Watcher Ch. 02

This story is a work of fiction solely from the twisted mind of Chromex. Any resemblance to any persons living or dead is purely coincidental. All characters are of at least 18 years of age unless otherwise specifically mentioned. Please do not copy/redistribute the story, in part or total, without the author's permission.

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I was invited to stay with the Dark Heart pack through winter. I'm not sure what made me decide to accept their invitation but I'm grateful I was given the choice because I'd forgotten how good it was to be around others. The opportunity to spend time with Redan is a cherished memory but I knew this would be a temporary stay. A pack can only have one Alpha and I had no desire to challenge Logar.

It was just a few weeks after my arrival that Redan passed away. I had been exploring the woods just outside the village when Malik, Logar's Beta came to find me. "Watcher, Logar sent me to find you. Redan is dying." Without thinking I shifted and took off towards the village.

There were many gathered outside his dwelling as Redan had long been a fixture in both them and their parent's lives. Entering I found my old friend lying on his pallet with Logar, Silvaine, and Aeron kneeling next to him, their eyes filled with tears. Dropping down next to him I took his hand, "I hope you're not planning on leaving just yet? We have many things still to discuss."

"I knew when you arrived my time was short," Redan said, his voice not much more than a strained whisper, "Long ago I begged Luna to let me see you one last time before I go. I just didn't realize you were going to take so damn long to get here."

I wasn't familiar with who Luna was but she seemed important as I had heard many pack members refer to her. "Rest now Grandfather," Silvaine said, tears openly streaming down her face, "rest, and perhaps you will meet your old friend in your next lifetime." I watched as his eyes closed and his breathing grew shallow. Within minutes his chest stilled and he was gone. It's funny; I have lost count of how many people I have killed or have seen dying but he was the first I could remember seeing die peacefully.

Breaking the silence of the room, Logar stepped out and began giving orders. "Tonight is the full moon and we will say goodbye to our Grandfather in our way. Luna will be pleased to welcome one of her children home."

Silvaine and Aeron wept openly, as Aeron clung to Redan's body. Many minutes passed before their weeping diminished and Silvaine looked up at me. "He was the oldest of us, save you. The rest of his generation passed on long ago." Reaching out she hugged her daughter, "Go help your father get ready for tonight."

"Yes, mother," Aeron said before slowly shuffling out of the room.

"Silvaine, I need to ask you something."

"Yes, Watcher?"

"I wanted to ask you about Luna," I said, "I hear people talking about her but I have no clue who they are referring to."

A sad smile crossed her face. "It is sad that the oldest of us knows so little about our culture. Walk with me please." We stepped out of the dwelling and crossed towards the gate to the village. "At night it is Luna who guides our path. She is our goddess and we are her children. Most of our kind only shift for the first time during the full moon and Alpha's will claim their mates under her brilliant glory." We walked in silence for a bit before she continued, "It is believed that Luna created our people and legends claim you are the first of her children. Tonight Grandfather's remains will rest upon the pyre and the flames will lift his soul to her. One day his soul will be reborn and perhaps you will meet your friend once again."

"There is so much I don't know," I said, "Would you be willing to teach me? I don't want to be ignorant of our ways anymore." I did not know how she would react to the thought of my father and grandfather so I chose not to mention them.

"Gladly Watcher, gladly," she said, "although I'm sure my daughter will want to be involved. Assuming of course she doesn't try and take it over." We stood in silence a while longer watching the pyre being built before making our way back to the village.

We carried Redan's body to the pyre under the light of the full moon and it was easy to believe a goddess was smiling down on us. The assembled pack stood silently as Logar lit the pyre, the crackling of the flames drowning out the sounds of the forest. We watched as the flames grew and reached for the sky before finally he shifted and let out a crying howl. Within seconds the entire pack had joined in and our cry went on for many minutes before fading into the night.

