I woke up to find myself lying in the middle of a forest clearing. I slowly stood up and looked around the clearing. There didn’t seem to be anyone or anything nearby. Just trees and moss covered rocks and stones. I then heard the whisper of rustling leaves from a bush. At first I thought it was just my imagination but it started to get louder and more persistent. I tried to look for the source of the rustling leaves though it stopped after another minute or so. I kept turning around on the spot and that’s when I noticed the wolf looking at me from within a bush to my right. I wasn’t scared or panicking. My heart wasn’t pounding against my ribcage. I was quite calm which confused me. I always thought that if I came face to face with a wolf I would start to panic with my heart beating like a drum. But right now……nothing. No fear or anything. I kept my gaze on the wolf and noticed its features. Pale blue eyes, light grey fur with darker ears. I also noticed that it didn’t come across as aggressive. It was calm and looked at me as if it was trying to tell me it didn’t want to hurt me. That it was a friend. I then heard more rustling to my left. I looked over and saw a pure white unicorn gleaming almost silver in the moonlight. The look of its horn sent a shiver down my spine even though I knew it meant no harm. I then hear the ruffle of wings as a brown barn owl landed in a tree behind me making me turn around. And so the animals kept coming. Wolves, bears, birds of nearly every kind, mice, horses, lions, tigers, three headed dogs (of which nearly made me fall to my knees in awe), a couple of chimera, a few Pterippi, elks, monkeys and so on. There was a huge range of animals, mythical creatures included. I really couldn’t believe my eyes with what they were seeing. Slowly, less animals and mythical creatures were showing themselves and all of them were looking at me. I still felt calm and didn’t have the urge to run though I probably wouldn’t get far if I did run off. I then noticed that they all seemed to be waiting for something….some of them had started to look behind them before looking back at me. I then heard the slow beating of wings…..a bird of some sort. The rhythmic beat of the wings was getting louder with each down stroke of the wings. Soon enough the bird of which was expected could be seen. But it wasn’t any sort of ‘normal’ bird that I was expecting. At first it was just a soft red glow, no brighter than a star and as the bird came closer I then knew what it was. A phoenix. One bird that I had always loved and admired. The phoenix landed about 4 feet in front of me, tilted its head to one side before it started to glow softly with a white light. Within a few seconds or so the phoenix had gone and was replaced by an elderly man. I looked at him with astonishment. He had the patience to wait ‘til some of my astonishment had gone away before he spoke.

 

“Tobias, it has been far too long since I saw you last. You look so much like your father. But to the more important things. It’s almost your 16th birthday which is a more important day than you think. Your father is on his way to collect you and bring you to the village. Do not speak of this to your Uncle. Your Aunt you can trust but be sure that the two of you are alone if you decide to tell her.”

 

 “I don’t understand……I don’t even know you, let alone how you would know my father. I was told he died not long before my 1st birthday along with my mother…”

 “That’s what your Uncle told you in the hope that it would stop you from looking for him and finding out the truth of who you really are before you were ready. Your father is well and truly alive but your mother on the other hand...it’s true that she’s dead though she didn’t die in whatever way Bartholomew had told you. She was attacked by a member of our ancient enemy. I can’t say much more. Communicating with you in this way tires me quickly and drains me of my strength which I have little of already. So I must go. I shall see you soon, I hope.”

 

 “But, I don’t understand…..”

 

With that the dream-like vision ended with a blinding white flash. I sat up a little too quickly. I could feel cold sweat drip down my face. I was breathing heavily.

“He’s alive...” I whispered to myself.

 

I lay back down and stared at the ceiling, my mind teeming with questions that would hopefully be answered. Subconsciously I conjured a ball of light only just noticeably brighter than the moonlight streaming in through the curtains. It hovered in the middle of the room before it slowly started to move around the room. My mind was like clockwork and showed no signs of stopping but I soon fell asleep and the conjured light disappeared from existence.

2: Surprises

I woke the next morning with the dream still fresh in my mind. I lay in bed for a while thinking about the dream, puzzling over it with questions running through my mind. After about ten minutes I finally got out of bed, got dressed and headed downstairs. My aunt was making herself a coffee as I entered the kitchen.

 

“Morning, Toby.”

 

I grumbled in response and she glanced over at me.

 

“What’s the matter?” She turned around and leant back against the kitchen bench. “You usually aren’t like this.”

 

“I just didn’t get much sleep.” I opened the pantry to see what there was to eat trying to do what I could to avoid eye contact with my aunt.

 

“I see. Anything else? Anything you want to talk about?” Concern crept into her voice.

 

I turned around, reluctantly looked at her and nodded. I didn’t want to say anything just yet in case my uncle, Bartholomew, was nearby.

 

“If you want to talk about it, you can. Your uncle isn’t around at the moment so you don’t have to worry about him overhearing.”

 

She knew what I was like when it came to stuff that I didn’t want my uncle to know about. So every time she talked to me about something, she made sure to check if it was something safe to talk around my uncle.

 

“It…it’s nothing. Just a weird dream that I had last night that woke me up. Didn’t get much sleep afterwards.” I was hoping she wouldn’t question me about it as I wanted to try and make some sense out of the dream before saying anything.

 

“Ok.” She gave me one last look of concern before continuing with making her coffee. She also seemed to relax a little as if she had been feeling a little tense. “You know you can talk to me about anything Tobias. And I literally mean anything.” She looked at me and smiled.

 

I gave her a small smile and got what I could for breakfast. “I know, Aunty Jane. Anyway, how’s things with you?”

 

My aunt was like a mother to me. You could get along with her so easily and she would always help out when she could and she always seemed to know what to do. And when her deep brown eyes started to fill with concern you knew she was really willing to listen and try and help out and she would always tie up her brown hair when she was talking about serious issues. Just little things she started to do when she first became a lawyer.

 

“Oh, the same old, same old. Been trying to help prove a man innocent of a murder that he took no part it. Kind of sad really. Has a nice family. Lovely wife, who is a gardener and two lovely children. He’s a butcher so it’s understandable why people would accuse him of helping someone with a murder but I know he’s not the type of person.”

 

That’s another thing with my aunt. She seems to be able to look at you and know what sort of person you are. Whether or not you would hurt someone for pure pleasure or only do it out of self-defence. And she wouldn’t need to utter a word.

 

“I hate it when innocent people are accused of something they didn’t do. Are things turning out well for him? With proving his innocence?”

 

She finished stirring her coffee and put the teaspoon in the sink before turning to look at me just as I sat down at the table. She was frowning slightly. “To be honest, it’s a little hard. But I know I’ll be able to prove his innocence no matter how hard it is. I just wish the court wasn’t so harsh on him but I can understand why they’re like that.” She took a sip of her coffee. “Mmm, caffeine. Good old friend of mine. How are things at school?”

 

“Alright I guess. Mrs O’Riley had her last day yesterday so we should be getting our new biology teacher today. I have no idea what they’ll be like. Don’t even know who it is. We didn’t get told much.”

 

Aunty Jane frowned at me. “Mrs O’Riley? Your nice biology teacher? The one with the curly hair and frameless glasses that sounds like Professor McGonagall from Harry Potter? I liked her. I wonder why she left.”

 

I suddenly started feeling quite sad and sighed. “It’s because she recently found out that she has cancer. Decided to take time off work while she tries to fight it off. She doesn’t know if she’ll be back to teach or when she’ll be back if she’ll survive.”

 

“That’s sad. I hope she gets better. Anyway, you should head to school. Your friend Jack will be waiting for you at the corner of the street for you soon.”

 

I nodded and finished my breakfast. After rinsing my bowl and grabbing my bag I headed for the front door. That’s when my uncle came out of his office and stood at the top of the stairs. He looked at me with the most evil look that he has ever given me.

 

“Tobias, make sure you don’t do anything that’ll get you in the slightest bit of trouble. And keep working hard.”

 

I nodded. “Yes, Uncle Bartholomew.” I kept eye contact with my uncle for a few more seconds before saying goodbye to my aunt and heading off for school. My uncle was quite strict and always seemed to remind me about working hard and keeping out of trouble. I found it a little weird but I didn’t want to see his bad side. 

 

   

 *  *  *

 

Jack and I were sitting beneath a tree. It was lunch break and our class just before break was Classical Studies so Jack was going on about the Greek Gods and myths like he always did. He was really passionate about it. He had even started planning on a trip to Greece. While he was chatting away I was staring out at the field crowded by students while I thought about the dream that I had. I suddenly noticed that Jack had stopped talking and was looking at me. I frowned at him a little.

 

“What?”

 

“You weren’t listening to a word I said were you?”

 

I sighed. “No, I wasn’t listening. Been thinking about something.”

 

Jack looked at me with concern, “I thought something may have been wrong. You seem to have been a bit distracted during classes today. What’s wrong? Are you gay? Is your aunt ok? Your uncle been giving you trouble?”

 

I just stared at him. “Did you just ask me if I was gay? Really? That’s the first thing that you ask?” He just looks at me and nods. “Well to be honest I am gay but that’s not the reason.”

 

“Well if the fact that you’re gay of which you’ve been hiding and not saying anything isn’t troubling you then what is? Talk to me Tobias? What troubles you?” Jack walked round in front of me and knelt on the ground forcing me to look up and make eye contact. I couldn’t help but notice his bright blue eyes. They always seemed to get my attention. I have never told Jack this but he was attractive.

 

I let out a sigh. “If you really want to know then it’s this dream that I had last night. I was in a forest clearing surrounded by an assortment of animals, including mythical creatures. A phoenix flew down and landed in front of me and changed into an elderly man who claimed to know my father and that he was on his way to get me. It was so vivid and realistic that it feels like I won’t be able to forget it. It was weird.”

 

Jack started to speak but stopped. He slowly stood up with a look on his face that I knew meant bad news. I looked over my shoulder and saw that Hannah was heading towards us with a few of her friends. I slowly stood up, mentally preparing for what I knew was going to happen. Hannah always went around the school during lunch breaks to pick on anyone she liked and her friends Lizzie, Krystal and Penelope were always following her around though they didn’t really do much, they were mainly just moral support for Hannah and laughed at the shame and humility she put others through.

 

“So what are you two twerps up to? Talking about some random stuff like usual? Or have you gotten up to making out with each other? Because I swear I saw you two kissing each other the other day.” Hannah smiled while the others laughed quietly amongst themselves as if what had been said was highly amusing.

 

I was trying to keep calm. I’m sure Hannah didn’t know a thing about me being gay. Jack is the only person I’ve told, all because he mentioned it earlier.

 

“You better keep your mouth shut Hannah!” Jack placed a hand on my shoulder as a warning.

 

“Or else what? You’ll pray to one of the Greek Gods in hope that they’ll help you? They didn’t help you earlier Jack when you were rejected by me. Seriously, I can’t believe you would embarrass me so much in front of the whole class. I never knew you had a crush on me until you confessed it earlier today.” Hannah smiled a little.

 

That didn’t go down well with Jack seeing as he was really into the Greek Gods and myths and he didn’t seem to like the fact that Hannah brought up his confession. Jack’s face had gone completely red with anger. I couldn’t stand seeing my best friend being talked to in this way and being laughed at. So I lightly pushed Jack’s hand off my shoulder, walked over to Hannah and looked her in the eyes. Her smile grew even more. She thought this was all fun and games. I was sick and tired of what she had done to not just me and Jack but to others as well.

 

“It’s time for you to finally stop humiliating others and getting pleasure out of it.” I glared at Hannah as she started laughing.

 

“Is that a threat coming from the weakest teenager in school?” She grabbed one of my cheeks like an aunt would do when the family met up for birthdays and such. Hannah  continued to laugh.

 

I slapped her hand away and punched her in the face twice before kicking her in the side of her left leg with so much force that I heard the bone snap. I knew Hannah’s leg was now broken and that it wasn’t my ankle. I then turned to Lizzie and the others.

 

“The three of you have a chance. You can either fight me and end up like Hannah or run off and leave without a scratch.” Lizzie, Krystal and Penelope just stared at me as if weren’t sure what they should do. I then gave off a rather menacing wolf-like growl which was enough to convince the three of them to run for it.

 

I then felt a hand grab my shoulder with an iron grip. I knew it wasn’t Jack because his grip wasn’t usually that tight. I looked behind me and saw the principal, Mrs Jefferson. I wasn’t scared, I was satisfied. Not because I got caught but because I did something that was worth it.

 

“Tobias, my office. Now. I expect a full report with what transpired between you and Hannah. And do not forget a single detail. And don’t think your uncle will be kept in the dark about this. I’m sure he would like to know what had happened.”

 

I glanced over at Jack. He didn’t seem to be as disappointed as I thought he would be. I smiled at him a little to let him know I would be ok. I then headed towards Mrs Jefferson’s office. The principal followed me after telling Jack to escort Hannah to the nurse and giving him a stern look.

 

              *  *  *

 

I was sitting in the principal’s office and I had just finished telling Mrs Jefferson about what had happened. She just looked at me as if I was the worst thing that could be in the room. I could see that she was trying to decide whether to expel me from school or suspend me. As Mrs Jefferson sat there looking at me I started to think back to when I had kicked Hannah in the leg and how that one kick had broken it. I never really thought how I could have the strength to break someone’s bones with just one hit. Mrs Jefferson interrupted my thoughts as she started speaking.
 

“Tobias, you are stupid for thinking about hitting a girl let alone breaking her leg. There are better ways to deal with school bullies but with the way you dealt with the problem I have come to the conclusion that I will only suspend you as a warning rather than expel you.”

 

I nodded in agreement as I thought it would be fair enough, “How long for?”

 

Mrs Jefferson glared at me, “I was getting to that. You are to be suspended for a month. I will have your teacher’s send you work to do while you’re home and I expect you to put in some effort or else as soon as your suspension is over you’ll be getting detention. How long for will depend on how much effort you put into completing the work. I called your uncle while we were on our way to my office. He should be here soon and when he gets here I will fill him in with everything that has happened and with what has been decided.”

 

I felt the blood drain from my face. This wasn’t good news. My uncle would surely make my life a living hell because of this. My heart was starting to race just at the thought of what my uncle would say or do just as somebody knocked on the door.

 

“Come in!” Mrs Jefferson called out.

 

My uncle entered. He gave me the death stare before turning to the principal. I started to wish I was completely invisible or that I didn’t exist.

 

“Now what’s this all about? What has my nephew done?”

 

Mrs Jefferson signalled me to wait outside her office. I was a little grateful that she did. And so I waited outside her office for what seemed like hours. When my uncle finally came out of the office followed by the principal I figured it had only been half an hour. My uncle glared at me and didn’t say a word. He then headed towards the front doors, plainly obvious that I would be wise to follow.

 

The car ride was uneventful due to the fact that my uncle kept quiet. I just sat in the passenger’s seat enjoying the view. But once we got home, that’s when things started to get really ugly. We had just gotten inside when my uncle gave me a look that told me he wanted to kill me right where I was standing.

 

“Put your bag in your room and meet me in my office.” He was so quiet due to how angry he was. And I mean really angry. “If you take your time about it then you’ll be getting a damn beating.”

 

I literally ran for it. I dumped my bag onto my bed and as I came out of my room I heard my aunt and uncle talking. Uncle Bartholomew was almost shouting but I could tell he was trying to restrain himself and Aunty Jane…she was almost crying from what I could tell. She was trying to calm him down without any luck. This was the first time I ever heard my aunt cry or my uncle be on the verge of shouting. I decided to quickly take a seat in my uncle’s office before he stormed up the stairs. I tried to prepare myself for what was to come. It didn’t take him long to finish having his little fit downstairs as he entered his office not long after I had taken a seat which didn’t really give me much time to prepare. My uncle went to stand behind his desk and slammed his hands down on the desk

 

“HOW DARE YOU!!” Ok yea…he was angry. “What the HELL were you thinking when you punched that girl in the face?? Not once but TWICE?? And then you decided to go ahead and break her leg? How did you even manage that in one kick? I don’t understand you at all! I feel like I don’t even KNOW you anymore!! I thought you were MY nephew!! Not your damn FATHER!!”

 

He sat down in his chair heavily and covered his face. I could tell he was trying his best not to hit anything or throw anything in case he damaged something valuable. I kept quiet for a while as I didn’t want to anger him further, plus I didn’t know what I could say even though I was slightly surprised at the mention of my father. I decided to finally say something…I didn’t know what it would cause my uncle to do.

