The Chosen One

"Quite impressive isn't it Professor Kaneko?" The old man's words broke him out of the revere that surged through his muscular frame.

"Yes, impressive Mr. Leeds. Similar to Egyptian, but not. How many people see scroll?" he asked as he unveiled more of the document.

"I would have to estimate around a hundred or so, but that was when the scroll first arrived here. There are only four alive today that know of its existence; you make five. The only reason it is in my office, is that you were arriving today; otherwise, it remains in the vault under lock and key. The keeper of the museum is the only one allowed access to it."

Kazuo placed his fingertip on one particular drawing. A group of about a hundred different symbols placed in a spiraling circle. There were heavy lines separating them into groups of four to five characters each. The design of the grouping worked inward towards the center until they reached a distinct diagram.

A grouping of dots arranged around one large sphere. Without question, it represented the sun with nine planets in orbit around it; but the unique position of three of them told Kazuo everything he needed to know. As he ran his finger lower along the scroll, he stopped at the drawing just beneath the circular sketch; fourteen separate dots with a single line of symbols beneath it.

"I can smell the smoke beginning to fill the room Professor," Leeds said with a short chuckle.

Kazuo looked up with alarmed eyes, scanned the room, and sniffed the air around him. "I smell no smoke Mr. Leeds."

"No, no, it's just an expression Professor. It seems as if you were very deep in thought about our little gem. Do you think there is a rhyme or reason behind the symbols?"

"Um -- path of symbols lead to center of universe. Believe in Apollo's accent to Olympus. If I take, I try to study more," Kazuo lied with a slight hint of hope, but knew the museum would never let it leave.

"Forgive me Professor, but that would be out of the question. I can however arrange for you to stay close by and you can examine the scroll in the vault area."

The short statured Asian werewolf bowed in respect. "Arigato gozaimasu."

Leeds returned the bow and smiled. "The honor is all mine Professor Kaneko. By the way, what do you make of the drawing just below the main sketch?"

Kazuo returned his trained eyes to the scroll of Alesandro and ran his gloved finger just below the single line of symbols. "Triumph is within the light." He then returned his gaze to the man who held the most powerful document known to Lycanthropes.

"No idea Mr. Leeds. I study more and give answer." Kazuo was just about to excuse himself so he could settle in and get to work studying the document when Leeds pulled open his desk drawer.

The keeper reached in, retrieved a small wooden box, and presented it to the younger archeologist. "Most of us here don't think this has anything to do with it, but something was found along with the scroll."

For the second time since arriving at Ashmolean Museum, Kazuo Kaneko was shocked into disbelief after opening the lid. With great care, he picked the large talon up and studied it. His mind flashed back once again to the stories told by his ancestors, the ones about how someone would know the scroll is true.

"My God, I'm holding one of the talons of Alesandro himself," he thought.

"Our testing determined that it's canine, although I must admit, that would have to be one very large dog," Leeds said, interrupting Kazuo's reveries.

"Yes Mr. Leeds, I too believe is no connection to scroll. Why keep in desk?"

"I'm not sure what it came from, but it's very useful for opening my mail," Leeds said with a laugh, then began rolling the scroll closed

August 1995, Fairwood resort, Southampton Bermuda.

The sun beamed down onto the black SUV limousine as it slowed to a stop in front of the covered entrance to the large four-story building. A well-dressed bellhop moved up, opened the passenger door, then stood back and allowed the passenger to exit. The young man found it difficult not to gasp aloud as the massive ebony skinned man stood erect.

Franklin Dubois took a deep breath of the clean salt air. He smiled a soft smile as the smell of fear mixed with the ocean breeze. As he turned to thank the young bellhop with a small gratuity, the fear grew heavier in the air and he noticed the bellhop staring at the black velvet patch covering his left eye.

Franklin extended his large hand holding the money, yet the twenty three year old failed to take it. "Rest easy young man, the loss of my eye is not contagious. Would you see to my bags please?" He darted around to the rear of the vehicle, praying the large male wouldn't have him fired for his rudeness.

