~Burdon~

"Eh?!" asked Malhaw and I, surprised beyond words.
"The boy you were about to fight is my son."
Malhaw and I just stared at Father, speechless. I blinked a couple of times before I was able to ask, "I'm sorry, but did you say that boy I was going to fight is your son?"
"Yes, he's Malhaw's and yours half-brother. He's also half werewolf and half Razlk."
I turned around and thrown my hands in the air. "Wonderful," I said, sarcastically.
"Why are you freaking out? Malhaw's half day-vampire and Allmas is half Razlk, and you get along with them just fine. He's just half Razlk; like Allmas."
"Because he's a Razlk and I didn't know I was related to one of those things." My Father just stared at me. The stare of a werewolf of Anjustlia is very powerful, especially the Alpha. I stared back, not giving in so easily. I lasted about seven seconds before I said, "Fine."
"Thank you."
I rolled my eyes.
"Again with the eye rolling?"
"Yeah, whatever."
"Remember I saved your life."
I snorted at that. "Yeah right; I could've taken him."
"No, you couldn't have."
"Are you doubting my abilities? I could've fought him and won," I snapped.
"No, it's just that the Razlks attack with brutal force. And end up fighting to the death."
"Why didn't you let him stay with the Razlks if they're so brutal?"
"Who said I did?"
"Considering the fact he's still here, I think you did."
"Only because I couldn't get him out of there without raising a war! Plus I only knew about him for a year, and at that time I had to make sure you stayed out of trouble."
"Why didn't you take him away from here?" I demanded.
"Because they would've known if I taken him away; Lotesa kept "protected" watch over him, and would've known if he went missing."
I heard Malhaw made a small laugh-not a chuckle, but a laugh, like something was funny. I was about to turn around, but decided not to, because Malhaw was probably laughing at the book he was reading. Well, that was what I thought until I heard Malhaw mumbled, "That's funny because Aeri was four when you took him away from his mother."
This time I did swirled around to face Malhaw. "What did you just say?" I demanded.
"Nothing, I was just talking to myself," said Malhaw, without looking up.
I swung around to face my Father. "Did I hear him right?" I asked, snapping.
"No," said my Father, glaring at Malhaw. "I did not take you from your mother."

***

~Karlag~

A voice came from behind, "Am I interrupting something?" We swung around to see who it was.
"Yes. Yes, you are," said Burdon, a 'bit' rudely.
"Aeri, be polite." Facing my other son, I said, "No. You aren't interrupting."
"I came to find out what was my opponent's name," said my son.
"You mean 'is.' What is your opponent's name," corrected Malhaw. "'Is' is used when the thing is alive or still exists. And 'was' is when it doesn't exist anymore, or is in the past."
"Actually I predicated that he would be dead by tomorrow. My name is Burdenn, by the way."
"That's a nice name." It should be since I picked it out myself. Burdenn shrugged as if he didn't care. "You don't like your name?" I asked. I thought it fits him quite nicely.
"My name was picked out by my werewolf father." He said the word 'werewolf' with disgust.
I saw Malhaw stand up. "Malo, sit down," I ordered, worrying that he might do something stupid.
"No, I won't."
"Why not?"
"Because when I get around Razlks I get rather tense," said Malhaw, storming out of the room. I turned around and looked at Burdon as if to say 'what just happened?' Burdon just shrugged and put his bag on his shoulder and left the room without a word.
"I have a question: are you my father?"
"Uhh..." I said, totally caught off guard. Then before I could answer a bunch of Razlk came in, and by the look on Burdenn's face he did not expect this to happen. What is going on? Then I realized that they were carrying weapons. And I knew what they came here for.