 

“I…I really didn’t know what I was thinking. Hannah has…” I took in a deep breath. “She has picked on just about everyone at school, threatening to fight anyone who dares to try and stop her. Telling teachers has never worked and the only thing that crossed my mind that could possibly stop her is to give her a taste of her own medicine to try and teach her a lesson. And about my dad…do not bring him into this. He isn’t here anymore. He’s not alive. And it’s all thanks to you. You made sure my mother and father died! So then you could keep a closer eye on me and make sure I wasn’t a threat. To make sure I didn’t give you the sort of trouble that my father would probably give you!! I blame you for my parent’s deaths. And you know what I think?? I think you can go to hell and leave me and Aunty Jane alone. We don’t need you in our lives any more. I can’t even call you an uncle anymore.”

 

I stood up and my uncle looked at me. I had no idea what I saw next. My uncle’s face completely changed for a couple of seconds. And I don’t mean with emotion. I mean it physically changed. Just for those few seconds his face looked like that of a corpse. Skin looked like it had decayed a little, irises were red and his hair receded a little. Once it was over I wasn’t sure if it had been my imagination or not.

 

“Get out…get out of this room and leave me in peace you little swine!!”

 

And so I did. I went to my room, slammed my door shut and punched a hole in the wall next to me. That little prick who calls himself my uncle. I didn’t want my father to be mentioned at all let alone be compared to my father. I didn’t know what my father was like though I’m sure he was a pretty decent guy and did what he thought was right. I went over to my bed, picked up my bag and placed it down next to my desk. I was just about to lie down on my bed when there was a soft knock on my bedroom door. I went over and slowly opened it. My aunt stood there looking worried.

 

“Can I come in?” Her voice trembled a little. I nodded and stood back a little to allow her in.

She headed over to my desk and leant against it. She watched me as I sat down on the end of my bed.

 

“I heard Bartholomew shouting at you. Your father was mentioned.”

I stiffened at the mention of my father. “Tobias, I wanted you to know your father was a nice guy. He really was. He treated my sister, your mother, like a queen. He did every he could to try and keep her happy. He respected her…he also had respect for me for the person that I am and for the job I pursued. The night that they died in the car crash was the saddest time of my life. I still think of them from time to time…”

 

A tear started rolling down her cheek, “Aunty Jane, please. Don’t cry.”

 

She shook her head, “It’s alright Tobias. It really is.”

 

I got up, went over to her and hugged her. “There’s something I want to tell you. About what we kind of talked about this morning before I headed off to school.”

 

She looked at me and said “If you’re going to tell me you’re gay then I already know.”

 

I sighed, “Not you too…Jack said something similar. But it’s not the fact that I’m gay. It’s the dream I had. It has been on my mind all day. Though the more I think about it the more I’m sure it was more of a vision than a dream. An elderly man contacted me during my sleep somehow, I don’t know how. He mentioned something about my dad; he said that he was alive.”

 

My aunt looked at me in surprise, “Are you sure?” I nodded. “Tobias, there’s something I have to tell you. About your father…” At that moment there was a knock on the door. My uncle yelled out to my aunt about answering the door.

 

“Go. Answer it. Please. I don’t want Uncle Bartholomew to answer it if you take too long.” My aunt ran downstairs while I followed her at a bit of a slower pace. I heard her open the door and gasp. I got to the entryway in time to see my aunt hug the guy who had been at the door and was now in the entryway. He looked vaguely familiar. They stopped hugging and my aunt looked at me and smiled. I had a feeling that this tall and stocky guy with long black hair tied in a ponytail was my dad but I wasn’t too sure.

 

“Tobias, this is Lysander, your…”

 

I cut her off. “Dad? Is that really you??”

 

He didn’t need to answer because everything clicked when I looked at his face a little more. His face was quite angular but his eyes were a strikingly bright green with hints of gold. I ran up to him and hugged him and he laughed a little.

 

“Yes, it’s me.” I looked up at him and he was smiling. “It’s been a long time Tobias. Too long. There’s a whole lot of people wanting to meet you, with a few others that haven’t seen you since you were little.”

 

We stopped hugging and my dad looked behind me, his face distorted a little with disgust. I looked over my shoulder and saw Uncle Bartholomew standing there, his face completely white and full of anger.

 

“YOU! How DARE you set foot in this house!! You and your kind are not welcome here! I made sure you and your stupid little tribe knew that!!”

 

My father let off an inhuman growl deep in his throat. “That was a sad day for everyone. You killed too many people. And you still have to pay for it! I have only come here for my son.”

 

“Why? So you can corrupt him with your stupid little fantasies of making the world a better place for your kind?”

 

My father growled again, but this time a little louder and a little more menacing. “It’s your god damn kind that is trying to take over the bloody world you disgusting demonic scum!! Now back off and leave us be or I'll make sure you wish you didn’t exist.”

 

This wasn’t exactly the best reunion that you could have with your father but it was better than nothing.  My uncle glared at my dad before storming off while I had a few more questions running through my mind. My dad turned to Aunty Jane.

 

“Jane, the best thing you could do is leave this house and don’t come back until I have sorted a few things out. I think you’ll know when things have been sorted out seeing as you know what Bartholomew is but I’ll send you a message when I can just to be sure.”

 

Aunty Jane nodded, “I’ll pack some things before heading off to a cousin’s place. Or maybe even a hotel.”

 

“Good. You remember what we taught you whenever you needed to contact someone in the tribe?” Jane nodded and my dad turned to me. “Now, it’s about time we left. I think we have overstayed our welcome. Grab what you can as long as it’s nothing electronic. We don’t have power at the village.”

 

I grabbed what I could as fast as I could, packed it all into two bags and arrived back at the entryway. Jane and Lysander were chatting away about what had happened over the years while there was no contact between them. They finished up just as I came up to them and put one of my bags down. My dad looked at me and smiled.

 

“You have my good looks.” He winked at me and smiled. “I’m sure all the girls back at our village would be talking about you once they see you.”

 

My aunt and I glanced at each other and my dad must have gotten some of the meaning behind it.

 

“Wait…you’re telling me you aren’t really into girls?”

 

I shook my head. “No dad. I’ve never really been interested in girls.”

 

“So you’re gay?” I nodded and my dad smiled. “Well that’s no problem then. Our tribe is very open about pretty much anything. So you’ll be just fine. There’s even a guy in the village who shares your interest in guys. I think he’ll be your sort of type too. He’s seventeen and he’s quite cute. His name’s Remus. I’m sure you can guess what animal he can shift into.” My dad winked at me but I was slightly confused.

 

“Lysander, I don’t think Tobias fully understands what you’re talking about.”

 

My dad looked at Jane in surprise. “So Bartholomew told him nothing?” Jane shook her head. “Well then, that will just add a little extra something for you to soak in. Anyway let’s go. We’re running a little late. It was nice to see you again Jane and hopefully I’ll see you again soon.”

We headed out the door and up the street, Jane waved and I waved back. I really was hoping that I would see her again soon. I then turned to my dad who was muttering to himself a little.

 

“Dad, how exactly are we going to get to this village?”

 

He looked at me, “You thought we were going by car didn’t you?” I nodded, “Well that is where you are wrong. When we get to the top of the street there’s someone I’d like you to meet. He’s a nice guy but can be a little intimidating when you first meet him. He can shift into a horse so he’ll be handy.”

 

Soon enough we were at the top of the street and like my dad said there was someone waiting for us. He had quite a lean body and you could see his abs through his shirt that was probably a little too tight for him.

 

“Tobias, this is Alex. Alex this is my son.” Alex nodded towards me and shook my hand. “Now, Alex, I need you to take Toby’s bags and go ahead without us. Tobias and I will take things a little more slowly as he hasn’t travelled by wolf before. We shouldn’t be too far behind though. I hope.”

 

What’s been happening hasn’t been making much sense though I was starting to get that Alex and my dad were shape shifters of some sort. But I would ask my dad about it just to make sure this wasn’t a joke or anything. Alex asked me for my bags and I handed them to him. I was told to wait here while my dad went off to help Alex get my bags and stuff strapped to Alex once he had “changed”.  After about a minute or two my dad came back with a brown horse by his side with my bags strapped to him.

 

“You ready to head off now Tobias?” I nodded. “Right then Alex, you may be on your way. Remember to see my father first. He’ll know what to do. The chief always knows what to do.”

 

Alex headed off at a slow pace before gaining some speed. I kept my gaze on Alex before turning to my dad with confusion.

 

“What?” My dad gave me a look that seemed to say that I should have figured things out already.

 

“I think you are completely nuts…” My dad laughed and just looked at me with a smile on his face before going completely serious.

 

“You haven’t figured it out have you? Or if you have then you don’t believe anything that has been going on, am I right?”

 

I nodded. “I have come to the conclusion that either everyone is suddenly mental or there are shape shifters that I had no idea about and I’m finding it hard to believe. If shape shifters are real, it would make my dream that I had last night a little more understandable.”

 

“Dream? That was no dream. That was a vision. A way for us to contact others while they sleep. My father, your grandfather, had to contact you in order to tell you that I was on my way. He did find it difficult which is why he was only able to contact you the night before I arrived, otherwise he would have given you a little more notice. Now let’s head off, you can ask more questions when we stop for food and rest.”

 

“But how are we going to travel? You said by wolf but I see no wolf anywhere and I don’t think a wolf would be able to carry two people let alone let anyone near it…”

 

My dad chuckled. “Follow me and you’ll see what I mean.”

 

He led me into the bushes that were big enough to hide the both of us. “Now just stay there and watch this. Don’t be afraid of what you see. You will be completely safe.”

 

I stood there keeping a close eye on my dad. He then started to softly glow with a white light and his form started to shift and change. Before I knew it a large black and grey wolf with green eyes stood before me in the spot where my dad had been except the wolf was my dad. The wolf of which my dad had become was large enough for me to ride.

 

“That’s…..amazing. Only question is, how do I hold on if there aren’t any reins?”

 

The wolf or my dad, whatever you would want to call him, motioned his head towards his neck and I felt something touch my mind leaving me with the idea of wrapping my arms around his neck and holding on with a gentle but firm grip. I then hopped onto the wolf’s back and wrapped my arms around his neck.

 

I nodded, “I’m ready.”

 

And so the wolf walked out of the bushes and started heading down the main street that led to the country side. Slowly he picked up his speed and so we were on our way and I would have to say it was an interesting experience riding on the back of a large wolf.

3: Questions

We arrived at Thames at around 6:00pm. It took us roughly three hours to get here from Pukekohe. My dad was careful in choosing a spot to change back to his human form. I found it a little weird seeing my dad change between the two forms.

 

“Right, time to get some dinner.” He looked around. “Where do you want dinner? Looks like there isn’t much of a choice.”

 

I looked around a little too. “Is there Subway?”

 

My dad nodded. “There is. Subway it is.”

 

We headed a little further down the street before arriving at Subway. We both ordered similar subs. There was little conversation while we ate.

 

“Are we going to stay here for the night before we carry on to the village?”

 

My dad thought about it for a bit. “I think we might have to. It’ll be at least another couple of hours or so worth of travelling before we’ll arrive at the village and being in my wolf form tires me a little more than it should these days. I’ll have to contact Alistair.”

 

“Alistair?”

 

“He’s my father, your grandfather, and the chief of our tribe.”

 

I stared at him in disbelief. “I’m the grandson of a chief?” My dad nodded.

 

“You are the last in line for the title too. Though seeing that you’re…gay, it’ll be hard for you to produce a proper heir. You might decide to change things around a bit when you become chief. Don’t worry, you’ll have plenty of time before you make the decision.”

 

I tried to take it all in. The whole shape shifting thing and now me being the grandson of a chief.

 

“With you and my grandfather being shape shifters, I take it that I am too?”

 

My dad nodded. “Only thing is, you won’t change for the first time until your sixteenth birthday. It’s like that for every shape shifter. There have been the rare cases where someone doesn’t change on their sixteenth. But anyway, we should head somewhere where we can sleep. Then you can ask more questions and I’ll be able to contact Alistair.”

 

“Do you know of any places? I didn’t see any hotels or anything as we came through.”

 

“Hotel? Huh, I’ve got something better than a hotel. Follow me.”

 

We headed off and arrived ten minutes later at what looked like an abandoned house. The paint was peeling a little though it wasn’t too noticeable with all the dirt. The garden was overgrown and I was surprised to see flowers struggling to show themselves amongst all the weeds.

 

“I’m not sleeping in there…doesn’t look exactly safe.”

 

“Then you can sleep out here then.”

 

I rolled my eyes and sighed. “Fine, I’ll sleep in there.”

 

My dad chuckled a little before heading in with me close behind. As we entered I realised that the house wasn’t as abandoned as I thought it would be. It may have looked as if it needed a few repairs from the exterior but the interior was just…incredible. The lounge was furnished with comfortable leather chairs and couch, flat screen TV and a nice oak coffee table. The kitchen was fully furnished with the best appliances you could find with an oak table in the centre.

 

“How could this place look so nice inside but look completely abandoned from outside?”

 

My dad looked at me a smiled. “It’s how we want it to look like. We thought that if we made the exterior of the place look like it was abandoned but kept the interior fully furnished and in good shape then we would hope that no one would actually try coming in and stealing stuff. So far it has worked so we’ve kept it like this for quite a while. But sit down and make yourself comfortable while I go and contact Alistair.”

 

As my dad headed out of the lounge I sat down, turned the TV on and started flicking through the channels. There wasn’t much on so I kept it on channel three to watch the rest of the 6 o’clock news. Some story about a car crash that happened early this morning finished and so the presenters started on the next. It was about some guy who had gone missing and I wasn’t really paying much attention to it. After a minute or so they started an interview with someone and I was looking at book that I had found on the coffee table. I started to recognise the voice of the guy being interviewed. It sounded like my good friend Jack. I looked at the screen and my jaw dropped as I saw him on TV. He was going on about how he had tried to ring me without getting an answer or being told to leave my uncle alone and how he then went round to my uncle’s place to see if I was there to find out that I wasn’t. He knew that if I didn’t answer his calls and wasn’t at home that something was wrong which caused him to frantically call the police. News reporters had also gotten onto this quite quickly. I couldn’t watch it any longer so I turned the TV off, threw the book back onto the coffee table and leaned forward. My dad came back into the lounge and looked at me.

 

“Is everything alright?”

 

“Yea, except for the fact that I have been reported missing. Thanks to my friend Jack.”

 

“Well that really can’t be helped now can it? Anyway, I was able to contact your grandfather and told him that I was able to collect you, that we’re both safe and will be staying here for the night. I also told him that Alex was sent ahead with your bags and to keep your stuff safe once he arrived at the village. Now, any questions you would like to ask?”

 

I thought about it for a bit and I started to think about my mum so I decided to start asking about her. “What can you tell me about my mum?”

 

Sorrow suddenly showed in my dad’s expression. “Your mother wasn’t born as one of us but we have certain ways, certain rituals to make a human one of us if we chose to honour them with our gift. I was in Papakura and I had just been injured by someone who was in some sort of alliance with our enemy. He was fast, accurate and a quick thinker, almost inhuman. He only had time before your mother saw him just after he dealt some serious injuries and he ran for it and left me to die. Your mother ran over to me, made sure I was alright and asked if she could help in some way. I told her to contact your grandfather although I had to quickly explain how with some difficulty. Once Alistair was contacted, someone came within ten maybe fifteen minutes as they had been in the area. They had some skill in healing and were able to reduce the pain and speed the healing just enough so that it wasn’t fatal and would allow me to change and head for the village. The one who came and healed me was a good friend of mine, Bruce was his name and he takes on the form of a bear. Once we both had shifted, Bruce allowed your mother to ride on his back and take her to our village. He did it because he knew that she had tried to help me and without her I probably wouldn’t have survived. After that I began to heal properly without any problem and the tribe agreed to make your mum one of us and so we did. I won’t explain how things go when it comes to that sort of thing. It can wait until you’re ready. Your mother and I fell in love and got married though our marriage ceremonies are a little different and also includes same-sex couples into the ceremony. We lived life happily and then we had you but it wasn’t until just before your first birthday where things went wrong. Your mother was doing a job for Alistair and while she was on the job she got killed by a supposed hunter who missed his target and got her instead but we knew he was one of our ancient enemies. That day everyone from our tribe felt the loss of a life. I knew deep down inside me that it was definitely your mother that had been killed. Ever since then we have been a lot more careful and we have done everything to try and get you back. You are more important than you think. That’s about as much about your mother that I can tell you.”

 

I could tell that my father was trying not to cry though he couldn’t keep one tear from rolling down his cheek. Another question popped into my head, one that wasn’t completely related to my mum.

 

“Can we only change into one animal or multiple?”

