Chapter 3: Relaxation and Pondering
Marcus stood at the edge of the balcony, looking over Aspen as the sun rose in the east, illuminating the outline of the city. Throughout his long life, Marcus had seen the sun rise so many times that he couldn't count them, but it had yet to lose its effect on him. He had seen similar beauties in many locations over the past two millennias: Jersalem, Paris, Moscow, Berlin, Nepal, Constantinople, Alaska, and Rome just to name a few places. There was something about watching the sunrise that brought peace to Marcus, the beauty always calmed him down and made him smile at the beginning of the day.
Watching the sunrise distracted Marcus from the dark thoughts clouding his mind, particularly the ones from recent days. The event with Jamie last week and the operation with David were at the front of his mind. Even though the operation was two days ago something felt strange about it. Having a near perfect memory, Marcus remembered almost every detail of the fight. He spotted his share of mistakes that he made in his flashbacks, but there was something else bothering him; the berserker werewolves somehow having gas masks that not only protected them from silver but also suppressed their transformation. He'd heard rumors about such technology from other Lycans but didn't believe them. Seeing it for himself scared him a little, the potential danger a Werewolf could cause with such a thing was a matter for concern. The recent increase in Werewolf attacks didn't ease his worry either.
But, what plagued Marcus' mind even more was the incident with David. Deep down he felt bad for knocking David out and leaving him behind. Even thoug Marcus hated David with a passion, as did most Lycans, he still felt bad about it, though he deserved to be knocked down a few pegs. That was two days ago, and, unfortunately for them, wasn't the last time they saw David either. Yesterday morning, David arrived at Marcus and Katrina's room as they were finishing breakfast, very angry to say the least. Instead of getting drawn into an argument with him, Marcus simply tossed him the gas mask they retrieved, told him to take it to the compound, and shut the door before David could start speaking. Since then, Marcus had been worried how David would respond to everything that happened, the thought that he might do something drastic weighed heavily on his mind. But, Katrina quickly took his mind off it, she had very effective ways of relaxing him.
It wasn't till that morning the thoughts surfaced in his mind again. However, as beautiful as sunrise was it's nothing compared to the sight behind him. Slowly, Marcus turned around, looking at the beautiful woman lying in his bed sound asleep. Even though it was still dark, he could clearly see Katrina sleeping gently like an angel, HIS angel. The bedsheets clung tight to her well - toned and shapely body, He knew there was nothing covering her beneath the sheets. He starred at Katrina, watching the sheets rise as she breathed, observing every detail, something he's done countless times during their marriage, but had yet to get tired of doing. To Marcus, she was still as beautiful as the day he'd met her over two thousand years ago.
"Are you going to stare at me all day?" Katrina said without opening her eyes.
Marcus couldn't help but smirk as he looked at Katrina. "How long have you been awake?"
"A few minutes, I could feel your eyes looking me over."
"Can you blame me for starring at the sexiest woman in the world."
Katrina smirked as she opened her eyes and slowly sat up. Marcus watched closely as she held the blankets tight against her bare body. He knew she was teasing him, it's really all she did when they're alone. Katrina pretended not to notice his stare, which only aroused him even more.
"Two thousand years and you can still make me blush." Katrina said, yawning softly.
"Call it a gift, I speak the truth, you are gorgeous."
"And all yours, so I'd say you're incredibly lucky."
"Try the luckiest man alive." Marcus replied as he sat down on the edge of the bed.
"Then why does there appear to be something else on your mind besides me?"
"Hm, you know me very well, hun."
"Of course, your my husband, I'm supposed to know everything about you. If anything, if my duty to know you better than you know yourself." Katrina said, laying a hand on Marcus' shoulder.
"Let me guess, so you can manipulate me right?"
Marcus and Katrina both start laughing, knowing fully well what he said was true. If there's one thing she's good at, besides killing Werewolves, it's manipulating him. Most of her manipulative techniques involve a bedroom, which on Marcus always work. If he was being honest, he enjoyed being manipulated by Katrina, it was quality time they spent together alone, time they both absolutely loved.
"So, are you going to tell me what's bothering you or am I going to have to guess?" Katrina asked softly, looking up at her mate with the puppy dog eyes expression she knew he couldn't resist.
