It was well into the second day when my natural biological clock awoke me from my slumber. I had checked in with my Clàn while I ensured my members of their welfare and quelled their fears.

Not wanting another episode like that of the female I captured, I ordered a two-man scout team to prowl along the Eastside borders.

When the fiery sun kissed the edge of the sky, the warmth dwindled and gave way to the chill of the night.

I broke bread with my Clàn. My presence here comforted them. They were happily munching on the prey they caught, each absorbed in their own world. Happiness radiated on their faces and my heart swelled with pride at the content smiles on their lips.

My Clàn was safe.

At the moment.

I left them to enjoy the pleasures from The Hunt and decided to go for an evening walks. My feet ended up taking a path that drifted from their dens.

Bypassing winding pathways and clambering through slightly slopy terrains lined with recently made dens that housed newly bonded couples, I finally reached my area of solitude.

It was nothing special. It was a small, grassy hill that sat atop a cliff and stood high above the ground, giving me a wide berth to the view of my Clàn from my vantage point.

From my position, I could see the Master of Arms, Torin, as he laughed heartily to a joke made by his comrades.

Mickey was sitting somberly by the bonfire, mouth pressed into a thin line as he directed a scowl towards Torin's direction. No doubt he was the major brunt of the joke.

As my belly let out a content rumble, I aligned my back to the soft, bare earth. I laced my arms behind my head while I gazed at the stars that lit the sky.

Heaving a soft sigh, my lids succumbed to the sweet lull of nature as my mind drifted towards the beginning, the origin of our existence as Wanderers.

It wasn't always like this, where each Clàn was now scattered about. We were once a close knit group.

From time immemorial, the bane of our existence has somewhat been prejudiced through the history of time. It expanded to such an extent that the original story drifted to form bogus and watered down facts of the main truth.

The story of our origin has been so diluted along the line that each Clàn now had different versions as to the existence of our origin. The real truth, how it all began, started from the Early Men.

The Early Men were Wanderers, sent down by the Creator to journey through the realm and wide expanse of land experiencing its bounties.

They began to come up with ways to adapt to their environment and for a while, were content with the state of matters. Until it all changed. They began to want for more things, have more desires as the time passed by. Their intelligence grew as they came to realize that the basic needs was not sufficient for them anymore.

Natural selection set in. Survival of the fittest. All struggled to amass more resources as they related that having dominance over resources inextricably led towards power.

With the knowledge of power came a more dominant need, companionship. At that time, they were not more inundated with their sexuality. The Wanderers had not a clue as to the pleasures derived from having that empathic feeling to something, to have that deep connection to someone.

It was during this period that the Wolfés set in.

The Creator took pity on her creations and provided a solution to their distress. She created Wolfés for the sole purpose of their companionship. They were not just primal animals with carnal urges. They were an extension of each Wanderer portraying the true self of its owner.

With time passing by, sexual selection came into play. As the populace began to thrive more, they were certain ones amongst them that came out unique in their physiology as well as their morphology.

Some of the Wanderers were born to lead, having a certain amount of control over the others and born with a natural affinity to dominate, Alphas. Others were born docile, completely aversed to the life of the wild and seemingly weak, drifters.

With the advent of this new development, the drifters, ones born without a wild heart, banded together and separated from their kin. No longer able to compete for survival with their natural borne strength.

So began the history of diversification of a once united group.

The variation of the truth gave rise to different diversities of customs and traditions which further set a once united group of Wanderers into disjointed groups, Clàns.

More wanderers began dispersing, seeking for new lands to settle in, and this led to the development of Clàns we now have today.

Sometimes, I wish to go back to the time when it was all peace and quite before it all went downhill. The tale of our origin, further justified one truth that would never change.

The greed of man and struggle for power.

The clambering of feets in the horizon alerted me to the presence of multiple people approaching the Clàn.

I judged the vibrations from their steady footfalls and concluded that they were fastly approaching into the heart of my Clàn. The scouts would have alerted me if they proved to be a threat and that instantly calmed my sudden frayed nerves.

Reluctantly, I left my peaceful spot and made my way downhill while I headed directly for a confrontation with my visitors.

🐾

Harsh growls and hostile words met me when I entered the Gathering Hall. The air was laden with tension so thick not even a butcher knife could slice it open.

