CHAD: REUNION

Werewolves they say are creatures of the night. They can change their appearance from human to wolf and back again. They have sparkling eyes, howl at the moon, and can hear more frequencies and with greater depths than any ordinary creature. They possess fast reflexes and with every full moon, they shaped shift which inducing excruciating pain. But do not believe everything you hear. Ask no questions and hear no lies.

I loved sunsets. Every sunset they say tells us why we are and where we should head to. It is a spiritual guide powered by mother nature and one that we should never neglect. They were instants of intimate and private contemplation, the time when we look at each other without mirrors, the golden hour can sometimes be simultaneously shared with the ones we love and care about. Sunsets were the opening music of the night, there were nothing more musical. Every sunset brought the promise of new day, an opportunity to reset, proof that no matter what happens, every day can end beautifully, it was almost impossible to watch and not dream.

They were so beautiful that they almost seem as if I were looking through the gates of heaven or maybe just little glimpses of the golden streets. Every one of a hundred thousand cities around the world had its special sunset, and it was worth going there, just once, if only to see the sun go down. It all depended on where you stood. And in all my years, I have never met a sunset I did not like. Cloudy days make gorgeous reds, beautiful sunsets need a cloudy skirt and just looking and admiring the wonders of a sunset or the beauty of the moon, my soul expands in tranquil worship of the creator.

Blinking my eyes slowly, ever so slowly I could see the sun rays seeping in. I held onto the metallic iron rod pole in the park, one of my favorite things to do before ending my day was to get a glimpse of the beautiful sunset, my mind will clear and I would be able to face whatever may happen the next day. It made me appreciate the simple things in life a lot more. Just sitting there in the park during the early hours of the evening opens up opportunities to see different scenes and portraits and opens my mind to a new perspective.

A slight breeze muzzles the eaves making them fall to the solid ground one by one. The sun began to set, the streets were all dried up, the vast flowers began to conceal the freshly cut green grass and the pathway is nothing more than dirt littered with random rocks. The ground moist from the night before caused my footings to slip, keeping me on my toes. There was a red Pickett fence that runs along the trail, reminding me of the one running along iris Forbes's property in the movie, a day to die. The park was barren, except for an elderly feeding the ducks, flocks of birds shipping on the tree, and the howling of wolves from afar. The terror of the night had just begun to spread as the mist began to cover the land.

After having my fill, I staggered up, walking by the minute green and brown tinted pond, the milky white soft feathered duck could be heard a block away as they quack and battle for the food being thrown at them. The elderly man, dressed in an expensive black coat and creme-colored matching hat with leather gloves, watched in amusement as they are the ones causing all the excitement. Behind the oddly shaped rocks and algae in the pond, orange, red, and yellow fish dart back and forth.

They would only come out of hiding when tiny bits of bread began to fall. If you looked closely enough, you could see a turtle, colored forest green, blending in with the algae. It was indeed a creature of vast knowledge as it could perceive that this man's motives were not pure. It was a familiar technique most predators use. Lure the prey in and strike.

As I advanced steadily, I sensed a familiar scent that only got stronger with each advancing step. It was as though I had known this man all my life. He had this expensive Rolex watch on. Sometimes, all it takes is a familiar smell or a certain taste to evoke an old memory, making you feel like you are back in time, in that very moment where it was created. It was Darius, my long old friend. He was also a descendant of the Karl's pack.

There were three original packs. The Gaul, the Han, and the Karl packs constituted the original packs. Gaul, the first son of Japhel, Han, the daughter of Japhel and karl, the last born son of Japhel. The head of the packs were the Alpha's and the Luna's. They were the direct descendants of any of the three packs. They were exceptionally fast, skilled, strong, and more ruthless. Their claws were stronger than most, their teeth more elongated and can pierce through just any skin or metal.

It would be shear madness to go up against one even as a group because the odds of making out with your life is so slim, that they could tear you down even before you get the chance to move a muscle. It was wise to flee unless, of course, you do not value your life.

The second in command of the pack were the Betas, they were werewolves who were turned by the bite from an alpha or Luna and had also made their first kill and the least are the omega's who had not made their first kill. A turned werewolf is automatically recruited into it's Alpha's pack. He or she would be loyal and would not hesitate to lay their life down to protect its alpha from any perceived threat.

