Werewolves of Bloomfield Hills

Chapter 21

Stephan observed himself through a dressing mirror with a smirk on his face. He donned a finely tailored black suit which in a way, reflected his maliciousness. His blood rose like a geyser today as he anticipated the havoc he was about to cause, and satisfied with what he saw in the mirror, he left his room, taking the flight of stairs as he headed towards his garage where he entered his Jaguar and zoomed off for the Druid's Tower.

Arriving at the brick-hewn citadel that was the Druid's Tower, Stephan alighted from his car and entered the building which despite its age still looked formidable. He knew the place like the back of his hands so he didn't have any trouble locating the hall that housed The Council. And when he entered it, he couldn't refrain from smirking when he saw the other alphas seated about the wooden grey table, completely oblivious about what was going to happen tonight. Feeling exuberant, he went around the table and shook hands with the other alphas before he took his seat, and they continued to wait for the druids. While they waited, they discussed in pairs and in groups the things going on in Michigan, and about what could probably be the reason why they were summoned out of the blue. Even though he knew he was responsible for the latter, Stephan did not engage in these dialogues, instead, he replayed his plans in his head. His goal was very delicate, he knew. It depended chiefly on his vocal prowess than brutal strength, so he had to scrutinize it with every opportunity he got. He was doing this fairly well until Buck, a short stout fellow interrupted him with his incessant grumblings.

"What's taking them so long? They always keep us waiting" the robust man complained.

"Be patient brother. I'm certain they'll be here in no time." He assured Buck, and as though his words were an entrance cue, Hendell entered the hall with some other druids. Non-committal, almost mechanically, the men rose to their feet to greet the druids.

"Please be seated" Hendell gestured, then took his seat. "I'm sorry we kept y'all waiting. It's difficult meeting here at short notice" his voice resonated about the room.

"What do you mean 'at short notice'? Weren't you the one who organized this meeting?" One of the werewolves whose patience had worn out asked irritably.

"Funny enough, I didn't" Hendell replied politely.

"Then who did?" the voices in the room rose, rumbling like an earthquake. It was after a few moments that Stephan spoke, taking everyone by surprise.

"I did"

"Stephan?" Hendell called after he found his voice. "But why? No, I mean you can't. Only the druids have the right to demand a meeting"

"I know, but I guess it's about time we began to change those rules" Stephan rose to his feet.

"Fine. Since you have us here, what do you want?" Hendell asked through gritted teeth.

"It's nothing difficult. I just want you to tell us how things are going with the Bureau and the reptiles."

"They're trying to settle things peacefully."

"And how would they do that? Let me guess, they'd ask us to live together?" Stephan chose his words carefully, while his eyes darted about the room.

"I don't know, Stephan. And what are you driving at?"Hendell's temper began to build. He felt cornered.

"I'm not trying to say anything. I just want to know why we have to sit and wait for the humans to decide our fate"

"That's not what they're trying to do. They're trying to stop the impending war that's coming!"

"War's already here, Hendell! You just don't see it." Stephan's voice thundered. "It was inevitable. But what won't if we take action now, is us being the victims. We all know that if we don't do anything, sooner or later we'll start having those slimy reptiles as neighbors. Let me give an illustration, Buck" he said, turning to face the stout man. "Everyone knows, you have the best gardens in Battle Creek. And you love your gardens very much, don't you?" he quizzed even though he already knew what the answer would be.

"Gee, sure I do love my gardens, why?" Buck asked, still trying to understand what the whole show had to do with his gardens.

"Now what would you do, Buck, if suddenly humans show up at your doorsteps and demand you give them one or your gardens to build houses for your homeless reptile neighbors?"

"I'm not sure if I can do that. But they can't do that, can they?" the docile fellow asked innocently.

"For now, they can't but soon they will if we don't do anything." Stephan insisted, and immediately some of the men began to murmur in support.

"He's right! What are we even doing?" the voices in the room rumbled.

"Stephan!" Hendell's voice boomed, drowning the murmurs. "You're treading on a very dangerous path. Hating on reptiles is one thing, but picking on humans is unacceptable. Don't bite more than you can chew!" he warned.

"And why do we have to listen to you? For all I know, the Bureau's one of our major problems and should be dealt with too. Let's not forget, they were responsible for your brother's death."

"Don't bring my brother into this mess." Hendell raged. "This fight you're looking for is bigger than Michigan. It'll force us out into the public, and trust me, things won't end well if that happens. Remember humans fear what they don't understand, and fear breeds violence."

"It doesn't matter. We all can't be a coward like you. At least there are some of us here who aren't afraid to break eggs to make their omelet." Stephan sneered then turned to face the other men. "What do you say brothers, let's go find these reptiles and finish them off ourselves?" he threw the question to the floor. The men began to grumble, and one by one, almost half the men raised their hands in support.

"I guess this is goodbye, brother. The revolution has already begun" Stephan told Hendell, and in a short while, he left the Druid's Tower with his new pack of alphas he had dubbed 'The Resistance'.