I Claim Your LOVE

The Trials

"Today is the day Cornell." The petite bird sitting on the shoulders of Callan nuzzled its mane to the flesh of the man. Callan looked at the open field which was starting to fill in with young enthusiasts who wished to prove their capability and serve the Alpha. The contenders this time were three times more than what used to be in the previous trials. He was aware of the fact that most of the men were eyeing the head warriors spot. The men presumed that levelling a human in the field would be a child's play and they could easily surpass Callan's mettle.

Everyone underestimated Callan for he was human.

Callan looked at the ground which had a long rope circled above the earth around his knee height and then he looked sideways at the long stand where his father and other elders had already taken their seats with their mates. His eyes caught the anxious and hopeful eyes of his father- the current head warrior. 

Justus was devastated when he came to know that Callan was not a shifter. Still he kept his hopes alive and trained the boy to outperform any expectations which came his way. Callan had proved that he could tackle any shifter or any adversity with ease. Justus made his son tough and brave. What worried him though were the sheer number of participants who nominated themselves to challenge his son. Under any other circumstances Callan could fight four to five people at a stretch but to face these many people would tire him out and eventually his exhaustion would force him to quit.

When Justus registered Callan looking at him, he smiled in acknowledgement. He smiled for he knew that whether his son wins or loses today he was already a champion for his parents. The love Mary and Justus will shower on him, would never depend upon the legacy of their forefathers which Callan may lose today.

Callan smiled cheerfully and shifted his focus to take note of the other participants. He noticed that among the men some juvenile entrants were also present. It was a no brainer that they were willing to grab the easy pie. 

Callan huffed at their stupidity and moved his focus to other people. His smile faltered when he saw Aldous, Marden, Richard and Tusker flexing their muscles and glaring at him. This was not a good sign. Though these four were always after Callan and deeply hated him, the fact that they were some of the best fighters amongst the pack could not be ignored.

Callan fidgeted his fingers as he exhaled an air of anxiety.

"I have been preparing for the trials for my entire life and now when the moment has finally arrived I feel like a deer caught by the hunter." The raven cawed and bobbed its head up and down. Callan chuckled "No you silly bird. I don't want you to interfere in any of the fights I go through today. I appreciate your concern but I will keep myself safe."

But the bird was not having it as it cawed and bellowed its voice in a threatening manner. Soon  the entire crowd looked at the man in confusion. Callan embarrassingly smiled at them and bowed his head. "Fine, fine you can meddle in between only if my life is in danger."

"If that's the case than you should take the bird with you. Keep it as your secret weapon." Callan was startled for a moment when he heard Aurora's voice. He embraced her with a smile. She winked at him and caressed the mane of the bird "I can see you are all ready."

"I think so. By the way what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be going to the stands, cheering for me perhaps."

Aurora chuckled "You are my one and only favorite people around here. Who do you think I would root for? I just came here to see how you are and to tell you something."

"What? "

The healer hesitated "It is more of a request actually.." Aurora held one of Callan's hands and brought it up to his chest height, pointing to the shining metal wrapped around his wrist "I want you to keep wearing this throughout your bouts."