The CEO of Dubois Industries strode into the plush setting of the lobby with an air of authority. His natural ability for caution caused him to scan the area for any potential threats but saw there were few guests in immediate area. As the hairs on the back of his neck began to tingle, he snapped his head to the left and saw a well-dressed man exiting from an office door.

It took just seconds to realize who the man was, even though the photographs of him were somewhat misleading. The owner of the Fairwood resort was more muscular than he was led to believe, and Dubois tensed as the shorter man extended his hand.

"Mr. Dubois, it is such an honor to have you and the rest of the council staying with us," Rick Parsons exclaimed as he grasped Franklin's large, powerful hand.

"Thank you Mr. Parsons, the pleasure is all ours. I must say your generous offer was well received during our last meeting in Brussels. I pray we will not be disturbed during our stay here?"

As the Alpha male of the pack that lived on the island, he knew when the council meet every year that privacy was something the five werewolves who made up the council demanded above all else. He was not about to let the chance of a lifetime become ruined because his human staff messed it up for him.

"I have personally seen to every detail Sir and I can assure you there will be no problems with your stay. My staff and I are at your disposal day and night."

"Thank you and I do believe that problem you're having on the far end of the island is our first order of business. Have the others arrived yet?" he said as noticed his bags being carried to the front desk.

"Yes Sir, they arrived yesterday and they're waiting for you by the pool; just through those doors to the right Mr. Dubois. With your permission, I'll have your things sent to your room," Parsons said as he handed him the gold key card.

The head of the Council of Lycan moved towards the door, his 240-pound frame moving with ease as he pushed the oak door open. There was a soft breeze blowing as he walked out into the bright sunshine, causing his royal blue shirt to move around his muscular body.

He watched as the three wolves, all in human form, turn in haste as he approached them. The lone male, James Gordon, broke out in a large smile and reached out for his colorful drink in front of him while the two women adjusted their small frames to a more comfortable position.

Turning his vision towards the other guests at the pool, he saw most of the lodgers on the other side of the crystal clear water sunning themselves in the golden rays of the afternoon, while a very tan muscular male swam laps. He chuckled as he watched the other member of the council teasing the human females with his good looks as he turned and kicked off the wall of the pool. His obvious maleness visible in his taunt bathing suit.

As Franklin pulled his chair out, he gave the two women a knowing smile. "I see Eduardo is still taking our meetings as serious as ever," he said to the blond haired woman from Australia.

Candrea Lacson looked towards the pool and then shrugged her shoulders. As a genetic scientist, she understood everything about both human and werewolf behavior, but the constant need for the male model from Rio to be adored was beyond her comprehension. "He's a complete moron if you ask me."

The other male member of the council set his drink down and smiled at the Alpha. "Damn glad you could make it Frank. I told the little ladies here I was going to have to send a posse out after you soon," Jim Gordon said.

James T. Gordon, better known to his friends as Gordo, was the only American ever accepted to a place on the council. He was an expert when it came to geology, which provided an excellent cover on his varied trips around the world for meetings. Jim's cowboy like demeanor always made the French executive smile.

"I don't get to, escape, the confines of my normal life as freely as you can James. If you have forgotten, I do have a company to run from time to time." Franklin motioned for the server standing close by to bring him the same drink as his fellow board member was having.

"Yeah well, you should try to get out more and get dirty with us little folks like me and Atsuko; you'll get a kick out of playing in the dirt partner," he replied as he nodded his head towards the small frames Asian woman seated across from him.

Atsuko Kaneko reached forward and picked up her water. She glared at the brown haired man across from her who never missed a moment to chide her about being an Archeologist. The sole offspring of Kazuo Kaneko placed her drink down, moved a large envelope towards Franklin, and then looked over Jim's shoulder to see the last member of the group exiting the pool.

"It seems Eduardo has finished his performance for the human females by the pool," she said as every head turned to watch him step out of the water.

