A Scientific Rejection, Book I: The Making (On Indefinite Hiatus)

Chapter Seven (C): From the Clearing To the Conduit

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Chapter Seven (C): From the Clearing To the Conduit

“That was a sign that we have come to the end of The Clearing,” Mortimus answered.

          “What does that mean?” he asked angrily.

          “It means, Little Pup, that it is time for you to learn more about your magic.”

          “Magic?” Warrick laughed. “I’m a werewolf. Wolves don’t do magic. I think you’re looking for a wizard or something,” he finished, chuckling.

          “Warrick,” Mortimus stated in a firm voice, standing to look him in the eye. “What I am about to tell you will not be easy to accept, given your background, but accept it you must.”

          Warrick froze, anticipating a stunning mental blow.

          “You are not a wolf.”

*        *        *

               “I was born a wolf,” Warrick countered.

          “No,” Mortimus denied, “but you were born in the shape of one.”

          “What’s the difference?” Warrick asked in an exasperated tone.

          Mortimus stood, holding out a hand to re-light the now dead fire ring with the simple gesture. Standing with the fire at his back, he told Warrick, “It’s the difference between this…” he shifted into the original form that Warrick had seen, replete with ferocious teeth, claws and glittering skin, “this” he continued, again shifting into the form of Warrick’s teacher, a man of African descent with tightly coiled, metallic gold hair and eyes, “and this,” he finished, shifting into the form of a helpless looking kitten.

          Warrick looked disbelievingly at the tiny ball of fur, sitting in front of the fire. It’s golden coat and matching eyes looked up at Warrick sweetly as the thing purred. He stepped back involuntarily, unnerved by the contrast between the deadly warrior who had been training him and this unassuming little being. Unable to sense anything from the kitten, he was painfully aware that he would have been taken in by its seemingly unthreatening guise. As he backed away the kitten became alert, standing up on all fours and beginning to stalk towards him. Then, in mid-stride, the kitten became a fully grown lion the size of a small car, its metallic golden eyes piercing through Warrick as fire erupted from inside of it. The lion continued to stalk towards him, flames licking up around its legs and torso as though they were a living thing. Warrick had to suppress the urge to run. After all, Mortimus could have chosen to kill him at any point during training, and he had not done so. Therefore, killing him was obviously not the point of this exercise. Besides, where would he go? The lion stood approximately ten feet away from him now, staring at him in a contemplative manner, with its head cocked to the side. It then shook its metallic golden mane, and transformed into a gargantuan black wolf, as large as a human school bus. Both its eyes and the tips of its fur were trimmed in metallic gold, as were its claws.