"Who is out there Garrick?"
The wolf kept his mum for a moment but soon diverted his attention to the alpha. When he was just about to reveal the intruder the doors of the room were slammed open. With hasty steps and nervous breaths the witch barged into the room with a concern marring her face.
"Rosaline is not breathing."
"What do you mean?"
"The poison levels have decelerated the normal functioning of her organs. I need your powers to restore her balance."
"Do whatever you want." Einar was disturbed by the information he had just received. He hurriedly looked at Garrick.
"You should follow the witch." Garrick nodded in assurance "I will have a look at the outside. Don't worry."
****
The big giant star above was radiating its energy in its full glow. However its aura was nothing compared to the anger that was boiling within the visitor. He occasionally flared his nose and growled mightily to call upon the alpha.
"Where are you Einar ? Show yourself you cowardly bastard."
The blatant disrespect earned Archer several growls of rage but the bear was adamant in his stand. The wolves were trying to scare him but he retaliated with an earth shattering growl of his own, making the wolves slightly terrified of the man.
"Humble yourself." Arthur bravely stepped ahead and spoke calmly "We will not tolerate the disrespect of our alpha."
"Not today." Archer gritted his teeth "I respect you Arthur but I don't want you to get hurt so stay away." Both the men snarled at each other and battled with their eyes, trying to overpower each other with their dominance. On the other hand Garrick was surprised to see the helpless state of his men. He mind linked the head warrior who was barely able to stand on his two feet.
How was he able to infiltrate the strong army of wolves?
We tried to stop him but he was too much for us.
Aldous gestured Garrick to have a closer look at his warriors. The bruised and battered state of his men was a proof that the wolves had tried to stop him but were pulled back by the sheer strength of the bear. Garrick was amazed to say the least.
Bears were supposed to have an upper hand when it came to strength. However they lacked indefatigability which the wolves had in abundance. Moreover unlike the wolves the bears never attacked in packs or even in pairs which hampered their chances against a pack of wolves. In this case however Archer validated himself as the better man in all respect. What worried Garrick though was the sheer anger which he possessed at this moment. He sighed for somehow he was responsible for it. He quickly looked at the gamma and connected to him.
Back down Arthur. I will handle this.
But Garrick..
I will take care of it.
Garrick stepped foot in the middle of the chaos and ordered everyone to back down. The stares he received were the ones of admiration and pride. However Aldous was apprehensive about this decision of the beta. He had witnessed the condition which the bear enforced upon his warriors. Wolf after wolf suffered a heavy beat down at the hands of the visitor.
The green color of the grass was bright under the buoyant sun. The calm that surrounded the men was the silent cry before the actual battle. Without giving any warning Garrick paced his way to take the man by surprise and forcefully punched the jaw of the man taking him off balance. The move was cheered by the spectators at once and Garrick was filled with confidence in him. He carefully took off his clothes without moving his eye from his target. With a growl, he jumped and transformed in mid air.
Archer was impressed by the punch he received. He anticipated Garrick's next move and he was right in his assumption that Garrick would phase. When he saw the fiery eyes of the brown wolf approaching him, he did not move. The wolf on the other side paced his way too fast and soon jumped over the were-bear. He tried to subdue the man by forcing him to submit however the bear with a flick of his arm threw the wolf away. The power was such that Garrick landed hard on his back at a considerable distance.
Everyone was worried for the state of the beta.
When Garrick gained his stance back, he readied himself to attack again but at this time Archer was running out of patience. He waited for the wolf to approach him and as soon a the attack happened he dodged and held the wolfs mane with his two hands. He firmed his grip tightly around the neck as the wolf whimpered in pain. Garrick had but no choice to lean down and press his body to the ground.
"Stop it." the voice boomed all over as the alpha stood in front of the bear in no time. "It is me who you want."
The snarls garnered momentum as Archer reluctantly raised his foot above and took steps ahead, letting go of the beta as he remained in the ground crumbling down in his own apathy.
Einar ordered his men to take care of his best friend as he looked at the bear with anger "Why are you here?"
