The Boys in the Woods

Long ago, like a really long time ago, Crispen was told of the world he’d come to know as his own. The Silvamater forest, sprawling trees, mountains, rivers, and waterfalls, untouched by man, protected by wolves. Wolves like Crispen. The legends were real, but it was all fiction for humans, something you’d see on the screens of a television or a cinema, read about in a book, or play in a game. Centuries before man touched down on the wildlands’ shores, wolves across the nations protected their regions, packs of varying sizes but plentiful, regardless. Legend told them that the gods granted their ancestors the power to protect the wildlands against destruction. Sadly, no one was ready for the sheer force the humans would bring with them. As the centuries passed, the more land the guardians lost to the humans. As the humans invaded, the rivers ran red, and the fires raged on. The land was pillaged and claimed in the name of kings and queens. More packs fell. In the Silvamater, the Salumare were lucky. Centuries of peace and minimal interaction with humans meant they were one of the few remaining packs to survive the tragedies of war. They worried every day, for years, of the pending attack. While their land remained isolated, protected, and void of unnatural destruction, they knew their time would come. The Stellagazer read the stars, alert the tribe of any changes, any prophecies that might warn them of the pending danger. She knew that another war would soon reach the Salumare, a war from within. The Stellagazer warned only the Alpha of such a threat to avoid furthering the divide and speeding up the succession. She knew it was coming, and the Alpha at the time, Hiruko, attempted to keep the peace, but eventually, even he could not stop it. When the first sign of settlers on the outskirts of the Silvamater appeared, the human-led expeditions began. Hiruko wanted to approach the situation with fear. Koda wanted blood. Driven by anger, seeking revenge for his fallen brothers and sisters of his previous pack, he didn’t feel the methods were effective. Hiruko warned that such intervention would lead to a harsher approach from the humans, one they may not handle as they grow in numbers. Koda didn’t listen to the warning of the alpha. One day, while on a mission through the forest, Koda came across a human and attacked. When Hiruko found out, he banished Koda. It surprised everyone to learn that Koda wasn’t alone. Others joined him, and now they faced a problem, what now? When Koda became the alpha of the deserters, the two agreed that where the river splits the forest in two, they’d live on their respective sides. How they handled humans on their territory was now independent. Every month the two alpha’s would meet with the Stellagazer and discuss any changes that both packs needed to know. A century passed, and as time went on, communication began to wither, and the hatred between the two packs only got stronger. Hiruko and Koda eventually passed on, and in their place, their children took their place as alpha’s of the Salumare and the Vitalux packs. One day, their children may take their place as the alpha and inherit deep divisions and the threat of war for the forest’s very soul. But, everything they knew was about to be challenged by the Stellagazer herself. - It was a typical morning for the two packs on either side of the river. The sun rose of the mountain peaks, waking the many residents of the vast land they called home. One person who hated waking up was young Crispen, the son of the Salumare alpha Merrick. As she did every morning, Astrid walked in to wake her son up and face the attempts of a five-year-old looking to avoid school. She sat down on his bed and stroked his long brown hair out of his eyes. He remained fast asleep, as always. She leaned in and kissed him on his forehead before whispering in his ear to wake up. In the corner of his mouth, you can see the smile as he now pretends to sleep.  ‘Okay lazy bones, get up.’ Astrid warns. ‘I don’t feel well.’ A lie, one he tries every few days. Astrid never buys it, however. She stands up and opens the curtains allowing the light to pour into the room, bathing it in golden rays.  ‘Well, I’ll be sure to let your father know that if the pack isn’t feeling well, you’re to blame.’ ‘That’s not fair. If you let me out of the house, doesn’t it become your fault that I make everyone else sick?’ ‘I guess you could look at it that way, but I guess we will have to find out then, won’t we?’ She looks at Crispen, smiling. She plays along because she loves him, but she doesn’t let him get away with it because she’s still his mother. As Crispen puts his feet on the ground, they both hear the drums echoing throughout the forest. ‘What’s that, mom?’ ‘It means you may have gotten out of going to school after all. Get dressed, Crispen; I’m going to talk with your father.’ Astrid leaves the room in a hurry. Crispen notices and gets out of bed, knowing that something is happening, and wants to be involved. For years the young boy wanted to join his father on the hunt, to explore the forest, and protect it. A young wolf, however, is untrained, undisciplined, and so they need to learn. This doesn’t exclude the son of an alpha.  