The wolf woman

The Village

The sun came out of the horizon. It was a beautiful sunrise. A new day started. When a newly wedded girl sees her husband, she starts singing. Similarly, when all the animals see the sun, they start singing. It was a celebration for those who woke up again. It was a threnody for those who closed their eyes forever. The jungle mourns for those it lost and celebrates another sun. Everyone in the village woke up with the melody. "We are the werewolves. We strive to survive." I heard the masses singing. I wanted to sleep more. The melody was rather disturbing to me, who's more accustomed to wake up late. I opened my eyes. I found Accalia sleeping on the floor. She was holding my hand. She must have seen a nightmare. I patted her head to wake her up. "You shouldn't sleep on the floor.", I told her. She stretched. I looked at my wristwatch. It was 7 in the morning. I usually wake up half an hour before 10 and rush to work. I sat straight on the couch. My head was heavy. I pulled Accalia over to sleep on the couch. "It's not good to sleep on the floor. You might get sick", I told her. I saw the note kept on the table. It was written by her parents. They went for a morning walk. I switched on the television and screened through the channels.  I was a sleepyhead. I dozed off. My head was on Accalia's shoulder. She was gently stroking my hair. I was feeling relaxed. The memories from my childhood hitted me. My mom gently stroked my hair while I slept on her lap. It was a soothing feeling.
Suddenly, Accalia pulled my hair. "Ouch!", I exclaimed. I saw her parents entering the house. I moved away from her. Accalia ran into her room. I went to her parents and said, "I have never formally introduced myself. I am Leo Hester." I bowed in front of them. Accalia's Father replied "I am Joseph Cantoose Accalia's father." To which her mother added, "I am Maria Cantoose. Her mother." They both bowed in front of me. We greeted each other. They were kind to me. I saved their daughter. They are thankful. Uncomfort is inevitable. I might be the only human who has ever entered the village. Her parents offered me breakfast. I sat on the dining table. They started to serve breakfast. Accalia was absent. She was going to eat in her room. I wanted her parents to see what she learnt yesterday. "May I ask a favour?", I asked. Her dad looked at me. He was uncertain about what I will ask. "Sure.", he said. I asked if Accalia can eat with us. Her parents were reluctant. They knew she lacks table manners. It is in werewolves' customs to fulfill their guests's feasible requests. They agreed. I called Accalia to join us on the table. Joseph had anger in his eyes. He is someone who strictly follows etiquettes. Accalia's savage ways angers him. Accalia sat in front of me. She was nervous. She looked at me. I smiled. She copied me. Her mother served her. I changed my breakfast to match hers. I knew she was going to copy me. I was supporting her. We started to eat. Accalia was doing her best in copying everything I did. Her parents were gobsmacked. Even though Accalia was still a bit messy, she was using knives and forks for the first time in front of them. They watched her eating. They were speechless. We finished our meal together. Accalia smiled. Her parents praised me. I have taught her to eat like that in a short time. I did not want to be credited for her efforts. "Praise her not me. She worked hard.", I said. They nodded. They hugged Accalia and patted her head. "You did a good job daughter. We are proud of you." They said. Accalia smiled. I expected her to cry. She was stuffing her tears inside. She was putting up a tough girl's act. I was glad to see happiness in her eyes.
