Only the wealthy were provided for and even they could not escape the dreary, cold, that seemed to linger on this island like an old ghost. Randolf had made a promise and he had saw that promise through to the very end. No one knew who he was. He was supposed to be dead to them. Only the Mayor and governor knew of his existence.
Everyone else thought his father was still operating the Island and running the war. It gave him the best chance to scour the island and find the Lycans. He had gotten lucky and was able to find one of their hideouts. He decided to exact the same revenge on them as they had done his beautiful Sylvie. He waited patiently for them to leave and once they were gone he set fire to their camp.
He watched as the flames engulfed their wooden shack. When the Lycans arrived back they were all in a panicked frenzy. He saw her then, Luna. The woman who had burned down Sylvie's home along with Amaruq. He scanned the small gang of twelve.
He did not find the leader. His wolf hearing made it possible for him to hear the chemical reaction that was about to ignite. He was in his wolf form. He ran a few yards away just in time for the explosion. He heard the screams.
He saw and smelled the pain. His job was done. He ran back to the hidden ave he and Sylvie had once shared. He found himself thinking about her and how she was getting adjusted to her new life more than his next move for the Lycans. She was distracting him.
He shook it off to not being able to consummate the marriage. He had wanted her so badly but knew she was frightened of him. He knew she had no idea who he was in human form. He warmed his hands by the fire as he ate bunny stew. It was delicious.
Once he was done with his meal, he placed sand over the flames to douse them and once more changed back into his wolf form, making his way back to the explosion. He was a mile away but could smell the burning flesh. The Lycan pheromones turned his stomach. The closer he got to the area, the stronger the stench was. The flames had died down now.
There were still a few embers burning. Wolf Randolf gingerly made his way through the fallen burning rubble. He passed by several dead Lycans. He felt nothing for them as he walked on. Once he made it to the entrance of the hut he went inside.
He changed back into his human form. The shack was charred. The majority of the roofing was still intact as well as some of the baseboards. Randolf could still see remnants of whatever had made this place explode. He found a long metal box.
He shook it. It sounded like documents were inside. He used his strength and opened the metal box. His assumption had been correct. There were documents inside, as well as two vials; one looked like blood, and the other was a bright green substance.
He saw a small brown leather book inside. He tilted the metal container and the book slid into his hand. He flipped through the pages and realized it was a diary. He read further and found it was Amaruq's diary. It had the answers he needed to destroy the Lycans for good.
He quickly rolled up the documents, along with the vials and journal, turned back into his wolf form, and left. Time was of the essence. He had to get back home and tell his father the news. The war would be over...
| Amaruq |
Since Wildcatz had burned down to the ground, Amaruq had made the local pub his new place of business.
The bartender and his wife weren't easy on the eyes, but they let him run the entire place the way he wanted. They respected him, and unlike the other dumb humans on this island, they knew who would really take care of them when the time came.
He and Luna had stayed hidden in their cellar for a few weeks while the King of the Island doled out his punishment. What a King Amaruq had thought to himself. He wreaked havoc on his subjects and rarely showed his face, though Luna had told him the Bouvier said he was a hideous-looking, deformed freak now. Amaruq was working on his second bottle of whiskey when Luna came through the saloon doors with Caleb in tow.
Amaruq smiled. His love for Luna was unmatched. He was doing all of this for her. Luna found him in his usual spot in the saloon, which was a dark corner. She sat down in the chair beside him. Caleb stood in front of the two and kept watch. Caleb was turning out to be a very good Lycan soldier, Amaruq thought. If only he had 100 more like him, he could crush the Loux Garoux and run this Island.
"My darling, It's all gone," Luna spoke in a hushed, frantic tone.
Amaruq had no idea what she was speaking of.
"What is gone?" He asked her as he reached up and touched a free tendril of her hair and gently twisted it around his finger.
"The workshop. Someone destroyed it. We have lost over half of our ranks. We must leave this Island. We can no longer stay here. It is not safe-"
He held his hand up, and she instantly stopped talking.
Amaruq let the news sink in. His workshop had been destroyed. How? The fires were already put out. He and his gang had started the majority of them. It made no sense. The liquor was clouding his mind.
"Let's go," Amaruq commanded.
Without speaking another word, the trio left the saloon. Once Amaruq and Luna were in the carriage together. She spoke to him, "My love, we must leave."
He said nothing, just patted her on her thigh. Several minutes later they were at the workshop. Amaruq was instantly sober as he looked on at the utter destruction before him. He saw his men's corpses scattered around the shack. They were badly burned and he knew they were gone.
He could not save them. He knelt down when he saw his only female Lycan, Urica. She was dead. He let out a visceral scream then that seemed to fill the forest. Luna was beside him.
She put her hand on his shoulder while he knelt down. The reality of it all was coming to a head. He stood up then, grabbed Luna's hand, and together they walked inside the burned-down shack. Amaruq did a quick survey. The broken glass had a stick wrapped in tree sap.
He followed the fire trail and it led to his workstation. It was burnt the most, letting him know the explosion had been a chemical reaction caused by whoever started the fire.
"Who would do this?" Luna asked aloud, not really expecting an answer.
"The Loux Garoux." He informed her.
"How can you be certain. No one has seen one on the island in years." She countered.
He began looking for his metal box that contained all of his work and his journal. It was not in its usual hiding place. Instead, he found it opened and empty a few inches away from the entrance. He held it up and smelled it. It definitely had the scent of a Loux Garoux.
"They will pay for this." He vowed. "How dare they come into my territory and steal. They call themselves the elite. Only commoners steal from others. Yes, there is a Loux Garoux among us, but where? Where is he hiding? We must find him before he finds us. Those documents he took are more valuable than gold. They have the whereabouts of every Lycan leader as well as the anecdote to cure any Lycan." He explained.
Caleb stood guard in the doorway. His interest was peaked at that information, but he made sure to show no outward emotion.
Luna was also surprised by that information. She had known Amaruq was smart and cunning. She didn't know he was scientist smart.
"We should leave, my love." She told him once more.
"No! I will not leave! This is my Island! And I will die to protect it! Do you understand?" He yanked her arm up then and squeezed hard. He had never been this rough with her.
For the first time, Luna was afraid of Amaruq and the madness he showed. She did what she thought was best in that situation.
"Yes, my love. We will stay and fight." She submitted to his will...