Chapter 10
There was an uproar in the tribe that afternoon.
"Seal our powers away?! You must be crazy!!"
"It's the only way humans can trust us." Cornell said and sighed scratching his head wearily. "It's the only way the tribe can stay alive..."
"Who cares what them humans say!" Another angry man-wolf protested. "I say we kill 'em all and show 'em whose boss around these parts!"
Cornell glanced at the man-wolf disapprovingly.
"They have more power than you think, Maefir Cossa. We must seal away our powers to gain their trust, else they'll storm the camp and kill us all. Any objectors may leave the tribe and deal with them yourselves."
Those statements seemed to have hushed most of the tribe, but the Cossa brothers in particular were still fussy.
"Huh, what a lousy leader! Ortega could tell us how to kill 'em all! Prob'ly get some of the slaves back too! Let Ortega become leader again!"
Ortega leaned silently against a tree with his arms crossed the whole time. He idly looked from Cornell to Maefir and then spoke.
"Cornell is right. The humans are prepared for another attack. It wouldn't be wise to attack them head on. We shall surely be dead beasts. A surprise attack would lead to a surprise of our own. One mauled human will send a large herd of them on our tails."
The Cossa brother became silent with the rest of the tribe. It was an eerie silence to come from a group full of uproar.
Cornell looked at Ortega with half hidden astonishment. Ortega smiled weakly.
"Is that not right, Blue Crescent Moon?"
Cornell placed a hand over the pendant around his neck as though he had just remembered how he got his name.
"Yeah--er, yes. That is right... We must seal away our powers. In return, the humans will accept us into their community with no grudges held. You will all still have one third of your man-beast strength, but you will not be able to transform. The ceremony will take place in the mountain range, safe from most humans. A sanctuary will be kept there, holding your powers. It will be an enormous task to recollect them, especially in your new forms."
Then it was so. After the ceremony, Cornell could feel his powers leaving him. His keen vision had decreased greatly and so had his hearing and sense of smell. His claws had disappeared and left only tender fingers and fingernails.
"So this is how a human lives..." Cornell placed his hands gently into Ada's. "Meek and humble compared to the man-wolf; And I have not yet lost all of my power..."
Ada examined his claw-less hands. She looked up at Cornell with concern. He gave her a small smile.
"The village leader, Joseph, insisted that he teach the tribe to survive as humans. The tribe will get good lessons on academics and survival skills. Just as humans live..."
Ada nodded and sighed. "I don't feel like I'm a man-wolf, Cornell. I haven't got a single trait that proves I'm one. And..." She looked Cornell in the eyes. "Marcell told me what the word ersatz meant..."
Cornell was quiet. He searched Ada's eyes, determining whether to tell her the truth or not. He turned his gaze away.
"He did, did he...?"
"Please don't be mad at him... He didn't mean to, honestly... Is it true?"
Cornell was silent once again. After all these years, how could he tell Ada the truth? He still felt so guilty of what the man-wolves had done to her kind and her parents. Cornell sighed to himself.
"Cornell?"
"You are my sibling, no matter what anyone else thinks. Mother was human of course, so perhaps you got that gene from her..."
Cornell carried a heavy heart that year. Uncanny enough, most of the man-beasts got along fine with humans. They shared the seasons together telling tales, feasting and studying. Some of the tribe had even got so comfortable enough that they helped build homes for the former slaves. Others spent their time training alone. They were determined to gain most of their strength back, or even break the seal that bound their power. Some succeeded in gaining power, but they couldn't break the seal. A near impossible task, as Cornell foretold. Even in training, there were some humans that were in awe of a man-beast's strength and sought to become strong like one. Some man-wolves allowed these humans to follow along and serve as apprentice for them. Either way, bonds and friendships were made between the two types.
This had pleased Cornell, but the scars of the past still hurt him. He couldn't stand lying to Ada. She had always been honest and sincere to him. If he told her the truth, she would never consider him to be a brother anymore. What if they lost the bond that kept them going through all those years? His parents' death was also on his mind. The acts of the past all seemed to be so strange...
Five seasons later, after the man-wolves had begun the treaty with humans, the village had begun their annual fall festival. Last year, few man-wolves wanted much to do with humans and decided to stay out of their affairs. This year however, more than a handful of man-wolves joined in. The most popular activity was the Pie Eating contest. More than 300 pies filled five large tables spaced into sections. The mixed aroma of blackberry, apple, and pecan pie filled the air and urged the hungry contestants. Marcell had fasted the whole day, just for the event; Now Ada stood incredulously by his table and watched Marcell tunnel down his third blackberry pie.
"You'll get sick eating all those blackberry pies!"
" 'Er 'ight, Riss Ada..." Marcell mumbled with a mouthful of blackberry pie. "I'll jerst af ter eat er pecan pie ernstead!"
Cornell was one of the few who didn't enjoy the event. Instead he sat by a pond that he favored and was not too far from the village. He was away from the entire hubbub and lost in his thoughts once again.
"Why aren't you enjoying the festivities, Blue Crescent Moon?"
Cornell looked into the water and saw Ortega's reflection appear behind him.
"I wouldn't like to, Ortega..."
"Is it because you are troubled? Or is it that you hate humans?"
