A Renegade’s Jeremiad

Chapter 3: Wolfish Honor

April 21st. 11:15 PM

Moon: Waxing Crescent

Hunters had set up a camp at the western edge of the woods, about fifteen meters away from the human village where their base was located. At the center of the camp was the leader of the group, a man of twenty-two years of age, wearing a grey trench coat, armored black boots, thick, patent gloves colored white to contrast the black rubber. The man's armor was a series of interlocking plates coated black with grey accents. The man sniffed the air, hunter energy flowing through his nostrils as he did so. "Vampire…" He muttered, "Those parasites better not be trying to establish a stronghold here." Nick finally arrived, huffing as his eyes returned to normal from his prior green sclera and hourglass pupils. "Nick! Status report," the man barked. "I found Henry, but I couldn't convince him…" Nick started. The man sighed, shaking his head. Nick continued, "What are we going to do, Marcus? We've spent a lot of resources over these three weeks, and we still can't pinpoint him." Marcus scowled, glaring at Nick. "What are you implying, Nick?" Marcus asked. "Nothing, Sir," Nick answered, "I'm only concerned, given our current escalation." Marcus inquired, "Do you mean the vampire?" Nick replied, "So you know, good. I'm not sure what to make of it. Vampires haven't been in this region for six years, ever since they were obliterated." Marcus sighed, looking to the night sky. "Did you at least manage to get the lock of hair I requested of you?" Marcus asked. "It was a dangerous gamble, but I got it," Nick explained, pulling out a lock of Henry's hair. For the first time tonight, Marcus smiled.

"Outstanding!" Marcus exclaimed, "Now we'll see how Henry's changed in his hunter energy since leaving us. Bring me the chrono-plasty and the gene ruler!" The hunters scrambled around the camp, bringing Marcus a white box with a tinted screen and a dashboard displaying some data (that being the chrono-plasty device). The hunters also gave Marcus a sheet with a series of specifically punched dots that aligned with the dashboard in ten sequences on the front of it. Seven of these sequences were aligned to the level of hunter energy in an individual, with the first sequence being someone with no hunter energy and the seventh being someone with a ludicrously enormous amount of hunter energy. The eighth sequence was for the purpose of uncovering hidden werewolves, while the ninth was for exposing disguised vampires or suppressed vampiric essences. The tenth, however, was to demonstrate when the results were inconclusive or if there were multiple sequences in a genome. So, when Marcus inserted half of the sample and discovered that Henry's genome was sequence ten, he raised his left eyebrow and squinted his eyes before activating the sequence separator, finding two sequences that were combined. The first sequence was sequence seven, which gave Marcus pause. 'W-what? Even after a lack of training, Henry still has this level of hunter energy? That doesn't make any sense,' Marcus pondered. Then Marcus's face paled when he saw that the second sequence was sequence nine. Marcus shouted, "Get me a Vampir decoder, stat!"

The hunters gave Marcus a large glass sphere with a small neck at the bottom, a burner under the structure, and a screen next to the dome monitoring its contents. Marcus then took Henry's hair from the white chrono-plasty device and placed it over the burner, watching as the smoke floated into the dome above. The screen next to the dome began to show a complex, interlocked series of shapes that formed the abstract form of an upside-down triangle surrounded by a series of wavy crimson lines. The mark was unusual for most vampires. Picking up the gene ruler and turning it to the other side revealed sigils that marked the overall aspect and identity of a vampiric essence on the top half and a list of interlocked lines and circles that marked the individual rankings of werewolf pack rankings on the bottom half, all gathered through meticulous research of hunters past.

Comparing the vampiric sigils to the one on the screen produced little results until Marcus's eyes trailed to the center of the page, where the sigil of the Vampire king was predominantly shown. Sure enough, Marcus saw the same upside-down triangle, symbolizing the deformity and grotesque nature of the Vampire King, with the wavy, crimson lines around it, symbolizing the Vampire King's dominance of all bloodlines and, by extension, all vampires. Marcus's mouth hung open at the sight of this, the reality becoming clear. 'The prophecy…' Marcus pondered, 'I need to check the other piece… Just to be sure!' Marcus grabbed the other half of the lock of hair, huffing furiously as the Vampir decoder slowly shut off. "I need werewolf essence and a hot box with a sensor on it, posthaste!" Marcus demanded. While the hunters set up the contraption and took away the Vampir decoder and chrono-plasty devices, Nick walked over to Marcus with a frown. "Marcus, what's wrong?" Nick asked. "I'm starting to suspect that the prophecy has come into motion much sooner than I feared and that the events within it were not supposed to be literal," Marcus explained, looking at his brother's hair with a piercing gaze bordering on obsession. Nick began to sweat, understanding the implications of Marcus's words. "Nick," Marcus finally said, "See if you can get Duncan here while I work." Nick gave Marcus a salute before replying, "Of course, Sir. Right away!" As Nick hobbled off to find Duncan, the hunters had prepared the hotbox and set the werewolf essence beside it.

