The Gathering of the Clans

Book 1 Chapter 1

The Gathering of the Clans

Book 1 Chapter 1

<<<Pepepski >>>

Ian and Kyle's House

Ian lay in bed and remembered how it all started with the Draconids meteor shower. "Be sure to look to the night sky, everyone! The Draconids meteor shower, a yearly event, is also known as the Glacobinids since the shower spawns from the comet 21P Galcobini-Zinner which orbits around the sun for six and a half years. The shower is predicted to peak early this evening and thru the night providing us quite the celestial show. For where and when to see it, log into our website!" The news anchor said with a big smile.

He and his family, his mate Kyle, his mother Evelynn, and his younger sister Cassie watched the show. It was a heavenly show of falling stars as the meteors skipped, played, and burned in the atmosphere, painting streaks of light across the night sky. It didn't end there, sonic booms sounded through the night as some of the meteorites didn't burn completely upon entry. One even landed in the local lake. Buildings and trees shook with the shock wave generated by the debris landing. His neighbors screamed in wonder and fear at the show of power from the night sky.

The first thing people started to notice was that some of the animals were acting strangely. They were acting more aggressively. There were even some attacks by house pets. Then the animals started dying from some strange sickness, and humans started catching The Sickness. The fall seasonal celebrations had been in full swing and as usual, the area was flooded with tourists wanting their usual gourmet cheese, seasonal goodies, and handmade crafts.

Their little village's two hotels, four motels, and the little bed and breakfasts dotted throughout Pepepski were full to bursting with tourists. Their village may only have a little over a thousand living here but they were known for their shops, pleasant little bistros serving up the local specialties, and lakeside beaches. Being as close as they were to the popular Wolf Lake Resort helped bring in tourists pretty much from spring through fall. The first outbreaks of the Sickness in Pepepski caused most of the tourists to leave for their homes and more left every day as more of the town's residents became sick and lost the battle for their lives.

"Ian! Ian! I can't see!" Evelynn screamed, Kyle dragged himself from the chair he had been dozing in. " Ian can't come, Mama Eve, he has the Sickness too, the fever started last night. I put him to bed. She growled at Kyle "Get me, my son!" "I can't he's not able to stand up anymore, I'm sorry" Kyle started to cry as she tried to slap him. Luckily she didn't have much strength left to hurt him. The Sickness brought on a fever, hallucinations, dehydration, fatigue, body aches, and severe mood swings of a violent nature. It wore you down till nothing was left and then killed you.

This kind and loving woman was a second mother to him. Ian and he had been a couple since high school. Mama Eve had known her only son was gay and had approved of her son's chosen mate. She and Ian Senior had welcomed him with open arms to the family home after his own parents had rejected him for loving another man.

His sweet Mama Eve was not going to survive the Sickness, she had fought a hard battle but he already saw the signs of the final stages. It had already taken his little sister-in-law, young Cassie, the first in the house to catch the Sickness. She had not lived to see her thirteenth birthday. Like a candle in the breeze, eight days ago her light flickered and went out. They had buried her in the backyard with a small cross at the head of her grave. Her favorite necklace adorned the wooden cross.

Mama Eve was the second in the family to get sick but she was lasting longer than Cassie had and she was getting more violent. She couldn't tell fantasy from reality anymore. Dehydrated, she called out for her children but they couldn't answer her call, the only one who could answer her call was Kyle. One minute she recognized who he was and the next he was a stranger holding her darling children hostage from her. She was convinced they were babies and nothing he said would dissuade her.