Rise of Nocturna
A Wardens of Terra Novel
By D.M.Nickol
Smashwords Edition
Copyright 2012 David Nickol
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This novel is dedicated to my wife Rhonda and daughter Ciara. Thank you for always being there for me.
This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events and locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously.
Prologue (forty years ago)
The frantic man came out of the portal into the darkness just outside of his own home. His dark blue body suit and helmet nearly hid him from view as he approached the open front door with reckless abandon. As he entered the house, he was fully prepared for the ambush he was sure that would be unleashed. Everything was still and eerily quiet.
The living room of the small home was a wreck. Furniture had been overturned and pillow stuffing was scattered everywhere. Then he noticed the blood. At first it was small spatters here and there, but as he walked past the inverted couch, he found a large pool of the fresh red liquid. A large kitchen knife, also covered in blood and fur, lied nearby.
“Oh no”, he said quietly. Then he called loudly, “Honey! Sweetheart, where are you.” After a long moment when no one answered, he realized he had forgotten something. “The kids”, he said more to himself as he dashed down the hallway toward the back of the house.
Sliding to a stop in front of the first bedroom door, he fumbled for the light switch, found it then anxiously scanned the illuminated space. The furniture was moved about, but not destroyed. No children greeted their father. He bolted to the next room, a nursery, and found it undisturbed. As he entered the intact master bedroom, he heard a call from the living room.
“Where are you Warden?” His friends had arrived.
The hysterical man ran back to the front of the house and found five more people dressed in suits nearly identical to his own. He raised his visor to reveal the tears streaming down his face.
“They’ve taken her and the kids. We have to go after them,” he said with resolve.
The others had already seen the devastation and the amount of blood scattered around. Each of them knew it was too late for a rescue mission.
The tallest of the group raised his visor, looked his friend in the eye and spoke quietly. “We’ll gladly go with you, my friend, but you already know…….”
“Don’t even say it. I have nothing else to live for. They’re alive and we’re wasting time,” he said with authority.
“Then we need to go,” one of the ladies conceded.
“That’s more like it,” he said as he pulled his jeweled amulet from his pant pocket and prepared to conjure a portal.
The muffled sound of baby cry stopped him. All of them looked about the room for the source. When the infant cried again, its father headed for the kitchen in a hurried walk.
Upon entering the room, he opened the first cabinet doors he came to. A third whimper led him to the pantry door which he pulled open quickly. On the floor of the small closet laid the smallest of his three children. He bent and gently picked up the child who instantly grew quiet.
“Don’t worry, daddy’s here,” he whispered down to his daughter. Then he turned to the others who had followed him into the room and said, “Somehow she was able to hide the baby before they got inside.”
More tears streamed down from his reddened eyes as he looked from the infant up to his friends and then back. He realized at that moment that this child was all that was left of his family. He faltered then leaned against the counter as the weight of the situation washed over him.
One of the ladies stepped forward and took the child as another rushed up and hugged the distraught man. He cried in earnest on her shoulder.
Between the heart-wrenching sobs he said, “What have I done? For years…..I’ve saved hundreds of lives…..and I couldn’t even save…. my own family.”
The others gathered closer to offer support that they knew would never be enough.
CHAPTER 1 - Old Wardens (present day)
Ultimately, even a king answers to a higher power.
The ruler of Nocturna could not see his visitor’s face. He did not want to. A hooded robe thankfully hid the ominous figure’s features in the sparse light issued from the fireplace. Here in his royal chambers, the massive beast bowed to the much smaller but more powerful being.
“You have a plan?” the female hissed from inside her hood.
“Yes, Excellency, we will soon return to our rightful home,” answered the subjugated king. “We’ve begun testing their defenses.”
His visitor stood for a moment in silence causing the werewolf to look up and see if she had departed. To his disappointment, she had not. Taking a step forward out of the shadows she raised her wrinkled hand slowly and pointed a talon-tipped finger at the monster.
“You have made these promises before and failed. Do not disappoint us again.” Her yellow eyes brightened in fury. “You are fortunate to be given a second chance. We will not intervene unless necessary and even then, we will be reluctant to reveal ourselves. You will be on your own.”
The king lowered his gaze and bowed his head once more. Although he feared none of the creatures within his realm, he dared not show a hint of aggression toward the sinister being before him.
“I understand and am thankful for your leniency.”
A loud snap followed by a quick hiss caused the ruler to look up once more. He caught sight of the trailing tails of her robe as she disappeared into the portal. The circle of golden light collapsed into an orb and snapped out of existence. He exhaled loudly in relief. Absentmindedly, the werewolf king rubbed the side of his head missing an ear and thought of long ago battles.
“There can be no mistakes this time,” he growled deeply to himself.