 

“Only one. We don’t usually know what our animal form will be until our first change on our 16th birthday. Though sometimes there have been couple who have been easy to figure out…though that could possibly change due to…”

 

“Due to what?”

 

My dad sighed. “It’s nothing. You’ll find out soon enough.”

 

We were both silent for a while, I didn’t know what to ask next.

 

“Is my grandmother still alive?”

 

My dad looked at me and shook his head. “She died during an attack on our village long ago. Your grandfather had been caught and your grandmother freed him but was killed in the process. After she was killed, our opponents decided to leave Alistair rather than take him captive. I don’t know why though, it was weird. Anyway, we should get some sleep. We have an early start tomorrow.”

 

“Wait…I have one more question…something Aunty Jane hasn’t been able to explain and she told me not to say anything about it to Bartholomew. What can you tell me about this??”

 

I conjured a ball of white light which hovered in mid-air between me and my dad.  I made sure it wasn’t too bright and started moving the ball of light around the room. My father watched it for a bit before he spoke.

 

“Extinguish it Toby. We don’t want to raise any suspicions. Anyone could be watching through the windows.” I quickly extinguished the light. “What you just did, conjuring a ball of light like that, is what every shape shifter can do after they’ve turned ten with some cases being earlier. Now, sleep.”

 

Without speaking another word, my dad led me to one of the bedrooms and left me to get settled. I ended up lying in bed awake for at least an hour or so due to having so much on my mind with everything that I had been told. My father and grandfather still alive, my mother and grandmother dead and a tribe of shape shifters that I was a part of. Not to mention being last in line for the title of chief. I was finally able to get to sleep though my dreams were filled with people changing into different animals, white lights, people dying…my dreams made no sense.

4: Home Sweet Home

I woke early despite having a troubled sleep. I decided to get up and start getting ready to leave as I wasn’t entirely sure when my dad wanted to leave. As I entered the kitchen to see if there was anything to eat I glanced at the clock and saw that it was 7:30am. I then noticed my dad sitting at the dining table.

 

“I cooked some bacon and eggs for you. Still hot too.”

 

I went over to the stove where the bacon and eggs was still in the pan a lid to keep as much warmth in as possible. I grabbed a plate and transferred the eggs and bacon over before joining my dad at the table. He looked at me and saw how tired I was.

 

“Looks like you didn’t sleep well last night.”

 

I shook my head. “I kept thinking about everything I’ve been told and how much I still don’t know. It’s hard to digest.”

 

He nodded and he let me eat the rest of my breakfast in silence. Once I had finished he took my plate along with his and put them in the sink.

 

“We should head off.”

 

“What about the dishes and stuff?”

 

“Oh, we have someone who comes here to check on the place and make sure it’s tidy in case one of us has to use it for an emergency. They also stock up the food and make sure it’s all fresh and not past it’s best before date.”

 

I nodded. “Then let’s go. I want to get to the village as soon as possible.”

 

 

*  *  *

 

We were a ten minute walk from the village when my dad decided to shift back into his human form. Trees surrounded us, their leaves whispering in the slight wind. The sunlight shone between the branches. As we made the short walk to the village I noticed animals were emerging from the surrounding forest. More and more could be seen as we got closer to the village. Once we arrived at the village we were welcomed by a small crowd of people and animals. A small group of animals were trailing behind us by this point. There were still others coming from other parts of the village to see us arrive. Some of the animals started to glow with a soft white light and I knew I was witnessing a few of the animals change shape. Though of course they weren’t normal animals, they were shape shifters. An elderly man of whom I recognised from my dream was standing at the front of the crowd. As soon as he saw us he started smiling and I could see the relief in his eyes now that he knew we were safe and weren’t obviously harmed. My father walked up to the elderly man and hugged him who must have said something as my father shook his head as they came out of the hug.

 

“Alistair, as you know this is Tobias. Did Alex bring his stuff back safely??”

 

Alistair nodded, “It’s in your house waiting for you in the spare room.”

He turned to me and gave me a quick examination before smiling again. “I’m so glad I could meet you in person again before my day comes to part this world. You look just like Lysander though of course you have some of your mother’s features. I’m very curious as to what your animal form will be but we all shall know soon enough. Your birthday is only a couple of days away and there’s much to be prepared.”

 

I suddenly got very nervous at the mention of my birthday and how close it was considering that I would be changing for the first time in my life so soon. Alistair laughed slightly as he saw my nervousness show.

 

“Don’t worry Tobias, it won’t hurt. Or at least not as much as you might think. But anyway, come and meet the rest of the tribe.” He turned to everyone behind him. “Everyone, this is Tobias. My grandson and Lysander’s son. Don’t be afraid to come up and welcome him to the family, the Xavian Tribe. He hasn’t grown up with our ways of living and learning so please excuse any of his ignorance. He has much to learn.”

 

And so I was greeted by many members of the tribe. There was Abigail who was the tribes healer who used herbs and such to aid her in the practice, Grenwick the blacksmith who also trained some of the tribe members in swordplay and he was a large muscular man, Baelorn the historian and keeper of scrolls and history books (also kept a few books on medicines and other informative books) and there were a whole lot more including a spiritualist. The last person who came up to greet me was Remus of whom my father had told me about yesterday. As Remus was trying to get a conversation started my father came over.

 

“Remus, why don’t you show Tobias around the place. Once you’re done bring him over to mine. You’ll be welcome to stay for dinner too. I have a few things to do.” He winked at me and walked off.

 

Remus looked a little nervous and looked down at the ground before looking back at me. “So…uh….where do you want to go first?”

 

I shrugged. “I don’t really know. Where do you think would be a good place to start?”

 

He seemed to think for a bit. “Let’s have a look at Grenwick’s forge first. Then we can maybe have a look at the herbalist’s and go on from there.”

 

I nodded. “Ok, lead the way.”

 

As we headed for the forge I couldn’t help but notice how attractive Remus was. His hair was a light blonde and his eyes were a nice icy blue. He was of a skinny to medium build and seemed to have a confidence about him despite some of his nervousness. As we got closer to the forge his nervousness had diminished and he seemed a lot more relaxed. We could hear the sound of metal on metal as Grenwick worked on a blade. He glanced up at us as we arrived.

 

“Hello boys. How Can I help you two today?”

 

“I’m just showing Tobias around. His father Lysander thought it would be a good idea.”

 

Grenwick looked over at me. “Nice to meet you again Tobias. I hope you settle into the place nicely. Probably a lot more different than where you were raised.”

 

I nodded. “Yeah, it is. Though to be honest it’s nice to see buildings replaced by trees and bushes and what not. I hated living in a town. But in the short time I’ve been here I’ve felt free and not so confined.”

 

Grenwick nodded. “Aye, that’s what it’s like with us shape shifters. We dislike the towns and cities and prefer the forest over anything else. Anyway I should get back to work. Feel free to have a look around the place. Just be careful.” He smiled.

 

After Remus showed me around Grenwick’s forge he took me to the herbalist’s. Wasn’t much to see though one day I wouldn’t mind learning about all the herbs and their medicinal uses.

 

*  *  *

 

An hour or so later Remus had led me to a medium sized clearing. In the middle of the clearing was a large gazebo with a two-seater chair sitting in the middle with a couple of tables more towards the sides.

 

“This is where we hold special ceremonies for example weddings, funerals, peoples first changing and we even hold birthday parties of a sort here for those that want one.”

 

I nodded and looked around a little. I started heading towards the gazebo and sat down on the two-seater chair. Remus came over and sat down next to me.

 

“Any questions about anything?”

 

I shook my head and laughed a little. “Not that I know of and if I do I’ll ask someone.”

 

“Well if there’s anything you want to ask you can come to me if you want. Or you can ask your dad or Alistair.”

 

“Thanks.” I looked at Remus and smiled. “So what do you do around here?”

 

“Not much really. I just try and learn as much as I can about herbal medicines and what not. Otherwise I just do some odd jobs around the place and help anyone that needs it.”

 

“Is there anything fun to do?”

 

“Yeah but it won’t be what you’ll be used to. At least once a week there is some sort of competition held somewhere in the forest. Most of the time it’s usually physical or athletic but sometimes it can get a little more on the poetic side. Sometimes, some of the younger ones, the ones that haven’t had their 16th birthday yet, they organise a play and they use the gazebo as their stage and sometimes they get some of the older ones to help out with a few things. The plays aren’t held that often though, maybe once every couple of months or so. Other than that we just hang out and do what we want as long as we don’t cause trouble. There are those who are specifically used as messengers due to their animal form for example most, if not all, of the members with birds as their animal form are useful with delivering verbal or written messages unless they’re deemed too important to be delivered in that manner.”

 

I sat back and closed my eyes. As I opened them and looked over at Remus, I noticed that he was getting a little nervous again.

 

“Remus, just out of curiousity, why have you been a little nervous? You’ve seemed to be nervous from time to time ever since my dad got you to show me around.”

 

He looked at me with his icy blue eyes before looking away again. “It’s……it’s nothing.” We were both silent for a bit before he spoke again. “Is there any girls from your area that you liked or had an interest in?”

 

I shook my head, “No, I’ve never been interested in girls. Never had a girlfriend and I don’t want one. Guys catch my interest more than anything though I’ve never known anyone else that’s gay.”

 

Remus seemed to perk his ears up at the mention of me being gay. “There aren’t many gay or bisexual shape shifters alive as far as I know but that doesn’t mean that we’re against it all. There have definitely been some in the past. I’m glad you could tell me.”

 

I shrugged. “I don’t really see it as a big deal really. If people know then they know. If they don’t like it then it’s their problem.” I looked over at Remus. “Have you had an interest in anyone?” I didn’t want to let him give any hints that I knew he was gay. If he wanted to tell me then I would let him do so in his own time.

 

He shook his head. “I’m the same. Never had a girlfriend and not looking for one either. Though….” He paused for a bit.

 

“Though what?”

 

He sighed. “It’s nothing. We should head back to your dad’s. I’ll help you unpack your bags if you want.”

 

I nodded. “That would be great.” I smiled at him.

 

Remus led me to my dad’s house and as we walked past the other houses I paid attention to their exteriors. They all were plain, not painted but it looked like they were oiled to try and help protect the exposed wood from the elements. The only sort of decorations were engravings around the doors and windows. I also noticed that each house had a small indentation next to the front door. I guessed they were for placing werelights so they wouldn’t be missed when walking around the village at night.

 

It wasn’t long before we arrived at my dad’s house. Remus knocked on the front door of which was opened almost immediately by my dad. He smiled at the two of us and stepped back to let us enter.

 

“Did you enjoy the small tour Toby??”

 

I nodded. “I did and I would have to say it’s a lot better than living in the city or in a small town. Though, I’m going to find it a little hard to adapt to living here, especially when it comes to having fun.”

 

My dad chuckled a little. “You’ll get used to that. You’ll also start getting a few more jobs to do to keep you busy. But just enjoy the time you have now before it’s gone. Do you guys want something to eat and drink?”

 

Both Remus and I looked at each other and smiled. We hadn’t realised how hungry we were. We both agreed to have a small snack before I unpacked my stuff. The biscuits that my dad had made were nicer than what you could buy from the supermarket and the water tasted so much better too. It didn’t taste of chlorine. The goblets used were made out of wood, though I’m not sure what sort of wood it was. Once the two of us had finished my dad led us to the spare bedroom where my bags were sitting on the king sized bed of which looked like it was handmade. Just as my dad was about to leave the room he looked at me as if he knew I was going to say something.

 

“Hey dad, is everything you guys have, all the buildings, furniture and stuff handmade by the tribe?”

 

“Not everything but yes, the houses were built by those who were capable and so was the furniture though fabrics were purchased except that anything made of wool was also handmade. We have a good source when it comes to wool so we know it hasn’t been tampered with. Some, if not most, of our food we grow ourselves for example we grow our own fruits and vegetables and we try to use our own fertilizers. Anything like flour and other ingredients used for baking we get from supermarkets. Meat we hunt ourselves. We have a small group of people dedicated to hunting though we don’t eat meat every day. And I think that’s about it. Anyway I have to head off. I’ll be back in time to make dinner. You two are free to do what you want.” He started to head out but then turned back to us. “Oh and also, don’t go looking for a chat with your grandfather, Toby. Let Alistair come to you first, ok?”

 

I nodded. My dad smiled and headed off to do his business. I grabbed my bags and put them on the ground at the foot of my bed before I jumped onto my bed and lay on my back. I felt Remus’s gaze on me as he stood there feeling a little awkward. I looked at him and sat up, once again noticing his good looks. I started to get butterflies in my stomach as I thought about telling him that I found him attractive. I gazed around the room while trying to gather up the courage and with a deep sigh concluding my decision I once again looked at Remus, my eyes drawn to his blue ones.

 

“Can I tell you a little something Remus?” He nodded. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable or anything but…I think you’re quite an attractive guy.”

 

He blushed a little. “Uh….thanks…I guess. Never really been complimented like that before.”

 

“It’s true though. You have nice blue eyes, a good body build.” I winked at him a little and smiled. “You’re also a nice guy.” This made him blush even more.

 

“So…you still need help with your stuff??”

 

“Yeah, I just wanted to get off my feet for a bit. If you want you can make yourself comfortable and we can chat for a bit.”

 

He sat on the end of the bed facing me with legs crossed. There was a bit of silence as we tried to think of something to talk about. We ended up talking about how different things were between living in the village here in the forest and living in a town. From there we just started to talk about random things. We became more comfortable with each other and became friends though at this point we wouldn’t realise how close we would become and how things would change for the both of us in such a short amount of time.

 

By the time my dad had come home and had made dinner both Remus and I were lying side by side talking about random stuff glad that we hadn’t forgotten about sorting out my bags and putting things away. My dad softly knocked on the door and popped his head into the room.

 

“Dinner is ready guys. Its salmon freshly caught today from the river with fresh salad from Abigail’s vegetable garden. I also got a few herbs and spices from her for any future meals. Now come and get it before the salmon goes cold.”

 

We headed into the kitchen and as we passed through some of the other rooms I noticed a few paintings. Some of them were landscapes. Mountains, forests, oceans and lakes. But then there were some that were portraits of people. One of them was my grandfather, Alistair, and next to his portrait was who I assumed was my grandmother. As my gaze wondered over to the fireplace there was a portrait of a beautiful woman hanging over the mantelpiece. I pointed out the painting to my dad and asked about the woman.

 

“That’s your mother. I had that portrait of her painted a week before she died. You haven’t met the painter of our tribe yet but you will soon enough. She’s brilliant at what she does.”

 

I looked over at my dad and his eyes were filled with sorrow and love for the most important person that he had lost. He then turned and went into the kitchen and as Remus and I followed I saw that any trace of sorrow had now left him.

 

“Sit down and dig in boys.”

 

As we both sat down my dad handed us some fresh homemade lemonade. He then joined us and we ate in silence. Once we were all done my dad looked at me.

 

“Is there anything you would like to ask?? Anything in general?”

 

I thought about it for a bit and only two questions seemed to come to mind. “What time does the first change usually happen on the 16th birthday?”

 

“Anywhere between 10pm and midnight, it depends on the person. Though I think with you it’ll most likely happen closer to midnight but I could be wrong.”

 

I nodded. “Ok. How do others identify what animal form you have apart from seeing you change?”

 

“Everyone gets a marking on the night of their first change that looks like a small tattoo and it would be of their animal form. Though where it’s found is based on gender. For males the mark will appear on the left side of the chest, for females it’ll appear on their right hip. Anything else??”

 

I shook my head. “Not at the moment. Though something might pop up at some point.”

 

“That’s fine but if you do have any questions, don’t be afraid to ask someone. Anyway we should clean up and you Remus should head home. You’re parents expect you to be home soon.”

 

Remus and I helped with the dishes and everything had to be hand washed and dried seeing as there were no dishwashers in the village and soon after they were done Remus left for home. I hoped that I would see him tomorrow and be able to hang out with him as he was a nice guy and all.

5: The Ceremony

My birthday…the one day that I have been dreading for the past few days. At least Remus had tried to keep my mind off things yesterday by hanging out with me and having me help out Sarah who looked after some of the kids whose parents had things to do and needed someone to look after them. He had also shown me the historian’s large library of which was huge with shelves, floor to ceiling, filled with old scrolls and books with our history and also poems of renown that past members of the tribe had written. But today people seemed a little too preoccupied with their own thing and Remus had gone off with the hunting party to get what they could for the feast tonight. Not knowing what to do I headed to the large gazebo that Remus had shown me on the day I arrived at the village. I lay on the two-seater chair, which was surprisingly comfortable to lie on, and I closed my eyes. Roughly an hour later I heard footsteps though they were that of a four-footed animal. I opened my eyes and looked over to the pathway that led to the rest of the village and standing there was a black and grey wolf with green eyes. I instinctively knew that it was my dad. With a soft white glow he changed back to his human form.

