Evil's Awakening I

Clearwater Pack was in turmoil. The heir of the Royal Pack and Clearwater were missing! The Alpha of Clearwater had developed a cluster of grey hair in the past few days. By now, there was a complete shutdown of all pack activities, leaving the pack members terrified and restless. If even the Alpha's son was not safe, then who was? Everyone was convinced that Sinbad had been abducted by witches, including the Alpha and the envoys. Logan, the heir of Silvermoon and Garsam's best friend, paced around Alpha Kain's office. Alpha Kain stood by the window, staring outside but not really seeing anything. Logan made a loud noise, a mix of a sigh and a groan. "I have to tell Uncle Sen that I lost his son!" Logan exclaimed. "F*ck!" Alpha Kain trembled and turned away from the window. "We don't need to inform the Royal Pack so soon." Logan stared at him as if he were insane. "What do you mean, 'so soon'? It's been a whole f*cking week." "Watch your language, boy," Logan turned to the speaker. "But, Dad..." "Not another word," the Alpha of Silvermoon calmly interrupted. He cast Alpha Kain a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Forgive the foolish child; Garsam is his dearest friend, so he's worried. I hope you can understand." Alpha Kain suppressed his anger and nodded. "I do. I also wish to find them both soon, but I believe involving the Royal Pack too quickly might complicate matters unnecessarily." Logan's father tilted his head. "I think so too," he mused, "but concealing such a serious matter is a grave offense. The council's elders won't be pleased, and what if the kids get hurt or worse turned?" Alpha Kain's face paled, his hands shook, and he struggled to remain upright. Wide eyes stared unseeingly at the floor. "Will you take responsibility?" Logan's father continued. He stood and straightened his coat. "We'll continue the search, but be prepared to inform the Royal Pack about the heir's disappearance and be ready for the consequences it will surely bring." *** In a lodge in Clearwater Pack, Alpha Dorian, one of the envoys to Clearwater Pack, sat anxiously in a chair. A mobile phone rested on a small table before him. The phone lit up and vibrated, startling him. He picked up the phone, tapped the answer button, and held it to his ear. "It's time, come over," the caller said simply. "Okay," he replied. The call disconnected. He didn't move immediately. Instead, he sat staring at the phone. The interface showed the messaging app, where a conversation was already underway with a contact saved simply as 'wife.' His last message read: 'Our baby will be fine.' The recipient hadn't replied, so he tapped and swiped across the screen, adding, 'Trust me,' a short message that conveyed what he couldn't say. A tired sigh escaped his lips. If only things had been different. His finger hovered for a moment before he tapped the send button. He tossed the phone onto the bed and strode out of the room. Five seconds passed, and the phone lit up with a notification: 'Message not sent.' Thirty minutes later, he was in a clearing some distance from the lodge. The path to the clearing was generally undisturbed, and there was no defined pathway except to stomp through bushes and plants, indicating that no one came here, and perhaps, no one was allowed to, for good reason. The general populace of this backwater pack might not have known, but as the Alpha of one of the biggest packs around, he knew the evil buried in this area. Alpha Dorian spotted a figure by the well. It was dark, but the diamond ring on the person's hand glinted in the moonlight. "Nath?" Alpha Dorian called out. The figure turned. A hoodie shielded him from immediate view. He nodded at Dorian and produced a lamp that emitted an alternating pink and blue flame. He hung it on the well's beam and gestured for Alpha Dorian to come closer. "Are you ready?" The person asked, more statement than question. Alpha Dorian bent slightly to peer into the well. "I don't know," he replied. The hooded man tapped Alpha Dorian's shoulder and handed him a small brown pill the size of a thumbnail. Alpha Dorian's gaze questioned as he accepted it. It felt cold and sticky, looking like sh*t. "What's this?" he asked. "Swallow it," the man ordered. "It should protect you from the well's poison, but only for a short time, so be quick." "Wait!" Alpha Dorian hissed. "I'm the one going in?" The man raised a hand and pulled down his hood, revealing the Alpha of Silvermoon Pack. "If not you, then me?" he scoffed. "Need I remind you that you're the one in need of my help, and this is the price you pay for it. Get me the heart of Virgo, and I'll save your daughter." Alpha Dorian had nothing more to say. He turned away, threw the pill into his mouth, and swallowed. It had the sickening taste of rotten fruit. He tightly pursed his lips to prevent himself from throwing up the vile substance. It took a few seconds for the queasiness to subside. He turned immediately, heaved himself over the well's edge, and began his descent. The thorns pricked him, drawing tiny trickles of blood, but otherwise, he felt fine. When he was close to the bottom, he jumped and landed with a squelch. The base of the well was damp, and his feet sank ankle-deep into the mud. "Do you see it?" the question echoed into the well. Alpha Dorian looked around. The well was dark, but his sight was just fine. Vines lined the walls of the well, but in one corner, there was a cluster of vines that moved like snakes, repeatedly going in and out as if wrapping around something. "I think so," he echoed back. "It's covered in vines. I need something to cut it with." "Well, shift," was the impatient reply. Alpha Dorian frowned in annoyance. He turned back to the snaking vines and let his claws grow out. It was painful to maintain a half-shifted form, but he couldn't fully shift in this tight space; he would have to reach the heart quickly. He raised his hand and tore down at the vines. His razor-sharp claws cut through them easily, but before he could celebrate, a new layer of vines snaked through, covering the gap he had made. But in that brief moment, he had caught a glimpse of something throbbing in the cluster of vines. He was close, so close. Like a vision, a smiling girl appeared in his mind, and he smiled too. His daughter would be fine. He swiped down hard and repeatedly, leaving no room for the vines to regrow. As long as he completed this mission, his little girl wouldn't be in pain anymore. A minute later, just as his burst of adrenaline was waning, he finally grabbed hold of the throbbing chunk of flesh. He yanked it out and immediately started climbing out. The vines still sought to conceal the heart, slithering about and wrapping around him. He couldn't do much to shake them off, as one hand held the heart and the other struggled to pull his whole body weight. The arduous climb ended as he popped his head out of the well. The night's cool breeze hit him, but he was in no state to enjoy it. "Help me!" he yelled desperately. The vines had by then wrapped up to his torso, and he was having a hard time breathing. "Where's the heart?" Alpha Nath asked instead, coming closer. There was a sudden tug that threatened to pull him back into the well. Alpha Dorian threw the heart over and held onto the well's edge with both hands. "Help me!" he repeated, more hysterically this time. Alpha Nath picked up the heart. The organ throbbed and glowed a pale red. He took out a cloth and carefully wrapped it up before putting it in his satchel. Then he turned to leave. Alpha Dorian saw this and shouted, "What are you doing?" Alpha Nath took a few more steps, then stopped. He turned and raised a questioning brow at Alpha Dorian. "Your life for your daughter's, a fitting trade is it not?" "That wasn't the deal," Alpha Dorian protested, fear seeping into his heart. He didn't want to die! "Even if I got you out, you'd be dead in an hour, the pill delays the effects of the vine's poison, it doesn't neutralize it." "You monster!" Alpha Dorian spat. A vine slowly coiled around his neck, and his face started to turn blue as his eyes bulged. "You're wrong," Alpha Nath frowned and patted his satchel where the heart lay. "This is the true monster, and I will release it, control it." He turned and walked away, ignoring the sickening sound of bones being crushed.