THE HYBRID

The night air carried a strange heaviness, quietness with a bitter emotion. At the master’s bedroom of a creek house, a man paced restlessly across the wooden floor. Gerard had not slept, for the 3rd time in a week. He stomped his feet on the ground pacing uncontrollably, his fist closed so tightly he could break his nails or wound his thick palm. A dim lantern faintly shining on the table close to the wall forming reflections of himself and something else. “You’re thinking again,” his wife said in a calm tone. Elena sat on the bed with her hands clenched together. She set stared at him throughout as he paced back and forth the room with desperation, hunger for something that has been bothering him for what seemed like months. Gerard stopped pacing, he looked at his wife. “Thinking about what ?” he asked quietly. “You’re bothering y to ourself over things you can’t control.” she said to him looking at his eyes with worry that had grown over the months. “Can’t control?” he said again,looking at her. “That’s the major problem here. None of us can control anything anymore.” Elena sighed staring at him. “You’ve said this before.” “And I’ll keep saying it until something changes!” he increased his tone. “Look around, Elena. The people are starving. Taxes without wages. Promises are broken. And those men…those councilmen…they sit in their towers pretending like everything is fine and the world goes round like it usually does” He swiped his hand through his hair. “They said things would be different,” he gestured sculpturing. “They said they would rebuild this kingdom. Restore justice. Bring balance, stability, unity.” “And maybe they’re doing something…” “They’re not!” he stopped her. The silence after his statement was heavy. Elena read his body language , she reduced her voice. “You’re not just angry, Gerard. Something else is going on.” He hesitated and for a moment, the anger in was replaced by something deeper, something way darker. “We all met again ,” he said finally. Elena startled with confusionchanged. “We?” He nodded as he mentioned. “Draco. Cain. Jack…”He paused and then continued. “And the others.” She was shocked. “Gerard…” “We’re done waiting,” he replied The words said were heavy and this created tension in the room. Elena slowly stood up. “And what does that mean?” “It means we’ve watched them for so long. We’ve suffered for more than long enough.” His voice became calm and deliberate now, no longer explosive but he sounded cold. “If the leaders won’t fix this kingdom, then someone else will.” “And you think that someone is you?” she asked. “No,” he said calmly and opened his hands widely . “It’s us.” She walked toward him, her hands on his face. “Gerard… this sounds dangerous.” “It is dangerous,” he agreed. “But not doing anything at all is way worse.” A tear dropped down her cheek as she held his arm. “You have a family. You have a life here. Don’t throw it away chasing something that could destroy you.” He looked down at her hand, then stared at her eyes. “It’s already started it’s course on me,” he said. THE COUNCIL CHAMBER The council chamber was wide, held tall with pillars and designed with wall paintings that displayed stories of a kingdom out of existence. Gerard stood before the front of the chamber, his shoulders broad and ready for conflict. Behind him were four men; his allies, his brothers in purpose and anger. Draco stood confident, tall and silent, his stared with influence on the council ahead. Cain leaned slightly to one side, his expression was not visible enough, though i his eyes were widely open. Jack was fighting his impatience , clearly holding himself back from speaking out of line and turn . Virgil stood at the corner, distant, like he wasn’t part of the crew and was living in their shadows. Seated in a semicircle before them, were the councilmen. Power, dressed in robes. Failure, hidden behind titles. “You requested for a meeting,” one of the councilmen said, his tone quieted bboredom. “Speak.” Gerard stepped forward, answering with tenacity. “We didn’t request this audience,” he said. “We demanded it.” An atmosphere of disapproval moved through the chamber. The councilman raised an eyebrow. “Then you should speak carefully.” Gerard didn’t flinch. Looking at them with rage in his eyes. “You made promises,” he said. “To the people of this kingdom. You swore to rebuild, empower, restore justice and unity.” “And we are doing so,” another councilman replied “No,” Gerard said firmly. “You are doing nothing!” Silence fell in the room. “You’ve raised taxes beyond what people can survive and you’ve done nothing about empowerment, how do you expect people to pay up. You’ve ignored the suffering in the lower districts. You’ve strengthened your own power while weakening everyone else.” Jack stepped forward slightly. “People are dying out there.” He said pointing outside the chamber. Draco finally spoke adding to what had been said, “And you sit here debating policies while the streets crumble, just for your own pockets!.”He said clenching his fists. The councilmen became uncomfortable in their