CHAPTER ONE: A HUNDRED YEARS AGO

Horse footsteps are heard in the distance, as the animal conquers the plain abandoned by all human presences.

The horse, guided by the hands of a black boy, with a jovial facial expression, dressed in a garment made of different rags and larger than necessary to dress him.

In his right hand, as his left hand holds and guides his horse, there is something wrapped in a sheet.

On the horizon, there are remnants of the Sun present moments before, but the intense rain clouds take over the skies.

Lightning cuts through the skies and makes them as bright as the day outside, and fear for the people remaining near countless ditches where bodies lie.

"I have nothing to offer you in terms of food. So understand that what I'm about to do is for the good of all of us," Benjamin said, as he runs his fingers over the thickest part of the cloth.

In doing so, the silence becomes even greater with the horse.

Aware of the risk of running through the fields so quickly, Benjamin reduces his animal's momentum, but is surprised by an impact that runs over his shoulder.

But what? - Benjamin is frightened and falls from the horse holding the object covered by the old cloth.

Benjamin lands on his back and absorbs much of the impact.

When he falls, his body drags for a few meters on the ground and pulls up grass and some clay, thanks to the coming rain that transformed the earth moments before, soiling most of his clothes.

Almost taken by the weakness of the impact suffered on the shoulder and the brutal fall, benjamin tries to drag himself to any place that is not so evident, even if he is unaware of what is going on around him.

Benjamin tries to guide himself by the sounds and notices the presence of his horse in his left corner, while something else approaches in the distance.

Where is he? - Said Abraham, one of the soldiers present at the scene, armed with a musket with a long barrel, while he reloads his weapon.

Abraham is a white man, six feet tall. He has black, wavy hair but neatly cut. His eyes are brown and are sometimes able to reflect light taking a lighter color.

Even riding, his skill does not prevent him from performing the act without losing attention to what he does.

It would be wise to leave what he carries right there. A simple act, a wise decision. What to choose? - Abraham says to Benjamin, with such calmness that it seems to save him from death.

Abraham approaches Benjamin.

His look shows contempt for the situation that occurs and he gets off the horse.

The intensity of the wind bothers him and he decides to take off his hat and put it under his arm.

- Unable to speak, I suppose. But where is she? Abraham pointed his musket toward Benjamin's face while he didn't even offer movement.

- There is no better place for her than with us. You know that we are in a place far away from their homes and there is no turning back – Abraham lowered his musket and left it resting on his body, transversely – the truth is that this is a cruel and merciless world. There is no peace, much less a safe place where we can all rest. But there's something you can do, and we both know it's right: give her to me.

Abraham steps on the shoulder where Benjamin was impacted and the blood becomes present to the point of staining his shirt, running down from his chest to his navel.

Abraham's eyes roll back and notice the lights belonging to the pieces of twigs soaked in flaming liquids and now ignited, as well as the lanterns charged above the heads of those present.

Ahead, small streaks of red, just below the bushes and facing him in a way he can't describe why.

Abraham's breathing grew stronger.

The tips of his hands show a slight tendency to tremble, and the force used in the foot placed on Benjamin, is no longer the same.

What you see beyond the vegetation is a reflection of yourself. You came here in search of something that doesn't belong to you, in a time that isn't yours – a thick, authoritative voice came from the bushes.

- Who are you to say what I should or shouldn't do? Do you think you understand life and death as much as we do? Abraham replied, his voice firm and strong, oozing pure hatred and a desire to be in charge of the situation.

It does not matter. It wouldn't even make a difference to find out who we are, or why I'm able to speak your language with extreme ease. Don't you think it's a fortuitous encounter?

Abraham felt a chill run down his spine as doubt became certainty.

Something sharp and oozing hot finds itself next to his body and opens up several questions.

One is how he let himself get distracted so easily or why he let his guard down just by being in the company of a frail young man.

Without him waiting, something pierces part of his pants, on the left side, and causes him to be dragged faster than he can't keep up.

Seized by an intense pain that makes it difficult for him to reason, Abraham tries to hold on to anything to stop what happens.

- I supposed that fear was not part of the underlings of royalty. Am I being too direct? Know it was a simple bite – the same voice came out, but now it was so close it was so clear.

In the next instant, Abraham was stranded in an open area, right in the middle of the woods.

His body, despite being dressed, soon feels the dampness of the freshly wet soil and some characteristic sounds of small forest animals such as monkeys and small animals that carry objects through the ground.

Unarmed, Abraham tries to reach the point where his leg is injured, but the pain is so unbearable that the mere touch causes his body to burn.

- Tell me, why should I keep you alive? - Questioned the same voice, but now accompanied by a large shadow.

None. I don't bow to anyone else. There are many things you should be afraid of, and our royalty has them all.

- We are not talking about bowing down or maintaining pathetic obedience. Even more from your race, I might add. We are here for justice, and only for justice will we end our issues.

The creature approached Abraham once more and was not human.

All around him, Abraham could hear heavy, wild-pitched breathing. The more they made sounds, the more in despair Abraham found himself.

- I know these crimes must not have all been committed by his own person, but we were waiting for the time necessary for a royal to come here personally, with some influence on our part, I might add. By our counts, more than ten of our ethnic group were exterminated for no apparent reason.

The mere fact of putting themselves in front of our majesty is reason enough to get them out of the way. They could just pay their taxes like the others, but they didn't. They claimed to be lords of their own lands and beyond any commitment to royal rules.

- We do not belong to what you men from another place understand as yours. We inhabited these lands long before you came along.

- But do you have any document that justifies these words?

- Our words are much more than your dirty papers. We have nature as our emissary. We are born, we grow up and we will die here.

- Well said: they will die here – Abraham sketched a smile, even though the wound on his leg was unbearable – do you think you can threaten anyone besides me here? Wherever you are, we will always have men armed and ready to eliminate you. If you have sharp teeth and claws, we have muskets capable of piercing your skin. There's no way to win, and you all know it. But there is a choice, at the end of the day: usefulness. Our majesty is generous and will be satisfied with having more subjects faithful to its purposes.

Next to the werewolf, there were two more smaller ones, but they watched in the purest silence because they respect the leader of the pack.

In the left corner, a few yards past the clearing from which Abraham was dragged, is a fire pit where other werewolves, male or female, huddle and await their meals.

At the top of the trees, one of them remains unchanged, thanks to the incantations uttered and the herbs ingested moments before nightfall.

He wears a wrapped piece of cloth to cover his chest and another entirely separate piece to cover his embarrassments.

His hands wield a bow and arrow duly ready to be launched thanks to the hectic situation that occurs between the fugitives and the soldiers focused on capturing each one of them.

For that, your skin suffers from the constant tension placed on your weapons, being much more fragile than usual.