A Werewolf Fantasy
Chapter 21

Once the moon began to fade into the sky, giving way to the first slice of daylight, Nikjin began to feel his power weakening.

Zokman had warned him to make sure that the battle with Vak did not rage until morning, otherwise, the Prime Alpha could overpower him and kill him, and that would obviously spell the end of his quest for power and also his life. "Damnation!" he swore bitterly and removed himself from the tangle of limbs that bound him to his brother. "This is not over."

"What? Are you tired of fighting with me?" asked Vak, panting. He was exhausted but he was also determined to finish off his brother as payback for what Nikjin had done to his beloved wife, Olna Raven. "Come back here and finish what you started!"

"Oh, dear brother, believe me, I will," said Nikjin even as he slowly retreated into the woods where his minions were now running into. They were creatures of darkness that were repelled by the power of daylight. "You have not seen the last of me, I assure you."

He spun around and dashed into the woods, following his beasts as they abandoned their opponents and ran into the darkness.

"Follow them!" Vak commanded. Now that he knew his brother's weakness, this might be his opportunity to conquer him and his beastly army.

All the werewolves obeyed the command of their supreme leader and ran after the intruders into the dark recess of the thick woods. The bloodbath in the woods was inevitable as the werewolves descended on the beasts with such ferociousness, tearing them apart angrily. It was their time to pay back those vile creatures for killing their fellow werewolves all through the night.

While Vak massacred the beastly creatures with relish, he kept his eyes peeled for Nikjin's white fur, in case his brother tried to pull a surprise move on him, but alas, the traitor was nowhere to be found. By the time he and his warriors were done killing off Nikjin's minions, their leader was conspicuously missing.

"Where is he?" Vak asked angrily. "Where is Nikjin?"

"I do not know, my Alpha King," replied Monah. He was terribly wounded and barely able to hold himself upright.

"Perhaps he has vanished," said Weruona.

"That is not possible," said Vak. "He may be able to command these vile creatures to obey him, but I do not believe that he has the power to vanish. He is probably hiding somewhere nearby. He knows these woods better than us and I am sure he is still around here."

"He could be watching us now even as we speak," said Chief Anamak, ominously. "Be on your guard everyone. We must not let Nikjin catch us unawares."

His announcement put everyone's spine up again as they began to scan the woods, spreading out tentatively to search for the missing traitor. The few remaining guard werewolves lowered their muzzles and began to sniff the ground, hoping to catch Nikjin's scent.

"I think I smell him," said one of the guards. His pace increased steadily as he followed the scent that was now leading him in the direction of the northeast settlement of Vomani, Nikjin's home.

The trail eventually led them to a cave on the outskirts of Vomani. It was very dark inside with not even a slice of light within.

"Do not go inside," Vak instructed his werewolves. "This is a clever trick by my brother to draw us into an ambush. Since he cannot fight us in daylight, he is attempting to lead us into the darkness where he has the power to devour us." "I believe you are right," said Anamak. "We should go back. Besides, we need to rest and care for the wounded. Nikjin may initiate another attack tonight and we must all be prepared for it."

"Will it never end?" Weruona asked in frustration.

"It will only end when either I or Nikjin dies," said Vak. "Until then, this war will persist."

"Shall we go back now?" asked Zanisck, impatiently.

"Where is Danshak?" Vak asked, noticing for the first time that his second son was not with them.

Everyone looked around but they couldn't replace him..

"Please, do not tell me that I have lost my wife and my son on the same day," Vak said brokenly. He was both physically and emotionally drained.

"Mother was still alive when I left her," said Zanisck. "I do not know about Danshak. He may still be alive."

"We will never know for certain if we remain here," said Monah. "Let us go back. We are not in danger at the moment, so we have enough time to search for him without fear of being attacked in the process."

Vak nodded and what was left of his clan followed him back toward Denai' Vena. Although he was ashamed to admit it even to himself, the truth was that he did not want to see the remains of Olna Raven because he couldn't bear it. Nikjin had butchered his wife as if she were some wild game that he wanted to eat for dinner.

He knew it would be wishful thinking on his part to assume that she could survive such a brutal attack but he couldn't bear to think of the rest of his life without her. He had never loved another female the way he loved his Prime Luna, and now she was leaving him behind in this cold world where his blood brother was determined to kill him and take over his position.

When they finally reached the battleground, Vak and his other sons were relieved to see Danshak standing beside his mother and his mate. Just like the rest of them, he was injured and blood was dripping from different parts of his body. "What a relief it is to see that you are still alive," said Vak as he approached his son.

"I am glad you all survived too," replied Danshak. "Except Mother. She is barely alive."

Vak looked down at where his wife lay and his heart squeezed painfully in his chest. His once beautiful Olna Raven was gone and was replaced by a hideous caricature of mangled bones and ripped skin. She was all blood and gore, and merely seconds away from giving up the ghost.

"My love," she whispered when she saw Vak staring at her with a pained look in his eyes.

"Olna," he whispered back before dissolving into tears. He could no longer be strong, he could no longer hold his feelings back. His world was crashing down right before his eyes and he did not have the strength to pick up the pieces and put them back together.

This was all his fault; perhaps he should have called his brother for a meeting in the presence of all the clan heads to discuss how to share power with him, instead of rallying around for support to fight against Nikjin, maybe he could have prevented this stupid war from happening.

"Look at what I have caused," he wept as he lay beside his wife and put his muzzle on her bosom. "This is all my fault."

"No, my love," she responded. "It was... meant to... be."

Vak lifted his head to look into her good eye. "How can you say that? This is not how you should die. I was the one Nikjin wanted to kill, not you. What would I not give now to be in your place? You do not deserve this pain, my love. You do not."

Chief Anamak cleared his throat and said, "Please, let us give the family some privacy to grieve." He didn't think it was right for everyone to make a spectacle of this private moment involving their Prime Alpha and his Luna. It was way too intimate for everyone to witness.

Obeying the warrior chief, all the werewolves retreated to the other end of the clearing. They promptly began to tend to one another as a way to distract themselves and block out the sorrowful sound of their Prime Alpha's weeping. None of them had ever seen him be this vulnerable but they understood that he too had feelings and was also capable of feeling pain, just like the rest of them.

"Can we not heal her with the dream stone?" Erin asked, her voice filled with childlike hope.

Weruona shook his head slowly. "She is beyond healing, Edvana. Look at her, she is nearly gone."

"I will always love you, Mother," said Zanisck, softly.

"We will never forget you, Mother," said Danshak.

"I love you, Mother," whispered Weruona.

"It has been an honor knowing you, Mother," said Erin between sobs.

"Goodbye, my love," said Vak. "You will forever be in my heart."

"Goodbye," whispered Olna Raven softly. She drew in her last breath and closed her eyes forever, just as the sun rose in the east and shone brightly around them all.