own chamber, but still didn’t lack composure. “You speak boldly,” one of them said. “But you lack understanding of governance.” Cain laughed slowly but you could hear the hint of danger. “We understand enough.” Gerard’s gave them harder stares. “We came here to give you a chance,” he said. “Fix this. Do what you promised.” “And if we don’t?” a councilman asked. Gerard didn’t hesitate to reply, “Then we will.” The chamber burst with murmurs. The lead councilman stood abruptly. “That is enough. You have said enough!” “We’re telling the truth,” Gerard shot back at his words. “You’re giving threats,” the councilman replied coldly. “No,” Gerard said. “We’re giving you all a warning.” The councilman gestured toward the guards. “Remove them.” Steel rang out as armored soldiers stepped forward to evict them. “This audience is over.” the councilman finished. Gerard didn’t resist as they were evicted the chambers but his eyes never left the council. And in that gaze was something that hadn’t been there before. Finality. The streets were quiet when they were evicted from the council hall, but the atmosphere between the five men was intense. “Well,” Jack said, breathing slowly, “that went exactly how I expected.” “They didn’t even listen,” Draco answered. “They never do,” Cain added. Gerard paused, staring ahead. “They made their choice,” he said. Virgil looked at him. “So what now?” Gerard turned slowly to face them. “Now,” he said, “we make ours.” The others fell silent. “We tried words,” he continued. “We tried reasoning with them. They care less.” “So what are you suggesting eh?” Draco asked, though one could tell that he already knew what was being talked about due to his tone. Gerard’s voice lowered. “We make them care.” Jack frowned. “How?” Gerard’s replied without hesitation. “We go after them.” The air shifted as he continued. “Their power. Their control.” His eyes darkened. “Their families.” Draco studied him carefully. “That’s a line i don’t see you coming back from.” Gerard didn’t blink. “I’m not planning to,” he said. Cain smiled faintly. “Now you’re talking!” Virgil hesitated before speaking . “This isn’t just resistance anymore.” “No,” Gerard said. “It’s war.” The first attack was mild…a clear warning. A councilman’s estate set ablaze. No casualties, just pure destruction. The second followed as carriage was ambushed. Guards disarmed. A message carved into the wood: You were warned! Panic began to spread but not among the people but among the councilmen and those in power. And Gerard watched it all happen right before his eyes. Gerard felt relief, and for the first time in a long time, he felt something close to control, what he always longed for. Stability. “They’re afraid,” Virgil said one night, you could hear the doubt in his voice. “Good,” Cain replied. Draco remained quieter than the rest. “Fear doesn’t fix a kingdom,” he replied. “No,” Gerard replied. “But it brings attention.” The attacks worsened. Homes raided, secrets exposed. All attacks carefully planned, all deliberate, no mistakes until It was no longer enough. The trap was inevitable. Gerard should have sensed this but anger, outrage, wrath had a way of blinding even the sharpest minds. They moved under the cover of darkness with stealth, targeting another high-ranking official. The plan was ca precise, In and out as easily as the others but the moment they arrived, something felt wrong. It was too quiet as if the attack was anticipated. “Wait,” Draco whispered but it was too late. Torches suddenly shined brightly.Soldiers swarmed the area from every direction. Steel met steel ringing out. Jack fought recklessly and furious. Cain moved with calmly but brutal with his strikes. Draco fought with discipline. Gerard…Gerard fought relentlessly like a man with nothing left to lose. But eventually, one by one, they were all overwhelmed due to the increasing numbers of soldiers by the minute. They were pinned down, beaten and captured. The chamber they were brought to was darker, colder, than the council hall. They were chained with guards standing at every corner. A single figure stepped forward. “The great defenders of the people,” the man said mockingly. “Reduced to this,” he laughed. Gerard lifted his head to look at who was speaking, blood streaking all over his face. “Do it,” he said. “Get it over with.” The man smiled faintly. “Oh, we will.” He began to pace slowly. “You sought to disrupt the order of this kingdom. To instill fear, chaos.” Gerard said nothing but spit out blood from his mouth. “For that,” the man continued, “you will not be granted mercy at any cost.” Jack also spat on the floor. “Just kill us,” he said. The man chuckled and replied, “death would be too simple.” He stopped pacing. “You will be… repurposed.” he continued pacing in a rhythmic pattern. You could see confusion across Gerard’s face. “What does that mean?” Draco asked. The man’s smile widened. “It means,” he said, “you will serve the very system you tried to destroy.” The guards stepped forward and for the first time, Gerard felt something unfamiliar, something different. Not fear but