years ago. The old wolf looked down at Frank. "Why is his mouth gagged," he asked, his voice as old as time.
"Talks too much," the werewolf that dragged him here snarled.
"Remove it," the old wolf commanded. The leather strap was taken off, causing Frank to try and get rid of the bad taste in his mouth.
"Tastes like wet dog," he commented.
"Why do you attack us, Hunter," the old wolf questioned.
"I'm attacking you," he shot back. "You were the ones that attacked me. How could you even have seen me?"
"You may have ways to hide from the sight of humans, but your shadow does not," the old wolf remarked.
"Fair enough," he commented. "Truth be told, I'm not here for a fight. I'm just here to figure out why there have been reports of attacks by werewolves in the past few days."
The old wolf sat back. "Leave us," he commanded to the others. They left without a word, except for the one that brought him here. He paused at the doorway just long enough to snort his disapproval before walking out. "I am Chases Moon," he introduced. "Leader and Alpha Male of the Crescent Clan."
"Was Chases Tail already taken," Frank joked.
Chases Moon chuckled briefly. "That was my uncle's name, actually," he replied. "You see, your reports are false. They have to be. My clan, cursed since ancient times, turns into THIS every full moon, and only under the full moon."
"You sure there isn't a sudden mutation," Frank questioned. "Maybe someone is able to jump the gun and change early. Have you questioned the local barber?"
"No," Chases Moon said, slowly shaking his head. "I would know of something like that." He looked off, as if trying to remember something. "But, now that you mention it, there have been a strange series of events lately."
"Events like?"
"A few days ago, a man appeared. He claimed to be a long lost member of our clan. He had the markings of our brethren. He knew of our history. But something still seemed off about him," Chases Moon explained.
"He didn't smell right," Frank offered. The old wolf glared at him. "Sorry. Easy joke."
"We put him through the tests of our people," he continued. "Subjected him to various challenges. Even Snaps at Wind, the one that brought you in here, began to trust him."
"An apt name," Frank muttered.
"But then, after the man was accepted, a shadow of dissidence fell upon the clan. Some of the younger men and women started to rebel against the established code."
"Kids do that. Kind of the natural order of things."
"Not like this," Chases Moon growled. "Dyeing your hair. Listening to loud music. Smoking. Those are normal ways of youthful rebellion. Expected, in a sense. But this, this is a different sort of rebellion."
"Worried about your position as Alpha Male?"
"Worse," he remarked. "The pups want to go outside the bounds of our territory during the full moon."
"As in tonight's full moon," Frank questioned, suddenly very serious.
"Yes," Chases Moon answered.
"As in right now?"
A sudden realization struck the alpha male. He scrambled out of his chair. "Quickly, Hunter. We must gather the others."
"That won't be necessary, old man," Snaps at Wind remarked. The two turned to see the werewolf standing in the doorway behind a werewolf with a coat of black fur and glowing orange eyes. He easily towered over even Chases Moon.
"Tie them to the posts outside," the werewolf commanded. "The attacker and the traitor will both be judged."
"You think I will be taken so easily," Chases Moon growled. Several other younger wolves of the clan shoved into the room, led by Snaps at Wind.
"If you don't want the rest of the clan to suffer, you will," he threatened.
With that on their heads, Frank and Chases Moon quietly surrendered.
16th Oct-02:15
Crescent Clan Bonfire
Frank had been tied up to this pole for almost thirty minutes now, listening to this usurper drone on and on about how the clan has been living under fear and oppression for so long due to the elders and it was putting him to sleep. He tried to follow along, but after fifteen minutes of hearing the same thing with different words, he lost interest. He looked around at the crowd that was gathered before them. The younger members of the clan were standing between the rest of the clan and him. They were enthralled by his speech. Nodding along with everything he was saying.
"He is only telling them what they want to hear," Chases Moon remarked quietly.