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Two old men stood together in the darkness of a large wooded area. They were behind a residential neighborhood on the outskirts of a small rural village. Light from the nearby homes was barely noticeable through the thick shroud of trees. The late-May fog helped to conceal the meeting. It was nearing midnight and no one else should have been anywhere near this thicket, especially on a weeknight, but the men didn’t want to take chances.
They turned without speaking and quietly walked deeper into the shadows to ensure their privacy. After the short hike, they faced each other. Both men glanced around nervously looking for possible interlopers. After a long, tense moment, the men felt it was safe to speak.
“You ready for this old man?” asked the shorter man.
“Not so loud,” said the taller man in a harsh whisper. “How many times do I have to tell you to keep it down, and who you callin’ old? I’m two months younger than you.” He thought for a second then added, “And, as a matter of fact, I’m never ready anymore, but I go just the same.” He pulled off his gray sweat shirt to reveal the top of a dark blue body suit. He quickly removed his shoes and pants to expose the rest of the outfit. Golden pinstripes ran down the outside of the arms and legs of the seamless uniform.
“Well, you look ten years older than me,” answered his partner. He then removed his tattered outer garments to likewise reveal a slick, dark blue suit. He reached down to pick up a draw-string sack and opened it. Then he pulled out a matching pair of boots with golden bands around the top, gloves with golden cuffs and a helmet. “Look, the kids should take over soon and we can retire. We started takin’ over when we were their age. What are they, fifteen, sixteen?” He pulled his boots on then inserted a hand into each glove with a smooth motion. Obviously, he had done this many times before.
The taller man’s head snapped around, “We keep saying the kids should be ready, but we do nothing to find out. At this rate, it might take years and I’m getting tired. This increased activity is about to kill me.” He said this while slipping into his solid blue boots and gloves, then picked up the matching helmet and pulled it on. With both hands, he worked it into position. It looked like a futuristic motorcycle helmet with mesh guarding the ears. He slammed the tinted visor shut with authority.
When he continued to speak from within the sealed helmet, his voice was neither diminished nor muffled. “Are we going to send them on a real test any time soon? You know, like our first adventure. We need to see how they’ll do. Something big is gonna happen soon. I can feel it in my bones and they need to be ready to help out. I don’t think these kids are as mature as we were at this age, but we should find out somehow and quick.”
“It’s already being taken care of by Mary and the little guy. It all starts in a couple of days. I’ll fill you in on the details when we get back. Calm down you sour old coot. Right now we have more important items to attend to. We’d better get goin’ before the fur balls cause any more havoc. You ready now?” He sounded a little anxious as he pulled the visor down on his helmet.
“Ah, I guess so”, was the reluctant reply.
The stocky man produced a multi-jeweled golden amulet from a hidden pocket in his pants and held it straight out at arm’s length in his gloved left hand. The blue jewel centered in the charm was glowing brightly. He depressed the lit gem with his thumb as he closed his eyes and tilted his head back slightly in obvious concentration.
Instantly, there was a faint snap as an orb of blue light about the size of a baseball appeared ten feet in front of them. For a split second it hovered four feet off the ground casting a blue hew on the surroundings. Then with a hiss, the orb became a donut of light and expanded rapidly to a large blue circle over eight feet across.
“Come on you old codger,” joked the short man, “I don’t wanna have to come back after ya again. Sometimes you have to move a little quicker.”
He laughed out loud as he stepped forward quickly, then jumped through the circle and disappeared. The other man huffed at his friend’s comments but wasted no time and immediately followed his tormentor through the portal. The blue circle remained for a moment, then, with a hiss, quickly shrunk until it was a blue orb once again. A second later, with a snap, it winked out. The woods were dark and silent as if nothing had occurred.
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Thousands of miles away another blue orb appeared simultaneously with a snap, then hissed open. First, the short man appeared as if out of midair. A second later, the taller man came through to join his partner who had quickly moved forward several steps to peek around a large tree. They were now standing in another wooded area on the outskirts of an ancient-looking village. It was nearly dawn and the first hint of the new day lightened the eastern horizon.
The lone road was dimly lit by a solitary streetlight and deserted. All of the small homes were in need of repair or paint. The windows remained dark with the exception of a couple of night lamps. Evidently, the town was still asleep, but not for long. A new day would soon begin in this part of the world. The two men stood perfectly still and surveyed their surroundings.
“Romania again, I recognize those mountains,” whispered the tall man, “We should’ve known. They always seem to end up coming back to their old home.”
“Hold on a minute”, ordered the other man. “They got a bit of a head start on us. It’s time to catch up.”
From his pocket he produced the amulet once again. He placed it face up in the palm of his right hand this time and extended his arm out to point at the village. Then he moved it from left to right slowly and deliberately in a sweeping motion while pointing the amulet at each of the homes. He stopped moving suddenly when he was halfway through the second sweep. The darkest, purplish black gem on the jeweled charm was glowing faintly.