uncertainty. As they were dragged away, the man’s said his last words: “Your punishment is not the end of your story,” “It is only just the beginning.” And where they were taken to? Somewhere deep within the thick forests of the kingdom were something dangerous, something darker than rebellion…was waiting to be unleashed. The guards and a few of the councilmen led them deep into the forest, a place where even the bravest hunters never dared to hunt. The atmosphere thickened with fear by everyone with every step forward , as if something unseen watched from every angle, every tree top. They were not taken to be killed.They were not taken to prison. What awaited them…was far worse. No one spoke. Not even Jack, who always had something to say. The deeper they went, the more quieter it became. Not even the sound of wind was heard. Just pure silence. As they approached the heart of the forest, a structure that did not belong to men stood alone. It was a stony structure, perfectly carved, forming a shrine that seemed alive. At its center was an altar that had different devilish symbols that pulsed faintly like something breathing beneath the surface. Above it, the sky darkened but not with clouds but with presence. “On your knees,” a guard ordered but none of them obeyed. Gerard lifted his head. “If this is where we die, then do it.” he said without remorse. The guard stepped back. The ground trembled suddenly as though it was an earthquake. A deep, unnatural vibration spread through the earth as this essence approached further. The symbols on the altar lit themselves, they were not of bright colors but of something darker… something red, like burning blood. A voice spoke, this voice sounded low, ancient, demonic and corrupt. “You who defied power… now stand before its true form.” Jack swallowed so hard that he almost choked himself. “What is that…?” The voice spoke again in a much heavier and harsh manner this time. “I am not your king,” it said. “I am not your council.” it added. It gave a sudden pause .“I am what they fear!” I am…the Demon God!” The presence finally personified and looked more human-like. It gestured and something unseen pressed against them forcing them to kneel. Even Draco’s resistance gave out making him to drop down. Gerard gritted his teeth trying to fight it. “You brought us here to kill us?” he said while struggling. “Death is mercy,” it said before the symbols shone violently again. “And you… you will not receive mercy!” The chains burned against their skin, not with heat, but with something deeper, something that reached into their bones. Gerard started breathing heavily. “What are you doing to us?” he interrogated. “You sought to tear down order,” the Demon God said. “To replace it with fear.” “Yes,” Gerard said, resistant even till now. “Then you shall become fear.” The altar erupted. Their bodies collapsed as something inside them began to change. Their bones twisted, muscles tore, reformation began. Their screams echoed through the forest. “You will carry my curse,” the Demon God decreed. Gerard’s body convulsed as his spine reformed in an unnatural position. “You will not walk as men again!” the demon God decreed. Draco’s eyes widened. “Wh…what?” “You will become beasts!”, the demon God said. They began to grow fur in their skin. Fangs grew and teeth sharpened and grew larger. Claws sprout out their limbs. “You will live as wolves, creatures of hunger, instinct, and darkness.” Jack screamed uncontrollably. Cain roared in fury and pain. Even Draco could not hold it in. Gerard’s voice broke into something no longer human. “You will roam the earth in this form… for the rest of your lives.” The pain worsened, it became more unbearable and unending. “And only once each month… under the full moon…” Their transformations slowed. “…will you return to your human selves.” Gerard’s mind clung to that…once…a month. The only time he could see his family ever again. “That moment,” the Demon God continued, “will be your only memory of what you once were. You will remember everything.” Then, the atmosphere finally calmed and there was silence. Where five men once stood…Five wolves now growled. They looked intimidating, large, powerful, terrifying. Their bodies trembled as the last of the pain faded, but something had changed permanently. They were no longer human. “Release them,” the guards were ordered. Chains were unlocked. The wolves did not attack. They simply stood there… confused… aware that they were trapped. Gerard tried to speak but only a low growl escaped him. The Demon God’s voice echoed one last time: “Live with it,” with that, the demon God disappeared. Time passed but not the way it used to. They lived as wolves every day and night, hunting for food, surviving and enduring the struggles of the wild. Their minds remained but their bodies did not obey the life they once knew how to live. Sometimes, Gerard would go to his home and watch his wife and children from afar. He couldn’t go any closer. He couldn’t return to his family, to his home. They couldn’t speak, couldn’t not live among people. They were