But good moments don't last forever. I looked at my clock. It was 9:30 a.m. I have to rush or I would be late for my work. I ran out of the house. Accalia followed me in a frenzy. She freaked out that I am going to leave her. The village looked different than it was at night. I could not find a way out of it. I saw the chief's house. I ran towards it. I was stopped at the gate. I wasn't allowed to go inside. "Chief! I need your help!", I yelled. He came out of his house. He asked me what happened. I explained the turmoil I was in. He laughed. "Take a month off your work.", he ordered. I denied. "I can't do that. For a leave that long, we need to apply a week before.", I said, putting my reason in front of him. He asked which company I work for. I questioned why he needed to know that. Werewolves used to be Guardians in ancient times. With time, humans grew jealous of their strength. They started hunting them. Werewolves hid in the forest away from human society. Some royal families and elites signed a treaty with them. They know about the existence of werewolves. The treaty is to share information and ensure no interference among the territories. As the chief of the tribe, he is in contact with then. He would ask them to allow my leave. I shared my other work details. He went inside his house. After some time, I got a message that my leave application is approved. That was a relief. Accalia jumped on my back and hugged me tightly. I pulled her in front of me. She was crying. She hugged me tightly again. "Accalia….?". "No leave….". I was right. She got scared. She didn't want to be left alone again. I patted her head. "Till death do us part." The words just came out of my mouth. It was a message from my heart. I didn't have romantic feelings for her but I do like her. She is cute. She looked at me and smiled brightly.
I spent the next one month studying werewolves. They are divided into several ranks. Alpha is the leader of the village. Maybe the chief didn't tell me his real name but his rank. Second in command are betas. They take the lead in absence of the alpha. They also help alpha in administration. Deltas are under betas. They undergo training with betas to improve their ranks. Salutary is a herbal wolf. He is like a doctor. In this village, some werewolves disguised themselves in human society and studied modern medicine. Thus, they have the knowledge of herbs as well as modern medicines. Sentinels are the soldiers of the pack. They patrol the surroundings to ensure safety. Elders are the werewolves who have great experience. They guide Alphas and Betas. They act as advisors to both. Hunters are those who make sure that the village has enough food for everyone. They hunt in packs under the leadership of Alpha or Beta. Scouts are the spies, messenger and the ambassador of the pack. They maintain friendship with other packs. They also gather new information and share with Alphas and betas. Guardians act as caretakers. They take care of old and wounded members. The second lowest ranks in werewolves are omegas and pups. They are the new members who are learning the werewolves' way of life. The last rank is rogue. These werewolves are those who left the village or been kicked out.
The village is constructed into several concentric circles which are barricaded by walls. Each circle is separated using walls. These are their lines of defence.  The outer two circles houses sentinels and Scouts. They live closest to the main wall so that in case of emergencies, they all can rush to the main walls to guard the village. They are trained in different martial arts. Their ancestors learnt martial arts from humans. The knowledge is passed down to the generations. The third circle from the outside are of Guardians, a.k.a. Caretakers. If a battle rages on between two packs, they will be right on site to take care of wounded werewolves. The next circle comprises the hunters, blacksmiths and weapon-maker. They stay in contact with the inner circles and outer circles to keep check on the supply of food and weapons. The next circle is inhabited by Doctors. There are hospitals in this circle as well. The following circle has schools and nursing facilities. Since there are no colleges in the village. Werewolves who want to study further disguise themselves in human society. I could have been sitting next to a werewolf and wouldn't know that. The innermost circle has the chief's house, Elders' houses and the community hall. Werewolves have etiquettes similar to humans. Their lifestyle is the same as that of humans. If we remove their strengths and ability to shapeshift, they are humans. Their way of living can be regarded as a mixture of modern and medieval civilization.
I can't believe I spent an entire month in the village. Accalia learnt a lot as well. Now she can eat neatly on her own. She doesn't need to copy me. She learnt to make basic sentences. She can carry out short conversations. I was asked to teach her some academic subjects at home. I was surprised by her mathematical abilities. She was moderate in other subjects. The Chief asked me to take her to my home after the month is over. He gave me money to buy a better apartment. My apartment is small for two people. I didn't want to accept the money but my mind liked otherwise.
It was the last day at the werewolf village. The sun was about to set down. I was on the main walls of the village with the chief. The cool breeze was kissing my face. I turned to the chief. "If you don't mind, can I ask something?" I asked. He nodded. "What is it?", He replied. I asked him why he was so kind to Accalia when everyone hated her.