"You know why.."
"Assaulting my men in their own pack will brand you as the enemy. Do you want that?"
"I don't care. This madness stops if you hand me over Callan. I swear I will forget it all and never step foot in this pathetic pack of unmans."
"He will not go anywhere!" Einar roared "I wont let you or anyone else take him away."
The aura projected by the wolf leader was compelling the pack to submit before him. He was trying to dominate the bear before him as well, however Archer was un-phased by it all. For a moment he felt pity as he looked at the alpha "It is a shame that I believed in you, that Callan trusted you! Even after what you have done to him you still have the audacity to stand tall and call yourself a man? You have no pride Einar."
"Say whatever you want. Callan.. stays.. here!" The alpha said with finality.
"Fine then.. You left me no choice." The bear crossed his arms across his chest and broadened his shoulders. He held his head high and boomed his voice "I Archer Lancelot Kemp challenge you Einar Ragnar Knight in the duel of the eternals."
Hardly had the words escaped his mouth when the ground was filled with wide eyes and loud gasps. The duel of the eternals was the fight between equals. It was the traditional way of ending wars when representatives from both the sides were indulged in a fierce battle. The victory would be determined by the death of the opposition warrior and no means else.
Aldous was barely able to stand on his feet but he was in regret. There was no member of his pack who was able to control the physical attack of the bear. He overpowered them all and now he was standing in front of their leader challenging him in the match of death.
"Please don't accept this alpha. The bear doesn't know what he is saying." Aldous pleaded
"He is right. This wont end good for any of you." Arthur added. He was worried for he saw Archer in a good light. The match would solidify the fact that only one of the men would return alive.
"What do you suggest I do? Back down..?" Einar huffed "And what would that make of me? His words will be ingrained in peoples mind that I am the cowardly leader who could not stand up for the honor of his pack."
Einar blinked both of his eyes simultaneously to assure his men that he would be fine. He carefully distanced himself from them and stood face to face with the aggrieved man "The duel of the eternals should be fought with the men of the same caliber, the same strength." Einar said calmly
"I know that." Archer nodded his head "Hence I would face you in my other form while you battle me out in your human. This only seems fair."
Einar bit his lips. He thought that he would reason with the man to back down but it didn't help. Though he was gritting his teeth in frustration his eyes were pleading Archer to not do this "Do you think you have a chance against me?"
"Whatever it is.. I don't care." Archer face was hard like a stone when he furrowed his eyes and whispered "I will fight till my last breath for my friend. Something which you should've done."
The alpha lowered his eyes in shame.
Einar felt rotten inside. It was the heavy bag that he had to carry on his shoulders for the years to come. A new stain on his conscience. He knew that he came too ahead to even try and look back. He did the wrongs to equal the rights. He had to do this, for his people, for Callan.
"Alright then." Einar sighed a long breath "I accept."
Despite the warnings and naysayers, both the men were adamant to fight for their right. Einar undressed his shirt and stood in the middle while Archer mightily growled before transforming into his enormous beast. To give a fair chance to the bear Einar knew that he shouldn't draw his power from his own beasts. He held the locket in his hands for a moment and sighed. The wolf was more than ready for the fight however the demon in him was not responding as usual.
Without giving anymore thought, Einar stomped his feet and thumped his bare chest. The bear reciprocated the same gesture and stood on all his fours.
Both the men paced their way to the center and hence was the beginning of the end for one of them.
Einar landed the first blow to the abdomen of the bear. He hit his knees and chest and kicked with his might to his jaw. The bear fumbled in his stance for a few moments as the crowd cheered every blow. He bared his teeth and breathed in anger. As soon as Einar was ready to attack, the bear blocked him and thumped his paw to the back of the man. Einar was dazzled as his chest was pressed to the ground but he regained his control when the bear was about to crush him with his heavy foot. He rolled sideways and stood at the next instance.
The people were worried all of a sudden. Aldous and Garrick were already whimpering in pain for the assaults they had suffered at the hands of the bear and now it was their alpha who was unfortunately going on the same path.