merely shadows of their past life. Legends whispered in fear as to this information, the kingdom lived in caution and fear. The atrocities of the councilmen still continued. Then came the full moon. This was the first time since they were cursed. It felt different. It felt like a pull, a release from b*****e. Their bodies shifted again but this time, not into monsters. It shifted into men. Gerard fell to his knees, gasping. He was finally human again for the first time since the curse. after weeks of enduring the wild. He looked at his hands shaking with disbelief “…I’m back.” Around him, the others changed too. Jack laughed weakly. “We’re humans again.” Cain exhaled slowly and looked at the others. They had lost Virgil. He was killed where they were been hunted by the hunters. Draco stood in silence. “Quickly, i must rush to see my children and wife.” He realized he was naked, he went wherever and stole some clothes and quickly ran to his house. Unto reaching his house, he saw another man with his wife and children dining together in harmony. He was hurt, tears slid down his cheek. After a while, he finally cleaned off his tears and vowed to never come back to his house ever again. He left to look for food. The relief didn’t last. It was temporary, by morning they all met with each other again in the woods, knowing their curse would take a hold of them again and it did. They transformed painfully back into what they were cursed to be, wolves. This cycle continued, day after day, month after month, year after year,interchanging between man and beast. They had a life split into fragments. They used their full moon nights takings strolls and enjoying their free day as humans before they would turn back. 7 years had passed, the lives of these men were forgotten. They all lost hope but little did they know that their liberation was at hand. THE BLOOD MOON! The blood moon, a mythical event that happens once in every 100 years. On a particular night, the blood moon rose spectacularly. Gerard and what was left of his team prepared for the full moon as usual. But tonight, the moon looked different, felt different…its power, stronger and more influential. The shift back to human was fast and less painful. Jack looked at the others in surprise. “This felt different,” he said. Draco replied, “I noticed, it was fast and less painful.” Gerard interrupted, “look at the moon guys, could it be the cause?” Draco stood up helping the others up. “This is wonderful, the power feels different. I feel different, like a weight was lifted off my shoulders.” “The blood moon, i do not know much about it but it’s a mythical event that happens once in every century,” Cain replied. Gerard felt more alive than he has been in the past 7 years. “Could this be our redemption? Could this be our freedom?” He added, “i feel free, i feel great.” He looked at his brothers, hugged each and everyone of them. Draco replied, “If this blood moon changed nothing, we will know by the morning. For now, we have to enjoy the time we have.” They spent their time anxious, nervous, desperate waiting to turn back into the beasts they were cursed to be. 7 years was a long enough experience and they had to repeat the cycle till death. They didn’t go too far, they hung around themselves, when the morning was close by, they returned back into the woods, to find out whether or not something changed. Sun rise came and yet to their surprise, they felt no drag, no itch, no spike of hunger, no voices in their head. They were finally in control, after 7 long dark years, they felt control over the situation. “Brothers, this is it. We have been freed.” Cain laughed as he hugged his friends. Draco said, “We made it through this together, may he soul rest in peace.” “I can still feel the wolf part in me, but…but it isn’t forced.” Gerard continued. “Does that mean…”, Jack asked scratching the back of his head. “We don’t know for sure yet but we’d find out. For now, we need to lay low. Go into the city, find shelter, stay hidden.” They go into the city, they were surprised to as how much the city had changed. Apparently, the city had gotten worse from what they left behind. They blended in, kept close to each other, found shelter over their heads. A few weeks in, Gerard and Draco are seen at the little market. They get into a little argument with a citizen. They were insulted by this person as the person went to lengths of attacking them. He tried retaliating but then they were accosted by others. They were now surrounded. “It’s not worth it brother, let’s go.” Gerard whispered. Draco was very angry and stared viciously at everyone surrounding them. His claws began to sprout, his eyes flickering between crimson and normal. Gerard noticed this and was shocked. “You’re growing claws, do not tell me you’re about to turn.” Draco only let out a low growl. “What are you?” one of the men asked noticing Draco’s odd behavior and growl. “They are assholes,” another added. Draco was pissed enough, he ran towards one and bit him, the others came to attack but Gerard couldn’t watch them hit his friend so he went