***

~Burdon~

I spotted Malhaw a little ways a way. "Malo, wait!" I yelled. I saw Malhaw keep running, but then he suddenly stopped. I accidentally ran into Malhaw. Then we were both rolling down the hill, tangled together. When we got to the bottom of the hill, we stopped and untangled ourselves. We both stood up at the same time.
A strange light was coming from something at the corner of my eye. I was about to turn when Malhaw said, "Don't." I looked, questioning, at Malhaw. Malhaw handed me something. "Put these on, over your eyes," explained Malhaw. I put them on-like putting on glasses, or goggles-and so did Malhaw.
"Can I turn my head now?" I asked.
"Hold on, let me make sure you have them on right," said Malhaw, reaching up and did some adjustments. "Okay, you can turn and look at it now." Malhaw, also, fixed his.
When I turned my head, all I saw a lake with bunch of rocks surrounding it. "And why I couldn't look at this without these on, because...?"
"Because what you are seeing are what humans and other creatures-that are not werewolves of Anjustlia-see," explained Malhaw.
"Oh. What does it really look like?" I asked. Malhaw made adjustments to 'the thinges.' Which is what they're literally called-I guess, whoever invented them weren't feeling very creative that day.
"Let me show you," said Malhaw, making adjustments to the thinges. When Malhaw moved away, I immediately noticed that the rocks were actually crystals-that were all sorts of colors.
"What are-what kind of crystals are these?"
'Werewolf crystals,' said Malhaw with his mind.
I touched my chest. 'Like the werewolf crystal inside us?'
'No. But they are similar and have somewhat similar power to our werewolf crystals inside of us.'
"You mean like..."
"Yeah."
"And the..."
"Yeah."
A twig snapped behind me. A blur of green and black flashed my my sight. Not again, I thought, moaning. Not now. Why do they only seem to come at the most unfortunate of times?

"Hey," greeted a voice.
Without even thinking, I unsheathed my sword and whipped it around so that it was pointed at the person's throat. "What-" I started, but then I remembered who the person was.
Eve.
"What are you doing here?" I hissed. "It's dangerous to be out at this time!"
She gave me the 'you're a idiot' look before saying, "The sword, Ecoè."
I lowered my arm, sheathing my sword.
As I put my weapon away she casually walked around me-as if it was a walk in the park rather than a bloodthirsty wolf-infested forest-to examine a paw print in the dirt. "I'm sure I can take care of myself, wolf boy."
"I'm not a-" I argued, or rather, I began to.
"You track them down," interrupted Eve. It sounded like she was accusing me of killing them.
"Only the ones that make trouble!" I defended.
"I'm sure." The same tone in her voice. I saw Eve crouch down to get a better look at the wolf paw print in the snow. "How many does your Father kill?"
"Too many." I was about to retort how she called him my father when I noticed how beautiful her hair looks like with the tiny pieces of snow in her hair. Stop! You know what he will do if he finds out you find her attractive! I mentally warned myself. But even then, I couldn't deny that she looks absolutely angelic. I'm sure you thought that before she smacked you over the head with a rock! And then held a dagger to your throat! I criticized myself.
"You're staring again."
"Hmm?" I asked. Then understood what she had said two seconds later. "Oh. Sorry." And I adverted my eyes off of her. But not before I took in that she's still scanning that print! I crouched next to her. "Do you need help?"
Annoyance flashed across her face before she snapped, "No. I'm fine."
"Because I can-"
Eve gave me the 'shut up' face.
"Right. Sorry."
As she studied it, I tried to keep my eyes elsewhere, but they kept on returning to her. To the way she bites her bottom lip when nervous or thinking hard; the mischievous glint in her eyes; little smiles she has when she's trying to hide them; how she swirls her hair around her fingers.
Argh! Stop it! I cautioned myself when I caught myself staring. You know what will happen if he finds out!
"That is strange," I heard Eve quietly say to herself.
"What?" I questioned as I turned my head over to where the tracks were at. I should've paid more attention to them rather than gazing at Eve. Gorgeous Eve. Stop it! I scorned myself.
"They're interesting."
Indeed they were. The wolf tracks looked bizarre. They had the four claws marks on top of each paw print, like a normal wolf, but, unlike a normal wolf, it had a boot-shaped heel.
"Are all your wolves like-"
I stood to my feet, drawing my sword; fighting stance. "Eve, get out of here. NOW!"
I heard her stand and also take her sword. "What is it?" As if in answer to her question, a growl was overheard-some yards away; slightly to the right, hiding behind a pine tree.
"Eve," I warned. "Leave. Now!"
"What?! I won't leave you to face it on your own!"
It stalked closer. Enough for me to see it. A wolf. But also not a wolf. It appears to be some sort of a mix between a human and beast. With the shape of a man, but claws instead of fingers; fangs rather than teeth; eyes that are inhuman and that glow like the sun; and fur covering its body. Also, it's on all four instead of on its hind legs like a actual human.
What is that thing?! I wildly wondered.
"Ecoè, what in the name of humanity is that?!" She demanded, though she couldn't hide the fear in her voice.
Sword held in front of me, I retorted, without my eyes off the monster in front of me, "That is why you should have left!" The man-animal was a foot or two nearer. "Get behind me!" Without waiting for a response from her, I shoved her behind me before taking multiple steps forward to protect her. I was about to charge when I heard my name. But it wasn't Eve, rather in front of me-from the beast.
"Ecoè." The voice rusty and rough, as if it hasn't been used in years. Yet... it is familiar. Oddly familiar. I can't seem to place where I have heard it from.
The animal-man can speak apparently. It must have just repeated it when Eve spoke my name. Yet, the creature is not attacking like all the other wolf things in this cursed forest would have. Strange. Usually they be trying to kill me right now. Odd. Maybe-just maybe-there's something human inside of it. Then again, the voice must only be a reminder of what used to be.
"Ecoè," it copied. Then without any warnings whatsoever, the man-monster stumbled to its hind legs.
A copy cat. Just mimicking what we're doing, I reminded myself. And I saw its eyes mere seconds later. Eyes that are familiar, yet foreign. Eyes that took me a minute to recognize. "Grandfather?"
"Ecoè? What are you doing?!" Eve.
"Ecoè, help me." My grandfather? He stretched out his clawed hand towards me. "Please. Help me."
"What-"
His eyes changed colors. From the familiar hazel to a wolf gold. And the last thing I saw was a clawed hand and fangs. Eve's scream was the last thing that I was conscious of.

