Alpha Aryn

❗This chapter contains dark themes including war, torture and other uncomfortable descriptions that some people may not be able to stomach. I advise that you skip this part, in its entirety, if you would be offended by the gore ❗

The hasty stomp of heavy footfalls against the slippery forest floor preceded the ear-splitting sounds of fired ammunition together with the peppery odour of diffused tear gas. Its cyanocarbon element ignited the sensation of horrific, sweltering eye pain upon sudden contact as did its chemical component wreck harsh mayhem on the sensitive olfactory organ. Incongruous symphonies emanating from the clang of swords, wolfish grunts and snarls resonated across the forest. Men and wolves alike, all locked in battle, fought with vengeance. Their released breath formed vapor-like wisps in the atmosphere and with bared fangs and raised weapons they went head on in rancorous confrontation.

The cool weather had given way to the melancholic gathering of huge thunderstorm clouds highlighted by the illuminating clap of lightning which lit up the sky in an electrifying show of utmost power. The boisterous rumble of thunder had soon made its entrance with the tempestuous wind, welcoming the arrival of pelting rain, in tow. In a classic show of pathetic fallacy, the weather had assumed a reflection of the violent warfare that currently plagued the pack.

A sickening crunch of bone awakened my senses to the shifted-wolf whose life had been claimed by the metallic tip of my sword. The shine in his black, crazed-filled orbs dulled just as his muscles went limp and with one hefty push, I moved his body away from me and rose to my feet. He had been irrational in his decision to lunge at me, claws out and hackles raised, for I had angled the sword in the last moment straight at his heart where it had now come to be buried. The rain continued to beat down, relentlessly, on my physique causing my clothes to stick uncomfortably to my form and with a swift slick back of my hair and a hard tug on my blade, I hastened on to my next target alternating between the gun and the sword as I struck them one after the other in a maddening lust for blood.

My sword glistened, brightly with the scarlet of their life source and my veins thrummed wildly with engulfing excitement. The air was thick with the scent of sweat, mud and destructive chemicals, testament to the current battle that was taking place and an adrenaline boost to my morale. An advancing war cry to my left alerted me to the fiend that sprinted my way and with a timely dodge, I escaped the swing of a knife aimed at my neck. Skidding on the muddy floor to stop by a huge boulder, I turned and immediately sighted the owner of the weapon.

"Just my luck that I get to fight the bastard Lycan," he rasped, licking the edge of his throwing knife in anticipation and cornering me with careful steps. "Choose your pick shit-head. Blade, gun or wolf-form?" he snarled, his elongated fangs catching the glint of the midnight moon.

He was a wolf of average height with a muscled physique, hardened by gruesome workouts and devilish sports. His bald head was covered in tattoo ink and menacing, metal spike piercings. The whites of his eyes were bloodshot with the bulge of his forehead vein straining against his tan skin. His chest was bare to the downpour of the frosty rain and slung across it was a sniper rifle with a ghoulish-looking saber resting snuggly in a scabbard by his waist.

"I leave the honours to you. After all, it's the least I can do for a soon to die wolf," I smirked, unbothered by his stealthy manoeuvres. This was certainly going to be fun.

He laughed, dryly, leaning his head to the side as he regarded me with alert eyes. Slowly, he shrugged himself of the gun and tossed it with a hefty sideways lurch into the grass and drawing his saber from its encasing he smiled, wickedly, at me. "Let's see how far that sharp tongue of yours gets you?" he charged towards me with fervent speed and with a raise of my sword, I blocked his attack. The clash of swords created a resounding vibration upon impact and we both moved backwards from the force.

Wasting no time, I moved towards him with the tip of the blade hidden within the insides of my arm, he noticed my movement and blocked my side attack with his sword but a headbutt, dislodging one his piercings, was enough to disbalance him and turning on my heels, I kicked him square in the jaw.

"Ah, come on. Is that really all you've got?" I taunted in a condescending tone. This infuriated him and with a growl, he half-shifted, discarded the saber and with protracted claws, leaped into the air to administer a series of feral blows.

The sword acted as a momentary shield against his sharp claws before it was knocked, forcefully, out of my grip. Acting on instinct, I crouched instantaneously to avoid a raised claw, only narrowly missing it as I felt the warm, red liquid flow down my cheek where I had been struck. I hissed in annoyance and sensed that he was a few feet away from where I crouched. Locating my sword near a booby trap that had been cleverly hidden, I thought of ways to end his pitiful life as quickly as possible for my eyes were trained on the ultimate target, Blade. All her minions were small fry as far as I was concerned.

