but this time, with a far greater thirst for blood, a creature of the moon, meant to only serve her mistress, the moon goddess, the bringer of death and chaos wherever it wandered. Indeed, not all that glitters is gold. In life, there is always a price, but to live does not mean you are alive. The universe grants you one wish and you feel it is doing you a favor, it turns back and takes something far greater, a price you would rather not pay.

How treacherous can she be? For dear Elsa, it took her essence for living, her willpower, her heart, and her very soul. How much more can one person take, in her rage, she struck down the witch and killed her. But the battle was fatal, the injuries she sustained were so lethal even she could not survive it. She made her way back to the village, took her young boy up in her arms, and in that fleeting moment, she removed her blood-stained totem, hanged it across his neck, and named him Japhel which in Goilth meant my little wolf.

Knowing what she gave birth to, she quickly entrusted the little boy to her most loyal servant Peeach for his safety. Perhaps, she knew if she let her father raise the boy, he would eventually find out what he truly is, the true nature of this child, a half human, half wolf, the ancient books referred to it as werewolf, and he would kill it without a second thought. She could not allow that, even in death, Elsa had sworn to protect the only precious legacy of their love. Before she died, she made Peeach take an oath of secrecy, never to let his father lay eyes on the boy and to always protect him with her life. It was not long, she died.

Peeach fled the village with the young blood to far away lands with the intent to free him from the chaos his birth had brought and protect him from the lethal blade of his grandfather. She did not know that by honoring her mistress's wish, she was unleashing into the world, a grave evil that would one day shape the fate of the world.

As years passed, the boy grew into a man and into his true destiny. And what a witch did, only the witch could undo, and the universe would find a way to keep the balance. Japhel roamed the earth, a ferocious beast as his father did, with a blood thirst and power that drove him mad, he laid with several young ladies and they conceived and bore children. His children grew up and bore more children and it continued in a generational pattern.

The children they bore had more children and as this continued, these creatures spread around the globe, whoever they bit, turned and shared their same fate, and wherever these creatures wandered off to, whichever city, whichever town or village, it would all a burn like the fourth of July, the destruction they brought at their wake, was agonizing. Villages dispersed, towns were deserted and the people who lived in the city lived in terror. It could not be undone as Glagria was already dead and her treacherous soul was rooting in the underworld. Japhel went mad with power, all the factions had to come together to act as one, putting aside their grievances, the hunters, the witches and even his children, werewolves all fought to bring him down. They triumphed, but all they could do was manage the casualties.

It's been over three thousand years, a far greater darkness has aroused who seeks Japhel's powers to rule over the world. These monsters have mastered their craft, they blend in so well with the humans, it is almost impossible for one to differentiate between the two and on every full moon, they strike and as the bloodshed is spreading, humans are thrown out of order, factions are originated, and the world is going from a playground to a hunting ground, it is either you are the food or you are the one eating. It is a predation relationship between a prey and a predator.

Woe to the deer who is courted by the charismatic wolf or the fly who is not immune to the sweet, sultry songs of the spider. From here on, you will have to decide what kind of demon you will be. Not all meals will come to you so easily, ignorant and seeking to do you harm. What will you do if your prey invites you inside, offers you a place at the table, what will you do if they flee, or cower down, begging you not to hurt them? How you stalk your prey is something you must come to terms with or you will quickly drive yourself mad, and once you cross that threshold, there is no coming back from it. This is the order of the society. The predators prey on the weak, demon, human or beast, none of it made any difference. They have made it a situation of predators and a prey. Only living mattered.

Everything else is nothing more than afterthought. And every single moment, every single occurrences, every fight, failure, every race, rage, success, everything all led to this very moment, no moment is more valuable than this moment because no moment is alive outside this moment, any moment other than this is either dead or forgotten. The real life is not before you, the real life is not behind you, the real life, dearest reader is where you are because where you are belongs to now, to this very moment and only this moment is real and like water, every moment is precious.

My name is Chad, I come from a long line of blood thirsty ferocious beast, the fifth original generation of Raphael's pack and for generations, my family have tormented, ruled and dominated the world and everything that resides in thereof. Just as I have witnessed dynasties rise and fall, empire's triumph and stand, kingdoms rise, fall and rise again, I am smart enough to understand that everything has an end. Even to my family's madness. It is important to know when something has reached it end, closing circles, shutting doors, finishing chapters, it does not matter what we call it and as a wise man once said, a man is like a novel, until you read the very last page, you do not know how it will end, otherwise, it would not be worth reading. It is the place where you stop the story.