 

“How are you?”

 

I sighed. “I guess I could be better. Kind of feel a little lonely not knowing many people. I only know Remus and Sarah. Everybody else seems to either too busy doing their own thing or staying away from me because I’m new and I’ve lived in a town for most of my life.”

 

My dad nodded. “Those who seem to be staying away from you are probably doing so not because you’re new here but because you still reek of the all the pollution from the town. It’ll take a few more days before you’ll stop smelling like it.”

 

We grew silent for a while until my dad started speaking again.

 

“Are you nervous about your first change tonight?”

 

I looked over at my dad as if he was mad. “Are you kidding me?? Of course I’m nervous. I don’t know if it’ll hurt or if anything will go wrong or what. No one has told me what it’s going to be like.”

 

My dad walked up to one of the railings of the gazebo and leaned up against it. “I understand it can be scary at first. Especially when you don’t know what animal or mythical creature you’ll turn into and the fact that you won’t be familiar with it. It doesn’t hurt, or at least not much but…it does feel slightly weird, though you get used to it.”

 

Once more there was silence and I moved my gaze to the surrounding trees. I then asked what had been on my mind since yesterday. “What do you think I’ll turn into?”

 

My dad looked at me and shrugged. “I don’t know. I really don’t know. You’re one of the harder people to guess when it comes to animal forms. But anyway, you should come back to mine and have a snack or something. Your grandfather also wants to have a bit of a chat with you.”

 

Wondering what my grandfather had to say, I followed my dad back to his house. As we entered my dad’s house my grandfather turned to look at us from the couch. He smiled.

 

“There you are. I had wondered where you had gotten off to. Now come and have a seat.” He waited until I had sat myself down before he continued. “I just thought that I would let you know what would be happening for your 16th birthday and the ceremony for your first change. If you have any questions then don’t be afraid to ask. So, first off we’ll be having a feast which will be a mixture of meat and vegetables. It’s not compulsory to eat the meat as there are some members of the tribe that are vegetarians, that’s their choice and everybody respects that, but I do suggest trying it as the meat isn’t like any of the meat you get from supermarkets. You get the best cuts and the juiciest, mouth-watering bits of meat when freshly caught. Desserts will then be served once everybody has had their fill of the main meal. This will be mainly our own grown fruits and a variety of homemade pastry, tarts and cakes. Once everyone has had time for their food to settle and if there is any time before 10pm we have a few of our musicians play some music and we just enjoy each other’s company. Some even get up and dance, while some of the teenagers might tell the younger kids stories. But once 10pm gets close we start to get ready and we wait. Some have changed not long after 10pm while some have changed not long before midnight. No one knows when the first change occurs. Not even the person themself knows when their first change will occur in that timeframe. So we all wait and see. Most of us have the patience to wait.”

He paused long enough to have a drink.

“Once you have changed for the first time you may feel like running or flying etc. depending on your form. You may do so as long as you don’t get too close to the nearest town, which should be Thames. There will be others who may decide to change and may join you in whatever way they can. I will definitely change so I can keep an eye on things from above and make sure we don’t get too close to Thames or other towns.”

 

Just the mention of the food made me hungry though talking about the ceremony in general just made me even more nervous.

 

“Do you have any questions?”

 

I thought for a bit. “Is there the possibility of something going wrong?”

 

My dad answered the question. “The only time something could go wrong is if you weren’t here when you first changed. It’s not particularly great for one of us to change for the first time away from the tribe and in an area where a normal human could come across them.”

 

“I’m glad I got here in time then.”

 

Once everything was done I was able to continue doing what I wanted of which was just walking around the place and seeing any part of the village that I hadn’t seen before while being overcome by the peace and tranquillity that seemed to come with being in a forest. I eventually came upon a very small clearing during my walk which was far enough from the main village to have some small amount of privacy. So I decided to lie down in the middle of the small clearing and just watch the leaves move around in the slight breeze and listen to them whispering. After a while my mind started to wander. Things I had been told about shape shifters and the very little that I had learnt while I had been here crossed my mind. Then I started thinking about Remus. I really did like him. He seemed to be a little shy though but that just added to how cute he is. His beautiful icy blue eyes always caught my attention and I liked how the sun gave his light blonde hair a golden tinge to it. I then started wishing for Remus to be lying beside me with an arm over my chest while I had an arm around his shoulders. I thought about what it would be like to kiss him and how he would react if I did just out of the blue. And so I spent hours lying in the clearing thinking about Remus. I hadn’t noticed how much time had passed until I heard someone or something walk into the clearing. I looked up and saw a wolf with light grey, almost white fur and icy blue eyes. I knew that it was Remus before he had even changed back to his human form. He walked over and sat down next to me as I sat up.

 

“The feast is going to be starting soon. I was sent to come and get you.”

 

“I’m guessing the feast will be over where the gazebo is?”

 

Remus nodded. I kept looking into his eyes as I’ve seemed to be doing quite a bit unconsciously. I looked away before he noticed and said anything about it.

 

“Are you nervous?”

 

“Yeah, I’m more nervous than I was two days ago. I don’t know what I’ll change into.”

 

Remus looked at me for a bit. “I reckon you would either be a unicorn or a lion. But I could be wrong. I usually am when I guess other people’s animal forms.”

 

I chuckled a little. “I don’t think I would be a unicorn or a lion. They just don’t seem right to me.”

 

We were both silent for a while until Remus stood up. “We better head over to the gazebo. Don’t really want to keep everyone waiting.”

 

*  *  *

 

As we neared the gazebo I could smell the food before it came into sight. There were at least four long tables of which the whole tribe surrounded. A fifth one, smaller than the rest, stood between the four longer tables and the gazebo. My father and grandfather were seated there with a third chair for which I guessed was for me. I went to turn to Remus but noticed that he was already heading towards a seat at one of the larger tables. I had hoped that I could get him to sit with my father, grandfather and I. I shrugged it off a little not really thinking on it much and not questioning why he hadn’t said anything before joining everyone else. I headed over to the smaller table and sat on my grandfather’s right hand side while my father sat on his left hand side. My grandfather looked out over at approximately 400 shape shifters before standing up to speak.

 

“As you all know we are here to celebrate my grandsons 16th birthday and to aid him in any way we can with his first change. Most of us have done what we can to create a wonderful feast not just for his birthday but also to show our acceptance back into the tribe and that he is still one of us despite being in the care of his aunt and uncle for roughly 15 years. I hope you all enjoy the feast.”

 

And my grandfather sat back down and the whole clearing was suddenly filled with the talk and laughter of 400 people as they filled their plates with different meats and vegetables and salads. I helped myself to what was available on the table though there wasn’t as much variety, but that didn’t stop my dad as I heard him calling out to other tribe members to pass him some other food from their table like turkey, venison, lamb, beef, beetroot salad and the list just went on and on. That was the night I found out how much my dad could really eat, it was if he had three stomachs. During the feast I kept looking over at Remus. He wasn’t talking much and seemed as if he was lost in his own thoughts though I did catch him glancing over at me when he thought I wouldn’t notice.

 

After the main meal was over and we all had a bit more room for more food the desserts arrived. I was a little surprised when a few carriages led by Pterippi came into the clearing with the desserts. As soon as they were free of the carriages the Pterippi started softly glowing and where they had stood were now a few members of the tribe that I hadn’t met but had seen around the village. They started unloading the desserts off the carriages and placing them onto each table before going off and getting more. People started helping themselves to what was already available and I looked around at what there was. There were a variety of berries covered in honey, different types of tarts, apple crumble, sponge cakes, chocolate cakes and more. The tribe members that had gone to get more desserts to place on the tables had come back and one of them placed a large plate of chocolate fudge on the table in front of me and I immediately grabbed a couple of pieces as well as a few strawberries coated in honey, a couple of slices of sponge cake and also a slice of chocolate cake with lemon icing. All of it was divine. I helped myself to more servings of just about everything. I felt like a total pig as I stuffed my face with blueberry crumble, lamingtons and more chocolate fudge. I eventually stopped when I was at the point of being so full that no more could fit into my stomach. I sat back into my chair and just looked out over the tribe and once again my eyes drifted over to where Remus was sitting. He started looking a little troubled and I wanted to know what was on his mind but I decided it could wait until tomorrow. I then noticed a few tribe members get up and get some instruments. One had a violin, another had a cello, while two went off and shortly came back with a piano and while one of the pair sat at the piano the other also obtained a violin. And so the music began. At first they started playing “Happy Birthday”, a song that I should have expected but it soon flawlessly went into a completely different song that I didn’t recognise. It was a song that made you want to get up and dance with someone. Some of the tribe members had already gotten up and paired up with someone and had started dancing. I glanced over at Remus and he was looking over at me as if he wanted to come over and ask me to dance with him. So I decided to make a move. I got out of my chair and I made my way over to Remus and he kept his eye on me as if he was curious to see what I was going to do. Once I got over to where he was sitting, I stood beside him and held out my hand.

 

“Care for a dance?”

 

He looked up at me blushed a little and smiled. He took my hand and stood. “Of course I would.”

 

And so we both danced. We danced under the stars not caring what everyone else would think. Remus and I looked into each other’s eyes and I knew then and there that I loved Remus. I wanted to be his partner. My heart started to race with excitement. Suddenly I was taken out of the trance-like state when I heard my grandfather call out to everyone and tell them to take their seats. Remus and I pulled away from each other as he went back to his seat and I head back towards the gazebo where my grandfather had motioned to me to stand beside him.

 

“It’s almost 10pm. We must now get ready to see how things go for my grandson’s first change. I do not know how long we’ll have to wait but we must have patience. For those of you who would like to change, you may change whenever you like.” My grandfather turned to me. “Now, a couple of minutes before you change you’ll probably suddenly feel cold. When you do, tell me so I know when to keep people back in case you may accidentally hurt someone.” My grandfather turned back to everyone else. “Time to get the tables out of the way so we have more room.”

 

I sat down on the one of the gazebo’s steps as everybody else moved the tables aside to clear some space. The time seemed to pass slowly as we all waited. Some of the tribe had already changed but other’s decided to wait a little longer. After a while I stood up and started to pace in front of the gazebo. I kept asking my dad or grandfather what the time was. The more time that passed by the more nervous I got. I also kept glancing over at Remus who hadn’t changed into his wolf form yet and he was starting to look worried. I eventually stopped pacing and sat down on the gazebo’s steps again. I asked my dad what the time was again and just as he told me that it was 11:30pm I suddenly felt cold. I was filled with a weird sensation as if my bones wanted to change and rearrange themselves. It didn’t hurt at all; it just felt weird and intense. I started sweating a little despite feeling cold. I stood up and took a couple of steps forward before I suddenly doubled over as my stomach decided to do a backflip. I completely forgot about telling my grandfather about suddenly feeling cold as things were happening quickly. I felt and saw my body start to glow. At that point time seemed to stop. I opened my eyes and the clearing and the gazebo was replaced with a large platform made from intertwined branches. I looked over the edge and saw nothing but clouds below. I then heard the rhythmic sound of wings. I turned back around in time to see a griffin land right in the centre of the platform. I was in awe and I felt honoured to be in the presence of an animal of such grace and beauty.

 

“Tobias, I have waited a long time to finally meet you. Knowing how you’ve been raised I do not expect you to know who I am.”

 

Even though I heard the deep voice in my mind it still vibrated through my body.

 

“My name is Xavier and I am one of two deities, one of two halves. I created your kind with good intentions though my brother created a kind similar to yours with intentions of physical harm and destruction. I cannot harm his kind that he made, I may be a deity but we still have our limits. I cannot be everywhere and neither can I do everything. Not on my own at least. I do not even know about everything that may have happened. I have waited for you Tobias because I know that you are capable to do what is necessary when everything seems to be going wrong. In order for you to succeed I will allow you to take on the form of a griffin. No one has ever taken on the form of a griffin from the first day your kind was made. There is also a sword of which you will need in order to aid you in the future. Your grandfather, Alistair, has it but do not question him about it. Let him give it to you in his own time. He’ll know when the time is right. I will also grant you one wish. It can be whatever you may desire.”

 

I was shocked a little. I thought hard about what I wanted. I started thinking about Remus and wanting him to be a part of my life but that seemed a little selfish. I then started thinking about what the tribe would benefit from the most. I started pacing as I thought about it. We could do with more food but I figured that they had been able to live with what they have for a while now and weren’t desperate for supplies. I then thought about allowing people to choose what animal they would like to change into but then I thought that some might get selfish and start choosing animals that they think would be cool but wouldn’t be any help for the rest of the tribe. I suddenly thought of an easier way to communicate with others. Rather than using visions, like my grandfather had done when he contacted me, wouldn’t it be easier to use telepathy? I turned to Xavier.

 

“Xavier, I have chosen something of which I would like you to give, not just to me, but to the rest of my people. I thought about it and I tried not to choose something that would make me or others selfish. I would like you to grant us the ability of telepathy in order to communicate with one another in both human and animal form. I believe it would make things easier, especially if it’s an urgent matter. Do you think this is a good choice?”

 

I could tell Xavier was thinking about it. As he finally came to a decision he looked at me.

 

“Your wish is to be granted but know that there are consequences to having this ability whether they are big or small.”

 

“Thank you, Xavier.”

 

With a flash of white light I was back in the clearing and I was still glowing with a soft white light. Time seemed to continue and I felt my body change shape. Within seconds I was a griffin and everybody seemed to be pushed back by a blast of air. When they recovered they all looked at me in awe. I saw how people’s eyes widened and their mouths dropped open. I looked at Remus and he just stared at me not just in awe but in shock as well. I then turned to my grandfather who was standing right in front of me.

 

“Do you feel alright?”

 

I nodded and I spoke to him using telepathy for the first time. “I couldn’t feel any better.” My grandfather stepped back with shock.

 

“What….?!?! What has happened??” He turned to the tribe. “My grandson has used telepathy. The first time this has ever happened!! No one has had this ability since our kind was created. I do not know how this came to be.”

 

Everybody looked at me with confusion and shock. “I’m not the only one who can do it. Everybody else now has the same ability as I do. Everyone can use telepathy.” I looked out at everyone and decided to speak to them all. “I spoke to Xavier, our deity, and he allowed me to take on the form of a griffin. But that isn’t the only thing he granted. He said that I could choose one thing that I desired. And what I chose was an easier way for everyone to communicate in both human and animal form. No more visions during sleep anymore. I did not think that we needed food as it seems we are getting on fine with what we have. We have shelter and we have family. Now change and run or fly through the night. I know you are all bursting with energy, I can feel it. Use it to run free and wild until you can run no more.”

 

With that I lifted my wings and leapt into the air. I circled the clearing a couple of times to wait for the others to change. The whole clearing filled with glowing white light as everyone changed to their respective animal forms. My grandfather flew up to my side in his phoenix form. I started seeing owls, eagles, sparrows, tui’s, finches and other types of birds fly into the sky along with Pterippi. Those who were earthbound waited to see what I would do, where I would go. I then flew in a random direction and let out a cry of joy. I was finally free. I was the master of the earth and sky. No one could stop me but myself.

6: The Prophecy

I woke up to find myself lying on the two-seater chair in the gazebo. I sat up and looked around the clearing feeling a little dazed and confused. The clearing was back to how it was before the feast last night and no one was around. From what I could tell it was sometime around midday. Memories from last night came flooding back to me. The strange sensation of changing for the first time, being able to fly and feeling more alive than I had ever felt before. I started to get up when I heard my dad’s voice in my mind.

 

“Hey Toby, how are you feeling after last night?”

 

“I feel fine. A little tired though.”

 

“Good. Everybody was shocked from what happened last night and they’re all talking about it. They all want to see you change again mainly because of how damn awesome you looked once they had gotten over their shock and surprise.” I chuckled to myself. “Anyway you should head to mine and get something to eat if you’re hungry. After a huge change like that I can imagine that you most likely would be. But take your time if you want to think things through and would like to try changing again.”

 

“But wouldn’t something bad happen if I didn’t have any guidance??”