"Unfortunately, there is something bothering me, it's the recent Werewolf activity."
"Huh, so you've noticed it as well?"
Marcus nodded. "Oh yes, that's why I was away from you for so long. The recent activity I've seen lately is unusually high. I haven't seen the Werewolves this active since the sixth century; that worries me."
"You sure about that hun? I've spent most of my time this last year in the community. It seems to be a little higher than usual from what I've noticed."
"From what I've seen it is. This past year I've tracked down pack after pack, exterminating them any place I find them. In that time alone I've found at least thirteen packs."
Katrina gasped, the look on her face making Marcus laugh. "Thirteen, that number can't be right, your number is three times higher than anyone else's. Are you sure it's not because you've been unusually dedicated to finding them?"
"Im sure of it. You remember last year when I started my hunt?"
"Yes, you found information of pack locations in the Rockies and headed out without saying much to me about it?"
"And I'm sorry about that, I was just making sure the information was accurate and not a trap. It wouldn't have been the first time Werewolves have planted information to lead us into a trap, I had to make sure so you wouldn't be in danger."
Katrina glared at Marcus with a look that would've caused a hundred year old oak tree to wither and die. The look sent shivers down Marcus' spine, he knew from experience that she was angry and might arrack him. Whenever Marcus saw that look he knew the best thing to do was to put up his hands, surrender, and apologize, running would only make it worse.
"I'm sorry Hun, I was just joking."
"I know, I'm just messing with you." Katrina said, suddenly laughing making Marcus sigh in relief. "At least you had a good reason for leaving like that, I hope it was worth it."
"Well, leaving you behind wasn't, but the search turned out to be a success. I found a small pack and exterminated them easily. Turns out the map I found was very accurate in revealing pack locations. I've been following that map very closely since then, trying to take them out before they realized what was happening and moved. That's why I never asked for help, it would've taken too long."
"Ah, I take it you succeeded in wiping all of them out?"
"Yes, but what struck me as odd was that none of them was a large pack. The largest pack I saw in that time had only ten members." Marcus said, trying not to focus on Katrina's bare form barely being covered by the bed sheets.
"Huh, that does sound strange, how many packs did you say there were?"
"At least thirteen, I lost track over time, though I reported each one back to the community, so they have an accurate number."
Katrina slowly stood up, appearing to think, keeping the sheets covering her body. Marcus found himself starring intently at his beautiful wife, observing every detail of he body, as she began pacing in front of him. His eyes followed her back and forth hoping to see something, but couldn't get a good view despite being so close. As frustrating and beautiful as it was he knew she was doing it on purpose.
"Hm, sounds to me like a new tactic the Werewolves are using." Katrina said, not looking at Marcus. "I've never heard of so many small packs being in one area like you're describing; usually there's either one big pack controling the area or a couple of smaller packs fighting for control. For so many small packs to be in one region and not fighting each other might be a sign of something else."
"Like them all being part of the same pack?" Marcus suggested, getting a shocked looked from Katrina.
"You've considered it to haven't you?"
"Yes, it makes sense to me that they were all part of one big pack You didn't think I was just running around killing Werewolves without thinking were you?"
"Actually, that's exactly what I thought you were doing." Katrina said sarcastically, getting a smirk from Marcus."
"Oh haha, very funny. What I believe is that the group we exterminated together a couple days was the main force while the smaller packs I've hunted down over the past year were individual cells working to benefit the pack."
"Like an terrorist organization or spy network operating an region? That's VERY unusual of Werewolves, I wonder why they're doing this now. They haven't done stuff like this since the purge in the eighth century."
Marcus shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, I never found any evidence about that. But, as far as this region of the world is concerned, it doesn't really matter anymore, we've taken them all out."
"But you can't say the same thing for the rest of the world, that's the problem. For all we know this could be happening all over the world."
"I know, and why now after so long. We've killed so many of them over the past millennia that these actions shouldn't be possible."
"Of course, they should be close to extinction by now, instead their numbers seem to be rising." Katrina said as she finally stopped pacing in front of Marcus. "We need to discuss with Fenrir about this."
"If this is going on all over the world then I agree. He at least needs to know about the situation in the Rockies. Maybe he knows what's going on."
"Hopefully, it's a long trip to the castle from here. And don't you have to meet with that kid first?"