∞

I shook of it when someone said, "We know you're there, so come out." And I realized it was my very own voice. Creepy. It's definitely strange to hear ones own voice. And it is even stranger to wake up to ones own voice.
Ava step out of the shadows.
"What are you doing here?!" I demanded.
"Uh... Well, I found a kid and wondered if he was yours," said Ava, gesturing to someone to come forward. Burdenn walked away from the bushes and came out of the shadows.
"Yeah, he's our half-brother."
"Oh, I didn't know you had another half-brother," said Ava, surprised.
"Neither did we until today," said both Malhaw and me.
"Really?!" asked Ava, surprised.
"Yeah," said Malhaw, as soon as Burdenn reach us. "Bye now."
"What? But we just got to see each other other," said Ava, surprised.
"Your point is?" Before Ava could respond, Malhaw said, "Good bye." Malhaw pulled Burdenn to the front-so we can keep an eye on him. As we were walking away a hand appeared on my left shoulder.
"Wait! Why did you leave?" asked Ava.
I turned around to face her. "Because we did, it's as simple as that."
"Aeri, let me help you," said Ava, deep concern in her voice.
Help me? With what? The Razlk? No way are you helping me with them. "No, Ava, you can't help us."
"Why not?" asked Ava.
"Because-" I said, before, suddenly, a claw-like thing came out of nowhere and caught me on the left shoulder and upper arm. I fell to my knees, clutching my arm, howling in pain. Everything was going blacker and black. I was aware of shouting voices; I was pretty sure that the shouting voices belong to Malhaw and Ava, but I wasn't sure. Then, someone picked me up, but I wasn't sure who. And everything went dark.

-
Question(s) of the chapter:
Ever have been suddenly told a big secret? The comment section is there for a reason. And the secret I was told was that my mom had a chance to abort me because of my autism, but she obviously refused and she said that I am perfect just the way I am.

SC ©