 

“Haha no, you’ll be fine. Nothing bad will happen if you try and fail without guidance or without having someone there. All that would happen is that you would stay in your human form. You’ll know when you’re doing it right when you feel the change to start. Oh and before you do try by yourself, one thing that does help is relaxing your whole body and picturing your animal form in your mind. Now I have things to sort out. I’ll see you later. There’ll be some leftovers from last night in the village’s food storage. If you ask around I’m sure someone could point you in the right direction.”

 

With that our conversation ended and with what my dad had told me about changing I tried having a go at it. I tried relaxing my body and pictured a griffin in my mind. I felt nothing and knew I hadn’t done something right. As I was about to try again I heard someone walk up from behind me. I turned around and saw that it was Sarah. Her shoulder-length, golden-blonde hair and brown eyes gave me an idea of what her animal form could possibly be. She hadn’t told me of her animal form but I had a feeling that it was something like a lioness. She walked up to me and smiled.

 

“Hi, Tobias, how are you?.”

 

I smiled back at her. “I’m alright I guess, a little tired.”

 

She didn’t stop smiling. “Your first change was amazing last night. No one would have thought your form would be a griffin. Pretty amazing in my opinion.”

 

I laughed a little. “Yeah, felt weird though. Changing for the first time I mean.”

 

“I couldn’t help but notice that you were trying to change again. Am I right?” I nodded. “Would you like some help?”

 

I shrugged. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt.”

 

She got me to stand with my feet shoulder-width apart, close my eyes and relax. She would place a gentle hand on where she thought I would need to relax my body more. Once she thought I was relaxed enough she got me to clear my mind of everything. I found it hard seeing as the thought of Remus and our dance last night kept sneaking into my mind but I finally stopped thinking about it. And so the last thing Sarah got me to do was picture a griffin and every little detail. As I pictured the griffin from the tip of its beak to the tip of its lion tail I started feeling the strange feeling of which I felt last night before I changed. I tried not to let it distract me and so it wasn’t long before I felt my body change. After a while I opened my eyes and stood there as a griffin. Sarah was in front of me smiling.

 

“That was well done. Apply that same technique to get back to your human form. Try it now.”

 

And so I tried. Was a little more difficult than I thought but I got there in the end.

 

“You still need some practice but you still did well. If you need any help don’t be scared to find me, if you can’t find me then contact me.”

 

“Thanks.” I smiled.

 

“Anyway, I better go. Have to look after some of the kids. See you later.” She smiled and walked off.

 

Once again I tried changing into the griffin and was pleased that I succeeded. I started to wonder what Remus was up to so I tried to look for him. With a couple beats of my wings I was up in the air. I circled the clearing two or three times before heading off towards the main clearing which held the main part of the village and kept an eye out for Remus. I saw a few tribe members here and there both in human and animal form but none of them were Remus. I then landed in the centre of the village. People turned to look at me as I landed. I could see the awe in their eyes. Grenwick came up to me and bowed of which had never happened to me before.

 

“How can I help you Tobias?”

 

“I’m looking for Remus. Have you seen him?”

 

Grenwick shook his head. “No I haven’t.” He turned to everyone that was around. “Has anyone seen Remus?”

 

All of them said they hadn’t. Grenwick turned back to me.

 

“Sorry we couldn’t be of any help.”

 

“It’s fine. I’ll find him at some point. I will probably contact him later.”

 

“Anything else I could help you with?”

 

“Ah….yes, where is the storehouse that has leftovers from last night’s feast?”

 

“Follow me.”

 

I changed back to my human form and followed Grenwick who led me towards just past the herbalist’s house. We came to a clearing with what looked like a small house that would only have enough room for a lounge, kitchen and possibly a small bedroom.

 

“There you go. Help yourself to what’s in there.”

 

“Thanks…I’m just curious, how is everything kept cold?”

 

“This is the only building in the village with electricity. The entire roof is made out of solar panels. We had a backup generator installed in case something went wrong. So most of the energy is used to keep the interior cold so the meat and stuff can be kept for longer.”

 

“Thanks. That’s all the help I needed.”

 

“No problem.” Grenwick smiled and walked off.

 

I headed into the storehouse and filled my arms with what I felt like eating. It was a little cold but was a nice change to the summer heat. I eventually walked out of the storehouse with my arms filled with food.  Most of it was the desserts that had been left over mainly because I have a bit of a sweet tooth. I made my way to my dad’s house and, with a bit of trouble opening the door (almost dropping a few strawberry tarts), was able to finally sit down and start on my little feast. I was actually surprised at how hungry I was after last night’s feast, though the fact that I didn’t have any breakfast may be one reason for my ravenous hunger. Once I had finished, I cleaned up what dishes I had used and went to my bedroom and just lay on my bed. I thought about contacting Remus and getting me to meet me somewhere. I decided to ask him if he wanted to hang out for a bit.
 

“Hey Remus, want to hang out for a while?”

 

He didn’t reply straight away though when he eventually did he seemed a little hesitant.

 

“I…I’m a little busy. Sorry Tobias.”

 

I sighed, got off the bed and headed for the clearing that I had come across before the feast. I was drawn to it for some reason that wasn’t apparent to me. Once at the clearing I lay down and just watched the leaves. There wasn’t much of a breeze so they weren’t whispering away like they had the day before. I started thinking about things until Remus crossed my mind again. I thought about how we danced last night and how I kept looking into his eyes during the dance. I closed my eyes and I pictured Remus and I just lying in the sun and laughing at some lame joke I had told. I pictured me in my griffin form and Remus on my back and the breeze blowing his hair back. I was suddenly disturbed by my grandfather.

 

“Tobias, I must see you. I have sent someone to collect you.”

 

I didn’t have to wait long before someone had come for me and it turned out to be Sarah. All she said was one word.

 

“Come.”

 

She turned and started to leave the clearing without looking back. I quickly got up and followed. Sarah seemed to be different like she knew something that I didn’t. Thinking my grandfather’s house would be grander than the rest due to the fact that he’s chief made me feel slightly disappointed when we finally arrived. It wasn’t huge and decorated with intricate carvings and have werelights and lanterns next to each door and windows. Instead it was small and humble with simple carvings around the door depicting the birth and rebirth of chiefs. I could hear what sounded like an argument coming through the front door. As soon as Sarah knocked on the door everything went quiet and my father opened the door.

 

“I’ve brought Tobias as you asked.”

 

“Thanks Sarah, you may go.” She turned and left giving me a hopeful look as she passed me. “Tobias, come in. Your grandfather and I would like to talk to you about something.”

 

I walked in and my dad closed the door behind me. My grandfather was sitting on the couch. He motioned towards a chair at the end of the coffee table.

 

“Make yourself comfortable and take a seat.”

 

Deciding to be respectful I sat down while my father leaned up against the wall near the door. I noticed the rather long object wrapped in cloth lying on the coffee table.

 

“There’s something that we haven’t told you and it’s about time you knew. Not long before you were born I had a dream, a vision of sorts. Xavier, our deity, came to me and told me: One who was born of a wolf and dove would be the one who would give the tribe a chance to survive and destroy their ancient foe and be rid of chaos and destruction for years to come. I knew that he must mean the child of Lysander and Lily. Once you were born everyone was happy that you were healthy and wondered what sort of person you would grow up to be but your parents and I were worried. Especially when we had increased attacks by the opposing tribe about 6 months before you were born. Your grandmother died in one of the attacks. Your parents then decided to leave you in the care of your aunt, your mother’s sister. She was the only person your mother trusted who wasn’t part of the tribe. We planned on getting you here before your 16th birthday so you knew you would change before it happened and so you wouldn’t panic when it was time. We were successful in doing that but only just. I started to doubt our success in defeating Solomon and Solamian tribe until last night when you changed for the first time. I once again have hope that we’ll have a chance. And as a gift I have this sword named Dragonbane. It has been in the tribe for as long as the tribe has existed and is no normal sword as it has a type of power to it. If a human touches it, they are either incinerated or frozen to death. It doesn’t harm shape shifters though depending on the shape shifter, it will be either as dull as a butter knife or as sharp as can be. There have only been a few occasions where the blade will show its true colours when held by a tribe member. Some of them have dropped it in surprise. Today I am hoping that it will show its true colours to you and if it does please try not to drop it.”

 

My grandfather removed the cloth from the sword. It looked like any normal sword except there was a setting in the pommel of which looked as if a stone or gem could be placed into it. My grandfather handed it to me hilt-first. I took hold of the hilt and held it out in front of me at arm’s length waiting to see if anything would happen. Nothing seemed to happen but just as I was about to hand it back to my grandfather, the air around the blade started to shimmer. I waited to see if anything else would happen but nothing did and the shimmering surrounding the blade died down. Both my father and grandfather looked disappointed.

 

My grandfather sighed. “I had hoped something would happen but alas, nothing but a slight shimmer.”

 

I handed the sword back to grandfather hilt-first. He slowly took it and wrapped it in the cloth that had covered it when I had entered the house.

 

“Lysander, talk to Grenwick about making weapons. We must have as many as possible. We must start preparing in other ways. Tobias needs training along with the other adolescents who are capable. We will also assign jobs to some for during the battle. Abigail will need a lot of help too before, during and after the battle. She’ll be overwhelmed by the work that she wouldn’t be able to handle it all on her own.”

 

My father nodded and left the house. I was about to follow when my grandfather stopped me.

 

“Tobias. I know why the sword, Dragonbane, only shimmered and nothing else. I didn’t want to mention this in front of your father. There was a special type of stone or gem that only we know about. It’s called Lokrium and is used for many things, mainly for certain rituals and giving weapons special abilities. But it’s rare, very rare. I only found out about a source of it not that long before you arrived, though I haven’t told anyone of its location. I want you to retrieve some Lokrium, bring it back and give it to Grenwick along with the sword. He’ll know what to do. Now, go. You have the rest of the day to do as you please.”

 

My grandfather gave me back the Dragonbane wrapped in cloth. And so I was left to do what I wanted until the tribe was gathered and both my father and grandfather went through the village telling people where to meet and using telepathy to tell those they didn’t see. I had gone to my dad’s house and lay on the bed in my room with the sword hidden beneath it. Within the hour everyone was gathered in the clearing with the gazebo in its centre and I was called to attend the gathering with the sword. My grandfather explained everything to everyone about how we needed to prepare and that the prophecy had been proven to be true so far. My grandfather got me to show everyone the sword and the others whispered to one another about how the sword didn’t seem all that special and how we most likely wouldn’t have a chance. The gathering ended once everyone knew what needed to be done and who needed help. As everyone started leaving the clearing to start on what they had to do I saw Remus and I called out to him. He didn’t seem to notice. I then tried to get to him through the crowd with some difficulty and I called out to him again. This time he seemed to have heard me as he looked towards me. I could clearly see his face of which seemed to be filled with sorrow and maybe a hint of confusion. I stopped and stood where I was. Remus turned back towards the path and left the clearing. I was overwhelmed with the feeling that something with Remus wasn’t right. As I stood in the clearing I felt empty of all emotion. I didn’t know what to feel. My grandfather came up beside me.

 

“Is everything alright Tobias?”

 

Feeling as I was about to cry, I turned to my grandfather and handed him Dragonbane and within moments I changed into my griffin form and flew off before anything else was said. I ignored any attempts of communication and didn’t stop flying until I landed deep in the forest where no one could find me. I sat down amongst the trees and cried to my heart’s content.

7: Poisoned

As I lay on my bed after a hard day of training my dad came into my room.

 

“Is everything alright, Tobias?”

 

I continued to stare up at the ceiling. “Yeah, I guess so.”

 

“Doesn’t sound like it.” He came over and sat on the end of the bed. “Is it the training?”

 

I shook my head. “Not really, though it can be physically draining at times.”

 

My dad was silent as he looked at me. After a while he spoke. “It’s Remus, isn’t it?”

 

I sat up and looked at my dad. “What’s wrong with him? We were going on fine, becoming friends and stuff and then suddenly….he just decides to avoid me and ignore my attempts of contacting him. It’s like he can’t bare the sight of me anymore. Have I done something wrong?”

 

My dad looked out the window that was next to my bed and his eyes glazed over as if his mind wandered off somewhere before they focused again and he looked back at me.

 

“I don’t exactly know but it’s possible that he’s trying to deal with something at the moment and needs space. Anyway, you should get ready soon. The poetry reading will start at 9:30 and we still need to have dinner. Did you finish your poem for it?”

 

“Yeah, I did though I don’t think it’ll be any good.”

 

My dad chuckled. “That’s what everyone says about their first poem. I’ll get dinner ready.”

 

Once he left the room I took out the poem I had written and read over it. There wasn’t anything I wanted to change but I knew it wasn’t perfect. I just hoped it didn’t reveal too much but I hoped it was just enough. I put it away and went to help with dinner.

 

*  *  *

 

Everyone sat in the clearing in front of the gazebo listening to those who had written poems. We all watched and clapped as their work was said aloud for everyone to hear. When Remus stood up to read out a poem he had written I was a little surprised. I didn’t think he would be much of a poet. I decided to listen closely as he read out his poem.

 

“I lie awake each night trying to make sense of how I feel
I think of how you would react if I told you how I felt
Let alone show you.

I’m afraid of what could go wrong
Never of what could go right
I keep to myself and distance myself
In hope that with what I feel
Will either start making sense
Or eventually go away.

But as each day passes the feelings get stronger
I become confused and frustrated
I never thought I would fall for someone so much
In such a short amount of time.

You most likely know that I’m talking about you
Through this poem and its
One of the only ways
Where I can pick up the courage
And say something

And so as I stand here
My fear of your rejection grows
Stronger and stronger
To the point where I feel as if
I won’t be able to stand any longer|
That my knees will buckle and give way

Understand that I do this
In hope that you’ll get an idea of how I feel
And that I don’t mean to hurt you.”

He stood there for a few seconds or so as everyone clapped before going to sit down at the back of the crowd. Everyone waited for the next person to go up and as it became apparent that no one was willing to go up just yet I decided to read out the poem I had written.

“Ok, so my poem is called Guiding Light. I hope you enjoy it.” I cleared my throat before I started.

 

“Being away from you
Would feel like a nightmare
I would not be able to stand it
Especially when this world
Feels so strange to me
And I don’t want to experience it
Without you by my side.

So please, stay with me
Be my guiding light
In this dark world
And show me the safest passage
Out of this nightmare
And into my dream reality

Where the two of us
Can be together with
Those that we love
And care about most
Without you
I’m lost

So stay with me
Be my guiding light
In this dark world
And I know I’ll be
Safe and happy as long as
You stay by my side.”

As applause spread through the tribe I noticed Remus was leaving the clearing. Without trying to run while in full few of everyone I followed him. As soon as everyone was out of sight I started running as fast and quietly as I could. I kept enough distance between the two of us so that Remus wouldn’t notice me but it got to a point where I had lost track of where he went. Once I found him again he was sitting down with his back against a tree. I noticed that it was the clearing that I usually went to when I had time to myself and had nothing else to do. I slowly walked up to him so I wouldn’t startle him and sat down next to him. He didn’t say a word but neither did he get up and leave.

 

“Your poem was good Remus. It was probably better than mine.”

 

Remus looked at me. “What do you want?”

 

We looked at each other for a bit. I sighed and looked away from him as I picked a daisy from amongst the grass.

 

“What do I want? What do you think I want?”

 

Remus kept silent.

 

“What I want is for you to stop avoiding me Remus. There is no shame in the way you feel. Why couldn’t you tell me how you felt despite the fact there was the possibility of rejection? If you don’t take a few small risks then things won’t become certain.”

 

“Can’t you just leave me be? I came here to be away from everyone and to be left alone.”

 

“But you can’t keep avoiding me forever. You have to face the way you feel and don’t keep it all bottled up. I am here for you Remus. Tell me how you feel despite the fact that it’s mostly got everything to do with me.”

 

He glared at me and kept silent.

 

“Remus, are you going to say anything?”

 

Remus suddenly stood up and I thought he was going to leave the clearing so I slowly stood and got ready to chase after him again if I had to.

 

“Tobias…do you have any idea what it feels like to fall in love with someone you just met and not know how it would turn out if you confessed to them everything that you felt about them? Do you know what it’s like to doubt those feelings….to end up feeling confused and not knowing what you should or shouldn’t do?” He turned to me. “Do you know what it’s like to tell everyone that you’re fine when inside you just feel like screaming out and letting the whole world how you feel?”

 

I stood there silently not knowing how to reply.

 

“Well I do Tobias. And it hurts not saying anything about how I feel about you. I was scared and I still am.”