“Okay, we know where they are,” he nodded in the direction his open hand was pointed, “let’s go”. The burly man led the way out of the woods and along the small dirt road that led into town. They ducked behind the first home they came upon. It sat on the left side of the only street that ran through the village. He inched forward to peek around the corner and down the road. Seeing that the coast was still clear, he motioned for the thin man to follow him. Together, they dashed with surprising speed directly across the street and found more cover. They were now behind the home next to the house where their target stayed hidden.
“One of us needs to get on the other side of that house. We need to be in position just in case they come out over there instead”, stated the skinny man. He began to move out of hiding and toward the new location when his friend stuck out one huge hand and stopped him in his tracks.
“Wait”, he whispered, “look at the window”. He motioned toward the next home with a nod of his head. Both of the old men retreated quickly until they were only peeking around the corner of the building again. They watched intently in the semidarkness as a side window on the adjacent home was slowly opened from the inside.
A large, bare foot came through the window first. Then a young man sat on the window sill and ducked his head under the pane. He looked all around and almost saw the old men before they could jerk their heads back out of sight. In that split second of spying, they noticed that he was very big. The younger man had long dark brown hair halfway down his back in a ponytail. A short beard of the same color hid most of his face. He was wearing tattered brown pants and a matching shirt which definitely fit the area and would be hard to describe if noticed by the locals. Although he looked like a resident, the old men recognized him for what he was.
The young intruder didn’t notice anything that would cause him distress so he continued out the window and onto the ground in one giant step. The old men slowly peeked back around the corner of the next house and studied the young man with keen interest. Their target had turned his back to them. He was preoccupied with looking back through the open window and into the house.
A second person concealed inside the home handed the young man a lumpy, rolled blanket through the open window. He carefully took the bundle and gently cradled it to his massive chest, then stepped back to let his partner have room to exit. A moment later, another smaller bare foot came through the opening. With the two burglars momentarily distracted, the old men had their chance and decided to act.
“Go” whispered the hefty man.
Without hesitation, the scrawny man took off like a bolt of lightning. He moved much faster than a normal human. The old man accelerated quickly and closed on his prey before the thief could react to the pounding footsteps that approached him from behind. As he ran, the pinstripes on his suit began to glow brightly. The large young man only had time enough to turn his head halfway around before the old man dropped into a baseball slide and slammed into the back of his legs.
The force of the blow was so great that he was propelled up and backwards into the air. As he fell back to the ground, the young man held the bundle away from his body to protect it from the certain impact. He acted as if it were very fragile or important and guarded the package as he crashed hard into the ground on his back. He exhaled in a mighty groan. A great rush of air gushed from his mouth as he laid there with his arms outstretched.
Just as the man holding the rolled blanket hit the ground, the stocky man rushed in to snatch the bundle from his hands and dashed off at break-neck speed. The skinny man popped up on his feet and stood facing the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. The second intruder had made her way outside. She was very young or looked like it, maybe sixteen or seventeen years old in earth years, but she could be a fifty year-old from her world. In that instant, he realized that he had seen her before almost forty years ago. His mouth went agape.
Impossible, she’s dead, he thought. The raven black hair with a dark bluish hue, the emerald green eyes and perfect features, he had seen them all before so long ago.
“Jane,” he whispered, “It can’t be.”
The skinny old man was staring into those wonderful eyes when the girl hissed at him like a snake through clinched teeth, “Wardens”. This woke the old man from his momentary daydream. He remembered exactly what he was facing, not a young beautiful teenager but a vicious monster.
The stunning young woman shuddered once and cast her face up to the sky. A guttural sound issued from her mouth that was something between a growl and laughter. She shook violently again and began to grow. As she grew taller and wider, hair sprouted all over her that matched the black hair on her head. She grew much taller than the human facing her and was soon completely covered in long dark hair. She now stood over seven feet tall. Her face had contorted into a snout filled with hooked fangs. Long sharp claws protruded from her large hairy fingers where delicate dainty hands used to exist. Her shredded clothing fell away in pieces.
This all happened in a matter of a second, but the old man was not surprised. He dropped into a defensive stance. The Warden had seen many werewolves in his time. The human stared back into the intense red eyes with defiance. He knew how dangerous this creature was and waited for what he knew would come.
He didn’t have to wait long. The monster, that had been a beautiful girl just seconds ago, snarled deeply and lunged through the air at the skinny old man. Instead of backing away, he stepped into the attack. As the werewolf reached him, he snagged both of the beast’s wrists just inches from his face and dropped himself to the ground in one fluid motion. This action caused the werewolf to flip over onto her back and smash into the earth with a bone-jarring impact. The old man released his grip and sprung to his feet with more agility than an old man should possess. He took one step toward the prone creature and kicked her squarely in the jaw. She yelped loudly as her head snapped violently to the side from the blow. A deep whine issued from her toothy maw. She did not move again.
“Definitely not Jane, but who?” he wondered aloud. Then he realized who this girl used to be. “Oh no, it can’t be her, but is the boy still alive too?”