Marcus nodded. "Yes, we can meet up with Jamie along the way. It should be quick, as long as he listens to us, otherwise he might end up in a ditch."
"Especially if he flirts with me. I think you'd take care of that pretty quickly."
"Nah, I think you'd accept his flirts just to tease me."
Katrina giggled. "Probably, wouldn't be the first time I've done that. All joking aside, I hope your assumptions are correct, otherwise it's not going to end well for him."
"Of course, I don't want to hunt the kid down like a dog. But, I guess we'll worry about that bridge when we get to it."
"Yeah, guess that means our anniversary is over; time to get back to work."
Katrina sighed as she stood up and headed toward the bathroom to shower. She was opening the bathroom door when she stopped suddenly, as if she was frozen. To Marcus it was as if a dirty thought had entered her mind.
Katrina smiled as she looked over her shoulder, facing away from Marcus. "Hun, instead of wasting time getting ready how about we save time by taking a shower together?"
Without saying another word, Katrina looked over her shoulder at Marcus as she let go of the bedsheets, letting them drop on the floor around her feet. Marcus' heart nearly jumped out of his chest as he saw his wife standing in the bathroom doorway, her body free as a bird, facing the other way to tease him. Even though Marcus had seen the gorgeous view thousands of times it still mesmerized him. Katrina stood at the door for a moment before walking into the bathroom, halfway closing the door behind him.
Man this woman is a master temptress, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Marcus thought as he stood up off the bed and walked to the bathroom, hearing Katrina turning on the shower as he pushed the door open. My lovely wife, what did I ever do to deserve such a beautiful, sexy Lycan like you? I'll give you the world to keep you happy.
"Hey kid, we're here, wake up."
Jamie was woken up from his sleep by a rough shoulder push and a deep voice. Despite being as tired as he was the push was enough to fully wake up Jamie almost immediately and remind him that he was currently the passenger on a semi-truck.
"Where are we?" Jamie asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
"Dardanelle, Arkansas, I told you this was as far as I could take you." The large truck driver mumbled as he shut off the truck.
Jamie looked around him, finding little more than an old rural town. The truck was situated in the parking lot of a small Wal-Mart, from the number of parked cars it looked like the top business in the town. He could make out a school district and the distance, a small one from what he could see. Main Street was visible though it didn't look like much, neither did the town, surrounded by fields and hills, little more than a dot on a map. The only things that looked noteworthy were the surrounding mountains and the chicken plant up the road. Unfortunately, it was too dark for Jamie to see the mountains, which disappointed him. However, he could smell the chicken plant as plain as day. The smell alone overwhelmed his sense of smell, making him cover his nose.
"Okay kid, time to get out." The driver shouted in an angry tone.
"You're just going to leave me here? How the heck am I supposed to go get to Pettie Jean? I don't know the area or anyone here. Where am I going to stay?"
The trucker shrugged his shoulders, barely even looking at Jamie. "Not my problem kid. I did what I said I'd do, now you're on your own. However, I will give you some advice. There's a motel in town, I don't quite remember where but it should be easy to find. To get to Pettie Jean I'd advise asking around, these people know where it is and someone may help you."
"That's it, that's all you'll do for me?"
"Yes, now get out of my truck before I push you out."
Jamie growled to himself as he jumped out of the truck, mumbling insults at the trucker at the same time. It took all the patience Jamie had not to throw the trucker through the windshield. As much as Jamie wanted to he knew that doing so would only draw unnecessary attention, probably getting him arrested. He reluctantly thanked the trucker for at least driving him that far, only getting a grunt in return, before walking away.
Jamie shouldered his backpack and sighed as he thought to himself. After what that'd happened recently, he was starting to question everything he knew and he did. As if finding out werewolves exist wasn't enough, discovering an entire world he never knew existed, combined with every decision he made recently coming around to bite him Jamie certainly wasn't feeling too high and mighty at the moment. Falling in with that gang was what felt like his lowest moment, he made the decision to join on the sole reason to feel like he belonged somewhere. If he had known what the gang was, or what they did, he would've kept on walking. The events that followed will horrify him for life. But, following the orders of Marcus, a man he knew nothing about, seemed even dumber than falling in with the gang. For all Jamie knew Marcus could be planning to kill him or turn him into something worse than what he already was. He couldn't explain why he was following Marcus' advice, it didn't make sense why he was even considering listening to him. But yet, there he was, following directions from a man he didn't trust to a place he didn't know. Despite all the confusion Jamie felt he knew he had little options, going back to his family was something he would never consider. Wondering the country seemed like the only real option at the moment besides following Marcus' directions.