Marcus placed the lock of hair into the hotbox before sealing it shut. Using some special tubes, Marcus pumped the werewolf essence into the hotbox before flipping a switch that activated the essence, making it latch onto Henry's hair cells and mutating them into the fur of a werewolf. Thanks to the sensor on the hotbox, Marcus gathered a code made of the same interlocking lines and circles from the werewolf section on the gene ruler from the fur that would inform him of the potential type of wolf Henry would become if he were turned into a werewolf. To his horror, Marcus's eyes drifted from the bottom of the sheet to the center of it as none of the usual codes seemed to fit the particular one that this fur was producing. But then Marcus got to the very center of the sheet once more, where the rank, Sigma, was inscribed. Marcus Quickly read up on the Sigma designation, which, similar to the prophecy, described the Sigma wolf as the Werewolf version of the Vampire King built as the king's equal and opposite half that would unite all werewolves into one global pack that could allow them to conquer every threat to their existence and eventually the world itself. With shaky hands, Marcus compared the code of the Sigma wolf to the code on the sensor and found it was a perfect match. Marcus placed the gene ruler onto the table, turned away from the hotbox, and dramatically fell to his knees as he processed the truth of the matter. 'My brother is the epicenter of everything! It all hinges on him…' Marcus pondered before he felt a hand on his shoulder, causing him to look up and see both Nick and Duncan.

Duncan was a tall, muscular hunter with tanned skin, tough bones, and even tougher hands. Duncan was practically raised from birth to hunt and fight werewolves, the opposite of Marcus, who was raised from birth to hunt vampires. The one thing Marcus and Duncan had in common was that their families were close friends, both as hunters and outside of their professions. "Are you all right, Marcus? You look like you've just fought an elder vampire," Duncan stated, helping Marcus onto his feet. "It's Henry," Marcus answered, "The prophecy has chosen him to be the lynchpin of our world, not just our champion." Duncan furrowed his eyebrows while Nick tilted his head. "What are you talking about?" Nick asked hurriedly. "Look!" Marcus shouted, showing Nick and Duncan the data. "No!" Nick exclaimed, "Henry can't… He shouldn't be!" Duncan placed a hand on Nick's shoulder to ground him. "Steady, Knight Nick," Duncan stated, "It is clear the prophecy has begun." Marcus nodded, scowling at the circumstances. "Indeed. The conflict between our Master of the Hunters, the Vampire King, and the dreaded Sigma Wolf," Marcus rambled, "Henry has become the vessel for all three of these legends. Meaning, the tale of their battle for the fate of this world is not external, but rather, lies within Henry himself." Nick stammered, "But with the vampire that has arrived… And the wolves as well!" Duncan shook his head calmly, stoically glancing at Marcus. "Henry must be brought back at all costs. Dead mother or not, fate has perched itself upon him and we must sway him to our side to ensure not only victory, but our survival as well," Duncan stated grimly. Marcus met Duncan's gaze with one of his own. "Hence why your leader needs you here, Duncan," Marcus explained, "I know you prefer to be loose with your hunting strategies, but I can't make any accommodations this time. Surely you understand the severity of this." Duncan huffed, but eventually nodded with a determined scowl on his face. Marcus smiled with moonlight gleaming in his eyes. "Excellent!" Marcus exclaimed, "Then let's not waste any time. Everyone! To the base, the war is nigh!" The hunters shouted in unison, "Yes, Sir!" Before beginning to pack up. "Duncan," Marcus commanded, "I need you to organize the rooks." Duncan chuckled, an eager smile on his face. "And what shall you do, O King?" Duncan asked with a sly tone. Marcus smirked, getting in on Duncan's jab. "I'm going to organize the priests and scramble the Queen," Marcus proclaimed, "I am going to lead us to my brother, and then we are going to drag him to the fate he belongs in. Even if he decides to kick and scream the whole way back. For the glory of the Hunters and our cause!" Before long, the camp was packed, and the hunters swept into the night, eager to begin their plotting for Henry's capture.