 

I stood there looking at Remus. “I…I’m sorry. I guess we shouldn’t have started hanging out…”

 

“Don’t be sorry. I’m the one who should be sorry, for not telling you any sooner. For avoiding you for so long.” A tear rolled down his cheek and I resisted the urge to wipe it off. “Now I stand here with the opportunity to tell you how I feel and I don’t know how to put it all into words. So if I can’t tell you then I may as well show you.”

 

I was about to say something when Remus walked up to me and kissed me on the lips. Time seemed to stop and it felt like a dream. He wrapped an arm around me and placed a hand on my cheek. My heart started racing as I placed my hands on his hips and started to kiss back. We then pulled away from each other, both of us blushing and a little lost for words.

 

“Remus…now that I know how you feel towards me…..can I ask you something?”

 

He awkwardly shrugged. “I guess so.”

 

I was a little hesitant at first. “I…uh…I just…..wanted to know if you would like to go out with me?”

 

He gave me a blank look before smiling. “After what just happened? Of course I would.”

 

Right then and there I felt like the happiest guy in the world. I suddenly hugged him almost knocking him back. He laughed, hugged me back and kissed me. That night we ended up sitting down in the clearing and talked most of the night away. We started cuddling and watching the stars through the treetops. Before we knew it we were asleep with our arms wrapped around each other and my head on his shoulder with his head leaning on mine.

 

*  *  *

 

A bone chilling scream woke us up. I sat up with the hairs on my arms standing on end. We both got up and ran towards the source of the scream. We ended up in front of my grandfather’s house and there was a small group gathered around somebody lying on the ground. I tried to get closer to see what had happened. As I got closer to the group, people started to notice that I was present and started backing away to allow me through. What I saw shocked me. Kneeling on the ground was Sarah with tears streaming down her face. Sprawled in front of her was the one person I did not expect. My grandfather. I knelt down on the ground opposite Sarah as I felt tears threatening to spill down my cheeks. Through the sobbing Sarah tried to explain what had happened.

 

“I don’t know what really happened. I came to see if he needed any help and……I found him like this. At first I thought he was dead but…but I checked for a pulse and to see if he was still breathing. Both his pulse and his breathing are weak.”

 

She broke out crying again. With tears in my eyes I turned to the group.

 

“Has anyone contacted Abigail?” I got no reply. “Somebody answer me please.”

 

One person shook their head and spoke up. “Not that I know of.”

 

I stood up and looked at them straight in the eye. Tears streamed down my face and my jaw was clenched tightly due to frustration.

 

“Contact her. Tell her my grandfather is in need of her medicinal expertise. Tell her that we will be there shortly with my grandfather and that I want him to be treated as soon as possible. Now somebody help me with getting him on my back once I’ve changed.”

 

And so people rushed to try and help me. In a matter of minutes I had changed into my griffin form, my grandfather was on my back and I was on my way to Abigail’s with Remus. Once we arrived we found Abigail outside her front door and she had the look of worry on her face. She rushed to help Remus get my grandfather off my back and into her house. Once I changed back to my human form I followed them inside. My grandfather was already on one of the spare beds and Remus was lighting a fire to heat up the kettle that was hanging over it. Abigail was rummaging through her glass jars and small wooden containers of which held different herbs. She already had a few in an old fashioned mortar and pestle. Once she had all the herbs she needed, she ground them up into a type of paste. I knelt at the end of the bed of which my grandfather lay on.

 

“Do you know what’s wrong with him Abigail?”

 

“He has been poisoned, Toby. I must act quickly to try and slow down the spread of the poisoning. I had to take out the black stinger too.”

 

“Stinger?”

 

Abigail nodded and came over to the bed with bandages and the paste. “It was the work of the Solamian’s. Only they have a stinger of which they usually apply with a mix of their own blood and the poison of choice. Though knowing them, Hemlock is commonly used, so I’m hoping this will help.”

 

I continued to sit at the end of the bed, tears still rolling down my face. Abigail applied the paste and bandages to my grandfather’s neck before getting a mug ready for a cup of tea. Once Remus had lit the fire he came over and sat next to me. He put an arm around my shoulders and gently turned my face towards him.

 

“Everything will be fine Toby.” His voice trembled a little. He wiped the tears off my face. “Your grandfather is a fighter. He’ll get through this.”

 

I broke out crying again and Remus held me in his arms. It was a while before I had stopped crying and just after I did my grandfather seemed to wake up just long enough to drink about half a mug of chamomile tea. He then went back to rest saying that he felt weak. And so day after day I visited my grandfather. Most days Remus came with me, other days I went alone. I wanted to be there for my grandfather and to be the first to know if anything changed. Eventually there came a day where Remus came to Abigail’s while I sat beside my grandfather.

 

“Toby, come with me.”

 

“But why?”

 

“Just come. Please.”

 

I reluctantly got up and followed Remus. He led me outside and headed towards the clearing with the gazebo. He sat me down on the two-seater chair. He looked at me.

 

“Tobias, I’m getting worried about you. All you do is sit next to your grandfather and watch over him for most of the day. You’ve hardly eaten and you’ve lost some weight because of it. I don’t want you to become unhealthy because of the attack on your grandfather.”

 

I knew he was right. I wasn’t doing anyone any good by staying my grandfather’s side. I stared into the trees. Then something odd happened. I was contacted by my grandfather of whom I thought was too weak to do much.

 

“They know…..They come….”

 

“What did you say?”

 

I turned to Remus not realising that I had whispered the words of which my grandfather had said.

 

“They know…..They come….”

 

I got up and ran back to Abigail’s with Remus on my heels. I burst into the house and knelt beside my grandfather.

 

“Alistair, what do you mean? They know what? How long until they get here? Alistair!! Please!! Answer me!!” I begged and begged for my grandfather to answer me, to show some sign that he had heard me. Abigail came up behind me and checked his pulse.

 

“He’s gone, Tobias. There’s nothing you can do.”

 

She placed a hand on my shoulder briefly before leaving to give me and Remus some privacy. I felt a hole in my life appear…….a hole that my grandfather had filled in the short time that I had known him. I didn’t know if I wanted to cry or scream. I felt Remus place an arm around my shoulders. I pushed his arm away from me.

 

“Don’t touch me.”

 

Remus looked at me and gently cupped my face in one hand.

 

“I said don’t touch me.” I growled and looked at Remus fiercely.

 

“Toby, I’m sorry that he’s gone. He really was a great leader.”

 

“I don’t care!” I stood up and went over to the door. “I don’t care if he was a great leader!! He left me before I got to know him properly!! Just like my grandmother!! Just like my mother!!” Tears rolled down my face in streams, blurring my vision. “Can’t anyone stay long enough for me to be able to talk to them?? To get to know them?? I had questions I wanted answered but no one has been able to because they’ve all been busy and you damn well avoided me for a good week or two!! All because you didn’t know how to tell me how you felt and because you were afraid I would reject you!! Never have I felt so alone!! You can go and burn in hell for all I goddamn care!!”

 

I stormed out of Abigail’s house and headed back to the gazebo. Remus had followed me out of the house and called out to me. I didn’t look back; I completely ignored Remus and everyone who tried talking to me. I just wanted to be left alone. I sat on the steps of the gazebo for hours and as I had finally calmed down my father came towards me and stood a few feet in front of me.

 

“Abigail told me what happened after Alistair passed away. She heard everything you said to Remus.” He paused for a bit. “She ended up holding him in her arms as he cried. He felt rejected. You shouldn’t have reacted the way you did. All he was trying to do was be supportive. He’s afraid that what you two may have had may never be there anymore.”

 

I kept silent and kept my tear-filled gaze on the ground but my father never looked away from me.

 

“I want you to apologise to Remus at the earliest convenience. Also the funeral will be held tomorrow. I expect you to be there. It’ll be held just after lunch.”

 

My father then left me sitting on the gazebo steps. I looked up and watched him as he went. I suddenly felt bad for how I had treated Remus and fresh tears rolled down my face. I then headed to my dad’s and just lay on my bed as I tried to think of a way to apologise to Remus. I soon fell asleep.

 

It was dark and I was flying leisurely through the night. The breeze ruffled my feathers and fur and everything seemed to be fine. I then heard something whistle past me. I let out a cry of surprise. Again I heard the whistle and something hit me. I cried out in pain and started falling. I could see something protruding from my chest. I hit the ground with enough force to break a few bones.

 

I suddenly woke and sat up with my heart racing. I could feel sweat dripping down my face. It was only a dream, nothing to be scared of. I lay back down and tried to get back to sleep.

8: Funerals and Apologies

Everyone had gathered in a large clearing, about half of it was filled with graves. Grenwick, Baelorn the historian, my dad and I carried the coffin, of which contained my grandfather, into the clearing. Violins were being played. As we entered the clearing I saw that the grave had already been dug. The four of us placed the coffin next to the grave. My father spoke of how my grandfather had been a kind hearted man, a great leader and a caring father and grandfather. He spoke of how he was going to be sorely missed and that he would always have a place in our hearts, of how there would be no leader like him as each chief was unique. Once he had finished he asked if anyone else wanted to speak. No one moved or gave any sign of wanting to speak. A few were crying silently, tears rolling down their cheeks. The coffin was then lowered into the grave and Baelorn, Grenwick and my father shovelled dirt into the grave and I knew I wasn’t needed anymore. People started to leave the clearing and so I decided to take my leave and headed for the clearing where Remus and I had our first kiss. I sat down with my back up against a tree once I was in the clearing. I kept trying to think of a way to apologise to Remus but found it difficult. I was about to give up and head back to my dad’s when Remus walked into the clearing. I looked at him. His blonde hair almost golden in the sunlight, his icy blue eyes filled with sorrow and hurt. That’s when I really felt bad about what had happened, what I had said and I suddenly knew how to apologise. I stood up and walked over to him, took his hands and held them in mine and looked right into his beautiful eyes.

 

“Remus, I want to tell you that I am sorry for what happened yesterday, for what I said. I didn’t mean to hurt you in anyway or make you doubt things. I was just filled with grief and sorrow and was shocked about my grandfather’s death. There was no good reason for me to act the way I did. I cannot take back what has been said but I hope you forgive me and we can hopefully forget what happened. I know you were just trying to help. I love you Remus and I wouldn’t do or say anything to hurt you intentionally. I am truly sorry.”

 

Remus looked at me and a tear rolled down his cheek. He suddenly hugged me tightly.

 

“I forgive you….just don’t let it happen again, ok?” We pulled out of the hug.

 

“I’ll try not to.”

 

Remus held out his hand. “Follow me. I want to treat you to a little something.” He smiled a little.

 

I took his hand and he led me to the storehouse. Going inside he grabbed what seemed like a tonne of food and piled most of it into my arms before he piled as much as he could into his own arms. He then led me to the clearing with the gazebo and we spent hours stuffing our faces with food, talking and laughing until we ended up lying on the ground with my head on Remus’s chest and one of his arms lying across my chest. We lay like this for another hour or so before my father appeared in his wolf form.

 

“Tobias, you better head home. Remus, you can come too. You can even stay the night if you wish.”

 

 We sat up, looked at each other and grinned. My father walked out of the clearing and I could see the grief in his movements. Remus and I followed at a slower pace. I slid my hand into his; he looked at me and smiled before kissing me on the cheek.

 

*  *  *

 

After dinner was served and eaten in silence I decided to ask a few questions.

 

“So…uh…dad, with this battle coming up, what is the best way to win the fight and stop the Solamian’s from destroying us and creating havoc?”

 

My dad slowly placed his wooden goblet on the table before replying. “What is the best way? Kill their deity Solomon. It’s the only way.”

 

“But what if Solomon doesn’t appear?”

 

“Solomon will appear, I’m sure of it. He wouldn’t want to miss out watching a fight of which he hopes to win. To kill him you would have to use Dragonbane. No other weapon would harm him.”

 

We were silent for a bit.

 

“I’m just curious, will I be able to change with the sword around my waist or slung over my shoulder?”

 

My dad nodded. “It’s the only object that isn’t affected by your change.”

 

With our conversation concluded and all the dishes had been washed and put away, Remus and I sat on my bed looking out of one of the largest windows in the room. Everything was coated in silver moonlight and werelights had been conjured around the village lighting small areas throughout the forest. Remus wrapped an arm around my shoulders and I leaned up against him. We continued to watch everything through the window. I then started thinking about my grandfather and how I would have loved to get to know him better. A tear rolled down my cheek glistening in the moonlight. I felt Remus wipe off the tear and he gently placed his hand on my cheek, slowly turning my gaze on him. I looked at his light blonde hair, now almost silver in the moonlight, before looking into the depths of his icy blue eyes. I saw the love he had for me and the grief that he shared. We both kissed a most passionate kiss. I placed a hand on his chest feeling his heartbeat through his shirt. We pulled away from each other for a moment. Remus grabbed my waist and had me lie down on the bed before he started kissing me again with more passion. I felt his hand slide up underneath my shirt. My heart started racing and I couldn’t help but kiss Remus back with just as much passion.

 

Hours later we lay in bed in nothing but our underwear. My head rested on Remus’s chest with a hand on his stomach. I could hear his heartbeat and it was a sound that seemed to make me smile. I could feel his abs beneath my fingers. I closed my eyes and before I knew it I was asleep and so I didn’t notice Remus kiss me one last time for the night or feel him hold me in his warm embrace. I was with the one I love and that’s all that mattered.

9: The Search

A week had passed since my grandfather’s funeral and I lay awake in bed. Remus lay next to me with an arm draped across my bare chest. He had fallen asleep a while ago and I was too afraid to disturb his sleep by moving his arm off me, but I knew had to do it if I wanted to have the chance to leave without being noticed. I had to look for the one thing that could secure our victory. Slowly I started to shift Remus’s arm off my chest and I slid out of bed. I started to wonder if I should conjure a werelight but decided against it as it would risk waking Remus, so I searched for some clothes in what moonlight there was and went to leave. I paused at the bedroom door as I considered leaving a note for Remus to let him know I was out and would be back as soon as I could. I discarded the thought and left without a trace hoping that I would be back before anyone noticed my absence or started worrying. As I passed through the lounge I picked up the letter from my grandfather that was addressed to me. Sarah had found it in a chest in my grandfather’s house while sorting through his stuff. In the letter were the directions to the location of which I hoped I would find what I needed. The directions and descriptions were vague but not too vague so they wouldn’t be too hard to follow. As I stepped out of the front door the warm summer air greeted me with a gentle breeze. I quickly shut the door and I made my way through the village. In my urgency, I didn’t notice the silhouette standing at my bedroom window, watching me as I kept to the shadows while heading north.

 

*  *  *

 

It had taken me an hour’s worth of flying to get to the area of which I needed to search for what I had come for. I landed in a small clearing I noticed from above that was just big enough for me. I quickly changed back to my human form, filling the clearing with a soft white glow. I conjured a werelight and took in my surroundings. I knew I was close, I could feel it. I turned around on the spot I stood while trying to figure out which way I would have to go. I took out my grandfather’s letter and read over it again. It mentioned the clearing of which I assumed was the one I was standing in, it also mentioned a small cave of which should be nearby but the letter didn’t give any clear indication if it was to the north, south, east or west. It just said to follow my gut instincts. So I put the letter away and started to slowly turn on the spot to see if my instincts would tell me anything. After the second or third rotation I felt a slight pull around my stomach as if someone had tied an invisible rope to it and had gently tugged on it, telling me where I should go. I was facing north-east and so I took in a deep breath and started walking. It didn’t take me long to find the small cave. The rocks forming the entrance were covered in moss and the air was slightly moist. As I started approaching the dark entrance to the cave, a blue flame appeared in mid-air a few feet within the cave. I could just make out someone’s face just behind the blue flame but couldn’t recognise it due to the flicker of the flame. Shadows danced across the person’s face as they made their way towards me. And so it wasn’t until they were out of the cave that I realised it was my uncle. He was smiling like his birthday had come early.

 

“Nice to finally see my wonderful nephew. It’s been a while since I last saw you. Though we weren’t on good terms when we parted.”

 

I stood there and glared at him.

 

“Aren’t you going to give your uncle a hug??” Bartholomew chuckled.

 

I kept quiet as I tried to think of what I could do. I hadn’t brought Dragonbane with me as it was pretty much useless for the time being and all I had in my arsenal was my Griffin form.

 

“Oh come now, you can’t stay quiet. It was rude of you not to greet me in the first place.”

 

I continued to glare at him as I spoke. “Just shut up you freak. I have no reason to talk to you.”

 

Bartholomew feigned surprise.

 

“Oh really, well then I’m sure you won’t need what you came here for. And it’ll be such a sad loss too.” He smiled with a sick humour.