"Are you lost young man?" A femine voice behind him blurted out.
Jamie jumped at the sudden shout, and spun around only to freeze in his place when he saw who was standing behind him. Standing before him was a beautiful, Native American woman in a slim, white dress. The woman was about Jamie's height with long, black hair that flowed past her shoulders. Her blue eyes seemed to glow from the setting sun shining on them, illuminating her perfectly chiseled face. A small scar ran diagonally across her right cheek, to Jamie it looked cute. She was slim around the waist and but appeared to have large muscles for someone her size. The dress she was wearing only solidified her beauty, clinging tightly to her bosom, revealing some cleavage as if to tempt him. It clung to her body perfectly, not too tight or too loose, and the helm stopped just above her ankles. Looking at the woman made Jamie's heart race, even though she appeared to be in her late twenties, maybe lower thirties. At first Jamie was tempted to try flirting with her till he spotted a wedding ring on her finger, causing him to immediately changed his mind.
Despite being attracted to the woman Jamie couldn't help but sense something odd in the woman. He got a strange feeling about her that he couldn't shake. Though it was faint, his nose caught a scent that clearly wasn't human, werewolf, or lycan, that made him suspicious. However, Jamie didn't sense her as a threat, so, he relaxed a little but still kept his guard up.
"Uh, I think so miss. I'm new to this . . . town." Jamie said, trying not to make it obvious he was eyeing the woman's body.
"I figured you were when I saw you get out of the truck. You certainly have the look of a kid that's lost and confused."
"That's more true than you realize miss. I hate to complain to a beautiful woman I just met but I honestly have no idea what I'm doing."
The woman blushed a little at Jamie's comment. "That's often true with people your age. I was the same way once, not knowing what to do, just roaming around looking for purpose, or running from something. The problem with that is they often find themselves in deep trouble just to feel safe, they go after the easiest and usually first solution they come across. Many don't realize that it's often the hardest solution that's the correct one, which from what I'm observing from you it looks like that's the option you've chosen."
Jamie subconsciously took a step back from the woman. Somehow, having just met him, she was able to almost perfectly describe his situation. Not only that but give him advice as well. It felt like she was reading his mind, maybe she was. Whatever was going on it didn't make him feel any easier.
"How . . . How do you know that?" Jamie stuttered.
"Personal experience, observing people, watching it happen to others, magic." The woman replied, putting sarcasm on her last answer. "Take your pick, young man. But what I got to say really doesn't matter, what does is the choices you make."
"Ok, that's helpful and creepy at the same time." Jamie said, trying unsuccessfully to hide the suspicion in his voice. "I hate sound ungrateful but why are you giving me advice, we just met."
"I like helping people, but my social skills aren't that great. So, I'm sorry if I made you concerned or suspicious in any way." The woman apologized, then extending her hand to Jamie. "My name's Doli, it means "blue bird" in Navajo. It's a name given to reflect the spirit of a child."
"Well, it's nice to meet you Doli, I'm Jamie.
"Nice to meet you too young man. Now that introductions have been made let me be the first to welcome you kindly to Dardanelle, Arkansas."
Jamie looked at Doli a little confused as he shook her hand. It seemed weird that she was calling him young man when she looked only a few years older than him. However, he didn't think it was best to call her out on that, didn't seem like a gentleman thing to do; plus, Doli was clearly more than she seemed. If there's one thing Jamie's learned recently it's to not believe his eyes; his life would be completely different if he had.
"So, is there anything you can tell me about this place?" Jamie asked as he rubbed the back of his head, trying to think of something to say to the attractive woman standing before him.
"That depends, why did you come here? You moving here for work, a tourist, or just passing through?"
"Uh, well . . . I was supposed to meet someone in a State Park near here. That's the best way I can think to describe it."
Doli giggled. "It might help if you knew which one, there's two State Parks nearby, Mount Nebo and Petit Jean."