On April 23rd at exactly 5:37 PM, Henry was out once again, taking his bounty from hunting the local game back to his hidden house. The moon had reached its first quarter phase, so Henry took extra care to remove his footprints so that no werewolves would easily track him back to his home, thanks to the rush of power they would get from the new moon phase. However, after preserving his food and picking what he wanted to have for his meal that night, Henry channeled his hunter energy through his ears to listen for anything within a ten-meter radius with complete accuracy to each heard sound as if it was at a comfortable distance from Henry's ears. As he ate, Henry suddenly heard enormous footsteps coming towards him. So, once he made sure to put the fireplace out and locked up his home, he reinforced his legs with hunter energy and zipped away from the place. As Henry did so, he heard the footsteps change direction, bolting straight towards him. Whatever it was, this creature was massive, had a way to easily track his location without obvious tells, and was hellbent on catching him.

Henry got a good distance away before smothering himself in dirt and pine leaves, trying to throw off whatever was pursuing him. Ducking into the underbrush, Henry kept a close eye on his surroundings. 'What is after me? Have the hunters found me? Has Vanessa located my hideout?' Henry pondered before suddenly hearing the pitter-patter of tiny footsteps coming from behind him. 'What?!' Henry worriedly thought, 'How did something sneak up on me with reinforced hearing?' Henry then disengaged the reinforcement of his ears with hunter energy to conserve it, ready to retaliate if he had to. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to detect the next impact as a silent and soft creature suddenly tackled him from behind, giggling all the while as they pinned Henry with his back flat against the ground. After a swift grunt and guarding from any attack before realizing that the creature wasn't attacking, Henry slowly opened his eyes, seeing a young adult woman with straight black hair, baby blue eyes, full lips, and rosy cheeks looking down on him with a warm smile. The sight startled Henry, reminding him of his old memories in the hunter organization. "Hello, you~" The woman teased, her gaze taking on the same softness as her tone. Henry's mouth hung open as he recognized this voice. Henry blinked a few times, unsure if he was seeing reality or a dream. "C-Clarissa? Is that you?!" Henry asked. The woman's smile widened. "Yes. It's me, Henry. I missed you~" Clarissa answered, leaning further onto Henry as she pressed herself against him. Henry stuttered for a moment, his heart racing. "Erm…" Henry exclaimed, his cheeks going red, "W-why don't we sit up?" Clarissa chuckled before getting off Henry and helping him onto his knees.

Once Henry was on his knees, he blinked at Clarissa twice, his heart still racing, but not as fast as before. "Are you alright?" Clarissa asked, "I've never seen you get so jumpy." Henry sighed, looking at the ground. "I thought you were gone, Clarissa. I believed that I would never see you again. So, how? How are you here right now?" Henry inquired with a sullen tone. Clarissa frowned, the rosy cheeks and smile on her face fading. "I see… So, they didn't tell you. I was expecting this from those dishonorable imbeciles," Clarissa muttered in a matter-of-fact tone, inching closer to Henry. "Henry," Clarissa began, "I didn't die. They… My 'brother'... Left me for dead." Henry's eyes widened, the color draining from his cheeks. "What?! Duncan… Why would he, any of the hunters for that matter, do that?" Henry asked breathlessly. Clarissa huffed, her eyes darkening as she recalled the events that led to this. "We were ambushed by a pack of Ebony Fang wolves," Clarissa began, venom in every syllable, "I didn't contract any werewolf essence, but I had critical injuries. I expected that oaf, Duncan, to help, but he left me for dead. He said it would 'build character' because I was 'slowing him down' and 'making a fool of myself'. However, I was worried Duncan would end up having that idea sooner or later, and I was too late to stop him. What hurt most was that Marcus was there, and he allowed Duncan to go through with it. He didn't stop him at all." Henry's mouth hung open, his eyes nearly bulging out of his sockets. "Marcus…" Henry muttered, his body shaking slightly as he gritted his teeth, huffing and puffing.