The most sought after male model from Rio ran his sculpted hands through his jet-black hair, allowing the cool drips to run down his bronze colored skin. With his arms up at a high angle, he knew the young women seated nearby were studying his taut, chiseled abdomen, as well as his bulging swimsuit.

When Eduardo turned and went to meet his companions, his exceptional hearing picked up the gasps and lewd comments coming from the women laying back in their chairs, but studying him through their sunglasses. He paused and bent down, pretending to brush something from his foot. His actions were well received as a woman not far behind him let out a small groan of approval.

Once he reached the table, he grabbed a towel and began patting his face dry. "You are late Franklin. I can put you in touch with a fine travel agency that will get you to meetings on time if you would like."

"I'll consider it Eduardo when you stop teasing the humans. Maybe next time I'll choose a more suitable location for all of us. There is that one wolf that is begging us to meet in Siberia," Franklin said as he picked up his drink.

Jim slapped the model on the shoulder and smiled. "Yeah Ed old buddy, we're supposed to blend in with the locals, not make them crazy like a cowboy on his first night in a salon."

Candrea sighed with annoyance as she rolled her eyes at the two men. "Could you two please put a hold on the testosterone output so we can get the initial meeting out of the way? There's a new research paper on DNA cloning that I've wanted to look over."

"Boy you sure are cute little filly Candi when you get your dander up," Jim responded.

Franklin cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "Now that we have the greetings out of the way, let's get down to why we are all here this year. Atsuko, is this the information I asked about at the last meeting?"

"Yes Franklin it is," she said as he opened the envelope and pulled out a stack of papers and photos.

"My father went to considerable trouble to obtain that, but the effort has been rewarding. As you can see in the first photo of the scroll, it gives us the date in which the chosen one will be born. Roughly translated, it means when the dog, the rings, and the wolf child are aligned, he will come to command great power within the ruby."

Franklin was not about to dispute her analysis of the scroll of Alesandro. Her family decedents were the only known werewolves who had the ability to decipher the ancient language of the first lycanthrope. That rare ability made the small female perfect for joining the council. The time was nearing for the confrontation, and he needed every advantage.

Eduardo leaned over and glanced at the picture with a puzzled look. "I think the first part is about the planets. The dog and the rings must be Pluto and Saturn, but I don't understand the wolf child part."

"I didn't think you would," Atsuko said. "If you would spend less time trying to impress human females, you might have learned a thing or two about astrology. The mention of the wolf child is in reference to the constellation Canine minor."

Franklin shuffled through the paperwork and found a hand drawn map depicting the alignment. "That's excellent work Atsuko. I take it you have found the answer to the riddle and provided us with a location."

"I have Franklin. The last time the alignment occurred was in March of 1970 and it lines up perfectly with a small coastal town in the United States. The last piece of information is a list of the names of families who had births that day."

The leader of the council passed out copies to the others at the table and they began reading. He glanced at his fellow members who seemed puzzled by the long list of names, although he already knew who he was looking for. When he looked at Atsuko, she was sipping her water, as she too knew the answer.

Eduardo tossed his handout back onto the table and leaned back in his chair. "That's a lot of families we'll have to track down, and what in God's name is one of us living in Texas for? I've been there before on a shoot once; did you know you can drive a whole day without seeing a tree?"

"I have already taken the liberty on doing the background on the subject. There is one surname on the list that jumps out at you," Atsuko said as she reached down into her satchel. "Here's what I've come up with so far Franklin."

She handed him a manila folder with a single name on the front. As he opened it, the first photo jumped out at him. It was of a young looking man who he once considered inviting to be on the council in 1968, but he married a human, which disqualified him.

He started flipping through the other photos and stopped when he came upon the write up on the activities of the only child. "This is all you have on him?"

"I found what I could about his military career up until he joined a Special Forces unit; after that there seems to be an intentional blackout of information. His last known location is on the bottom of the report."

Franklin looked over the documents again, then closed the folder and slid it over to Candrea Lacson. "I want you and Eduardo to head to the states and start getting information on him. I want to know his life story by the next meeting."