It was almost immediately that the entire pack was on the move. Crispen loved being able to transform into a wolf. If he had it his way, he’d be one full-time, most likely. His father always told him to never exclusively be one or the other and to respect both parts of who he is, part wolf, part human. He loved playing with his friends as a wolf; most of the kids loved it, the speed, the agility, albeit clumsy because of their age. Today was a severe day, however. It was rare for the packs to both receive invitations to the mountain pass, especially in their entirety. Both packs walked side by side, divided by a river. Nobody said a word, not to each other in their pack or across the river, not even a greeting. They approached the shadow cast by the mountain peaks and saw the waterfall which fed the river. Crispen looked up at the climb ahead of him and was pushed forward by his mother, who urged him to begin the climb. The elder wolves led the pack behind the alpha, moving forward with ease. The mothers helped their children, some of which struggled to make it up independently, especially the pack’s youngest. Eventually, they came to the top. Crispen looked at the open area, surrounded by mountain walls, taller than the forest’s tallest trees. He noticed the tree that lived on a small patch of land in the middle of the water. It was so full of life, something about it was so interesting. He wasn’t looking where he was going and accidentally walked into someone, Crispen apologized as his mother sat, and he mirrored her. Silence filled the empty spaces within the mountain walls. It was then that a figure appeared, in flowing green fabric, she stood high above the packs. ‘Welcome to the mountain pass. This mighty place, where the wolves of generations past were born and reborn. Our sacred ancestral burial ground of the very protectors of these woods and their brothers and sisters. I wish I called you here for better news, but I’ve seen the stars producing a multitude of prophecies, some hopeful and others promoting a wave of concern and caution.’   Murmurs throughout the crowd began growing in volume. Both alpha’s demanded silence as the Stellagazer spoke to them. ‘A war is coming. A war which you cannot fight alone, but can fight united.’ Both Merrick and Grishan look at one another. The idea was leaving a sour taste in their mouth. Regardless of their differences and hatred for one another, they respected and trusted the Stellagazer. ‘This union is only possible through marriage, a marriage between the firstborn of each leader of the two packs.’ Crispen’s father looks back at Astrid, who is shocked by the Stellagazer’s words. Grishan looks at his wife Niya, who’s looking at their daughter Rose. ‘Stellagazer, I respect your words, but surely you must be mistaken?’ Grishan objects. ‘Are you suggesting that I’ve misread the stars or that I am lying to you?’ The Stellagazer was leveled in her tone, but she didn’t take the allegations lightly.  Grishan retreaded from his claims. Merrick spoke up next, ‘Stellagazer, they are just children; we can’t make them get married until they are of age. Do we have enough time to prepare for such an event?’ ‘The timing of war is unclear. I believe you should immediately begin working on relationships between your future alpha and omega, as well as between your two packs. The stars warn of a significant threat, one which will require great sacrifice regardless of which side of the river you come from. This is not a Salumare or Vitalux problem. It is a Silvamata problem. On both sides of the mountain pass, eyes were now squarely focused on Crispen and the Vitalux first-born Rose. They both felt the pressure, but they didn’t even understand any of it. How could they? They were nothing but children.  Astrid and Niya led their packs away as the alpha’s stayed back, discussing the news with one another and the Stellagazer. Crispen looked back at his father, clearly fighting with Grishan. He looked to his mother, ‘Mom, I don’t understand. What did any of that mean?’ ‘Don’t worry, baby. We’ll talk about it another day. Let’s get you home.’ Crispen knew not to press her any further, but something was wrong, and he could feel it, even if he didn’t understand it. When they got home, Astrid rushed Crispen inside as the voices grew louder around him. His protective mother deflected questions hurled at the young boy. She shoved Crispen’s insides, closing the door behind him. She looked at the curious mob and scolded them as quietly as she could so Crispen couldn’t hear her. ‘Would you all stop! He’s a child. He barely knows what happened today. My son doesn’t need you scaring him or confusing him. Besides, we know as much as you do at this point.’  Crispen heard every word, however. His mother was right; he was scared, confused, and wanted to understand. Astrid walked in and saw her son looking at her with glazed eyes, believing he’d done something wrong. ‘Mommy, what’s going on?’  