The chatter instantly died down as my comrades bowed their heads in respect to my arrival. On the other hand, I was met with accusing glares filled with murderous intent from the other party.

It turned out that members of the Storm Clàn came sooner that I had expected.

The leader of the group stepped forward. He tried to exert his dominance by flexing his chest. Mickey growled out his disapproval at the man's actions.

He was a slightly scrawny male with small muscles to complement his physique. Neither tall nor short, he had that air of dominance around him. Probably the Beta.

''Show some respect to your Alpha, Marrc,'' Mickey cautioned in his ever soft voice.

Marrc released a harsh chuckle. ''He is not my Alpha. You killed our leader and left us without a head. I have come to seek retribution.'' Hums of agreement rang through his group. From the looks on their faces, they all wanted the same thing. To seek revenge for their Alpha by killing me.

''Your tribute is my death then?'' I asked, though already knowing the answer.

''Yes.'' Marrc answered back with a defensive growl.

His answer, though expected, still made me bristle slightly. He let his guard down and taught me a weak male incapable of defending his territory, so much so that he allowed himself the misfortune of challenging my authority.

I took a menacing step forward. ''Think well before you challenge me, Marrc. Did you not see the fate that befell your comrades when you stepped into my territory?''

Marrc began to look about nervously.

''Did you not see how I piled up their bodies as I let them burn with their ashes flowing freely in the air?'' My voice turned down a notch, taking a deeper tone filled with menace.

Marc gulped.

''Did you not see the heads I mounted on pikes as a warning to any Clàn that wishes to mess with me and mine?''

Murmurs began to ring among his comrades. All deciding whether it was best to step on the lion's tail.

Good. That was what I wanted, to make them all doubt themselves. If this turned out right, maybe it would not turn to a bloody fight.

''You shouldn't have killed our Alpha still!'' Marrc protested as he made one last attempt to form his stand.

But how could he maintain such stand when there was already a break in his followers. Along the line, they had already begun to doubt the strength of their Beta.

I commended him for his effort to still maintain his stand. Too bad he was not capable enough to be in the position of power, to handle the responsibilities that came with it.

With power comes capability and the resolution to do what was necessary.

Time to play my last card.

''Funny how you seek to defend an Alpha who is undeserving of the title. If he were not dishonorable to his comrades, I would not have mounted his head on the pike. Instead, he was a coward who abandoned his men in the heat of the battle and tried to flee.''

I was surprised to see that they were not shocked by my utterance. It meant that they knew what kind of man their Alpha was all along.

Seeing this made me more determined to bring this Clàn under my protection. How could they still follow a weak Alpha despite knowing who he truly was? Their loyalty was lost and I intended to put that to good use.

With shoulders slumped in defeat, they each relaxed their defensive stance and turned to meet their Beta. Their decision was made, they were not going to fight with me.

''You could avoid this bloodshed by either joining my Clàn which I can assure you, would provide the comfort and protection you all need,''

''Or?'' Marrc demanded.

''Or you could challenge me for the title which we both know would end in your painful and slow demise. The choice is yours.'' As I laid my cards on the table, I carefully scrutinized the Beta's demeanour.

His expression reflected all he was feeling. Marrc was against submitting to another Alpha when he still had a chance to claim the title but he knew that he was not cut out for that role.

At the same time, the pull he felt towards me was having a major effect in his decision-making. He also wanted to submit to the safety and security that I could provide.

After a while of tension and thick silence, Marrc raised his head to meet mine. Deep aquamarine eyes shone with a sense of trust.

''Alpha,'' He decided.

My comrades instantly calmed, relieved that it did not turn sideways. Mickey stepped forward to welcome Marrc in a brotherly embrace.

''Welcome to the Stone Clàn.'' Mickey greeted them all.

One by one, they all steeped forward to receive their acceptance from my Beta. I would have done this in his stead, but I could not stand the touch of anyone. Anyone but my Wolfé.

South Paw, Torin and the others all came together to greet their new comrades, no longer at wars. They were no longer trapped by the ties that binded them to their previous Clàn, they were now members of the Stone Clàn.

Speaking of trapped, ''South Paw, take me to the female.''




Time for a one-on-one with Tara and Dwanye. The moment you've all been waiting for.