The Werewolf Story

In front of a massive golden gate, Mel sat. At the top of the gate were the letters "FURY". The street lights turned on—it was six PM. In the distance, an exhausted boy jogged on the sidewalk. When he finally reached the gate, Mel stood up.

"Why didn't you just transport?"

"I…uh…"

"You're worried you'll have another episode of crazy."

"Something like that."

"Understandable, I guess. Your running sucks by the way, Aren't you on the school's athletics team?"

"I was already worn out, remember? And how did you know I did athletics you stalker! Besides, I run 100m and stuff not friggin' cross country."

"Wait, do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Heat asked, thinking that they were being followed all along.

"Excuses!" Mel laughed out loud while Heat frowned and entered his home.

"Heat!" his two siblings called in unison. "Where were you?!" Debbie asked.

"I'm sorry guys, I had to go somewhere."

"More importantly, where's food?" Dan asked.

"Silence, you glutton."

"Heat, that's no way to speak to an eight-year-old." Mel gave Dan a high five. "Why are you starving your kid siblings again?"

"Who invited you in?" Heat asked.

"I can direct you to where I got the pizza from yesterday."

"Good idea! I think I have some money." Heat pulled out ten Talents (Zionite currency) from his pocket. "But who's going to go get the pizza?"

"You of course. I'll stay here and look after Dan and Debbie.

"Not happening! I'm not leaving you here with my siblings."

Mel sighed. "Could you step outside with me for a few seconds?" Reluctantly, Heat walked out with her. "You were weak and could barely move, remember? If I wanted to finish you off, I could have easily done that. Even if I did try something funny, you're not in shape to stand up to me."

Heat remained silent for some time and then he said, "Please do not do anything to them. I only trust you this once because it seems you approve of my innocence."

"I won't. I can tell you have a very soft spot for them. What better way to bury the hatchet?"

"Give me your word."

"I give you my word that nothing bad will happen."

Heat turned and ran off as fast as he could to buy dinner for his little siblings. In this situation, having a very large front yard did not help at all.

Mel couldn't help but be moved by Heat's dedication to his siblings.

She chuckled. "I don't think he realized he could've taken them there to eat."

Dan walked out.

"Where's Heat?"

"He's gone to get your food."

"So are you two dating?"

"Ok hon', look at me really good, do I look like I'll be dating Heat?"

Dan stared at Mel intensely and after a few seconds, he relaxed his stare. "Nope. You're way too good for him."

"Thank you. You seem like a very sweet kid!"

"I think Heat is dating Riza instead," Debbie said.

��No, it's Zainab!" Dan retorted.

"Who is Riza?" Mel asked.

"She's a very close friend of Heat," Debbie paused. "At least she was until her dad married again."

"Oh I see. Well, instead of discussing your brother's friends, and who he might be losing his brain to, how 'bout we do something else?" Mel asked. "Let's go inside."

"Like what?"

"Oh, oh, a story!" Dan jumped up and down on the couch.

"Are you allowed to do that?" Mel asked.

"Uhhh…"

"Just kidding! Feel free!"

"Yes!"

"What kind of story do you want?"

"Folktale! Myth!"

"Dan!"

Debbie did not seem intrigued by any of his suggestions.

Mel chuckled. "Nothing scary, Debbie. I promise."

Debbie sat next to her. "Ok."

"How about the story of the first werewolf?"

"Sweet!" Dan exclaimed.

"Once upon a time, there was a king, a sly and intelligent king. He was powerful and cunning, and did not respect any of the gods. He liked to play jokes on them. One day, the king invited Zeus to dine with him. An unsuspecting Zeus accepted the invitation, but just before he started eating, he noticed he was served a human child. Zeus got really, really angry and transformed the king into a wolf."

"What was his name? The king."

"His name was Lycaon."

"Did he have any kids?" Debbie asked.

"Yes, but Zeus killed all of them with lightning bolts. All but one."

At that moment, Heat opened the door, panting heavily, he held up cheeseburgers and fries. An elated Dan rushed and relieved his older brother of his burden.

"Someone must've been feeling lazy."

"Not….Now….Mel," Heat said, unable to catch his breath.

After their supper, Dan and Debbie took out their books to do some homework. Heat went outside and climbed onto the lowest roof of his house and he sat there, watching the stars.

"I never realized that you had green eyes. White hair, green eyes, that's fairly unique," he heard Mel say.

Heat look directly into her eyes, in an attempt to return the compliment, he said, "I didn't notice your yellow eyes either, probably 'because anytime I saw them they were filled with hate towards me."

Mel chuckled. "Do you love to study the stars?"

"Do you?"

"Yes, I do." She paused. "You're not one for answering questions, are you?"

"Why are you on my roof?"

"Just curious as to why you did not eat anything, this is the second day in a row."

"I do not need to eat in order to live."

"Yeah, I think you do."

"Haven't you heard that Man shall not live by bread alone-"

"-But by every word of the Creator? Yes, I have. A phrase coined by the most influential human to live. Well, human if you take the humans' word for it." Mel sat next to Heat. "I don't think it was meant literally though."

Heat pointed his finger at the night sky and drew a figure by connecting a few stars.

"The constellation Lupus," he said.

"So you do study the stars."

"You know, one of the mythologies associated with that constellation has to do with Lycaon, the supposed father of the werewolves."

"Do you know his story?"

"Tricks Zeus, becomes a werewolf, sons get killed."

"What of his birth?"

"Son of Pelasgus and Meliboeia."

"Wow, you're really smart. However, none of those myths associated with the constellation are true. Zeus did turn Lycaon into a wolf, but he gave a place in the stars to the Lupus clan. The Lupus clan were to werewolves, what the vampire clan are to amaroqs—sworn enemy seeking to wipe them out. Unlike the vampires though, the Lupus succeeded."

"According to Supido, werewolves and amaroqs existed even long before man started calculating time."

"Well, most of man, yeah. The Lupus clan, one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful amen clan hunted werewolves for generations. Zeus offered them a place in the stars if they killed off all the descendants of Lycaon, which they did. Eventually, werewolves became extinct."

"Wow, I never knew that. Lupus…" Heat paused, trying to remember where he so often hears the name. "That's Supido's last name." Heat chuckled and squinted his eyes at the stars. "I gotta go make sure Dan and Debbie are done with homework."

He jumped off the roof and went into the house. Mel remained on the roof, staring at the stars.

"So, he's not just good-looking, dedicated and powerful, but also smart?" She grinned. "Too bad the one he has to deal with is him; why did it have to be the meadow? Gidgalash-nge gid'gal-ze, Amireh-ra."