"Oh, sorry, it's Petit Jean I'm supposed to be at. Do you know the way there?"
"Of course, everyone around here does. It's only a half hour drive from here. Unfortunately, it's getting late so heading there now can wait. There's a hotel nearby you can stay at tonight."
"Really, that makes me feel much better, thanks for your help." Jamie said, shaking Doli's hand.
"It's no problem, the hotel is this way, follow me please."
Without waiting for Jamie to respond Doli spun around and began walking away in what he assumed was the direction of the hotel. At first, Jamie started following Doli only to stop for a moment once he realized what he was doing. Subconsciously, Jamie was making the same mistake he made with the gang when he became a werewolf. There he was, blindly following a woman he had just met, to some place he didn't know, that could possibly end in something worse than what he's been through. Even though his senses didn't pick up anything evil about her there was still the caution he felt to follow her. Maybe the woman wasn't evil and really wanted to help him, or maybe she was going to roast him for supper like a witch. His instincts seemed torn on the issue; confusing him even more.
"Are you coming or not?" Doli called to Jamie.
Jamie looked up from the ground and quickly realized Doli was a good distance ahead of him. He must've zoned out for a moment. Looking up at Doli, Jamie noticed something unusual about her eyes, they were a brighter blue than earlier, almost glowing. Almost instantly, Jamie felt something come overwhelm, clouding his mind.
"Uh, yes, I'm coming." Jamie blurted out immediately, as if something made his mouth say the words.
Jamie jogged up to Doli to catch up to her. Once he was behind her she started walking again, hopefully leading him to the hotel. He couldn't explain why he was following her, his actions felt unnatural, against his better judgement, yet he was still following her. It felt as if he was in a trance following her, almost dream-like. Still, Jamie didn't raise any questions as he continued to follow Doli like a little puppy.
Ok, sooner or later I have got to start getting some common sense, or at least some answers.
Ezekiel yawned as he gripped the steering wheel of his jeep to keep on the road. Driving along a dark, country road in the middle night combined with less than ten hours of sleep for the week was starting to effect him. Didn't help that it was his third week in a row with similar conditions, not even lycan like himself was starting to be effected by the lack of sleep. But, Ezekiel took a sip of his coffee and kept driving with no intent of slowing down.
After setting his coffee mug down, Ezekiel checked the gps to see how close he was to his destination. "Ok, I'm nearly there, just a mile and hopefully it'll be a small incident, nothing major."
He pushed down on the throttle, speeding his jeep down the road. The only thing on Ezekiel's mind was getting to the site as quickly as possible and then sleeping for the next few days. He doubted a little that it'd be a simple investigation, it rarely is simple when a large pack goes missing so suddenly. That's never a good sign and always meant more work for him. He could already guess that the pack was attacked, the main questions on Ezekiel's mind were how and by whom
As Ezekiel turned a corner his headlights illuminated a large spectacle before him. Even from nearly a quarter mile away, at night, he could see werewolves, in their human form, parading around the crash site like a bunch of idiots. The sight of them roaming around openly at a crash site was enough to make Ezekiel's blood boil
What are these idiots doing? Are they trying to draw attention to themselves. I've told them a hundred times to be subtle.
Ezekiel growled to himself as he stepped on the throttle. He had half a mind to rip whoever was in charge in two once he got there. In the past he's warned the werewolves several times to be more careful when investigating attacks and lycan activity. The last thing Ezekiel wanted was for the Lycans to find out what werewolves were doing, and that he existed. The way the werewolves were conducting their investigation even an idiot could figure out something was amiss.
The activity came to a sudden halt as Ezekiel stepped out of his jeep. All eyes turned to the old, experienced lycan as he eyes scanned the site. Ezekiel ignored the gazes of the frightened werewolves, he got used to their fears of him centuries ago; it no longer affected or even annoyed him. He had more important things to worry about than the fear of his subordinates.
The hooded, black trench coat wore blew wildly in the wind, exposing the desert eagle and gladius short sword he kept on his sides. The extendable spear he kept strapped on his back was almost visible as well. He was glad the hood kept his head covered so the werewolves wouldn't see his short, white hair or his green eyes. Those traits always gave Lycans away, making any werewolf that knew about them very nervous.
