“The moon finally cleared the lip of the volcano and her full size and shape shone down on me. I noticed that some of the flowers had blossomed, and I could smell their sweet fragrance. I looked up at the full moon and I suddenly felt pain. I whined loudly and my body locked up and fought against itself. I have never felt so much pain before. I couldn’t move and I couldn’t breathe. I thought I was going to die.” Ares looked at William. “You’ve felt that pain too.”
William thought back to the first time he changed. He thought his body was on fire and there was nothing he could do but ride the flames and hope that it would end soon. It lasted an eternity and his body felt like it would rip itself apart. William nodded his head.
“I was surrounded by nature and was under the gaze of the full moon. When the pain finally subsided, I looked down at myself and was horrified to see what I am now. My legs were too long, and I had these claws instead of paws.” He lifted his hands in front of him to show William. “I was scared and I tried to run away.” Ares looked down again as if he was embarrassed by something. “I tried, anyway. I made it about two steps before I fell over. I howled in pain and fear, and I wanted to die. I got up and tried to run again. But again, I was unable to make my new body obey me, and I fell over.”
Ares stopped and heaved a heavy sigh. William looked and saw that he was tracing designs in the floor with his claw. Ares’ claw didn’t scratch the surface of the floor, but moved idly in strange circles and weird curves. William could understand Ares’ pain and embarrassment. He hadn’t been given a chance to be afraid. The old grey had attacked him right after his first change. If he had tried to run the grey and the rest of his pack would have killed him.
Ares stopped doodling and looked up at William. “I’m your teacher because we are the same. We were both reborn under the full moon. The lunar mother has given us similar gifts. Those of us like Mr. Davis, you, and I are referred to by the Elders as Enforcers. The lunar mother granted us strength and a thick hide that is impervious to most natural adversaries.”
William eyes opened wide as the sudden understanding struck him. That must be why the old grey’s bite didn’t puncture my leg during that first fight. William was grateful for the small tidbit of information from Ares. He was beginning to understand himself a little better and with time he knew that he would eventually master himself and with that he could master his surroundings.
Ares walked to the entryway. He turned around and looked at William. “You will have recovered your strength in a day or two. At that time, we will begin your training, just as I did when I was first brought here. Nothing I say will prepare you for what I have to teach you. Nothing you have learned from your time in your valley would have prepared you for the pain that you will be forced to endure. I can only say that I feel for you and the pain that you will go through. I went through it myself and I give you my word that the training you receive from me will be no more brutal or severe than what I myself went through. Good night, William.” Ares turned toward the open doorway, and left.
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William couldn’t think of anything to say and he didn’t know what to think. He was tired and his mind had trouble making sense of what had just transpired. He had seen a look of remembered fear on the face of a werewolf, and not just any werewolf but the biggest, baddest, werewolf in this city, apparently.
William tried to make himself comprehend the warning that Ares had just given him. ‘Nothing will prepare you for what I have to teach you.’ The warning rang through his foggy brain and for the first time in a long time, William was afraid. He slid under his furs and pulled them up over his head. He was glad for the light that still shone in his room. All of a sudden, this place didn’t seem as safe as it had once felt.
He suddenly wasn’t as tired as he was a few moments ago. His mind was spinning with plans and ways that he could escape. He thought about getting out of the mountain. He thought about where he would go. Then he stopped. Even if I could get out of this place those agents will probably still be looking for me. Without Aceso, he knew that he would eventually be caught and thrown into a lab somewhere to be a human guinea pig. He would rather stay here and go through the pain that Ares had promised. If Ares could do it that probably meant that he would die from it but he wasn’t going to go down without a fight. William eventually closed his eyes. Determination had settled into his heart and the fear left him. I have to try to repay what I owe to Aceso. She did so much for me. She is my alpha and I won’t let her down. With that thought ringing through his mind William drifted off to a deep restful sleep.
William woke some time later. What time is it? He hadn’t seen the sun in a long time and he wasn’t even sure if it was day or night. It didn’t really matter. Either the lighted imperfections in the ceiling brightened when he awoke or they had stayed illuminated throughout the night. Either way he opened his eyes to a brightly lit room.
His stomach grumbled and he looked around the room for any food. There wasn’t any. He got up and stretched his body. He reached toward the ceiling and his hands tightened into fists. His mouth cracked open into a yawn. He sighed loudly with the motion. He still had on his deer skin pants. He walked over to the dresser and opened the top of the two drawers. Inside he found his black fur vest.
He pulled out the garment and put it on. He looked into the drawer and found his knife and holster. Lying beside them in the bottom of the drawer was a new whetstone. He pulled out the weapon and unsheathed it. The blue steel of his faithful companion gleamed in the light of his room. He took the naked blade and scraped it gently across his arm. The blade was still sharp. That was good. Even so he took the whetstone and his knife and sat down on the furs of his bed. He began working the blade with the stone. It had been so long since he had heard the rhythmic scraping of stone on steel. The sound was comforting to his ears and he almost felt like he was home.