Fingers stroking the crimson spine and delicately woven cover of the found book, Leslie sat on her sofa, legs up, in the living room. It was still raining outside, but inside it was warm and cosy, however small the place was. The walls were freshly painted with cream coloured paint and the faint smell still lingered in the air. The sound of quiet voices from the TV, the knocking of droplets against the window and the rapid slamming of fingertips against the keyboard were the only sounds that filled the room.
Leslie opened the book at the beginning, reading the title 'Insulam Luporum' for the fifth time. The next page was an image of an island, one that was familiar to Leslie, but slightly different. Perhaps it was the ancient version of Iceland? As she read the small writing below, her suspicions proved to be right. The following pages were filled with infinite small words and occasionally a few drawings of certain places on the island. It pained Leslie to think about reading the whole thing; it would take weeks.
"Could you please just google what the book 'Insulam Luporum' is about rather than destroying my laptop?" Leslie asked, irritation in her voice from the never-ending keyboard slamming of Emily.
"It means 'Isle of Wolves'." The brunette woman responded without much thought and continued tapping the keyboard, searching for a reliable website.
"I know what the title means. That's why it's crucial to find out what it contains, but I don't want to read it for a month while not doing anything else." Leslie answered uneasily, putting the book back on her lap.
"Don't fret, my friend. I've found what we're looking for." Emily turned around in her chair, flashing Leslie a triumphant grin. Leslie got up immediately and jumped behind her friend's chair, scanning over the page. "It talks about a guy's experiences around 50 years ago, or more, in Iceland. He often mentions the surreal aura of the place and his sightings of wolves larger than any he's ever seen before; almost twice as large as a grown grey wolf. But these weren't grey wolves. Their pelt colours varied and he records seeing unusual colours of their eyes; vibrant and bright, almost glowing. It's kind of like a diary if you ask me." Emily reads a part of the page and turns to look at Leslie who's facial expression was distant and thoughtful. She waited for her to return.
"Those were undoubtedly lycanthropes. We have to find him..." Leslie said finally, but Emily was already on it, highlighting the last sentence on the page.
"He was on the island when the bombs hit it, and was never seen again. The book was left in a metal box, buried under the ashes when these modern pirates found it while raiding the island for any easy valuables. 'They sold it on an English market not long after, but it's current position, if still existing, is unknown.' Well, we do know where it is.." Emily read aloud and Leslie cursed.
"Dammit. We were so close... What do we do now?" She asked, still leaning on the chair when Emily stood up and walked away.
"We go to Iceland." Emily responded quietly as she increased the volume of the TV, the voice of the news reporter getting louder, and Leslie turned around to face the TV, confusion painted across her face.
"And the last story for today; A few boats were seen sailing towards Iceland, or shall we say Ashland? *giggle* Their intentions are unknown, could these be pirates raiding the bombed land once again? I suppose we'll never find out. The island is still one of the most dangerous places in the world, and it's not recommended to visit it for the next 15-20 years, until its ecosystems balance out and until vegetation and animals are tested to see if there has been a change, but these tests will not be carried out for another 10 years or so. It's practically illegal to travel there. Well, that's it for today, and now James with the weather forecast..." Emily decreased the volume and looked at Leslie, who looked back into her dark brown eyes.
"Are you deaf? She just said that it's still one of the most dangerous places in the world! I will not risk your life, simply because I want to find other lycans!" Leslie argued against her idea, worry and anger in her voice.
"And your kind is the most dangerous in the world! You will be there with me, to protect me... But we both know my karate skills are amazing." Emily winked and laughed in return, making Leslie even more irritated, how could she laugh her wellbeing off like that? Leslie's eyes softened after a while, knowing she was right, but was still worried.
"Okay, let's say we find other werewolves. What then? We split up? Where will you go? You stay? With me and who knows how many other lycans? And you think they won't try to harm you?" Leslie bombarded her with her questions, knowing they will have to split up once she finds others of her kind. Emily stepped closer to her, sadness and understanding in her eyes.
"I'll come back and live my awesome life with my awesome career, with an awesome husband and two awesome kids. And you'll live your awesomer life with your new pack!" This was like Emily; always optimistic, always happy to do what is right. "We'll be okay... I want you to be happy, that's why I've been helping you to find them since we were kids. Well... We never actually found them, but this might be it. If you're happy, I'm happy. And if I'm happy, you're happy. Soo... We'll figure it out." Emily reassured her, and they hugged each other.
"But what about the bombs? Didn't that wipe out all life there?" Leslie asked, sitting back down on the sofa, book in her hand.
"Yes, it did... But that was, what, 40 years ago? Since then, a lot must've changed. The forests must be back by now. Vegetation grows easily from the ashes. Forests mean life. If Iceland holds any 'magic' within it, because lycanthropes are originally from there, it will regenerate much quicker than average forests and lands." Emily explained as she sat back in her chair and Leslie listened intently.
"Alright, well... Iceland it is." Leslie nodded and looked up at the ceiling, wondering what it would feel like to be in a pack, to belong somewhere... She enjoys human company to a certain extent, but it never felt quite right. She never felt truly at home anywhere, her sole goal was to find the others and form a pack; to bring the former glory of werewolves back. She knows they're out there somewhere, she just has to find them. Or vice versa.
Her thoughts kept going back to that glowing pair of hazel eyes that looked deep into her soul... Maybe she had already found someone else, but she didn't live with the opportunity; she couldn't risk transforming there when it might've been only her mind playing games with her. It could've been a stray dog.. with glowing contact lenses. She shook her head at the stupid thought and wondered why that gorgeous blonde girl had this book in her hands, maybe she was another lycan? No. How could these lycans appear randomly in the city she has been living for a few years now? It was highly unlikely, but intriguing at the same time. She closed her eyes and hoped Iceland will bring a change into her life...
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That's it for the second part! :)
So much information to take in.. (These, of course, are made up) The chapter lengths will vary, but I'll try keeping them around the same.
Tell me what you think, and see you in the next part! ;)
YOU ARE READING
Lycanthropy; The Ascend (#Wattys2018)
WerewolfShe's been searching for her kind for a lifetime, without success... But what happens when she realizes she isn't the only one? She proceeds on a quest to bring the lycans back to their formal glory.. but things don't always go as planned. Things do...