Ezekiel knew that the werewolves were terrified of him, mostly because he was a lycan. Even though he had proved he wasn't a threat they still feared him, many having lost fellow pack members to Lycans. He preferred it that way as none of the werewolves questioned his authority, except the occassional berzerks. However, the fear they had for him also meant they didn't trust him, something that slightly annoyed him.
"Ezekiel, we've been expecting you." A werewolf shouted as he ran up to greet him.
"If you were expecting me then why did you start the investigation before I arrived?"
"Well, uh . . . we . . . we wanted to find out what happened here as soon as possible I guess."
Ezekiel crossed his arms and glared at the werewolf. "Then why are you guys running around like a bunch of chickens with your heads cut off?"
"Well, uh, you see . . . we thought it'd . . . it seemed like a good idea at the time."
Watching the werewolf rub the back of his head and stutter to come up with an answer nearly made Ezeki crack a smile. If it wasn't a serious matter he probably wouldve laughed. Instead, due to the urgency and circumstances, he had to be serious, the last thing he needed was for the werewolves to see him as anything less than a person who doesn't take his job seriously.
Ezekiel held up his hand to stop the werewolf's rambling. "Despite what you felt about this attack you should've waited for me to show up. You're job is strictly containment and security, mine is to investigate and enforce. If you have a problem with that then take it up with Megaloth. If you don't then step aside and let me do my job."
The werewolf nodded and stepped aside to let Ezekiel past. "If you don't need our help then what do you want us to do?"
"Other than your assigned job, all I need is for you to let me do my job and only assist if I ask for it."
The werewolf nodded as he stepped back. Ezekiel returned the nod and walked past him, observing the wreckage around the site. Though he wished he had been a little nicer with the werewolf he quickly ignored the guilt, there were more pressing matters to attend to.
Ezekiel glanced around the site, taking in the major details first. Other than the crashed semi - truck and jeeps there wasn't much to look at. To the untrained eye it looked like a genuine automotive accident, but Ezekiel was no novice; he knew what had really happened. After scanning the area around him for a few moments, he proceeded towards the nearest group of werewolves who were knelt around a pile of ashes. The werewolves near him parted as he approached, he knew it was out of unjustified fear, making Ezekiel shake his head in frustration. For once in his eternal life he'd like for werewolves to not be afraid of him. He ignored them without slowing his pace, there were much more important things to deal with than their fear of him.
Ezekiel knelt down next to the pile of ashes, sticking his hand over it, feeling hardly any hear coming from it, telling him the werewolf had been killed a while ago. Though he couldn't tell what specifically killed the werewolf, due to it being a pile of ashes, he didn't need to be an expert to know that it was killed. Ezekiel had seen it countless times, bodies of werewolves left behind to rot with clear evidence of a ambush, firefight, battle, or whatever someone wanted to call it. It had only been recently when he'd started seeing piles of ashes, making it clear to him that some kind of new technology had been developed by the Lycans.
Ezekiel stood up and proceeded to the next pile, then the next, and the next, making a pattern in his mind of what happened. He felt the eyes of the werewolves following him with every step he took, knowing they had expectations for him as well as fears. With little distractions, Ezekiel made his way slowly around the site, observing every detail he could find. As he made his way around the clues began to come together, he recognized the pattern of attack fairly well, causing a disturbed smile to form on his face
"Well, well, I recognize this handiwork anywhere." Ezekiel said loud enough to get the attention of the werewolves near him.
"You do, how do you know that?" A werewolf asked.
"Simple, I've been observing their methods for over a millennia. I know how they operate from cleaning up after them for so long. These two have caused more damage against our packs than any other Lycans."
The werewolves around Ezekial started laughing till one of them spoke up. "Sir, that's impossible, two Lycans could not have possibly done this. It would take at least a whole lycan squad to take out this pack."
"Normally, I would agree with you, but these two are not your typical Lycans. They are two of the oldest and most powerful Lycans there are and have the highest werewolf kill counts in the community. I cannot stress how good they are and the amount of damage they've caused us throughout the millennias."
"If you're so certain then tell us who they are?"
Ezekiel smiled as he stood to and glared at the werewolf who cowarded under his gaze. "Marcus the White Wolf of the Black Forest and Katrina the Grey Hunter of the Amazons."
