Son of hell - Blood of wolves

Chapter 3 part I/II - Castaways

That night, Maura's baby was stillborn. Aragen steadfastly refused to accept a premonition that seized her at that moment. The premonition that this was the beginning of a chain of events that would bring big changes. Changes that would either save or destroy them all.

Aragen stood in the doorway of her cabin. It was daybreak and the pack was still asleep. All except Ragar. He was sitting on a hillside near the forest, his head buried deep in his hands. He was mourning. Aragen watched his huge back and wished that she could somehow relieve his pain. She knew she couldn't. He had lost a child and that was something he could only overcome by himself.

"One less bastard," Sieena stated with an angry voice. Aragen clenched her teeth.

"Be quiet, Mother."

Sieena stood behind her. "All of them are just bastards. You must stay away from them. Don't let them get close to you! You must be strong!"

Aragen faced her. "Mother, you have no idea how strong I am," she growled.

Sieena's big eyes which at that point were full of venom suddenly turned into loving tenderness. "You're still a child. My baby...," she stretched out her hand. Aragen flinched.

"Not anymore."

"Don't do this to me," Sieena shook her head in desperation. "The two of us should stick together!"

Aragen threw up her hands in frustration. "Mother, I'm not going anywhere!"

Sieena grabbed her head and rocked backwards and forwards. "It's all his fault! Ragar is to blame! I hate him! I hate him, I hate him!

Aragen pushed her inside and slammed the door. "Stop it, Mother. If someone heard you, they would punish you. You must learn to control your emotions, do you understand? Only then can you overcome the insanity that rages in your head." She led her mother to the furs and gently put her to bed, comforting her as she did so. "Now get some rest. Get some sleep." Sieena lay there, gently sobbing, wiping her eyes with trembling hands.

When Aragen returned to the door and looked out, her father was gone.

In the morning there was tension and excitement in the air. Preparations for the Autumn Hunt had begun and everyone enthusiastically argued about who would win and become a Predator. It was an annual tradition at the beginning of the autumn, when the Young wolves went into the forest to hunt Karamba. Karamba were strong, very dangerous beasts. Whoever managed to bring one down and bring it to the camp became a member of the Predators.

Aragen sat by the fireplace and inquisitively watched her father as he gave out his orders to the Predators. There were four of them, two men of Ragar's age, and another two only a few years older than herself. Catching a Karamba was not an easy task. For three consecutive years none of the Young had succeeded.

The Predators' task that day was to guard the edge of the forest just in case one of the Young accidentally drove an enraged Karamba towards the camp. Aragen knew how much Wenir wanted to become one of the Predators. She had no doubt he could do it, after all he had all the prerequisites for it.

She watched as the Predators handed over their swords to Ragar and in one graceful leap transformed themselves into magnificent giant lupine creatures. Ragar thrust their swords into the ground creating a small circle as he did so. Little Tan was put on guard to protect them.

Pack rules forbade werewolves from carrying weapons. The only exceptions were for the Predators and the leader himself. Aragen knew the intricacies of her father's sword, axe and knives. All of them had apparently been crafted by gnomes which he met during his youth when courting his first love. Rumour had it that she was the only woman he had ever truly loved. He could never deal with her death, while Sieena could never accept the fact that she was always number two.