Patiently waiting for him to advance, just like I knew he would, I unsheathed my claws and deflecting his blow with a forearm, I punched, and clawed at his rock, hard chest with fiery intensity, producing a satisfying cough up of blood. Quickly, I held his wrists in both hands and rolling onto the ground with my legs tucked into my chest, I lifted him up and deposited his body onto the other side of the forest area cushioned with grass. Grass that hid a lethal booby trap.

He scrambled up to his feet in a disorientated manner, holding up his bleeding skull in pain. The rough tumble had dug the spikes deeper into his cranium and no doubt he was reeling from the agony.

"Now let me ask you a very important question," I started, moving stealthy towards him as I wiped my cheek clean of the blood that dripped steadily unto it with the back of my hand. "How would you like to die?" I smiled, revealing rows of sinister fangs. "Sword, fang or bullet?" I asked, patting the machine gun that was still strapped to my chest.

I hadn't employed the assistance of the machine as that would have been cowardice, the easy way out. We were wolves and we'd fight like wolves.

"S-shut it s-shit head," he stuttered, no doubt as a result of the blood loss from the lacerations in his head. "I said you'd die, didn't I? I meant it," he beamed, maniacally, the blood could be seen lining his teeth and dripping down his chin as he fumbled to release a pistol from its enclosure.

"Well don't say I didn't ask," I shrugged, bringing my foot up to his chin to administer a swift kick. He fell backwards against the grass covering and as he struggled to get up the thin strings that held the grass mat could be heard cutting one by one from the added strain of the heavy weight. I crouched down to his level and picked at the grass, absentmindedly. "Aha, one last way of dying skipped my mind," I whispered, his attempt to arise from the grass was waning rapidly as he continued to lose even more blood. "How about snakes?" I smirked, wickedly and his eyes widened for it finally dawned on him that he was currently laying on a booby trap.

He tried to reach out for the neck of my shirt, but I was too fast for him, speedily rising to my feet at the same time that the grass covering gave way. He plunged into the dark pit to meet venomous rattlesnakes that retaliated at the abrupt disturbance. Their combined hisses together with his tormented screams wafted up to where I stood. He pleaded, in vain, for me to end his life with just a shot but I didn't heed his call. This was retribution for all the souls that they had destroyed, both old and young.

Turning around to face the distant battle, in search of Blade, I sensed the looming presence of a dark figure a minute too late only feeling the air whoosh out of my lungs with startling intensity as it barrelled into me from the side with cruel force. I slid sideways on the rough forest floor, earning a significant amount of grass burns and coming to a halt when my head hit the side of a tree trunk.

The pounding sensation which overcame my being dulled my senses and impaired my eyesight and with great difficulty I clambered up to my knees. Squinting ahead at the figure that rushed towards me, I made out a bludgeon aimed at my head and twisting my body from its pointy nails, I rolled away from the tree. The loud bang that accompanied my escape signalled that the weapon had hit the tree instead and turning back my theory was confirmed to be correct.

"Why don't you stay still, you wiggly worm!" A voice roared, annoyed. I swayed to my feet and faced my arch nemesis, Blade.

The mist that escaped regularly from her parted lips together with her flared nostrils spoke of her fuming anger as did the quick rise and fall of her broad chest. She had acquired more gashes not only on her chest but on her arms and legs. It was a relief that my men had done her some harm. However, from her purposeful stance it could be deduced that she was unbothered by the blood that dripped out of her wounds to be washed down by the rain and onto the forest floor which refused to take up her body fluid as it formed a small pool by her feet.

"Now where's the fun in that," I chuckled, taking in a deep breath, discreetly, to rid myself of the pounding headache that was amassing by the second. She couldn't know that the hit had affected me badly for this was the moment I had been waiting for and I'd be damned if I let the searing head discomfort stop me. I was banking on the cool of the rain to relieve the hurt but what I didn't expect was the thick, red liquid that washed onto my face. The bastard had drawn blood and from the looks of it was mighty content by this revelation.