In the meantime, the male werewolf had scrambled back to his feet. He too had transformed while the skinny man stared down at the female wolf. Without hesitation, he launched himself at the back of the unsuspecting man.
The old man realized his mistake to late. He was quick to react but would be too slow to defend himself. The human knew, in that split second, that the monster would be upon him before he could completely turn to face the attack or avoid it.
As he turned in vain toward the beast, a dark blue blur flashed in from the side and slammed into the male werewolf in midair. The snarling creature growled loudly as it was knocked sideways into the house in a thundering crash. The large brown monster slid to the ground, then rose up, shook its head and roared defiantly. It launched a second attack at its new opponent. The stocky man prepared himself for the collision. The golden bands on his boots and the cuffs of his gloves glowed brightly as he summoned his power, but he didn’t need it. The skinnier man recovered in time to step in and snag the creature by the tail as it flew by. With a mighty jerk he stopped the monster’s flight and sent it flying head first back into the side of the house. The massive crash sent wooden-shingled siding flying off the home in all directions like a bomb exploded. The small home shuddered from the impact. The hairy beast slid to the ground in a large, quiet heap of fur.
“Thanks, I thought it had me”, offered the lean man graciously.
“We’ve got each others’ backs, always”, reminded the stout man as he panted from the exertion. “That was a slick move of your own.”
“Thanks, but we need to hurry and get rid of these things before the whole town comes running”, he replied with a hint of urgency. “We can never do this quietly.”
As if on cue, muffled voices could be heard in the adjacent homes. Others were coming also from somewhere down the street. The whole town had been shaken out of its early morning slumber. It would not take long for them to be discovered.
The skinny man gathered the scraps of clothing that the werewolves had been wearing in human-form as the stocky man pulled out his amulet. He held it out in one hand once again and depressed the blood-red jewel this time. An orb of the same deep red color appeared in front of them and opened to a large red circle.
Working quickly the taller man tossed the ruined garments through the portal. The shredded pile of cloth disappeared silently. The stocky man picked the male werewolf up by two handfuls of dark brown fur on its back and tossed the limp monster through as if it weighed less than a pound. The skinny man grabbed the female in the same manner and sent her flying after her partner. The portal shrunk to an orb and winked out.
“You know, in human-form, that female looked amazingly like…….oh, never mind.” The skinnier man started to say.
“Who?”
“It doesn’t matter, probably imagined it”, he responded vaguely.
The stocky man gave him a quizzical look and said, “Hold on to that thought. I’ll be right back.” He dashed off at amazing speed and returned seconds later with the bundle the werewolves were trying to steal. He unfolded the top part of the blanket and stared down at the infant inside.
The baby had been gagged. It squirmed within its wrappings. The youngster squinted against the brightening daylight and continued to wiggle. The skinny old man reached over his friend’s shoulder and removed the piece of cloth from the child’s mouth.
Instantly, the baby screamed at the top of its lungs causing both men to jump six inches off the ground. They both looked in every direction at once to see if anyone had been watching. The stocky man reluctantly replaced the gag back on the child’s mouth and rushed to the open window. He gently lowered the infant inside and quietly but quickly closed the pane.
“Where are the parents?” The skinny man wondered aloud.
“Probably tied up and gagged just like the baby,” answered the stocky man. “I don’t think they’re dead. Looks like the fur balls were after babies not food.”
“Why are the werewolves recruiting again? That’s the third child they’ve tried to take in the last week,” said the thinner man.
The other man shrugged, “I guess they’re trying to increase their numbers for some reason. We’ll discuss that later.”
The voices were getting louder and closer all the time as the townsfolk looked for the source of the disturbances. “We have to go” stated the thinner man.
The stocky man trotted back over to his friend and pulled out the amulet once more. He opened a bright blue portal this time.
“By the way, that was cruel sending those two into the Fire Realm”, joked the skinny man.
The stocky man smiled and said, “Dragons like to have fun too.” He quickly stepped through the large blue circle and disappeared. His thinner friend followed him through the portal smiling and shaking his head. The circle shrunk to an orb and winked out just before the excited crowd arrived.
It was too late, the show was over. The large mob had arrived carrying an assortment of weapons including several garden tools. After banging on the door of the damaged home and getting no reply, several members of the gang broke through the front entrance. A brief search was conducted and the rescue party found the three occupants bound and gagged but alive. They remained unscathed for the most part. The parents would swear that they had been attacked and restrained by monsters, but since no one was injured, including the baby, the people of the tiny village were a little more than skeptical.