Astrid sunk to her knees. She was seeking to meet her son’s eyes in an attempt to calm him. His mother wiped away tears and hugged her son tightly. ‘Don’t listen to them. Your father and I will explain everything, but for now, why don’t you go lay down. You have had a long day and need to rest before dinner.’ Crispen didn’t object. It had a long day. He was weary from the short but taxing journey to the mountain pass.  He lay in bed, looking at the ceiling. He heard the front door open and the sound of his father’s footsteps walking on the cabin’s wooden floors. Crispen knew not to listen in on his parent’s conversations, but he needed to know what was going on and why he seemed to be the center of attention. He crept through the halls and heard them talking in the kitchen. ‘So?’ ‘The Stellagazer said it, reaffirmed it.’ ‘I don’t understand. He is a child, Merrick.’ Astrid begged, but her words wouldn’t change fate. ‘Grishan and I spoke with one another. You and Niya are to meet weekly to introduce Crispen and Rose to one another.’ ‘Merrick, you can’t be serious?’ She was shocked. Her tone said it all. ‘Astrid, do you think I am happy about this? We need to face the facts. A war is coming, and if we don’t fight together, we will lose, and we will die, all of us, including our son.’ ‘You’re asking a child to grow up faster than he should to not only fight a war that may wipe us out but also to lead that very war.’ ‘It is our job to prepare him for what has now become his destiny. Crispen will marry the Vitalux girl and unify our packs.’ Crispen couldn’t believe the words he heard and slowly backed away, retreating to his room. He felt trapped in the confines of the four walls and needed to get out. Crispen was afraid and barely understood what he’d just heard. The parts he understood weren’t comforting. He looked at the window and made a move to leave his room, and his home, hoping he’d be able to escape. Crispen touched down on the ground outside his bedroom window and walked around the house before running into the woods. He knew if he were to run away, he’d need to be fast, as fast as a wolf, Crispen transformed and ran, and he kept running. He didn’t even know what his plan was. Where was he going? What would he do when he was there? In the distance, he saw smoke rising from the trees and looked ahead in confusion. ‘That’s weird, there aren’t any wolves this far out?’ he thought to himself. The young untrained wolf crept forward and attempted to hide in a bush, but he heard the quiet shut behind him before he knew it. Crispen was trapped in a wooden cage. He tried to escape, but it seemed futile. The unfamiliar voices filled the ears of the young wolf. He attempted to count, but eventually lost track of all the voices he could hear. He heard light footprints approaching; he was now terrified. Crispen wasn’t thinking straight, and if he had been, he would have already escaped and been far away by now. In the faded light of the moon, a young boy began walking toward the trapped wolf. A boy that appeared to be similar in age to that of Crispen. One thing that was certain was that this boy was human, Crispen could tell by the scent. ‘What are you doing here?’ the boy asked. Crispen whimpered as he heard the boy’s question, retreating further into the back of the cage. ‘If they see you, they will kill you. I’m going to open the cage, but you need to run away as fast as possible.’ The boy lifted the door of the cage, and Crispen slowly walked out. He looked at the boy and felt something in his body change. The shivers were reverberating, and his mind was processing the information he couldn’t comprehend. In his head, he saw two boys much older than Crispen running together through the forest. He didn’t know who they were and why he was seeing them. The boy who told Crispen to go interrupted his thoughts, telling him to leave now before somebody sees him. So he did. He sprinted away, going deeper into the forest, back to his home. Crispen ran as fast as he could. Now and then, he looked back, and before he returned home, he ran right into his father, falling back onto the ground. ‘Why did you leave!’ ‘Dad, I-’ ‘It worried your mother and me to death!’ Merrick noticed his son’s flustered look and wondered if that was out of fear of his wrath or something the young wolf had seen. ‘Crispen, what’s wrong?’ ‘Humans, there are humans at the edge of the forest.’ ‘What! How many? Are you hurt?’ ‘I don’t know. I heard the different voices, voices I’d never heard before.’ ‘Are you sure it wasn’t the other pack?’ ‘No, because I saw a human. He saved me from a trap.’ Marrick seemed to grow increasingly skeptical.  ‘Why would a human have saved you?’ ‘He looked like me. He looked like-’ ‘A child. Yes, well, all humans aren’t born evil, but they sure seem to all end up that way.’ Merrick looked at his son, frightened and overwhelmed. ‘I’m sorry, son, today hasn’t been easy on you, and I promise I will explain it all to you in time, but we need to go home.’ ‘Dad, I’m scared.’ ‘I know, son. So am I.’