Chapter Six- The Bite
"I like that idea," Atem said.
"I agree," Aknadin added. "I cannot think of any other place."
Mahad saw Seto nod and said, "Then, I will prepare for the trip." He bowed and left the room.
"My pharaoh, are you certain you want to turn Mahad?" Seto asked.
"I am. He made a convincing argument. You feel differently on the matter?"
"Full moon aside, we are quite capable of defending ourselves."
"Seto," Aknadin said. "I don't dispute that sentiment but Mahad is our court magician and, even in wolf form, he would still be able to use his magic."
"Point made," Seto said. He was lost in thought as he and his father were dismissed. He found it curious that he had thought of Mahad being a werewolf as a good thing but when the request was made, he was against the idea. He had an idea of why he reversed himself. Aknadin, Atem, and himself were born werewolves while Mahd would be a bitten one; in short, not a true werewolf. He shook his head slightly. What am I thinking? Born or bitten, all are true werewolves. Mahad will be as much a werewolf as I am. He'll have questions but we'll be unable to answer at night as we'll speak as wolves and he won't understand us, even with the bite.
Mahad ran down the supply list he had created. He didn't want to forget anything. Yes, he would be in a magician's place of power but he tended to have the items he needed on hand instead of conjuring them from thin air. His eyes roved over the list. Food, wood, rope, weapons…no. No weapons. I'll be with three werewolves, plenty of protection there. Water…not enough for the entire night, but I'll be able to increase the amount instead of conjuring it from thin air; less draining on my magic that way. Fire-starting materials. Check. That's everything. Now to gather them. Mahad rolled up his list and set to work on getting his supplies.
Atem summoned Aknadin before getting through as much of his duties as he could. He wanted to make tomorrow's load lighter as Mahad may need help as his senses sharpened and he shifted through the day. He knew from experience how rough it was; of course he didn't know why his senses were sharper until he was told why. Mahad would know as it happened since he had been told about it already.
"You summoned me, my pharaoh?" Aknadin asked, getting Atem to look up.
"Yes. I know Seto was against my granting Mahad's request. I would like to hear your opinion."
"I still think it's a good idea. As I had stated, he'll have access to his magic in wolf form and that combination will make him a more formidable ally."
"Which is why he asked to be bitten. I am glad that you agree with my decision."
"You are the pharaoh. The ultimate authority. My son has no business in questioning your decisions."
"Be that as it may, I do encourage my court to express their opinion on a matter, if they choose to. Seto is very opinionated man."
It was late afternoon when Mahad decided to gather the food, the item he saved for last. He knew that he would need to collect a good amount of meat but he himself would need more than meat tonight. He entered the storage room with bags to see Seto by the meat, appearing to be sniffing them. Before today, Mahad would have found this odd and would have concluded that it was his imagination, but he knew better. "Seto," he said when the young priest turned away from his inspection.
"Mahad. Getting the food, I see."
"Yes. So…any preferences?" He tilted his head to the meat.
"No. I may want to hunt for dinner."
"As you wish."
"Oh, I will."
Mahad detected a mocking tone in Seto's voice and took offense at it. He turned to him. "What is your problem, Seto?"
"I have an issue with the pharaoh granting your request. I firmly believe that you do not need to be a werewolf."
"The pharaoh could have denied it and I did not hear Master Aknadin protest."
Seto went face-to-face with Mahad. "Be honest. Is this really about being a greater protector for the pharaoh or are you jealous of him, Aknadin, and me?"
"Jealous? Of course not. I truly want to be more useful. Master Aknadin said that werewolves and humans are vulnerable to the same things that can bring harm or death to both."
"That is true, despite our quick healing ability," Seto said slowly. "And Master Aknadin pointed out that you would still have access to your magic in wolf form."
"That was a good thing to hear. Really, Seto that should prove that I would be quite useful as a werewolf, particularly if we should run into trouble."
"Yes and the pharaoh has a knack for attracting trouble," Seto remarked and both men laughed as they both gathered the food.
The horses were saddled with the supplies as all four raced for their home for the night, Mahad leading the way. The desert stretched for miles and looked the same from every direction, but Mahad confidently headed for the Training Ground. The terrain soon became sand and cliff faces with occasional caves. Mahad headed for a solid-looking rock face, dismounted, tied his horse to a deeply buried speak shaft, and went right through the rock face to the surprise of the werewolves.
"An illusion," Atem said before Mahad reappeared to unpack the saddlebags. He dismounted and tied up his horse to another shaft before unpacking along with Seto and Aknadin. He passed through the illusion to see a ball of light bobbing in the air and Mahad working on building a fire. The area was very large, more than enough room to accommodate their supplies, a fire, one human, and three werewolves.
Aknadin and Seto entered with their bags and set them with the others. "Pharaoh, it is almost moonrise," Aknadin said.
All four left the cave and stepped out to see the sun vanish from the horizon. The sky was aglow with a white full moon and Mahad rubbed his arms as a slight chill was felt. A trio of howls sounded and Mahad watched as his companions became large wolves, each a different color.
The black one with yellow tips turned to Mahad and he saw human intelligence in his intense purple eyes. They really are aware. I had some doubts but not anymore. Atem lifted a paw to wave it at Mahad's arm and he gave a bark. The message was clear and Mahad crouched down, his arm held out. Atem latched onto it and bit down. Mahad cried out and when Atem released, there was a definite bite mark, blood welling up.
Mahad put pressure on it and gave a smile when Atem flinched and whined. "It's all right. I'll be fine and this insures that I'll be a werewolf tomorrow. If you want to hunt, go ahead."
Atem seemed unsure but a few barks from Seto made Atem turn and follow the other two.
Mahad ducked back into the cave to stoke the fire, cook, eat, and put out bowls of water and meat for the others, the former increased by magic. He then wrapped his cape around his body and was soon asleep. The werewolves returned later, tossed more wood into the fire, drank some water, and curled around Mahad to keep him and themselves warm. They exchanged silent looks that conveyed their conviction that biting Mahad was the correct decision.