I am one of the Alpha's of the Gaul pack, or should I say, was from the Gaul pack, the very first of Japhel's pack. An alpha without a pack . Darius, at that time was a friend and the only family I knew. He was an alpha from the Karl's pack. There I was, standing in the presence of a true Karl blood, wondering how he had found me after all these years. Moving closer to him, "it been far too long, old friend, I certainly hope the universe is regalement to you as it has been to me, of course, you have not grown an inch taller, still the same after all these years" I muttered as I welcomed him with open arms. Turning back, he replied, "did you know you are a very hard man to find, chad, so hard I would have probably thought you dead after so long of searching but you know a cat has nine lives. Every lead led me to this park in the middle of nowhere and alas, there you were, still taking delight in sunsets, truly, a leopard never changes its spot" as he ran into my arm. "And there you are, still using the same old lure the prey in and strike technique, nothing ever gets too old for the Karls" I said still embracing each other.

Darius and I had a very special bond. We were from different packs. our packs were always in competition with each other, it was like a power tussle. The greater the power, the more dangerous the abuse. This power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Power is indeed the greatest aphrodisiac. But amidst all this, Darius and I always found a way to maintain the balance, to withstand the heat and pressure from turning on each other. I can not begin to count how many times he had saved me from lethal attacks, he was my sensei, and I was his student. Every trick up my sleeves, every counter-attack were all taught to me by Darius and I guess he saw something in me that was worth improving.

Nevertheless, we were good to each other. We hunted together, fought together, and we stayed together. I did not think there was anything Darius would ask, I would not fulfil. He would start a sentence, and I would finish it that was just how close we were. In actual sense, I would take the fall for him even if it required my life and he too would do the same. Our bond was rare, we were more than brothers. What we stood for nullified the assumption that blood was thicker than water. And as we stood there, holding onto each other, Darius said in a still distressing voice "if you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem, I know absence makes the heart grow fonder but come brother, for there is much to discuss, the fate of the world hangs in the balance and we can not waste anymore time. make haste, we must return to Goilth, the place it all started." What is he talking about, the fate of the world has hanged in the balance for centuries now. My family made certain of that, I thought aloud.

And as I stared aimlessly at the lonely playground just beyond the park. The brick-red jungle gym sat there in it's solitude, longing for some eager company. It was obvious that the screws were becoming unhinged and it was only so long before it came crashing down. The swings rocked gently and the sound of the metal rubbing together could be heard from a distant. The merry-go round, an orange- red color with splashes of blue across the edges, is stilled like a parked car. No one has been there to move it or spin it in decades. The entire parked looked as though there were no bursts of laughter or tear for years, unforeseen thoughts popped into my head just as new answers for old problems unfolded. It was the blaring voice of Darius that brought me back into the fold. "Did you not get me, a war has begun between the packs, everyone has gone mad, and this war could bring an end to all life, I have travelled this far to recruit you, every practice, every training, tricks, all led to this, now if we do nothing, all would be lost."

"Did you say war," I uttered. "Darius, you of all persons know discretion is the better part of valor, it is wise to be careful and not show unnecessary bravery, let other Alpha's handle this" I said. "Eagles don't catch flies, besides there not much of us standing. I was numbed with shock. A lot had really changed I knew nothing about." They are taking us down, one after the other. Sooner or later, they would come for you Chad, a stitch in time saves nine, take care of the problem before the problem takes care of you. We need to make haste" Darius added. It has been over two decades since I parted ways with the clan, or since they casted me out, I had been living in my solitude, happily until Darius. My ignorance was bliss, I knew nothing about the recent happenings, it did not cause me stress "it is easy to find a thousand soldiers, but hard to find a good general, it is never too late to mend brother, you know an army of sheep led by a lion would destroy an arm of lions led by a sheep, join me , let us head to Goilth, only there lies the victory we seek" Darius said trying to convince me.

"you of all persons know I cannot go back, I had given up that life a long time ago" I mumbled. "The world is in chaos, Chad, do you possibly think anything else would matter if the dark side wins?" he asked.

I had noticed some changes in the past few weeks, the trees were dying, crops were infested by locust and other insects and diseases increased across the land. It was as though a powerful spell has been cast to alter nature. Notwithstanding, I said to Darius "come, let us dine and drink for you must be weary from your travels, come brother for there are thousands of things we need to catch up on" I held his hands as we departed together heading for his vehicle just up the hills.