Cornell clenched his fists at the sound of it. "I don't hate humans."
"Ah, that is right...you keep that human as a pet..."
That only angered Cornell more, of course.
"Ada is not a pet!"
"Well, she's certainly not a slave or a housemaid." Ortega sat down beside him. "I didn't mean to upset you, Cornell."
Cornell didn't respond. He continued to wander into his own thoughts.
"Why are you here?" Cornell finally asked.
"It's quiet..." Ortega looked across the pond almost in as deep thought as Cornell.
Cornell thought about the man-wolves attempt to break the magic seal that bound their powers. Many who tried, increased their own power threefold. Still, it wasn't enough to regain their man-wolf form. Cornell was mystified by the concept. The challenge sparked a flame in his heart. Breaking the seal seemed to be the answer to all his questions... Cornell got to his feet almost immediately and headed back to the village. He turned back briefly to farewell Ortega, before dashing off. This was indeed his destiny!
The next morning, Cornell arose before the sun. He packed a bag that contained a few provisions. Just as he was about to wake Ada, she had begun to wake on her own.
"Where are you going?"
"On a journey..." Cornell said, loading the sack over his shoulder. "I will be back in a few seasons."
Ada was wide awake by the situation. She almost looked as fearful as Cornell had when Matthew announced his leave.
"Can I come along?"
Cornell sighed. "Not this time, Ada. I'll return, I promise. I just need some time alone. One of the village women, Holly, has agreed to look after you. She should arrive by midday. Joseph will watch the tribe while I'm gone, but I want you to have this..."
Cornell took off the crescent pendant and gave it to Ada.
"It's just something to remember me by. You know its power don't you?"
Ada nodded. "Yes..."
"Good. Ah, and you can have this dagger too. Marcell can teach you how to use it properly as a weapon."
"Um, alright...though, I don't like killing anything..."
"You don't have to use it for that. Just for emergency cases, if anything else."
Cornell continued out the door. The sun was beginning to rise just barely. Villagers had begun rising to do their early morning chores. The village was still and peaceful otherwise, and Cornell left it that way.
As he pasted through the forest, Ortega appeared in front of him.
"You're leaving?"
"Possibly." Cornell replied bluntly. He kept moving on past Ortega, but the man-beast followed.
"You're seeking to break the seal aren't you? How ironic, you were the one who suggested we seal them. What are you after them for?"
"That is my business alone." Cornell was hoping he would avoid anyone asking him these questions; that's why he chose to leave early. Ortega, of all the people he didn't want to see then, was the one he would have to deal with.
"Perhaps you are thinking it will improve your strength greatly. I myself have tried to break the seal, but returned empty-handed."
How can Ortega always think of power? Cornell thought. Where was all this leading anyhow...?
"Before you leave, Cornell, I challenge you to a battle."
Cornell stopped and faced Ortega. "What?"
Ortega was satisfied that he finally got him to stop. "Not to any battle for leadership. Merely for a test in strength..."
Cornell shot him a look of disapproval and continued walking. "Perhaps when I get back..."
Ortega frowned with a disapproval of his own. He blocked Cornell from going any farther.
"I want to battle you now. As a leader, you should accept every challenge you get. Or have you turned into a human?"
That was the last straw. Cornell punched Ortega. Whether Ortega liked it or not, a fight began. The two cuffed and jabbed at each other. Ortega punched hard, but Cornell was the toughest. Rage had built inside of him and ruled the fight. Cornell cuffed Ortega hard on the side of his face, making him stagger backwards.
"I told you that I didn't want to fight, Ortega!" Cornell roared. "Why can't you listen?"
He stormed past his defeated ally. Cornell didn't bother to look back as he spoke.
"Try to stay out of trouble while I'm gone, Ortega."
Ortega wiped a trickle of blood from his lip and with disdain, he watched Cornell leave. Stay out of trouble? What was he, a trouble-maker?
He huffed angrily and marched the opposite way. He'd show Cornell how much of a trouble-maker he could become...
After nearly a year of brooding, Ortega wandered boldly into the dark castle the whole region had feared. This was the so-called castle of Count Dracula. Ortega overheard villagers tell of Dracula's return every century to plague Romania with armies of demons and the undead. He had heard a few other facts, but one thing was on Ortega's mind at that moment. Perhaps he could convince this dark lord to grant him power. Or even his wolf form back...
"What business have you here, lycanthrope?"
Death the Grim Reaper appeared before him. He wore dark purple robes and of course held a scythe rod in his hand. A skeletal face grinning with malice could be seen through the robe's hood covering his head. He also had a pair of black wings sprouted from the back of his shoulders. Of course, he knew what Ortega was after; he could sense it from Ortega's angry and prided heart.
"I seek power from your lord, Dracula."
"Like most do... you are no different." With a quick sweeping motion, Death positioned the scythe's edge so close to Ortega's neck that it almost punctured his skin.
"Are you willing to accept the consequences?"
Ortega momentarily lost his nerve, and fear could be seen in his eyes. He regained his confidence. Instead of nodding, the scythe forced him to speak.
"Yes."
"Then your soul now belongs to my lord." Death said. "Disobedience will cost you your life. First, you must bring a human sacrifice. Very much alive and well. Preferably a jubilant spirit."
"Of course."