The world is evolving and our extinction is becoming more certain. We live in fear everyday of our lives;fear of being killed or used for experimental exploitation. We once ruled the world but now, we are being subdued to its torments. Our existence is being threatened and we are forced to hide for safety. This is the life we live now, we have no other choice. My name is Hassan Gilbure and this is how we became slaves to the very world we enslaved.
My heart kept throbbing as I ran past the forest trees. Why was I running ? Why was I so afraid to turn around and look at what was chasing me ? All I knew was that it was closing in on me,so close in having me in it's grasp. Running in full tilt, I lost balance rolling uncontrollablly on the ground. My sight became blurr as I stared at the creature that stood right before me. It's eyes glowed red sending a chill down my quivering spines. Although I couldn't see it clearly, but it's essence was a proof of how powerful it was. Just as it was about to grab me, a bright light shone, clearing the image of the creature. Just then I jolted from bed as sweat drooled down my face. This is the 15th time I was having this nightmare of this mystery creature and it always occured two weeks before our ancestral ceremony. At first, I thought it was a coincidence but after three years of the same experience, it was known to me that it was no mistake, it was something that repeated itself every year in my mind. I couldn't stop thinking about the image of this beast. Just like every other night, it haunts me. No matter how many times I had this nightmare, I couldn't shake it off. For some reasons, it never gets old. Just as these thought ran through my mind, I heard a dark and evil tone ring in my ears like bells to some gothic rhythm. In the mist of its heavy breathing, I tried to listen closely to what it's saying.
"Don't try to run this time, accept it. It's part of who you are"
And just like that, it vanished again like at if it wasn't here saying the same words it always said for the past 15 years. I managed to get out of bed and use my core energy to stabilise myself. Unlike other werewolves, whenever I'm weak or distressed, I use my core energy to stabilize my body temperature till I'm able to get a more suitable source of energy. That's one of the advantages of being a Cianán. My breathing returned to normal as I stepped into the bathroom of my quarters, splashing cold water over my face. The mirror above the sink reflected a girl who looked far too exhausted for her age. My dark hair clung to my forehead, and my amber eyes were clouded with the lingering dread of the dream. "could this day get any worse?" I muttered to myself letting the cold water from the shower run down on my head with hope that it could ease the tension; a little bit.
The Vargyr pack was one of the most powerful packs in the district and housed different breeds of werewolves till the world discovered that they were not just myths in books and novels, but real in the flesh. Being the largest park didn't only bring power, it made us targets for experiments. Many of our pack members fled out of fear but only Cianáns stayed behind as they said it was their duty to protect the pack's territory at all cost. Such dumb animals. Unfortunately for me, my family are descendants of the first Cianáns, so the duty was passed on to them.
I approached the living room as my mom looked at me sternly. Her gaze was steady on me as I came down the flight of stairs.
"I hope you know you're late woman" my mom reminded me sarcastically, still fixing her eyes on my movements.
"You don't have to make a scene everytime mom" I reprimanded in a slow, faint tone.
"You know we all have to look as normal as possible so that the government won't suspect us."
"So going to school is part of the 'be normal' scheme."
I sighed heavily, grabbing the beef on the table. I took a bite and munched softly and slowly watched the breeze dance with the grass. The government huh? A group of elite hunters were assigned to this district by the government recently. They call themselves 'the order of the watch'. Apparently, some dumb rogue werewolf went on a rampage and caused so many casualties in one night. The hunters here became victims themselves to the rampage as they weren't enough to contain the situation. So the government intervened by sending a new trope to solve the problem and on their first encounter with the werewolf, they were able to turn the tables drastically. It managed to escape that night and has been a fugitive since then but the government wouldn't rest as always till he's captured. For that reason more poured into the district and they have been monitoring the daily life of every single person living here. Those who acted odd were captured and branded werewolves and unlike the former hunters that mistook humans for werewolves at times, they were damn right in everyone they picked. They never missed a target. One odd movement is all they needed and that's becoming a problem for werewolves in this district. Being normal means the little cubs have to go to school, the grown ups should have a job. Blending in with society is our top priority if we wish to survive.
With my dishes all empty, I stood up from my chair and headed to the door. Just as I was about to turn the knob, my mom pulled me back in great force. I managed to hold my stamina as I looked at her in utmost confusion.
"The elders of the council suspect that they might have a device that differentiates us from humans by our scent so they insist we spray these ones and not the old ones." My mom tried to force a smile out of her shivering face.
Although she plays the house wife role, the danger it poses for the children is rather one big enough to make her shiver. It's clear she wasn't in support of it.
"Have you heard from Tim?" I asked as I took the little container and sprayed its content all over myself. My mom paused for a moment. Her head bowed down with tears streaming down her face.
"No"
"Then I'll be coming home late" my mom raised her instantly with widened eyes.
"No you can't. This scent lasts only for 18 hours and the council has revoked every right to search for pack members due to our current situation. The pack may be in danger if…"
"Do you realise that the people Tim was assigned to have been apprehended. Obviously knowing they are werewolves, they're probably after Tim too and he's only 7. How do you expect him to survive out there all alone? He can't do anything on his own let alone try to defend himself from those monsters. Now that the chase isn't hot, we can find him and keep him safe. I won't sit around and watch my brother go through the kind of suffering those bastards inflict on us. I'm going to find him with or without you or the council"
"How sure are you that he's still out there?" my mom asked in a sober voice.
"Hunters were stationed in the house he lived in with the hope he might return out of fright. If they had him, there's no need for them to stretch the matter any further." I looked at my mom who was already broken. I clenched my fist trying to suppress the anger I felt inside.
"Please hassy, I know you want to save him. I do too but there's no way we can. We aren't sitting around willingly, we are tied up at both ends and one wrong mistake could jeopardize this pack's existence making us more vulnerable than we are now. I…I…I want to really see my baby boy but there's nothing I can do" my mom fell to the ground weeping profusely. I turned to the door and gave out yet another heavy sigh.
"I'm going now and I'll be taking whatever this is with me in case I run out of time while still outside. See you in the evening." I left the house with my mom still sobbing on the floor. I don't even think she heard me.
The morning breeze blew on my face warmly as I closed the door behind me.
"I'm going to find you Tim whatever it takes." I thought to myself making my way to school.