Einar decided to change his strategy and he stepped forward cautiously. He planned to use his agility and his foot work to weaken the stance of the bear. He used his speed to take the bear by surprise and landed blows where the bear was least expecting them. Whenever Archer was trying to counter attack Einar he moved to a new direction leaving the bear fuming. The bear was seemingly slow in responses to the attacks of the alpha. Einar had decided to end this brawl once and for all as he gradually made his way from the abdomen to the jaws. Blow after blow he landed his hard fists to overwhelm the bear. Finally with one mighty strike he propelled the bear to land on his knees as he climbed his back like a monkey and gripped his arm around his neck like a snake.
The strength of his arm was enough to strangulate the air supply of Archer and he was slowly loosing consciousness. When Archer was just barely breathing Einar decided to end this brawl as it was too much for him to do. He couldn't convince his conscience to kill the man. He knew that Callan would never forgive him. He blew the air of defeat and decided to go with his heart.
"Lock him inside." Einar slumped his shoulders and made his way towards his best friend. He had no more courage to hurt the people Callan cared about. Archer was dear to his mate and killing him would immensely pain him. Hence it was only logical to procrastinate the inevitable until Einar had a solution in mind.
"You cannot leave." the sudden interjection halted Einar in his strides "You have to kill him. Those are the rules." One of the elder spoke.
"I don't want to malign my hands with blood. Not today."
"Leaving him undead would mean that you are disrespecting the sacred laws. Being an alpha it is your responsibility to be the frontrunner in abiding the rules."
Just as Einar was about to respond to the elder he heard the sound of a huff. The bear groaned in pain while his steady breath was increasing all of a sudden. Archer painfully lifted his body from the ground and stood firmly. He huffed again and again and finally growled in a large voice while circling his head.
Everyone lay stunned for they could not believe how the shifter could possibly come out of such a deadly daze. Einar was sure that the maneuver he attempted was enough to keep Archer sleeping for an entire day however strong he might've been. Not only did the bear defied his logic but he was standing in a furious state flaring his nose in anger. He thumped his feet to the ground and growled thunderously. Einar had no choice but to resume what he started.
The alpha put all of his energy to his fist so as to hit the bear with one last blow. He gained momentum in his speed and he hit Archer with force while raising his feet off the ground. The punch left astonished faces all over not because of Einar but because of the bear.
Archer did not stumble from his stance as was expected of him. He stood there firm and bared his teeth in anger. Before Einar could come out of his shock he was hit by the mighty paw of the bear. The alpha was unable to find his balance when another strong arm lost him completely. Left and right Einar was being hit by the mighty bear like anything.
The tables had turned and Einar was humbled all of sudden. The sharp claws of of the beast tore the skin of the alpha. The bruises and wounds he suffered was agonizingly humiliating. His face was scarred red while his vision was distorted a little.
Every strike that Archer hit was bigger than the previous one. His mind recalled all the miseries that the man forced his best friend to go through. The memories fueled his anger and he was vengeful more and more. On one such occasion he bit the neckline of the alpha and with the brute strength of his jaws he propelled Einar's body to float in air.
The enormous pain that the canines brought was becoming difficult for Einar to endure. Even before he could regain himself the sharp claws penetrated his bones from the back.
Archer than forcefully embraced the alpha in a deadly hug. Einar's face was becoming red as he was unable to breath. The only exhales he had was barely helpful for his survival.
A sudden loud screech echoed the ground as Archer was forced to release Einar. He arched his back and groaned. The pain was such that he was forced to transform back to his human form. He slowly tried to reach for his back but again reacted strongly as something was taken out of his body forcefully. His vision blurred and he stumbled in his stance falling to the ground unconscious.
Einar was perplexed by the event but his confusion soon changed into anger when he saw two spears on the hands of Marden and Richard. The end of the spear was dripping blood.
"What have you done!" Einar exclaimed in shock. He was disturbed by the interjection of his own men. He looked at the state of Archer and his anger intensified "How dare you interfere!"
"We are sorry alpha. We were trying to protect you. We have lost a leader in alpha Ragnar and we certainly don't want the same with you."