I joined Logar and Silvaine at the front of the pack and then smiling as only a wolf can Logar turned and sprinted out into the forest. Before long we were running with wild abandon just streaking through the woods. We ran for hours before he brought us back to the site of the pyre. As I sat by the now smoldering fire I saw the mated pairs begin to streak off towards their homes and many of the unmated seemed to be pairing up in celebration of Redan's life. Seeing this reminded me of my mate and I decided to seek the solace of the woods. Sprinting into the woods I'd failed to see Silvaine's Beta, Kila, heading towards me. I just lost myself in the run and didn't stop until the sun began creeping over the horizon. Finally tired I made my way back to the village and crawled into my pallet to rest.

"Watcher, Watcher it's dawn," Aeron yelled, "Time to get up! Mama said I get to help you learn about us so let's go." Wearily opening one eye I started at her seeing the same horrid grin my mate used to have. If there was one thing I know about myself it is that I despise mornings and those freakishly happy people who enjoy them.

"Alright, alright I'm up already," I said as Aeron jumped up and down on me, not on the pallet, on me. Getting up I followed her out to where the children were sitting for their lessons. There was so much I didn't know. I had spent so long as the wolf I'd completely missed the creation of our culture. So many traditions and customs had developed over the years that I knew nothing about that Aeron made it her mission to help teach me. Even at nine years old there was no question that she was the next Alpha bitch. She even had her own mini-pack consisting of the young pups in the pack.

Eventually, I learned why Aeron and the other children could not shift as mine had. Over the ages, pureblood wolves such as myself became rarer, and to ensure the survival of our species we began to breed with normal humans. The wolf gene stayed dominant during this intermingling but it had the side effect of delaying the onset of the first shift. Then as now in more modern times most wolves shift for the first time around puberty unless some traumatic event forces an early shift. Far more people become wolves by surviving being bitten than are ever born into our species something unheard of in my time.

It was about this time that the dream started, a dream that would follow me for the next three thousand years. I was running through a forest I did not recognize chasing a small black female wolf. She was nimble and quick and somehow, despite my speed, stayed just out of reach. She never seemed to make good her escape and slowed if she got too far ahead as if she wanted me to catch her. As I chased her, she began to change, getting larger and changing color, turning grey with black tips on the ears and tail. There was a scent in the air I didn't recognize but something about it drove me on, pushing me to move faster. I knew that if I caught her I would claim her as my own. In my dream, I felt as I did in my youth when I chased my mate but I know that isn't possible. A wolf only gets one true mate in their lifetime, even for one as long as mine.

During my time with the pack I learned of many things; elves, witches, vampires, and most disturbing for me rogues. Wolves that are so far gone that only the most primal of their emotions guide their actions: fear, hate, anger, or lust. I found a bit of irony in that. The descriptions of a rogue match perfectly with my actions following the loss of my mate so not only am I the oldest surviving were but I am likely the first rogue as well.

I grew to love being with the pack and spent countless hours running through the woods helping teach Aeron and the other children how to hunt and track. I taught her to hunt as a human would by fully taking advantage of her heightened senses. I am sure there are those of you who are thinking she was too young to be learning such skills but remember this was 1000 B.C. and the world was a vicious and cruel place.

I came to appreciate the quiet strength of Silvaine, Logar's mate. She was Redan's descendant and was the glue that held the pack together. Where Logar was fire and rage she was like a gentle rain, soothing and calm, tempering him so together they were amazing to watch. It had become our custom to sit around the fire at night and discuss pack issues as they were both convinced I would someday lead a pack so they were subtly trying to train me on what a modern alpha needed to know. This was the longest I could remember ever staying with others of my kind and I found solace within the pack despite not being a member.

I did encounter some unexpected interactions during my time with the pack. When I arrived I had been assigned an unused dwelling and typical for the time it wasn't a huge space but sufficient for my needs. What I noticed was many of the unmated females seemed to find their way by my dwelling quite often. When I mentioned this to Silvaine she began to laugh at me, "There are many males who would happily have your concerns. They are hoping one of them might be your mate."