"Yeah, well that's how wars get started," Frank muttered back. "And it always could have been prevented if someone just said..." He cleared his throat and looked up at the creature. "Shut the hell up! You're being stupid."
The crowd that was listening to him started to growl. The werewolf leading the rebellion ignored him and kept talking.
"I know you can hear me," Frank continued. "You are LY-ING! Why you gotta be lyin' to people, you overgrown chihuahua!"
The crowd that was being the rebellion started to agree with Frank.
The leader walked over to Frank. He glared down at him, the moon creating a halo around his head. "You would do best to keep your mouth shut, invader," he growled.
"Bite me Fleabag," he replied, glaring back.
The leader took Frank's head into his massive paw. The claws tapped the top of his head. "A mouth like that is bound to get someone killed," he threatened.
"If it means getting away from your boring ass speech, I welcome death."
The leader let go of Frank and walked over to Chases Moon. With a quick thrust, he ripped into the alpha male's chest and pulled out his heart. He shoved it into his mouth and swallowed it in one gulp. Frank looked on in horror. The leader turned back to the crowd. "I, Shifting River, have slain Chases Moon to become the new Alpha Male!"
The rebellion cheered while the rest of the clan shouted in horror and rage. Shifting River walked up to the clan, arms held wide in victory. "Coward," Frank yelled. The entire clan fell silent. Shifting River slowly turned, pure anger in his eyes. "You killed a defenseless man. You didn't even give him a chance to fight. You're no alpha male. You're just a bitch."
Shifting Rivers growled, foam beginning to form. The rest of the rebellion followed suit. Frank took one deep breath and exhaled slowly. Time began to slow as the rebellious pack began to charge at him. He touched his fingers together. "Risvegliare la vendetta," he yelled. The armor covered him within a moment, breaking him free of his bonds and ready just as the first werewolf dove in for the kill. He knocked the attacker clear across the village with a single punch.
Two more werewolves tried to bite into the armor, but Vendetta was able to fling them off into another attacker. They rushed him, hitting and clawing and biting from all angles. "Will you stop that," he argued. They continued their assault. The gems on Vendetta's chest piece began to glow. "I said OFF," he yelled. A blast of energy knocked the rebellious pack off of him and were sent flying in all directions. The energy continued to surround him as he stared down Shifting River.
"I will not let you escape, invader," he growled.
Vendetta pointed at the werewolf, the gems on his gauntlets glowing with power. He then motioned for him to attack. The werewolf obliged, and the two were locked in combat. The mass of lycanthrope stood tall over even Vendetta, and the wolf used that to his advantage as he tried to bite down on the Hunter's helmet.
Vendetta's fist started to glow from the energy of the gems, and he started punching the beast in the stomach. He punched with one hand, then the other. It felt like trying to punch a steel beam covered by a shag carpet. He reached back and slammed both fists into the beast's stomach, sending the creature flying back. The creature flipped over and landed on its feet, ready to attack.
The clan was in udder pandemonium by this point. The clan was trying to fight the rebellious youth that were trying to rejoin the battle between them. It was an all-out battle within the very clan. Vendetta held up his fist, the gem pointing up. It was glo
wing a deep red. "Look at what you've done," he said, presenting the madness around them. "You have divided this clan."
Shifting River looked around, then a smile crept across his face. "You think I really care about this clan, Hunter," he said.
Vendetta sent out a blast, knocking the werewolf over. He began to shift. The fur all faded away and he began to shrink in size. When the transformation was complete, a naked, bald woman laid on the ground. The rebellion stopped fighting once they say what became of their leader. Vendetta scratched the side of his helmet. "Um...what," he asked.
The woman quickly stood up. She was as anatomically built as a doll. "I have already obtained what my master requires," she stated, placing a hand on her stomach. "Let this clan wither and die for all I care." She jumped in the air and quickly transformed into a giant raven, flying off into the night sky.
"Well, that didn't go as expected," he remarked. "The boss is not going to be happy about this report.
To Be Continued...
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