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Across the dirt street, Ivan Karpolov stood in the shadows of his front porch holding his morning coffee. His mouth was agape in disbelief at what he had witnessed. He remained frozen in place, thankful that the monsters had not seen him standing there. Ivan was also glad that the people in the blue suits had defeated the hairy creatures, but understood that what he had just observed was not meant for his eyes. Other people were arriving now and he realized that they were too late to see anything. The men that had saved the child had disappeared through a large blue circle just seconds earlier. He decided that he had not seen anything either. He didn’t care what fantastic stories the people in the home might create, this man was not a witness and would not get involved. Ivan turned and walked back into his home.
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Less than an hour later, two frightened young werewolves with scorched and smoldering hair walked nervously down a sparsely lit corridor within a huge castle. They turned right and entered a cavernous hall. Suddenly they stopped and were afraid to proceed. The sides of the great hall were lined with warriors who stood erect and unmoving. There was a clear path down the center that led to a large golden throne set high upon a raised platform.
Torches were hung sporadically along the outside walls. This gave off just enough light to show the worried looks on the faces of the otherwise solemn soldiers that stood on either side of the young newcomers. What worried all of the creatures in attendance was the much larger beast sitting atop the throne. He was King Amarok. No one crossed or disappointed him if they knew what was good for them, not even relatives. He was old and getting gray in places but his red eyes were crystal clear and keen. The king was staring intently at the two younger and much smaller werewolves that had just arrived.
He lowered his huge head slightly and bellowed, “Come forward!”
With a nervous jerk, the two jumped then walked quickly to the foot of the steps leading up to their King’s throne. They dropped to their knees with heads bowed afraid to look at him. Both whined nervously as they stared at the ground. The hall grew silent in anticipation of the wrath of the most feared creature in the realm. The huge wolf said nothing at first but glared and growled deeply at his prone subjects. The lives of the young werewolves would depend on how they answered the vengeful king’s questions. Even then, they may not survive the encounter.
When he finally spoke, his deep voice seemed to shatter the silence. Every werewolf in the hall jump involuntarily. “Why did I have to retrieve you from Charron and where is the human child?”
The young male with his head still bowed answered in a whimpering whisper, “Forgive us sire. Two Wardens came before we could escape with the child. We had the human infant and were about to ….”
“Silence!” bellowed the king. “I know you encountered Wardens! I brought you back if you remember correctly! I want to know WHY you were defeated by two old, slow, insignificant humans!?”
The king rose to his feet. He was clearly two feet taller than either of the two huge guards flanking him. They sidestepped to make sure they were out of their leader’s striking range.
There was no immediate response from the two youngsters as they sank even lower to the ground. Their trembling and whining increased in intensity as they waited for the punishment they knew would come. Amarok always dealt harshly with dissatisfaction.
Instead, the king softened his tone, “I guess I should be grateful that the old humans did not destroy you. Of course, that is against their creed, which is lucky for you. No matter,” grumbled the king through clinched teeth. “The Wardens will not remain a thorn in our side for much longer.” He said this more to himself than any of his subjects. “All of them will be eradicated soon enough and we shall rule their precious Earth, our rightful home.” He smiled at that thought.
Amarok’s tone grew more callous as he addressed the young werewolves at his feet once again, “Dakil, Sasha, I’m extremely disappointed in the two of you. I would expect more from my own children. I thought I sent the best to succeed against those weak, little non-magical creatures.” He paused as if thinking of a reprimand for his children. The hall grew uncomfortably silent. Then he bellowed, “Get out before I change my mind! I’ll deal with the two of you later.”
The two young werewolves wasted no time. They were up on their feet and running for the door before the echo of the king’s voice died away. Amarok had been lenient this time. This almost never happened and probably only occurred because his children were the ones in disfavor.
The king turned to the guard on his right. He was also an older graying wolf with many battle scars. “General Kravil, call an immediate meeting of the high counsel. We will meet in my private chambers. The leaders of our realm have a great deal of planning to do in a short amount of time. Those old dogs should be grateful that I seek their advice. Go now!”
The general nodded, turned and disappeared through a hidden door behind the throne. The king turned back to the others gathered in the hall. “The rest of you be gone! I need time to think!” As the other personal guard and warriors left, Amarok sat back down heavily on his throne with a grunt. After a short while he was left alone with his thoughts.
Speaking to himself, he said, “We need a way to find out if the prophecy can be fulfilled this time.” He scratched his chin with one massive paw. His head raised and his eyes widened as an idea struck him. “Yes, it’s simple, get rid of all the Wardens first, then we can take our time with the other puny humans, prophecy or no prophecy.” That thought made him smile again and chuckle loudly.
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Later that same night, two Wardens responded to yet another crossover from the world of Nocturna. Amarok had sent more werewolves to Earth. The monsters appeared in Clermont County, Ohio near Felicity in a remote wooded area less than a mile outside of the sleepy little town. The Wardens arrived less than fifteen seconds later.
Two werewolves attacked the humans the moment they came through the portal. The smallest of the Wardens held out her hands and stopped the beasts as they launched themselves through the air. She moved her glowing golden fingers to the left then the right and the monsters followed. They were propelled into tree after tree until their limp bodies were released and fell to the ground.