Candrea looked down at the name on the folder, then back up to Franklin Dubois. "We'll head there after we finish the rest of the meeting. It shouldn't take us long to find out everything there is to know about Mr. Kevin Dvorska."

Franklin gave Jim Gordon a blazing stare. He was going to ask the question of which he already knew the answer. "James, please tell me you have something on the whereabouts of Bashir Haddad and the two others." His voice full of concern.

Jim sighed with deep regret as he shook his head in disbelief. "I'm telling Frank, it doesn't make sense. The last known report was somewhere around Gibraltar, but by the time my guys got there, the up and vanished like a horse fart on the prairie."

The others cast their eyes downward; they knew how much the Alpha male wanted the three terrorist werewolves. "I want them found -- James -- and I want them found soon."

Navy Beach, Little Creek, Virginia.

The morning sun casted a soft glow against the pine trees which lined the soft white sand. The sound of the gentle waves rolling with ease upon the beach provided a soothing addition to the sounds of the turtledoves cooing high in the protective branches.

Another sound added to the serenity of the crisp morning along the Virginia coastline, the distinct sounds of a runner's labored steps as they splashed against the waters licking edge. The muscular man wore a pair of royal blue runners' shorts along with a khaki colored backpack. His appearance was normal to most who visited the beach, but his chiseled upper body was anything but normal.

As the runner slowed to a brisk walk, he raised his powerful arms above his head and breathed the salt air into his heaving lungs. His medium length hair hung damp and dripping of sweat which fell with ease upon his golden tanned skin.

As he slowed his gate as he pulled the heavy pack off, leaving his torso exposed to the morning rays. Placing the bag on the sand, he undid the straps, flipped the top open, and retrieved the cold water that was nestled among the sixty pounds of weights he carried on the morning jog.

Kevin Dvorska took a long pull on the bottle and sighed with relief as he shook his head to dispel the salty liquid clinging to his brown hair. "Being ordered not to get a haircut is starting to get on my nerves," he thought to himself.

His keen senses picked up the approach of others emerging from the tree line and he turned in haste to see two young men carrying a bright red cooler down towards the water's edge.

Kevin knew this particular stretch of Navy Beach was a well-known spot for having parties on the weekends and this particular Saturday morning was turning out to be the same. The Navy SEAL placed the water back in his bag and strapped the heavy satchel on his back for the six-mile return trip.

The point man for the recently formed SEAL Team Six smiled at the two men as they placed their load down and stared back with distain in their eyes. "I guess you can't read can you hippie," one of them said.

Kevin laughed inside at the snide remark. "Just out for a morning jog fellas. I think I'll just be on my way now."

"Next time you want to get some exercise in, do it somewhere else. The sign says Navy Beach and we don't like civilians making any appearances.

The veteran SEAL realized there were some sailors who didn't have the right leadership and failed to understand that once in the military, your duty was to protect and serve the same civilians' they were now making fun of. He turned and flashed a large smile and raised his left hand in an improper fake salute.

"Not a problem Admiral, I won't let it happen again," he replied and then started his return journey back home.

His keen hearing as a werewolf allowed him to pick up the continuing conversation of the two sailors as he trotted away. "Jesus Ken, the fucking retard doesn't even know how to salute."

"Well what do you expect from a hippie?"

**********

Adam Dawson sat down hard in the overstuffed recliner in his living room. He silently cursed himself as he felt the hot coffee splash on his taut muscular leg. Placing the large hot mug on the table next to him, he grabbed his shirt that was lying close by and began wiping the scalding liquid.

The soft sound of footsteps caught his attention as he looked up to see his wife, Kristine, stroll with a hint of seduction down the staircase. "I rolled over and found that I was all alone in a big comfy bed. That is no way to wake up on such a beautiful Saturday morning; not when I have a hunky husband that is supposed to be tending to his leg."

Adam watched as her long Auburn hair swayed with ease in time with her slim hips hidden beneath the black satin teddy. Her sparkling blue eyes stared into his as she moved with a natural grace that would cause any male in the room to lose his mind in the vision of splendor.