Einar was not happy with the two of them. He stood abruptly and paced his way towards the men. "Let them be Einar." Garrick held Einar by his arms and whispered "The whole pack is watching. We will deal with it later."
Einar quickly scanned his surroundings and saw the relieved faces of his men. He was once again burdened by the responsibilities of his title and he silenced his heart. He took deep breaths to calm himself and ordered the two of them to make themselves scarce.
"What should we do with him?" Aldous asked.
"Take him with you. See that he recuperates at the earliest." he exhaled a long breath "We cannot leave this undone."
****
The man on the other side of the prison was lying calmly on his makeshift bed. His heart beat was erratic. He was trying hard to concentrate on his environment but he failed every time. His eyes were not focused as they moved randomly. The flamboyant light on the outside of his cell was garnering his attention. Its unsteady flow was resembling the light inside of him, ready to out any time.
"Galen.. Galen, can you hear me?"
Callan was worried for his friend for his skin had become too fragile for his liking. The past few days had been really tough on him. Especially the hard cold weather. He wanted to resist this harsh environment but his age proved too much for him.
Callan watched as Galen rose slowly from his seat. His breaths quivered while his eyes stayed focused but just.
"Don't be upset my dear. Nature is taking its course." He took deep breaths to gather his energy "My journey ends here but you have a long way to go."
"I want to help. Please!"
"You have made my last days joyful. I am really happy that I could spend my time with the supreme one. It was an honor."
Callan's unwillingness to cry or feel pain stemmed from his belief that he could save the dying man. Perhaps he had too much faith in his own diminishing powers. He decided to call for help. However the moment he reached for the window his ears were assaulted with a large painful groan. Callan worriedly turned his back and hurried to the bars for he recognized the familiar voice.
"Archer!" Callan exclaimed in shock. He was clueless as how and why was his best friend in the dungeons. He called the bear over and over again but every time the response he got was a painful scream.
"What is happening there?" Galen looked puzzled.
"It is Archer; my best friend. I had told you about him remember." The wolf nodded weakly.
Callan's anxiety was put to rest when he heard footsteps approaching his cellar.
"Greetings Ashton."
Callan's eyes furrowed and he looked at the visitor in surprise and revulsion.
"Wont you acknowledge my presence Ashton." Marden smirked as he banged the cells with an iron rod. "Perhaps you are sad that I am devoting my time to your friend and not you."
Callan's breath trembled as he registered the hidden meaning behind the words. His lips quivered and he rushed to the cell "What are you doing to him?"
"So eager." he snickered "See the alpha is really inequitable. He doesn't want you to meet anyone but me on the other side." Richard smiled with a fake innocence "I really care for you. I think you should meet your best friend, it would really boost your morale."
Even before Callan could reply anything Marden and Tusker shouldered a beaten and battered Archer. His head was hung low as it looked that he was barely conscious. His skin was wounded all throughout. The side of his upper arm was deeply cut while the torso was inexplicably oozing blood. His entire body was wrapped tightly by strong metal chains. His eyes abnormally bulged outside while his swollen jaws added to his already disfigured face.
"Archer!" Callan could barely speak. His eyes could not stop the tears that flowed in succession.
"Ah! Your best friend is calling you. Where are your manners?" Marden asked in an amused voice
"Perhaps we should teach him." Tusker said eagerly as he slowly brought his hidden free arm from his back and devilishly smiled.
Callan's eyes widened like saucers.
Tusker held a long metal bar in his hand whose ends were shining bright in yellow and orange. It emanated heat through its body. Slowly and steadily Tusker brought the rod closer to the bear and kissed his skin with it. The blistering heat of the rod generated pain immensely and Archer cried in agony. His pained voice was shattering Callan's heart in pieces as he begged for mercy to spare his best friend. "Please.. Please just stop it. You are hurting him..!"
Tusker released the rod and threw it aside. All the three friends looked at the Elemental with a smug face.
"We have got what we wanted. Lets go."
"Not yet tusker." Richard said. Marden and Tusker looked at each other in confusion.