“That was too easy,” said the stocky man. “I didn’t have to do nothin’.”
“Yeah, real easy,” responded the woman. “They didn’t put up much of a fight.”
The male Warden shook his head, “I guess we got here so fast that they weren’t ready.”
“Why did they come here anyway?” asked the lady.
“Well, it’s too late to ask them questions don’t you think?” said the man.
The female Warden giggled, “What do you think we should do?
“Let’s just send ‘em back,” said the man as he produced a purplish-black orb with his amulet. Once the portal opened, he and the woman each tossed a limp furry creature into the circle where they disappeared.
The two Wardens stood alone in the darkness. “A little too close to home again,” said the lady.
“Yeah, I know,” said the stocky man. “What worries me is that this proves that Amarok is gettin’ serious. He had to know we’d be ready if they ever came back here again. After what they did last time, he’s lucky I didn’t pull his fur bags apart and send ‘em back in pieces.”
“I’m sorry if this opened old wounds. I never thought he’d dare to come back near our home.” She walked over and patted her partner on the shoulder. “You know, another thing that bothers me is that when our amulets alerted us, I swear I saw three werewolves come through. We only found two. What happened to the third?” asked the female Warden as she looked around the dark woods.
“Neither one of us was sure we saw three,” responded the male.
“Well, you’re right. It could’ve been a shadow or something. It’s awfully dark out here. Besides, werewolves don’t run and hide even when we show up,” admitted the woman.
“Hey, it’ll be daylight in a few hours. We’d better get some sleep. The three of us had a long day.” Then he added, “Actually, I can’t wait ‘til day after tomorrow! Those kids don’t know what’s comin’. I’m excited.”
The lady chuckled, “Well you’ll have to be patience for one more day.” Then she asked, “Need a lift?”
She pulled out her amulet and opened a light blue portal. The two Wardens jumped through and disappeared. The void closed and winked out. Instantly, the woods grew silent and dark. They would regret not scanning the area before they left.
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Fifty yards into the woods, a young female werewolf now in human form was hunkered down on the forest floor. She had just watched two of her kind be dispatched back to Nocturna. Then she saw the disgusting Wardens depart. She rose and dusted off her pretty human outfit. The plan had worked perfectly. The fools didn’t believe their own eyes.
She whispered to herself, “I’m not here to cause trouble. I just want to talk to a couple of your friends.” She giggled out loud then covered her mouth quickly as if someone might have heard her. The female werewolf glanced around nervously then let out a sigh when no one appeared. She had to be careful for this to work.
Reaching down, she retrieved a cloth sack full of spare clothes, nasty smelling human perfume and deodorant, and a pouch of disgusting dried meat. Like all good werewolves, she wanted warm, freshly killed food, but this would have to do for now. She turned and started for the small town. This might take a few days, she thought to herself, maybe I’ll find time to hunt before I leave.
CHAPTER 2 - Bullies and Buddies
Later that day, Jesse Barlow stepped from the back door of the Open Hand Karate School and out into the warm early summer evening. He immediately knew he was in trouble. The boy always stayed late on Friday to help Master Lee clean the practice floor and all of his friends had left twenty minutes earlier. He was alone to face his worst fear.
Bobby Cahall, the six foot one, two hundred thirty pound, lunch stealing gorilla and his two mindless apes Jimmy Braun and Cory Ridener were waiting patiently on the sidewalk. The three of them had stupid grins spread across their faces. They were acting as if they had done something intelligent, but Jesse knew better. These boys weren’t smart, just big and mean. Being cruel to weaker and smaller kids was their favorite pastime. If someone tried to retaliate, Bobby’s gang would create a much worse fate for their victim than intimidation.
Now Jesse wished he had given Bobby his fish sandwich earlier in the day instead of standing up to him in front of the high school principal, Mr. Moore. The incident had cost these three primates an after school detention on the last day of school before summer break, but it looked like it was going to cost Jesse a lot more. The smaller boy stood petrified on the raised porch and started thinking fast.
“Come on down karate boy. We wanna have a talk,” Bobby baited.
Jesse knew that “talk” was the last thing on these boys’ minds. He instinctively checked the doorknob behind him. It was locked just like he knew it would be. Master Lee had already gone out the front door to his car by now and would have driven away. Jesse was on his own and he knew he had to do something before the three of them closed the gap and surrounded him.
Jimmy chimed in, “We’re not gonna do nothin’ to ya. We just wanna know why you got us in trouble with Mr. Moore.” The bigger boys were slowly working their way closer to Jesse now. He needed to find a way off this small porch and out in the open where he would have a chance to do something. But do what? He couldn’t possibly defend himself against these three seasoned fighters. That’s what they’d like for him to do.
“Detention was a lot of fun. Come on down and we’ll tell you all about it,” Cory added.