I couldn't help but just stare in shock at her comment. "I've already had a mate," I said, "and I've never heard of anyone getting more than one in a lifetime, even for one as long as mine."

Silvaine crossed the space between us and knelt before gently cupping my face. "Watcher, I may not have lived anywhere nearly as long as you have," she said quietly as unexpected wetness filled her eyes, "but I refuse to believe Luna would be so cruel as to make you live for so long without a chance for happiness again."

"I hope you are right but I would have noticed if one of them was my mate."

"Well then, even if they are not your mate there is no reason for you not to enjoy their company. I can't even begin to imagine how long it has been since you have had a woman in your bed and I certainly know that Kila would be more than willing."

"Are you suggesting?" I started to say before she interrupted.

"Yes, I am but please do me a favor. Just keep in mind that while they may be wolves and can take a lot of damage they are not as strong as you. I don't need you breaking any of my ladies."

"Finally noticed did he?" Logar said, walking up to join us, "We were wondering how long it would take. So yes please try not to break any of the ladies in your enthusiasm."

"Something else to keep in mind," Silvaine said, "Normally we can't get pregnant unless we are in heat but the usual rules don't seem to apply with you."

"I'll keep that in mind," my thoughts now distracted by the possibility of a less than lonely future, "Kila, huh? Didn't I see her walk by earlier?"

Logar began to laugh despite the withering glare he was getting from his mate. "You're the one who told him she would be interested," he said.

"Watcher, please don't break my Beta," she said.

"As you wish Madam Alpha," I said bowing as I stepped away.

Kila did not prove difficult to find and it turns out Silvaine was right regarding her interest. Despite bringing a dry spell more than twenty millennia-long to an end I somehow managed to not break her Beta. It however was nearly three days before Kila was walking normally again which was more than enough to cause Silvaine to glare at me. Fortunately, Logar managed to draw her ire by bursting out in laughter when I simply shrugged.

I'd awoken early to go hunting. The solstice was approaching and I wanted to ensure I made a sufficient contribution as I intended to depart not long afterward. Both Logar and Silvaine had made it clear I was welcome to stay but I knew it was approaching time for me to move on. I'd not told Aeron yet as we'd grown close and I did not look forward to hurting her.

Scouts had reported a large herd of red deer a few days travel from the village and I wanted to get at least two or three. My small pack contained some rations and enough supplies to make a suitable travois to bring the animals back. I made good time but the herd had traveled some distance from where they were originally seen so I had to spend an additional day following their trail.

My hunt was a success and I had four large bucks strapped to the travois as I made my way back. This was more than I had originally intended but if there is one thing a pack of wolves can never have too much of its fresh meat. It did however slow my return journey.

I'd been gone nearly a week and crossing the large stream that I knew was a few miles from the village brought a sense of relief when the scent of smoke began to tickle my nose. I thought perhaps someone had camped overnight in the area and simply continued on my way. I managed to get a couple of miles closer when a new scent joined the smoke that filled my nose. It was the unmistakable sickly sweet scent of burning flesh.

Dropping the travois, I instantly shifted and streaked towards the village. I ran faster than I ever had before, determined not to let this pack suffer the same fate my family did. Running blindly through the trees I didn't notice the quiet until I broke into the clearing surrounding the village. Shifting again, tears blurred my vision as I stumbled into the charred remains of what had become my home.

It was a massacre, that's the only way to describe it. Other than the crackling flames leaping from every structure only silence reached my ears as I walked among the ruins. Dozens of little scenes of death played out all around me. Silvaine near the center of the slaughter covering Logar's torn and broken body with her own, their hands clasped as they held each other in death. Malik, trying to shield his pups from the flames as his dwelling had collapsed atop them. A cool rage settled over me as my wolf wondered if I was planning on losing control again. I was not. I knew the ones who did this had to pay but first I needed to take care of the pack. Searching the woods I gathered the bodies and brought them to the center of the village.