"Ah! But you won't last long," she commented, grinning like the Cheshire cat. Only she was more sinister. "The fall wasn't what you expected now was it?" her face morphed into the devilish features that belonged to her wolf, however, it still retained some of her human aspects. Her bare body parts were covered instantly with thick, unruly hair and her claws sprang out in elongated talons from her hands.

The Night Prowlers were known for half-shifting during war. It was done so that both the feral and human side could partake in the bountiful meal of bloodlust.

"Less talking, more action, Bulldog," I rolled my eyes in annoyance and stepping on the pommel of my sword, I caught its metal form as it rose up swiftly into the air. "Kodiak couldn't keep his mouth shut as well," I bent my head as the pain pulsated, excruciatingly, at the back of my skull, however, from eyes partially hiding behind thick, black curls, I noticed her sprint towards me.

Her mace swung, violently, from side to side but before drawing closer to me she jumped high into the night sky and came down heavily towards me. I moved my body, with great difficulty, towards the side and with a spin slashed her arm with my blade. She landed on the forest floor with a great thump and howled in pain. The sound was one of unrestrained wildness and grasping her injured arm, she let go of the mace.

I turned towards her, blinking rapidly to restore my failing vision. The rain was not helping matters as its droplets dripped off my eyelashes and into my eyes to blur my vision. I caught a slight movement from where I presumed her to be and the cock of the gun was the only indication of her next move. Making out the arch of a bush, a few feet from where I stood, I dived into it just as she released a load of bullets my way.

The coward had opted for the easy way out.

Hearing her unrelenting shots, I was convinced that the bush would not protect me for much longer. I brought the sling of the gun around my neck and felt for its trigger. At this point I was relying on pure luck to at least graze a part of her body for the swelling in my head had affected an eye which was now closed shut.

Aiming the gun through an opening in the bush, I shot blindly into the atmosphere. I received no counter shot in return, in fact her shots had long quieted down only to be replaced by the distant sounds of detonated bombs and ghoulish screams. I tuned in my other senses to my surroundings in order to catch any slight movement, however, the heavy pit-patter of the rain made it even more difficult. Consequently, I only felt her presence when she kicked me straight in the chest.

The gun flew out of my hands and I fell, splayed unto the forest floor. Trying to control the urge to heave out my stomach, I heard her heavy footfalls move towards me and sensing the distinctive whoosh of the sword, I rolled unto my side and heard the blades' merciless contact with the ground next to me.

"I said keep still!" She grunted and anticipating a leg kick, I positioned my palms to receive the assault and twisted her ankle, roughly, before sweeping her off balance with a kick to her knees. Scrambling away from where she lay, I hunched over to release a series of dry coughs before standing to my feet. The action caused a rush of blood into my mouth and I feared I had sustained a broken rib injury.

I tried desperately to shift into wolf form, but it couldn't be done. My energy was fast depleting and my body was in a bad state. Giving up on the futile attempt, I searched for any traces of my sword or gun albeit the side pain that was causing increasing difficulty in breathing.

"What exactly are you playing at Aryn? One blind wolf?" she laughed, darkly, rising to her feet. "Even your attempts to save your life are more pitiful than your very existence," she spread the sand, where she stood, evenly with a sweep of her feet and the mud scent rose up to form an earthy aroma.

I looked towards her, giving up on the mission to find my weapons. "How about we do this the old fashion way seeing as you can't shift?" she proposed, her feet movement stopped, and I now relied solely on her voice to predict her exact location. "Hand to hand combat!" she snarled and waiting for no answer she surged on towards me.

I inhaled deeply, baring my fangs, and protracting my claws and with great concentration and an ear to the ground, I bent down to avoid a kick. I lashed out with a claw to her face and an elbow to her ribs. She backed away, momentarily, before moving in to administer a blow which I dodged, however, pre-empting her next move wrongly due to purposeful trickery on her part, she was able to claw into my thigh and disbalance me.

Trying to find my footing, she moved quickly behind me and hit me in the head with an elbow. Dots appeared in my line of partial vision and my ears blocked with the deafening throb of blood that overtook my senses. My breathing became shallow as I gasped for much needed oxygen and my muscles began to grow lax.

Send backup... I tried to mind-link Fred for help, but Blade pushed my head into the dirt and the unexpected movement caused an inhalation of soil. Surely, I couldn't let her win. I promised myself and everybody else.