“Got any money karate boy?” Bobby asked as he took another step forward. The three had spread out now. Bobby was in the middle on the sidewalk while the other two were on either side in the grass.
Jesse pleaded, “Look guys, I don’t want any trouble. I just want to go home.” The wheels were turning fast in his head. He had to think of something quick before it was too late. Finally, he realized that he needed a distraction. Jesse could only think of one person that could frighten these three. No one would be stupid enough to fall for his plan, but it was all he had. So the young boy raised his hand, waved to an imaginary person behind the bullies and said, “Hi, mom.”
The trio of bull-sized boys spun around with eyes wide open to face Jesse’s invisible mother. The smaller boy had only a second to make up his mind and he used that time wisely. He ran. Off to the right, jumping from the side of the porch and hitting the ground running. He sprinted for all he was worth, barely ducking Cory’s outstretched arm as the bigger boy whipped around in time to see Jesse fly past him.
“What the…hey! Get him!” ordered a stunned Bobby. Cory and Jimmy looked momentarily confused as their leader left them standing to pursue the escaping boy. Cory shrugged then turned to follow. Jimmy fell in behind his friends and the chase was on.
Jesse ran down the sidewalk as fast as he could. This was extremely difficult considering he had to yank up his oversized pants or push up his thick-rimmed glasses that kept slipping down his nose every few strides. He had run three blocks passing the familiar but blurry houses when he made a quick right and accelerated again. Tripping and stumbling on his drooping pant leg, Jesse almost fell and then lost his glasses. With catlike reflexes, that he didn’t know he possessed, he caught them in midair and put them back on his face. Sweat ran from underneath his short curly brown hair. The frantic boy hauled up his pants once more and kept running. He could still hear three sets of lumbering footsteps close behind but they seemed to be growing fainter all the time, or at least he hoped so.
Turning left, Jesse crossed the street and dared to look back over his shoulder. Bobby’s gang was still there and looking meaner and madder than ever. How long will they keep coming?, he wondered. He ran to the next corner and made another left. Obviously this gang of brutes was not going to give up any time soon. Jesse needed another plan. All he could think to do was to find a place to hide. Luckily, he knew the perfect place and it wasn’t very far away.
After he had gone halfway down the block, Jesse crossed the street again. He left the sidewalk and sprinted across the side yard of a small white home. When he attempted to hurdle the short white picket fence that surrounded Miss Dorothy’s back yard, the small boy snagged the back of his loose shirt on one of the pointed slats. The resulting jerk knocked the wind out of him, made him see stars. It also launched his glasses again. He couldn’t breathe or see, so the boy nearly panicked and passed out.
As he hung against the fence, Jesse tried to shake some sense back into his spinning head, catch his breath and find his glasses all at once. He frantically groped the surrounding blurry ground and sucked in air one huge lungful after another. After a few anxious moments, he finally found his eyeglasses. The young man quickly planted them back on his face and scrambled to his feet. At first Jesse could not dislodge the tail of his shirt from the slat and almost let out a panicked scream. Then he heard the sound of three very upset giants huffing and puffing closer and closer. The boy went into a frenzy jerking on the tangled cloth. He knew he was running short on time, so he took a deep breath and yanked as hard as he could.
At last his shirt tore free. Jesse knew he only had seconds to act. He couldn’t hesitate, so he bolted around the corner of Miss Dorothy’s house just as the bigger boys lumbered into view. The frantic boy ripped through the old lady’s garden like a rocket. Prized tomatoes, beans and a couple of small melons flew in all directions.
“Sorry Miss Dorothy”, Jesse apologized under his breath as he blasted through the rows of vegetables.
Once clear of the garden, the frightened boy took a running leap and dove into the small space between a little tool shed and another section of picket fence. He scrambled several feet into the shadows, turned and quickly hunkered down to hide and let the bullies pass.
Sucking in air as silently as possible, he listened for them to continue their chase down the street, but everything was quiet, too quiet. Jesse held his breath to hear better, but there was no yelling, no panting and no footsteps to be heard. All he could hear was the pounding of his own heart. The anxious boy let out his breath slowly and tried to calm down.
Seconds passed like hours. Jesse was getting extremely worried. Had they seen him by the fence? Where did they go? He would have heard them running past, wouldn’t he? What am I going to do if they find me? All of these and a thousand more questions raced through the young man’s mind as he waited in the small patch of darkness.
Most of these questions were answered a few seconds later as he heard the “CREEEEK” of Miss Dorothy’s side gate slowly opening. A few seconds later he overheard a very quiet Bobby say, “I think he went in here.” Now the only question on Jesse’s mind was what he would do if they found him.
Cautiously, Jesse dared to crawl forward and peek out of his hiding spot. He watched as a red-faced Bobby rounded the corner of the house panting as quietly as he could. Pulling back quickly and quietly into the shadows, Jesse heard the leader whisper “look.” He had obviously noticed the trail of destruction through the garden. Then Bobby whispered “fan out”. They were attempting to cut off all routes of escape this time and the smaller boy realized he had made a mistake by hiding. Miss Dorothy’s back yard grew silent again as the bigger boys continued their relentless search.