Clarissa immediately noticed these changes in Henry and pulled him into her embrace, stroking his back. "I understand your anger, but don't worry about me. I will deal with them myself when the time is right," Clarissa stated, her tone meant to reassure Henry and get him to relax into her. Henry's heart slowed, yet his mind continued to race as he noticed little inconsistencies. Clarissa was happy one moment, venomous the next, then concerned and caring. The transition was quick at best, breakneck at worst. Henry also observed the gaze in her eyes. Clarissa's gaze was untamed, raw, and out of control, save only for when she looked at Henry. Clarissa's actions towards Henry were more akin to how one would hold their beloved, not how one would greet an old friend. Henry never saw Clarissa as his loved one, only a close friend, making Clarissa's actions appear more unhinged than comforting in his mind. Clarissa frowned, her brows furrowing as she didn't understand why Henry still pulled away. Clarissa pulled Henry's head to her chest and smiled when he finally relaxed. Henry began to feel an almost gelatinous softness cover his whole body as Clarissa's arms and legs curled around Henry's form. Her nose was soft but firm as Clarissa lowered it into Henry's hair, sniffing and combing it with an adoring gaze and a bright smile.

Clarissa suddenly heard a rustle in the trees and bushes, tightening her grip on Henry. Clarissa's muscles that surrounded Henry softened, becoming comforting and soothing, while all her other muscles hardened, creating a musclebound defense to shield Henry from what was coming. Clarissa sniffed the air and immediately caught the scent of hunters, which made her emit an aggressive growl, similar to a wolf. Henry's eyes widened, realizing that the nature of his childhood friend was now something foreign to the bubbly, sweet, yet wise girl he had had numerous adventures with. Yet, Clarissa stroked his hair softly. "Shh… Don't be scared, Henry. You are safe in my arms," Clarissa assured Henry.

Two minutes later, Marcus, Duncan, and a group of hunters emerged from the shadows. At first, they had smirks on their faces, ready to catch Henry, only to be replaced with wide eyes and scowls at the sight of Clarissa over him and holding him close. Clarissa growled again, her baby blue eyes turning into amber, wolf-like eyes as she snarled at the hunters. "You two!" Clarissa exclaimed, "How dare you disturb us, you dishonorable, entitled, glory-seeking brats!" Marcus scoffed, not daring to laugh at this outrageous statement, given the severity of the situation. "Who is 'us,' Clarissa?" Marcus asked, trying to rile her up and get her careless. Clarissa snarled at Marcus again. "I mean, Henry and I, you i***t!" Clarissa spat. Duncan stepped forward, a grimace on his face. "What an abomination you are. And here I thought you'd be strong enough to take death over becoming one of the wolves," Duncan stated condescendingly with an elitist tone. Clarissa laughed bitterly at that, her teeth growing sharper. Clarissa bellowed, "And not get my revenge on you, you heartless hunter?" Duncan raised an eyebrow. "Do you not remember me?" Duncan asked. "Of course I do, Duncan!" Clarissa hissed, "But I can tell you this: you're no brother of mine! Never was, never will be!" Duncan chuckled at this. "But we are still biologically related," Duncan stated. "That may be," Clarissa retorted, "But not by bond, not by soul. Especially after leaving me to die!" Clarissa looked at Henry, relieved that he couldn't hear or see what was happening. "Enough of this! Clarissa, if you want to stay alive, you will release Henry. Now!" Marcus commanded, glaring daggers at Clarissa. Clarissa growled, holding Henry possessively. "Henry is mine!" Clarissa shouted, "He is my mate, and we will be together in the sanctuary of nature. Henry was always mine!" Marcus retorted, "Unless you want a silver arrow to pierce a certain shoulder of yours and pump mercury into your circulation, you will release my brother this instant!"

Clarissa stood up, holding Henry in her arms. "Never," Clarissa stated, her body having turned from human form to a wolfman form; gaining extra patches of greyish fur, particularly on her back, her teeth as sharp as daggers, her muscles rippling like a bodybuilder's, her eyes glowing with amber, and her nails growing into claws. Without missing a beat, Clarissa dodged the arrow, leaping into the shadows. Once she did, the shadow bent to her body before jutting out and dismantling all of the hunter's crossbows as jagged projectiles, flashing Marcus and Duncan with a wolfish grin all the while. Clarissa then noticed Henry was no longer in her arms, her grin fading away as she noticed Henry passing through the shadows and raced after him. Duncan and Marcus stood there, eyes wide and faces pale. "It can't be…" Marcus murmured. "It is," Duncan answered, "Clarissa belongs to a pack of Greybacks." Marcus groaned, rubbing his temples. "This is going to be more difficult than I thought," Marcus complained.