It was on one of these walks I found the only remains of one of the attackers. The scent was horrific. Logar had told me that when a wolf goes rogue their scent changes. Now I knew that smell and any with it was going to die if they crossed my path. The body was lying face down but it was obvious how he had died. A large pool of blood gathered next to him where his throat had been torn open. Lifting the body my heart screamed in rage as I discovered the small body of Aeron underneath. Her mouth and hands were covered in blood. From the damage she had done, it was clear she had shifted while he attempted to carry her away only returning to her human form in death. Seizing the rogue's corpse I flung him violently into the woods before cradling her small form in my arms and walking back to the village.

I gathered all the unburned wood I could find to build a pyre large enough. While weres believe the bodies of the fallen should be burned to release their spirits, I am not sure how much faith I put into this belief. Even so, I knew it was what they would have wanted. Stacking the bodies as gently as I could on the pyre I left the Alphas and Aeron until last. Lighting the fire I shifted and began to howl and keen watching the flames engulf those I'd grown to love. I even sent a silent prayer to Luna, hoping Silvaine was right, praying for their souls to be reincarnated. It took two full days before the fire finally extinguished itself and I began to plan my revenge. It was only then I realized I had never found Kila's body, she was the only one unaccounted for.

The pyre slowly burned itself out. As I stared at the remains of the pack, my mind slowly started working over exactly how I was going to make these rogues pay. For most of my life, I had been content to watch, stand back, and let events play themselves out, taking action in only the most severe instances. In all the times I had involved myself it was always to remove a specific individual or two, not this time. This time the entire pack was going to pay.

Walking into the forest, I began to search for the remains of the rogue I had flung. My wolf howled in rage over the injustice done to that little girl and tried taking over once again. It was tempting to allow him but not this time. This wasn't going to be some random rage driven revenge. I was going to hunt down and destroy every last one of them, no matter how long it took me. Locating the corpse was not easy. While the scent was one I could easily track, in my fury I had thrown the body quite far and it had become lodged up in a tree.

To say I was pissed was an understatement, I wanted to examine the body and get another scent but it was stuck 25 feet in the air. Shifting into my hybrid form I attacked the tree, my claws quickly ripping through the bark and into the trunk. My assault on the tree was unrelenting. All my rage and anger over the death of the pack poured into that tree. I was so focused, it wasn't until an earsplitting crack shattered my single-minded endeavor. Leaping, my reflexes and speed saved me as the tree came crashing down right where I had been standing. While I was pretty sure it wouldn't have killed me, as bad as the last couple of days had been, I didn't want to add getting crushed by a tree to the list.

Ripping the pulped remains of the rogue from the branches of the tree, I gave the remains a good once over and confirmed the smell was the same as before. I'd like to claim that it was my throwing the corpse that rendered it in such a state, but alas the tree gets that one. Leaving the corpse, I searched the area to discover what direction they had gone and quickly headed south.

Knowing they had a two-day head start, I wanted to cover ground quickly as possible. The trail was easy to find as that many people, even running as wolves, made quite a disturbance in the forest. As I ran, I thought about how I wanted to approach this. Did I want to pick them off one at a time, or let them get comfortable back in whatever hole they had crawled out of and crush them all at once? I had no doubts as to my strength in comparison to these modern wolves. None of them would have survived the era I was born in, the wilderness itself would have eaten them alive. I decided I was going to decimate this group of rogues all at once. Keeping a steady pace, I was no longer in as much of a rush to catch them as before.

The rain started on the fourth day out from the village. As it started slow and gentle, I wasn't concerned about losing the trail, but as the day progressed the storm grew into a furious maelstrom. I tried to keep going through the storm but eventually, it got to be too much even for me and I was forced to seek shelter. I found a small cave in which to hunker down and stew.

The rain continued for several days, and the more it rained the angrier I became. I wanted to catch these rogues, not just sit in a cave watching the rainfall. Finally, I'd had enough, I was going to find these rogues, even in the rain if I had to. Leaving the cave I was immediately drenched, which obviously helped to improve my mood immensely, as I am sure you can imagine. Getting my bearings, I headed off in the same general direction as before.