The Boys in the Woods

A Prince - Crispen

It had been eight years since we walked to the mountain peaks only to be told that I was to marry Rose in order to unite our packs and fight in a war for the forest. Rose and I had grown close over time. We met once a week with our mothers to get to know one another. Honestly speaking, however, I wasn’t sure using the word love was appropriate. We had become friends, good friends, but we both knew that we would eventually be forced into marriage out of duty to our packs. We didn’t try to fight our fate; we wanted to serve our people and win the war. Sadly things have unraveled since then. What was once two packs has become three. My pack, the Salumare. Rose's pack the Vitalux, and finally the Renen. Wolves were splitting from both mine and Rose’s pack. All were seeking personal power, taking enough people with them to spread our forces thin. They were angry at the notion that Rose and I were chosen and felt as if it was a mistake. I sometimes wondered if they were right. You'd think that my father and Rose's father would unite under these circumstances, but you'd be wrong. While their relationship had improved drastically, it wasn't where it needed to be in order to keep a healthy balance in the forest. The Renen were cast-aways. They'd been banished for their crimes against their packs and the forest itself. They lived in the furthest reaches of the forest, a place none of us usually went near. These were some of the challenges I'd have to face once I become the alpha.

The notion of one day being the alpha meant the pressure was put on me to be ready for everything. Every day I was subjected to vigorous training with Tali. Hours of grueling physical activity where he intended to push me to the limits and break me if possible. We’d climb mountains, travel the entirety of the forest, hunt, swim, you name it, we did it. My friend, more brother than a friend, Nikolas, was allowed to train with me. When my dad told me I would be separated from my usual classes and friends, I asked if I could have Nikolas train with me. At first, he was a bit skeptical; maybe he feared I wouldn’t get any work done with a friend around, but I instead told him that I needed somebody I trusted to be with me. A trusted friend is imperative for any leader. I also wanted to mess around a little, but mainly, I wanted to be with someone who didn’t look at me as if I was royalty, or worse, a prophecy. 

Nikolas and I ran through the village. Everyone was getting ready for the full moon festival and streaming decorations from the trees and laughing and smiling with one another. We ran raced past a woman with her basket, us on either side scaring the life out of her. Seeing wolves isn’t scary for us. It was normal; she cursed us for nearly knocking her over as we bolted past her. We traveled deeper into the forest and eventually reached the edge. I won, obviously. 

‘You’re getting slower, Nikolas.’ I laughed. He did not.

‘I won Crispen, and you know it.’ As the laughter died down, we looked below at the village of humans, and it was more significant than the last time we saw it.

‘It gets bigger every time we see it.’ He says as I watch with concern weighing heavy on my shoulders.

‘I don’t know what we’re going to do about this.’ I don't even know what is coming from this small town. I'm preparing for a battle I don't even understand. I know humans are bad, but what are they capable of?

‘What do you mean? You’re going to be alpha, and then we kick some human ass.’ His confidence in me was kind, but it felt misguided.

‘Well, think about, when the Stellagazer said Rose and I would marry, unite the packs and go to war… She never said we’d win; first of all, she said we’d have a chance-’ 

‘A good chance.’Nikolas interjected.

‘She also meant unite two packs, and now we’re so divided there is no telling when the next break will come. We have no control over Renen. We barely see eye to eye with the Vitalux.’

‘Let's get you to the aisle first, buddy. That is the first step.’

‘If you’re going to potentially be my advisor, you are really going to need to give me some actual advice.’ I tell him. Nikolas laughs, and I join in. 

‘Do you want to be alpha?’ He’d never asked me that question before. In fairness, I hadn’t even asked myself that question.

‘I don’t know, to be honest.’ It was something I avoided thinking about. This big responsibility was essentially thrown at me. It wasn’t something I wanted or asked for. I guess I did maybe assume because my dad was alpha, I would eventually take over. But, being a kid and wanting to be an alpha, and growing up to realize how hard it must be to have that responsibility and power. It also seemed really isolating. My father rarely smiled, joked, or laughed anymore. The problems we faced in the forest grew by the day. It was hard to solve a problem that only got worse with time and more difficult to manage. ‘What if she was wrong?’ I ask Nikolas.

‘What do you mean?’ He asks with a raised eyebrow. He must think I'm crazy for even suggesting such a thing.

‘Well, the Stellagazer, what if she made a mistake?’ Nikolas looked at me as if I was insane.

‘She never makes a mistake,' he said with a serious tone.

‘I sometimes wish she did.’ I really did, but Nikolas was right; she was faultless. She predicted the humans. She precited the division and separation. Something my dad told me about a few years after she said I’d be getting married. 

‘Come on, let’s get back. I’m sure our mothers are going to moan if we don’t help with the festival.’ I had forgotten about that—the last festival of the moon as a bachelor.

‘True.’ I agreed.

We took one last look at the human settlement, with their small two-story buildings, moving metal beasts, and made our way back home.