A Wolf's Story

My parents were mad because I, a normal lycanthrope was having a relations with a mutated young man, one of the Abominations. Things didn't go too well. By our people's law, Raphael should have been killed simply for being who and what he was. But I stood in their way, allowing him to escape. For this, I was banished. I would never be allowed to return home again. My sister Karen was happy. The conniving bitch knew that only I stood in the way of her getting the family's wealth and power. My brothers followed the tradition. Me, I wanted to challenge her. Now that I was banished by the clan, she was safe.

Oh, well. I was banished from home. I guess I was living up to the nickname Lucifer after all. Luke Ciphers Brown left the heartland and went to the big city. I decided to make a name for myself. I would rise to power in the world of the humans, like the other rogues before me. If I couldn't be a prince among my people, I would be a god among men. Police officers were enforcers of the law. They had powers that CEOs and Senators lacked. A CEO or Senator couldn't put their hands on somebody, and take away their freedom, without impunity or scrutiny. The men and women of law enforcement did exactly that, every single day.

Suddenly, I felt Madeline squeeze my hand and I remembered where I was. I was in the city of Boston, with a girl I was rather fond of. Madeline smiled at me, and asked me what I was thinking about. I didn't tell her anything. I simply smiled. If she knew who and what I was, she might run like hell. I have never heard stories of lycanthropes getting romantically involved with humans. This was truly forbidden. Any lycanthrope caught fooling around with a human, regardless of his or her station, would be stripped of all rank and privilege, and declared an outcast. That was supposed to be the rule.

Since I was already an outcast, I didn't care. Most rogues didn't care either. These days, the rogues were beginning to outnumber the traditional loyalists in the lycanthrope community. Who knows? Maybe someday some of us rogues will return to our families and be counted for the outstanding beings that we were. We should change the power and wealth inheritance system. Divide it all equally rather than hand it over to the firstborn, whoever he or she might be. I wouldn't hold my breath on that one.

I intended to become a god among men. There was a lot of power out there, and ambitious lycanthropes were snatching it from the humans, and one another. I wanted to get a piece of that action for myself. I could see myself as a Chief of Police someday. Why not? Maybe I could go another route, become a district attorney and later, maybe even a Supreme Court Judge. Why not? Anything is possible in this land of America.

Madeline and I kept walking. A black couple passed us. The man was tall and athletic, with long dreadlocks. He wore a business suit. The woman was tall and attractive as well, and wore a nicely cut business suit. Both of them looked elegant, smart and brimming with intelligence. I could tell that they were lycanthropes. They sensed me as well, and smiled. I smiled back. Madeline noticed this, and raised an eyebrow. I didn't say anything. Yes, my kind was walking this city. We were all over the world. And one day, we would rule it.