My Ancestors Say... (ON HOLD)

Norway

NORWAY

We spent our youth in a crowded city,

Norway, prided, loud and pretty,

We lived for the hunt and lust and thrill,

Desire then our only will.

Floating them between hell and heaven, in Nordic seas and woodlands

Always Drunk on plenties stolen goods

We thought ourselves fraternal then,

Our fate sealed by Oden's pen.

But paradise, we found is always frail,

Stolen from us, a feud began, this battle we will prevail.

My name is Rune Vilhelm. I live in a large stone castle amidst the mountains, overlooking our small village. I am the seventh son of my father, the seventh son, and I will be the seventh generation in my family to sieze the throne. The Vilhelm's have held power in these lands for as long as anyone can remember, we are a rutheless bunch teaching other Norwegians to be just as rutheless. My family obtained its high position when my ancestor first came to these lands and used his fantastic gift to rid these parts of the Ancient Ones.

Over the years, we would share our power with some of the villagers, eventually leaving only a select handful still human. Tonight is the night of my 26th birthday, but more importantly it is the night that I fully embrace my gift. Tonight I shall be given the full extent, all aspects shall be heightened at the small price of a challenge and a life. But what is one life if I could save thousands of others from the Ancient Ones? Not like I was going to waste all of this talent purely on war but-.

I pulled on my fur boots and crossed to the other side of the room. On my desk was a large silver cross with a diamond in the center to represent their skin, so pale and cold. I fastened the chain around my neck, the silver was cool through the cotton of my shirt. I put on my royal face as I opened the heavy wood door of my room and walked down the empty stone corrisdors. In the large foyer stood my two eldest brothers. They are holding a large heavy fur coat which they drape over my shoulder and fasten with a gold clasp.

"Tonight you die," My one brother says.

"No," I correct him, "Tonight I show you how powerful I am and send you running with your tail between your legs."

My other brother silences me by clamping an iron mask over my face. The mask was in the shape of a wolves face, with a long nose and ears. The only sight of my face was through two small holes for my eyes.

My brothers flanked my sides and followed me through the icy snow to a barn illuminated by lights and loud cheers from onlookers. This was all custom for a ceremony such as this when a royal shall rise to his full power. I waited in the north wing with my brothers as I watched my father stand in the center of the ring of onlookers, declaring the story we all knew, making the introduction we all had heard for my brothers. I strode into the center of the ring and soaked in the applause given to me.

My father bows out to the side and stands with my brothers, watching and waiting for his seventh son to fill him with pride.

And I would. I would not hesitate. I would not dissapoint.

My opponent comes out of the crowd. I knew this man from the village. His name is Per, he has red hair and a normal build, he was one of the few select humans to have received the gift. And I was going to kill him.

He shifts immediately, wasting no time. His elonged nose snarls, drawing back his lips and exposing his pointed teeth.

I shift as well. Fire races through my veins and warms my entire body. Though my bones are breaking, re-arranging and elongating, I pay very little attention. My pupils have consumed my eye, focusing directly on Per. My new animal face had pushed against the iron mask, breaking its hinges, sending the pieces clamboring to the floor.

I stepped one giant, furred paw out of the lifeless fur cape, then another paw. I threw out my black chest and growled, saliva filling my mouth and dripping from my teeth.

Per growled back, starting to pace around the circle, I started pacing as well, my large eyes examing my oponent, searching for his weaknesses. Suddenly, I threw my head to the sky and let loose a howl, signaling the beginning of the fight.

Per jumped at me, swatting my face with his claws, I swatted back, catching the corner of his eye. He wrapped his great arms around my body, forcing me to stand and then fall back on him. I quickly gained back my footing and clamped my jaw on his scruff, pulling him across the ring. My muzzle was matted with Per's blood. Per was still trying to get his footing. He was weak, the wolf in him wasn't as powerful as the wolf in me. So I bite into the bone of his arm and pulled it off completely, severing the bone from its socket. I threw it across the ring, the crowd stepped back from it as the fur became skin and the pads became fingers. The severed arm gave one last twinge before it fell dead. I focused back on Per who had shifted back into a human. He was grasping his bloodied shoulder, screaming.

Part one of my change has been completed, I was challenged. Now, I have to kill.

I lept at Per, my lips pulled back and teeth ready to bite. I hit Per in the stomach and send us flying into the wall. My teeth pull at the flesh of his abdominal and then at his intestines. At first his hand punches at my neck, trying in vain to get me to release my grip. His hand went slack though, I dug my face into his stomach before pulling away, dragging twenty feet of intestine out into the dirt. The musclehits the floor as I change back into my human self. I wobble a little, disoriented at first, and then I felt the fire in my veins again. I pitched forward, choking and spitting out Per's blood, my heart started beating faster and faster and then suddenly, it stopped. I stood up straight and noticed that the silver cross around my neck no longer weighed anything. I held it in my hand and observed the diamond, like blood poured into water, a red tint clouds the diamond until the gem is no longer a diamond, but a ruby instead.

It starts as a murmur in the far corners of the barn and then like a wave, grows to great heights, the entire room is shouting my name, cheering for me.

"Rune! Rune! Rune!" My father cheers as well.

And the only two who don't are my brothers.

I smile victoriously, the dried blood on my face cracking and throw my fists into the air. I was the winner. I was the killer. I would be king one day. I am twenty-six tonight.

But more importantly: I am a werewolf.

...Norway, prided, loud and pretty,

We lived for the hunt and lust and thrill,

Desire then our only will...

-Rune