Her force on my head lessened and she rolled my body over and placed her boot on my neck, crushing my jugular vein. I sputtered weakly and tried not to choke on my blood-filled spit.

"Who's the dog now?" she taunted, gasping for breath. "You messed with me Aryn. You messed with me big time!" she roared, and I felt her stance falter a little from the force.

Peering from my good eye, I noticed the way she clutched her chest and forearm. The blood loss was getting to her as well and she was no doubt feeling just as lightheaded as I was, but she sought to keep-up her act of bravado.

I took the opportunity of her lessened hold on my neck to move but apparently, I wasn't fast enough for she tightened her step on me. "Oh! How I can't wait to decapitate your body and wrap it in pretty paper to be delivered to your pack," she hissed in a spiteful tone.

I wiggled, desperately, under her hold but it was no use as the actions only caused my oxygen supply to diminish and with that an increase in the agonizing headache and excruciating side pain. She bent down to regard me with hateful red eyes and drawing a claw over my swollen eyelid, she laughed maniacally in time to my grunts of pain.

Alas! This was how I was going to die, at the hands of my enemy.

The wriggle of my body in an effort to escape her hold, alerted me to a small metallic structure in my boot and I recalled having placed a throwing knife as backup to my main blade in a side of its form. If only I could just reach it now that her face was mere inches away from mine.

"Also, I hear that the weaponry creator, Star, is actually a beauty," she mused, her putrid breath fanning over my face and my slow hand movement towards my boot stopped, momentarily as soon as she said that. "Foxy, red-head I'm told. Just my type of she-wolf," she laughed, stepping harder on my throat and I convulsed at the sudden weight. My hand returned to claw, desperately, at her boot, but my attempts were futile as it did nothing to lessen the weight. I needed to get that knife.

"Maybe I should keep you alive so that you can watch as my men take her roughly from behind," she proposed, smiling, mischievously at the prospect.

"K-keep d-dreaming s-s-shithead," I choked out, earning a rumbustious laugh from her.

"Oh! It won't be a dream anymore when you're gone. After Star, many other she-wolves from your pack will follow," she reinstated, confidently. My fingers finally found their way into my boot and I felt for the throwing knives' tip. "Dina..." she started, leaving the name to hang in the atmosphere as she relished in my mental torment. "The pink-haired she..." she continued but was soon cut-off by her own agonizing scream as I plunged the knife deep into her eye socket.

She scrambled away from me and writhed, wildly, on the forest floor in pain. My consciousness evaded me, and I fought hard to keep from giving into the welcoming darkness. I had to finish her off first, it was mandatory. I staggered to my feet and, sighting the blinding reflection of the moonlight on something glittery, I presumed that it was her sword. Bending to pick the object, I soon found my assumption to be true.

I walked in disoriented patterns towards her writhing form and angled the sword, shakily, at her body. All I needed was her heart, but I could barely see her.

"Go on pierce my heart, you blind bat," she sputtered, no doubt choking on her blood.

I swayed gently in the cool breeze, noticing for the first time that the rain had stopped. Bile rose up my throat and I repressed the wave of nausea that shook my whole being. Concentrating hard on tuning my ear to her heart beat, I was able to discern the exact location of the erratic thump in her chest.

"You forget that I am a lycanthrope," I wheezed, struggling to stand upright. "The heart is our prize, it has always been," I laughed, dryly and before she could register the meaning of my words, I brought the heavy sword down unto her chest and into her awaiting heart. Her horrific howl indicated that I had in fact stroke gold and before the darkness died in her eyes, I whispered. "Enjoy your eternal home, hell,"

Her breath seized and with it her screams. The mournful howls of her pack members could be heard from afar as they mourned the loss of their leader. They just like Kodiak had been decapitated, figuratively, and it would be much easier to capture and restrain them now. The war had been won.

This fact gladdened me, and I left the sword embedded in Blades' heart. I teetered away from her body towards the pack but tripping on my own feet, I fell to the forest floor face up.

The thunderstorm clouds had cleared to reveal a vast blue sky decorated with twinkling stars and angelic cushion clouds. The soothing, cool air blew over my wounds and rocked me to a deep sleep and with my eyelashes closing up and the throbbing dull ache receding into the deepest part of my unconsciousness, I smiled and thought over the packs' victory.

Star was safe, so was Dina and so was everyone else.
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