 

All the hate that I had felt towards my uncle the day I was suspended from school came flooding back to me. My body started glowing just before I started to change but before I could an invisible force threw me back and held me up against a tree, leaving me slightly dazed. The glowing faded quickly as my change was disrupted and my werelight went out.

 

“How dare you think you’ll be able to change in hope to defeat me?”

 

Hatred and frustration poured off my body. I really wanted to hurt him in any way that I could but the invisible force stopped me. Xavier’s warning about my wish of having telepathy having consequences came back to me. I realised then that my uncle having telekinesis was most likely the consequence. And to be honest I thought it was unfair but there was nothing I could do about it. I then heard bushes rustling to my right. It was barely audible but I wasn’t mistaken with what I heard. Bartholomew showed no signs of hearing anything and so within seconds a light grey blur tackled Bartholomew to the ground. With his concentration broken I dropped to the ground, finally able to move. I looked up and saw Bartholomew on the ground propping himself up on his elbows and he was face to face with a light grey wolf of which was growling deep in its throat. I knew it was Remus. At first I was annoyed but the annoyance gave way to relief at the fact that someone had come to help. Bartholomew looked annoyed that he had been interrupted though I could tell he wasn’t ready to face the both of us. He slowly backed away from Remus before changing to a large bat-like creature with rotting flesh and flew off. Remus walked over to me and changed back to his human form. He looked at me with slight worry.

 

“Are you alright Toby?”

 

I nodded. “Yea, I’m fine. Most likely a little bruised but I should be fine.”

 

“I’m just glad you didn’t get hurt badly.” He smiled a little.

 

“How did you find me??”

 

He looked a little guilty. “I…uh…followed you. I woke up without you next to me and your spot on the bed was still slightly warm so I figure you had only just gotten out of bed and I got up in time to watch you sneak off through the village from the bedroom window. I decided to get ready and follow you in case you needed some help.”

 

“Thanks. I should have told you about what I planned to do but I didn’t want anyone to know and I thought I would be back in time before anyone would get worried. But with the way things were going I probably would have taken longer than expected if you hadn’t followed me here.”

 

“It was difficult keeping up with you but I managed it…so why did you come to this cave??”

 

“If you follow me you’ll find out soon enough.” I smiled at Remus before conjuring a werelight once again and heading into the cave.

 

Within half an hour we came across what I had been looking for though it felt like it had taken longer. The Lokrium was white and it gave off a soft glow. There was a whole lot of it scattered throughout the cavern. I took out the letter written by my grandfather to see how the Lokrium would be “mined” in some sense. No pickaxe could even damage Lokrium so one would be useless. The letter explained was that I could just “pick” the amount of Lokrium I needed as if I was “picking a flower or herbs”. I went to one of the Lokrium veins and a found a decent amount. I placed a hand on the Lokrium and willed it to part with the Lokrium ore vein. It took a bit of time but I was finally able to take a large chunk of Lokrium, about the size of my fist, from the ore vein. I stood up and turned to Remus.

 

“Right, I should have the right amount. We should head back now.”

 

Remus stared at the Lokrium that surrounded us before resting his gaze on the chunk I held in my hand.

 

“Is that Lokrium?? A special type of gem that only we can get??”

 

I nodded. “I suppose so. Now let’s go.”

 

I handed the Lokrium to Remus and led the way back out of the cave. As soon as we were back out in the fresh air I changed into my Griffin form and waited to allow Remus to climb onto my back before becoming airborne and heading back towards the village.

10: The Battle

By the time Remus and I got back from retrieving the Lokrium a few people were already going about their daily chores or taking the time to work on some poem or song. I headed to my dad’s to get Dragonbane from under my bed. It had been a habit of mine to keep it there ever since I got it back not long after my grandfather died. Once I had Dragonbane I went to Grenwick to ask him a favour. When Grenwick noticed us he looked a little sad. Though I didn’t blame him. Everyone gets over deaths in their own time.

 

“How may I help you boys?”

                                                                                                                         

“I...have a favour to ask of you Grenwick.” I handed him Dragonbane.

 

“Ah, I thought this may be the reason for your visit. So you have the other item needed?”

 

I nodded, turned to Remus and silently held out my hand. Remus gave me the Lokrium and I turned back to Grenwick.

 

“Here is the Lokrium needed. It should be enough but if you ever need more, I know where to find it.”

 

Grenwick nodded. “It should be more than enough. You may be lucky if I’ll be able to make you anything else with any remaining Lokrium once I’m done with sword. I’ll work on this as soon as I can. I’ll let you know once it’s done.”

 

I nodded. “Thank you Grenwick.”

 

With that both Remus and I left the forge.

 

*  *  *

 

A month went by of which was spent preparing for the battle. Grenwick had finished working on Dragonbane and had already given it to me. He had also made a necklace with the remaining Lokrium to help bring me good luck. Other weapons were made for those who wanted them, food was organised and saved in case the battle went longer than expected, a cave was ready and waiting for the children and for those who could not fight and Abigail had received help with collecting herbs. Everyone could feel that it was almost time. We didn’t know when things would start but we knew it was close. In the past few days a clearing, of which was located not far from the village but far enough to be out of sight from prying eyes, was prepared for having any of the injured transported to during the battle for medical attention. I had sat down with Remus and my father to choose who would help Abigail and who would look after the children and those unable to fight while they were in the cave. Remus volunteered to look after those who would be staying in the cave and chose Sarah to help him. A few others that I hadn’t met were chosen to help Abigail with giving medical attention and a few small groups of three were chosen to transport the injured to the clearing. There were days where I felt like yelling and screaming at people and just giving up but then I would always wake up the next day with more determination than the day before. Remus was always there if I needed help or if I needed to calm down. I tried not to lash out at him because I knew that it was a difficult time for everyone and it wasn’t the best time for us to be fighting with the ones we love. We had people posted around the village to keep an eye out for any signs of our enemy. I also noticed that everyone seemed to become on edge as each day passed by. The day before those incapable of fighting were taken to the cave, Remus spent some time with me. He told me that he would do what he could to protect them as best as he could. He promised me that he wouldn’t get himself killed or hurt. We both hugged and gave each other one last kiss before Remus went off to pack any last minute things.

 

A few days had passed since Remus and Sarah had gone off to the cave with those who weren’t going to be fighting. I was lying on my bed with Dragonbane next to me. I then heard the floorboards in my room creak quietly. I stood up and pulled Dragonbane out of the sheathe within a matter of seconds. I had the sword pointed towards the door and standing there was the one person I didn’t want to see.

 

“Bartholomew. What the hell are you doing here?”

 

He laughed and took a step towards me. I didn’t move an inch.

 

“Still not happy to see me I take it?” He smiled. “I just wanted a bit of bonding time with my nephew one last time. I’ll even tell Jane how well you are…once I’m done with you.”

 

He took another step towards me still smiling like a lunatic.

 

“Don’t you dare mention Aunty Jane, she wouldn’t even want to be near you. Not after all that you’ve done.”

 

I could tell I had angered Bartholomew.

 

“Dad….come home quickly, Bartholomew is here.”

 

“I’ll be there as soon as I can. Don’t hesitate to kill him. He’s one of them.”

 

Bartholomew took another step towards me, leaving only an inch between him and Dragonbane.

 

“Careful what you say you little prick. I hope you’re dead by the time we’re done with you. I’ve never liked you ever since the day your mother brought you to my doorstep.”

 

“I’ve never liked you either and I would be careful where you stand you creep.”

 

Dragonbane’s blade burst into flame and I took a swing at Bartholomew’s neck but stopped short as he used telekinesis to stop himself from being decapitated. He started smiling again.

 

“It’s not going to be that easy Tobias.”

 

My father ran into the room and glared at my uncle

 

“Bartholomew.” He said it as if it were some kind of curse. “Toby, go and meet everyone else in the centre of the village. Things will be starting soon.”

 

Lowering my arm I sheathed Dragonbane and slowly walked around my uncle and father. I let both Abigail and Remus know that the battle was about to start. As I headed towards the centre of the village I noticed people were already waiting. Some had weapons in hand while those who were going to change in their animal forms were empty handed. Once everyone had arrived we all waited for any sign of the Solamian’s. People were murmuring to one another but nothing above a whisper, everyone alert. It wasn’t long before we could hear them and soon enough we saw the first lot through the trees. Those who decided to change began to do so. I had unsheathed Dragonbane and held at the ready for the oncoming wave of the demonic creeps. Within seconds the two tribes merged in a mad frenzy and it wasn’t long until I had my fair share of kills.

 

*  *  *

Hours had passed since the battle had started and the sun started to set. I crouched hidden away from the main battle. I had started to wonder where Solomon was as he hadn’t shown up straight away. I then heard a deafening roar from above. My dad then contacted me.

 

“Toby, that would be Solomon. He’s your main focus no, do what you can to eliminate him and end this battle. I don’t think we can last much longer. I’m still dealing with Bartholomew. He’s a deceptive, cunning and slippery.”

 

I changed into my griffin form and was up in the air within moments. What I saw was almost shocking. Solomon was a huge, fearsome red dragon with glowing eyes that seemed to pierce through you. He was too busy watching over the battle while searching for a spot to land. I tried to get closer just as he began to land no matter what was crushed beneath him. I flew towards him and landed behind him before quickly changing back to my human form. I held Dragonbane at the ready and started moving closer to Solomon, keeping an eye on his tail. I decided to first strike his tail and I swung Dragonbane at a spot on Solomon’s tail that was within arm’s reach. Dragonbane burst into flames just before it made contact with Solomon’s tail and as it made contact Solomon roared in pain. Dragonbane didn’t completely cut through his tail so I had trouble getting Dragonbane free. He turned to try and get a better look at me and I was flung away with the movement of his tail. The breath was knocked out of me and I lay on the ground trying to recover. Solomon then spoke, his voice rumbling through me.

 

“So you are the one who thinks that they can save their stupid little tribe. I’m sorry to say but your time has come to an end.”

 

He took a swipe at me with a clawed foot. I tried to roll out of the way and felt one of his claws tear through clothing and flesh. I cried out in pain and held a hand to the wound on my arm. I got up with some effort. He then lunged forward snapping his jaws at me and I dodged while trying to get behind him so I could get Dragonbane that was still lodged in his tail. I decided to then take the opportunity of climbing onto his head and slide down his neck and onto his back. I jumped onto his tail and got as close as I could to Dragonbane. He started flicking his tail like an annoyed cat. I reached out to grab Dragonbane and just as my hand touched its hilt, Solomon’s tail flicked to one side, flinging me through the air. Dragonbane came free and I kept a tight grip on it while I flew through the air and hit a tree trunk. I slowly stood up while Solomon turned to face me He opened his jaw and let out a jet of blue flame. I held out Dragonbane hoping against hope that it would be able to shield me from Solomon’s fire. Just as it seemed the jet of flame was going to engulf me it parted and didn’t touch me. The heat was almost unbearable. As the flame died down I started to run towards Solomon and jumped, landed on the tip of his nose and took another leap. I swung my sword-arm back and aimed for the top of his skull. I thrust Dragonbane into his skull as I landed and he roared in pain. He tried to shake me off with what strength he could muster but it was slowly ebbing from him. Dragonbane’s blade burst into flame while it was embedded in Solomon’s skull. I could feel it relying on my energy to sustain the powerful flame. Solomon roared even louder, it was almost an animalistic scream. I gathered as much of my strength that I could and pushed as hard as I could onto Dragonbane’s hilt in order to try and dig Dragonbane further into Solomon’s skull and poured as much of my energy into the sword’s flame making it as intense as possible. Solomon became quite and I felt his body start to drop to the ground. I then knew that Solomon was dead. I pulled Dragonbane out of his skull and jumped to the ground. As I looked back at Solomon’s body it started to glow and Xavier appeared above. Slowly Solomon’s glowing body began to fade as a stream of soft white light entered Xavier’s body. He landed and seeing my confusion, Xavier looked at me and spoke.

 

“Tobias, Solomon had always been a part of me and while the two of us had our own forms, our own bodies, he was slowly taking my strength. I needed someone like you to defeat him not just for the safety of your race along with the humans but for mine too. If Solomon wasn’t defeated I would have faded away and Solomon would have stayed to create chaos and torture others for his own pleasure. He would have wiped out the whole human race before turning to his own race and killing them off one by one.  After that I wouldn’t know what he would do. But now I must leave you. Both your father and your tribe need you. So when your time comes I shall see you once more.”

 

Xavier then flew off into the night and with a white glow he vanished. I wiped Dragonbane clean of blood on the grass and sheathed it, slinging the sword across my back. I went back towards the centre of the village and I noticed the ground was covered in all the black dust that had once been the members of the Solamian tribe, though I suspected that there were still a few survivors. Grenwick approached me with sorrow in his eyes.

 

“Tobias, you should come.”

 

He led me to Abigail’s house where she was tending to someone on one of the only occupied spare beds. She looked up as we entered.

 

“Good, you’re here. All the others that are injured are being taken care of by Samantha, Kyle and Violet. Tobias, you better tell Remus and Sarah they can come back with those that are in the cave. I haven’t had the time to do myself as I’ve been so busy with the injured.”

 

I told Remus that the battle was over and everything was safe. I then realised who was lying on the spare bed. His leg had been cut off from the knee and was bandaged. He also had scratches and bruises on his face and he looked feverish.

 

“No, no, no, no, no, this can’t be happening, this can’t be happening. Will he be alright??”

 

Abigail looked at me and I could see some worry and what I thought was sorrow in her eyes.

 

“I…I don’t know Tobias.” Her voice trembled and a tear ran down her cheek. “I really don’t know if he’ll recover. He has a high fever and there’s an unknown poison in his bloodstream. I don’t know how to stop it.”

 

I looked at my father’s pale face. He looked at me and placed a hand on my shoulder.

 

“You…..look….so much….like me….” His voice was faint. “I know…you’ll do…well. You’ll be…a great…chief.”

 

And within moments he was gone. I could see his life in his eyes just leave. I felt numb. Empty. Remus entered Abigail’s house.

 

“Everyone is back safely……” His voice trailed off as he looked over at me and saw who was lying on the bed. “Is he….?”

 

He didn’t even have to finish the question before Abigail answered it with a nod. Remus knelt down beside me and put an arm around my shoulders just as he had when my grandfather had died. But this time, I didn’t push him away. I didn’t yell at him or hit him or anything. I just leaned up against him and cried. Someone else entered Abigail’s house but they were politely sent out. I could tell that Remus had started to cry as well as he kissed me on my forehead. He tried to comfort me as best as he could. Abigail then told us she needed to prepare his body for his funeral and helped me up. Remus wrapped an arm around my torso and walked out of the house supporting me as much as he could. My knees felt too weak to hold me up properly. I stumbled a little and almost tripped as we headed for the door. Remus opened it and led me outside. We had only gone a few feet before I fell to my knees. I was filled with so much grief and sorrow that I cried like there was no tomorrow. Tears dropped to the ground, glistening in the pale moonlight. Remus hugged me as he continued to cry himself. Sarah came upon us and asked what was wrong. I was still in too much grief to reply and so Remus answered.

 

“His father…..Lysander….he passed away just a few moments ago.”

 

Sarah knelt down in front of me placing a hand on my face and wiping away the tears. She gently lifted my face so she could look me in the eye.

 

“Tobias, your father was just as great as your grandfather. He was a kind guy with a great sense of humour. You can’t fill his shoes but I know you will be just as good and just as great. You have Remus for support and for any help you may need and I’m sure he’s a great partner. I can tell that he loves you just as much as you love him.” Sarah started crying. “You’re unfortunate to lose both your grandfather and father in such a short time.”

 

I then noticed that there were other members of the tribe standing behind Sarah. I don’t know if any of them heard what Sarah had said but at the moment I didn’t care. One of the females started singing, her voice full of grief and sorrow. Slowly others started to join her and time seemed to slow down as everybody expressed their sorrow and grief at the loss of another great life through the song.

11: Time to Heal

A few weeks had gone by since the battle. Everything seemed almost normal again. Almost. I stood outside my dad’s house with Remus by my side. We watched as people walked by doing what they could to repair the last bit of damage to the village. Those that had been injured had either fully recovered or was close to full recovery. Everybody had wondered who would be chief and whether or not I was too young to take up the title. What they didn’t know is that my father had left me a letter saying that I was to take up the title no matter what and that there were a few things for me in a chest from both him and my mother for all the birthdays that they missed. One was a locket of which contained a painting of them and myself when I was only a few months old. She held me in her arms and she was smiling as she looked at me. My father was looking at my mother with nothing but joy clear on his face. There were a few other things; one of my favourites being a few of the old leather bound books containing tales that were collected over the years. I turned to Remus and kissed him. He smiled.