Callan was beyond words. His heart wrenched from the abuse his beast of a friend had to suffer just because of him. He looked at the wolves with soft eyes and spoke shakily "What have you done!"
"We?" Richard said in mock confusion "We did what we were told."
Callan's heart beat stopped for a moment as he realized what was being said "No!" he shook his head violently "He wouldn't." he said in defiance. Not believing the fact that his own mate would be so cruel to bring this misery to his best friend.
"But he did." Richard smiled. "You see the bear has challenged the alpha in the duel of the eternals and the day after the full moon the alpha will finish what he started."
"Your lying!" Callan huffed "Einar would never do that."
"Think carefully Ashton." Richard paused "Do you really think that the alpha doesn't know that this bear is here with us? Didn't he realize what we would do to him shall he pass through us but still he handed his responsibility to our able hands."
"That's not possible!"
The wolves laughed. "We all hate you. But guess who hates you even more? Someone who took everything away from you."
"You are lying!"
Richard carefully turned his back to look at the ailing wolf behind the bars "Am I?" he asked in confidence.
Galen sighed deeply and closed his eyes. He knew what was being talked about and he averted his gaze. He could not face Callan like this. The burden of truth was heavy on his shoulders.
"Believe me I was shocked too when I knew about it." Richard huffed looking at a heartbroken site of Callan "This hate dates back a long long time. Every single person you loved in the pack has been killed. People think your curse snatched their life but in reality the alpha wasn't keen on seeing you happy."
Callan scowled in confusion. Certainly he never wanted to believe any word which was being said. Therefore Callan meekly looked at the dying wolf on the other side for reassurance. Galen resented the current situation he was in. His body was barely making it and now his mind and heart was put to test as well. He pursed his lips and bowed with resistance.
Callan was devastated by the truth.
"Meredith; Declan; Miriam; Kamryn.. Do you remember this names?" panic struck across Callan's face.
"You do, don't you?" Richard smirked seeing Callan's misery "They all died mysteriously, killed by the same creature. The beast in the alpha." all the three wolves changed their features into a surprised one as they mocked the human.
"He is really cruel." Marden said.
"He really hates you." Tusker supplemented.
All this information was making Callan nauseous. He was sick to the gut. The array of emotions that flooded his mind was overwhelming him. He felt sad, he felt remorseful, he felt angry.
"Ahh! The beta doesn't lag behind." Richard interjected Callan's thought process. "Of course you are wondering what he did to you but it is not you actually."
Callan was left bewildered yet again. Garrick had never been the one to like him. Yet he was never the one to go any extremes to hurt him either. Then what was Richard talking about? unless... he did something detrimental to his mate.. to Fayette.
Callan gasped loudly as he whispered in disbelief "No!"
The ruined peace of Callan was fueling the glee in the three wolves. Richard snickered as he spoke again "Do you know the price the human girl had to pay to meet you that day?" Richard smiled with a smug look on his face "She bargained her virtue."
Callan's heart sunk and his lips quivered. He gasped occasionally as his nostrils flared. He fisted his palms and gritted his teeth. The anger in him was boiling up.
"I though she was a woman of dignity. I never thought she would be so loose."
"Watch your tongue!" Callan roared.
"Oh no no.. Don't be so hyper.. Not just yet." Marden snickered devilishly "The bad news is not over yet. It only gets better.."
"Come on Marden.. Let the man have a break." Richard teased "Or maybe we should tell him about that fateful day."
"Which day?" Callan asked with a cautious stand. He wasn't liking the tone of negativity. But his unstable mind wanted everything out in the open.
"Do you really want to know?" Richard smiled devilishly as Callan eagerly nodded.
"The day the Luna was poisoned our pack was attacked." Richard sighed "The alpha was busy defending his people and he did. All ferals were killed and our side was saved yet again." Richard paused as he kneeled to the level of Callan and gritted his teeth "He was able to save everyone. except for two.."
Callan's thoughts were scattered and his heart sunk when he heard Richard say the words "Your parents are dead."
********