to block all hits. The hits triggered his wolf side too and his claws and fangs sprouted out. He began fighting them, scratching and biting as much as possible. The royal guards arrived at the scene, Gerard alerted Draco. “We can’t be caught a second time. How do we escape this?” Draco asked Gerard panting heavily. “We turn!” Gerard answered. With that being said, Gerard jumped towards the swarm of soldiers turning mid air, the soldiers were shocked to this. He hit most of them while they tried to hit him as well. He created a path, Draco finally turned too and they both escaped back to their hidden shelter. After that, the bite and scratches remained on their bodies for days causing severe fever, unbearable pain, dark veins. Some healers say the bitten/scratched should be dead by then but they were not. That was the problem, their body was accepting a fate they didn’t know but could only endure. It was hours to their first full moon since their curse was broken. They worried that they might turn but the issue of turning were not theirs but of those that were bitten or scratched by the attacks of Gerard and Draco. The full moon rose and the scratched and bitten began their painful transformation just like that of the first cursed. Little did Gerard and Draco know, they had created variants of themselves. They had turned people into creatures just like them. The painful transformation began for them. Their bones and muscle began breaking and reforming causing unbearable pain. Spine resetting, teeth hurting, claws sprouting. Lumbar bones for that of a quadruped and not a man. Their bodies reformed and reshaped into that of a wolf. This transformation took almost an hour for some of them with a strong will to reject but was faster for those with a weak will. They had finally become beasts, just like Gerard and his team. These newly turned werewolves destroy most of the city, attacking humans as they hungered for meat and blood, biting, scratching and killing humans. Gerard and his team, as they could now control their turning, they noticed that there were new beasts, just like them as they heard the howls of the others. “Our bites, must have done this to them,” Draco told Gerard. “We have created others like us, this is a good thing. We are no longer alone in this,”Draco finished. Morning came and they turned back into the humans that they once were with no memory of what had happened the previous night and how they got to their current location. Gerard and his team set out to find the others like them. They managed to get a hold of two. “We mean no harm,” Draco said gesturing a sign of calmness. “We could answer all your questions, as to what you are and why you are” Gerard continued. “Who are you?” the human said looking scared. “I am Gerard and i can help you but there is something we need to do first. Can you identify all those that were bitten by the attack a few days ago?” “I think i can but not all of them,” the other replied. “Good, because we are going to need all the help we can” Gerard answered. Gerard and his team were able to identify most of the afflicted humans and little by little, the numbers increased as to others that were bitten by the new werewolves. The were more than a hundred now. Gerard organized an assembly for the infected, he gave a powerful speech. “Ladies and Gentlemen, I am Gerard…Gerard Tonkins. Years ago, i and my friends here; Draco Felderman, Cain Ganberson, Jack Ken and Virgil Ken, may his soul rest in peace. We were cursed by the demon God to become wolves for the rest of our lives all because we fought for what was right. We fought for change, better living of the people but the councilmen found us as threats. We used force to change their minds but we were captured which led to our curse. Recently, a miracle moon, called the…the blood moon i think so. The blood moon changed our curses, into a gift, into what we could now control. A curse, a gift all ours now. And accidentally, we believe that we have shared our gifts to you as you were bitten by us and that is why i called you here today, to tell you what you are, who you are and what you could do with this gift. We could start our empire, one different, one better, one life changing, one not under the rule of those evil councilmen. Do we want to continue suffering under them? Do we want to continue hiding in their shoulders when they enrich themselves and we feed from hand to mouth? Join me today as we step against them, moving into a better era.” Gerard spoke confidently and his speech motivated most of the attendees. There the werewolf empire began with Gerard as its Paramount emperor. He led his empire into liberation and life became better for them. He taught them to control their powers. The werewolf empire did not fight against the humans rather they migrated out of the human land. Though they still cooperated very well with the humans but they were no longer part of the humans. The werewolf empire enlarged through procreation. They avoided turning more humans to avoid war between both races. With all these, the werewolf empire flourished.