 

“We should go soon.”

 

Remus nodded. “She would want to know what had happened.”

 

I remembered the day my dad had come to get me and him telling my aunt that he would send her a message just to confirm that everything was fine. Now that both my dad and grandfather were gone I felt as if I was the one to tell her what had happened. My dad had left me the address of where my aunt was staying before the battle had started so I knew where to find her if I had to. I changed into my griffin form and Remus climbed onto my back and I flew off north-west.

 

*  *  *

 

As we arrived at the address we soon found out that Aunty Jane had gone back home where we had lived with Bartholomew. Both Remus and I then headed off to where I used to live of which didn’t take long. I knocked on the door. After about a minute my aunt opened the door and stood in the entryway. She went completely pale as if she had seen a ghost.

 

“T-Toby…..is that really you? Oh my god, I am so glad you’re safe.” She hugged me tightly. “Where’s Lysander?? I haven’t gotten a letter from him yet.” She then noticed Remus. “And who is this handsome young man??” That definitely made Remus blush. “Anyway, you two better come in and get comfortable.”

 

She led us through into the lounge and asked us if we wanted anything to eat or drink. We both asked for a hot chocolate and so she went off to make us some. She was soon back with huge mugs, one in each hand, and she handed them to us. She then sat down opposite us, smoothing out her skirt and tucking her straight, brown hair behind one ear.

 

“So, what’s the news?”

 

I took a sip of the hot chocolate and put my mug down on the coffee table before I started to tell my aunt about what happened from the time my dad came to collect me to the battle just a few weeks ago. I didn’t stop myself from telling her about Alistair’s and Lysander’s passing away though it was hard to tell her. Once I had finished she was silent for a bit. She then looked at me and Remus.

 

“Well, we can’t change what happened. We lose people in our lives and we can’t do anything about it. And I’m glad the two of you are happy together. Both of you are welcome to come and visit anytime you like.”

 

“Thanks Jane, you’ll be able to visit us as well though sadly if you want to contact us then you’ll have to use the other method of which my grandfather used when he first contacted me as the gift of telepathy didn’t exactly include normal humans.”

 

She smiled. “That’s ok. I still remember how it’s done.”

 

“Anyway, we should head off. I have a tribe to get back to and break the news about who’s going to be chief.” Remus and I stood.

 

My aunt looked at me in surprise. “So you’re going to be chief? At such a young age?”

 

I nodded. “Don’t worry. I have people to help.”

 

Jane stood up and hugged me. “It was good to see you again Toby and it was nice to meet you Remus.” She smiled. “Oh, I have one question before the two of you go….what exactly happened to Bartholomew? You didn’t mention him.”

 

I looked at her. “After the battle people saw him escape. He was one of the few Solamian’s to survive.”

 

Jane looked worried. “I hope he won’t come back and cause more trouble. I know how much of a prick he is. But anyway, I shouldn’t keep you any longer. I hope to see you guys sometime soon.”

 

We said our goodbyes and left, making our way back to the tribe. It had been nice to see my aunt safe and to be able to talk to her again.

 

*  *  *

 

Once we had gotten back to the tribe and had told everyone that I was to be chief, I lay on my bed shirtless with Remus next to me. He had an arm across my chest as he looked at me and stroked my cheek.

 

“Remus, can I ask you something?”

 

“You just did.” He smiled at me rather cheekily.

 

I smiled back at him. “If I asked you, sometime in the future, if you would marry me….what would your answer be?”

 

Remus sat up and threw a leg over me and sat on my stomach. He looked at me and smiled.

 

“That’s for me to know and you to find out when you actually do ask the question.” He then leant down and kissed me which made me smile.

 

I pushed him off me teasingly, sat on top of him and kissed him back with a little more passion then he expected.

 

“I love you Remus.”

 

“I love me too……oh and you of course.”

 

We looked at each other. I didn’t know if I wanted to laugh or slap him but within seconds both of us were laughing. After we had calmed down from all the laughing and giggling we ended up falling asleep. Remus’s head rested on my chest while I had an arm wrapped around his shoulders and one of his hands rested on my thigh.

12: Thirteen Years

Thirteen years had passed us by since the battle. Remus and I have been married for the past seven years. We have two beautiful children, Oliver at the age of five and Rose at the age of four. We couldn’t have had them without the help of Sarah, who had agreed to be a surrogate. The tribe was going well and we hadn’t been bothered by the remaining members of the Solamian tribe. Dragonbane had been hung up on the wall seeing as it didn’t have any real need anymore.

 

Everyone had gathered around the gazebo. It was my 29th birthday and everyone wanted to celebrate it. I sat at the table in front of everyone else. Remus was on my left hand side while Oliver was on my right hand side and Rose sat next to Remus. Everyone had finished eating dessert and were waiting for the music to start of which would be followed by a play performed by the younger kids. I didn’t exactly know what the play would be about but I had an idea. Soon the music started and Oliver was one of the first to get up and dance. Rose decided it would be a good idea to join her older brother.

 

“Care for a dance?”

 

I turned and saw that Remus had stood up and was holding out a hand. I smiled.

 

“It would be a pleasure to dance with one so fine and handsome.”

 

And so we danced the hours away until it was time for the play. As the play got more into the story, my idea of what it was about was confirmed. It was about the battle. Memories came flooding back from that day along with everything I felt after the battle when I had discovered my father was injured and how he died from battle wounds moments after seeing him. I got up to leave the clearing though I didn’t notice Remus following me. I sat down in the clearing of which me and Remus had first kissed. I didn’t know why I liked this particular clearing when I needed to get away from things or when I needed to think. Remus walked into the clearing and sat down next to me.

 

“What’s the matter Toby?”

 

I sighed. “The play brought back memories and emotions, from when the battle occurred. I couldn’t stay and watch.”

 

Remus put an arm around my shoulders. “It’s ok. Some things just need time to finally leave you alone and stop haunting you.”

 

“But it’s been thirteen years, Remus. Thirteen years. Don’t you think it would have left me alone by now?”

 

Remus didn’t answer. All he did was look at me and I could tell that he wished he had all the answers. That he could stop the memories and emotions from flooding back. But all he could do was comfort me in any way he could and that’s all I expected from him. He kissed me and looked at me.

 

“Everything will eventually be alright.”

 

We both heard the soft rustling of grass as someone entered the clearing. We looked up and saw Oliver and Rose standing side by side.

 

“You ok papa?”

 

I smiled at Oliver. He was the sweetest kid who always knew when something seemed to be wrong. I held out my arms.

 

“Oliver, Rose. Come give me a hug.”

 

They ran over and hugged me. I then put a both hands on Oliver’s shoulders and looked him in the eye.

 

“Oliver, I’m just trying to deal with something that happened a long time ago. It was a sad time for me but I’ll be fine.”

 

I smiled and ruffled Oliver’s blonde hair. Oliver smiled back before running off to watch the rest of the play with Rose following close behind him. Remus stood up and held out a hand to help me up.

 

“Are you sure you’ll be fine?”

 

I nodded. “I’m sure. Now go on and watch the rest of the play with the kids. I’ll come join you when I’m ready.”

 

Remus kissed me making me blush a little. “I’ll see you soon.”

 

And so he went off to join the kids and watch the rest of the play. As he vanished from sight I had a tingling sensation run down my back. I turned to look behind me and saw the one person I least expected. Bartholomew.

 

“What the hell are you doing here?”

 

Bartholomew didn’t smile or seem confident or anything. He looked the complete opposite. He looked tired, withdrawn, sad and possibly even weak which wasn’t like him.

 

“I came to warn you of something that will affect us both.” His voice sounded rough. “And to also help you and get help in return.”

 

I looked at him suspiciously. “Why should I trust you?”

 

“Look, I know I’ve treated you badly and that I’ve done some…unforgiveable things. But if we don’t help each other out with what needs to be done then one of our tribes won’t survive and the one tribe that’s left will suffer terribly. Your deity grows weak because of Solomon’s life essence. You may have destroyed Solomon’s body but he still lives. And even though Solomon is making your deity weaker he is also being affected. Solomon needs to be separated from Xavier. ”

 

I walked up to Bartholomew, closing the gap between us until our faces were an inch apart.

 

“You killed my father and I have never forgiven you for that. And yes, you didn’t treat me that well, so what makes you think that I’ll help you despite the fact that my tribe will most likely suffer if I don’t?”

 

Bartholomew looked at me straight in the eye. I noticed that something was different. That maybe…maybe he had changed. I turned and walked away from Bartholomew a bit before stopping and looking up at the stars and sighing.

 

“Bartholomew…I guess I will have to trust you. But just this once.” I turned to face him. “Give me another reason not to trust you and I will have you killed where you stand, no matter what you’re doing. Got it?”

 

Bartholomew nodded.

 

“Now leave me. I have to think about this as well as talk to a few others and see what they think. Meet me back here in this clearing at midnight on Thursday. That’s two days away and you better turn up or you definitely won’t be getting any help from us and both our tribes will have to face the consequences. And who will be to blame? You. Now go.”

 

Bartholomew left the clearing and I watched him as he went. I then turned towards the proper path leading out of the clearing and headed back to the gazebo. When I sat down next to Remus he gave me a concerned look and not wanting to say anything out loud he decided to talk to me using telepathy.

 

“Is everything alright Toby?”

 

I quickly glanced at Remus before replying.

 

“Everything’s fine. Just had an…unexpected visit from someone. I’ll tell you more when we’re home and the kids are asleep.”

13: The Ritual

I stood at the edge of the clearing, watching as Baelorn, Lucy (the tribe’s most recently appointed spiritualist) and a few others finished off drawing the pentagram and symbols. Grenwick even stood there with the piece of Lokrium of which we needed for the ritual. I couldn’t read the symbols themselves but they gave off a certain feeling about what they meant and it almost felt like they were speaking. I got the understanding of summoning a powerful deity that was both light and dark sides and the separation of the two sides. But maybe that was partially because that was exactly what this ritual was for. It was almost midnight. I took in a deep breath and exhaled as Baelorn stood up and made his way to me. Once he was within a few feet of me he looked at me and nodded once.

 

“It’s time Tobias. Everything is ready; all we need now is the person of whom you mentioned.”

 

I looked at Baelorn. There were dark shadows under his eyes. Lines crossed his face, from tiredness or something else I didn’t know. I looked around at everyone else. They all looked tired. Even I was though I didn’t want to admit it. I looked back at Baelorn trying not to show my tiredness show.

 

“I’ll go and fetch him then.”

 

I started to walk off but I was stopped after taking a few steps by Baelorn tightly grabbing my arm. I turned to face him.

 

“Who is he Tobias? Who is this person who told you all the information about our deity and how he’s growing weak? You didn’t mention his name once since you told us about it and what we had to do. Tell me. Please.”

 

I shook my head. “I won’t tell you before you see him. If I do you might not want to go through with the ritual.”

 

Baelorn looked at me pleadingly. “Please Tobias. Just tell me. I won’t say anything to the other’s here.”

 

I continued to look at Baelorn for a few seconds longer before I got my arm out of his grip and walked off to get my uncle. He would have to wait to find out who I was bringing back.

 

 

                                                       *  *  *

 

I walked into the clearing where I had told Bartholomew to meet me. It was only a few minutes away from midnight and as I entered the clearing I saw Bartholomew standing there in its centre. He looked straight at me.

 

“You finally arrive. What decision have you come to?”

 

“How long have you been waiting??”

 

“Answering a question with a question. I’ve only been here for about 5 minutes.”

 

I shrug carelessly. “Not long then. You are to come with me. You are needed for this process.”

 

Bartholomew smiled an awful smile. “I thought you would do what you could to stop any suffering.”

 

“Stop talking and just follow me.”

 

I made my way back to the clearing where the ritual was going to be held. As I entered the clearing Baelorn and Grenwick look towards me. Baelorn’s eyes were questioning before he saw who was behind me before anger replaced the questioning. Grenwick had a murderous look and seemed like he was ready to pounce.

 

“What the hell is he doing here?”

 

I looked at Grenwick. “Calm down, he’s here to help and he’s the one who told me about our deities.”

 

Baelorn stepped forward. “But he’s responsible for your father’s death and most likely your grandfather’s death too.”

 

My head whipped around as I looked at Baelorn. Anger, sorrow and old hurt crept into my voice. “You think I don’t know that Baelorn?? You think I don’t know that this man…my uncle, killed my father and may have had something to do with my grandfather’s death? You think it hasn’t been on my mind every single day of my life since the battle??? That I got over it all within a matter of days or even weeks after my father’s death?? I spent the first part of my life living under this murderous bastard’s roof until my father came for me. Do you know what that was like??”

 

I stared into Baelorn’s eyes as I let out all my anger and sorrow. Tears streamed down my face as anything and everything about the battle came back to me.

 

“You don’t know what it’s like Baelorn. You don’t know what it’s like to have lived with him, to be related to him even though it’s only through human law. Anyway, let’s get on with this.”

 

I wiped my tears away and had everyone gather around the pentagram that was drawn in the earth. Grenwick stood on my right holding the piece of Lokrium ready for Solomon to be imprisoned while my uncle stood on my left. Everyone else stood in no particular order as it wasn’t too important.

 

“Now, you all know how this starts? We focus on summoning Xavier and lend him our energy as he is most likely weak. Then I will separate Solomon from him and have him imprisoned. Everyone got that??”

 

They all nodded before closing their eyes. After I made sure everyone was focused I closed my eyes and prepared to summon Xavier.

 

“Xavier thy mighty deity, creator and protector of our race. Hear my voice and let it guide you to us in the hope of helping you in regaining your lost strength. We have a way and we are prepared. Come to us now or we shall all perish within a matter of time.”

 

As soon as the last word escaped my lips and white glow filled the clearing. I opened my eyes and I saw Xavier lying on the ground in the pentagram. He was too weak to stand and could barely lift his majestic head to look at me.

 

“Do it Tobias. Do it now or else it would have been for nothing. I grow weaker by the minute and Solomon will destroy us both as he doesn’t have enough strength to break free and survive. I am doing everything I can to keep him under control but I am beginning to fade.”

 

I nodded and began the chant.

 

“Tu lumen, et Tenebrosi
Ortus atque obitus
Vita et mors
Quod illa, quae facta est uno
Jam enim veniendum est ad formas
Quod quid est obscura, et perniciosa tenebrarum
Ego praecipio tibi tollere essentia animae
Ex quibus numen corrumpere conatus
Præcipio tibi in perpetuum carcerem
In hoc Lokrium”

 

As the chant was said I saw Solomon emerge from Xavier as a dark shadow, darker than the night that surrounded us, try to resist imprisonment and finally being absorbed into the Lokrium Grenwick held. I even thought I hear Solomon scream with frustration and anger. I fell to my knees and sighed.

 

“It is done. He has been imprisoned and you are now free of him Xavier.”

 

“I thank you Tobias. Already I feel my strength slowly returning to me. I think it would be best for me to leave now.”

 

I nodded. “I think so too, Xavier.”

 

He slowly rose to his feet and looked at me one last time.

 

“You will be a great chief. You have already done what you thought is best for your tribe and you will continue on to help everyone survive. But there is one last thing I should tell you before I go. Imprison your uncle as well. He will only cause trouble if he isn’t dealt with.”

 

“But where?”

 

“In the ancient Lokrium cage. Hardly anyone knows of it and it is only mentioned in a few of your books and scrolls. If you do not know where to locate it then search your grandfather’s house. You should find a hidden door in one of the spare bedrooms. And with the Lokrium that Solomon is imprisoned in…keep it close or else put it somewhere that only you will know of. Now I must go.”

 

I nodded and stood just as the clearing was filled with a white glow once more as Xavier left. I looked at everyone before my gaze rested on Grenwick.

 

“Grenwick, I need you to come with me and bring Solomon’s Lokrium prison with you. Everyone else, you are free to get some sleep. I thank you for your help tonight.”

 

                                                                                          *  *  *

 

With both Bartholomew and Solomon locked away in two separate prisons we were safe. The tribe flourished and both Remus and I led a healthy and happy life. Oliver and Rose grew up to be fine adults and contributed to the growth of the tribe in more ways than I could have thought. Time slowly passed us by until the day of our untimely demise. Both Remus and I were old and our deaths seemed like an accident. But only the two of us knew what really happened. Everyone believed that our house caught fire due to us falling asleep and not keeping an eye on the fire but the truth was slightly different.

 

It was Bartholomew and his damned blue fire.