Jesse was trying very hard to control his breathing. Don’t panic, think of what you will do, relax, relax, control, he thought as the painful silence wore on. Then, just as he was beginning to believe they might not find him, a large shadow appeared blocking his only way to freedom. Jesse’s breath caught in his throat. His heart pounded like a bass drum in his ears.
“You in there karate boy?” Bobby hissed as he started into the dark little alley.
Jesse did the only thing he could think to do. Like a cornered wild animal, Jesse launched an attack. Leaping from a crouched position he executed a perfect front kick that smashed into Bobby’s chest with full force. The big boy yelped and stumbled backwards. Then he fell flat on his back in a tangle of crushed vegetables.
The other two bullies, who were standing off to either side, were caught off guard. They stood in amazement as their leader plowed into the garden backwards on his back cutting a new row of devastation. A white streak came out from behind the shed and blew by them at what seemed like the speed of light.
They didn’t move until a stunned Bobby rolled over and screamed, “Don’t let him get away!”
Jesse tore back through the garden and sent a fresh barrage of green, red and yellow debris flying far and wide. This time he was smart and didn’t try to hurdle the fence. Once he cleared the corner of the house, he dashed through the gate left standing wide open.
Making a quick right he ran down the sidewalk toward the next corner. When he got to the end of the block, he glanced back as he made another right. To his dissatisfaction, they were all there. The two enraged henchmen were already coming down the sidewalk and their absolutely fuming boss was just clearing the gate. To Jesse’s satisfaction, Bobby was covered in vegetation and his face was redder than a ripe tomato. The small boy smiled despite his dangerous predicament.
Not watching where he was going, Jesse slammed into something big and hard. The abrupt collision knocked him on his rear. Looking up from a seated position, he was astonished to see a massive man standing over him. His first thought was how did Bobby get here? Then he realized it was Bacon. The same Alex “Bacon” Bacony he had taken karate lessons beside for as long as he could remember. The same friend he had hung around all his life. Bacon was still wearing his uniform from class and was currently enjoying a large chocolate ice cream cone. The impact didn’t seem to affect the huge young man. He kept eating as if seeing his friend sitting on the ground was something normal.
“Hey Jess, what’s going on?” asked Bacon in between licks. The human behemoth was the only boy in town bigger and stronger than Bobby’s gang. Some of the other boys in high school were taller, but Bacon stood six foot four and weighed a solid two hundred and fifty pounds. There was no competition for his shear bulk.
He wore his dark brown hair a little too long and had to repeatedly stroke it out of his eyes. His voice was very deep for someone so young and he spoke slowly and deliberately. No one ever guessed that he was extremely intelligent until they got to know him. Although, he didn’t look mean, everyone knew Bacon had earned his black belt years ago and was not a person to cross. He was a gentle giant that deserved respect.
“We gotta get out of here!” Jesse pleaded loudly as he scrambled to his feet and grabbed two handfuls of his friend’s shirt. Bacon looked down at his friend questioningly.
The first two bullies arrived a second later. As they rounded the corner, Cory and Jimmy stopped dead in their tracks at the sight of the unexpected newcomer. The two exchanged confused glances then turned their attention to the raging young man coming up quickly from behind.
Bobby came to a halt behind his henchmen then forced his way between them to face Bacon and Jesse. He absent mindedly pulled a broken piece of leafy vine from his matted, sticky hair and handed it to Cory who looked totally confused as usual.
Bobby was staring darts at Jesse. He was breathing heavily through his nose and grunting loudly with each breath. The boy’s face had grown almost purple with rage. His shaking hands were out in front of him like he wanted to choke the life out of the smaller boy. Bobby looked like he was about to explode. He had to calm himself for several seconds before he could even speak.
“Well lookie here, two karate boys” he snarled as he stepped forward a couple of feet. He glanced back and forth between the two young men in front of him before his bloodshot eyes focused on the shorter of the two.
“You’re mine!” Bobby yelled while pointing his stubby finger at Jesse.
The smaller boy almost fainted but managed to duck behind Bacon. Then he peaked from the other side of his huge friend. Jesse was visibly shaking.
“You stay right there Bobby Cahall!” ordered Bacon in a loud booming voice. “You leave him alone!” He had brought his free hand up and was pointing a threatening finger back at the bully leader.
It took a couple of seconds for the infuriated tormentor to regain his composure. “We owe him. He got us detentions,” Bobby spouted defiantly, but he didn’t come any closer. The other two with Bobby had not moved since seeing Bacon. They were watching to see what their boss was going to do. Inwardly, they both hoped Bobby wouldn’t do anything.
“You three started it in school and I’m sure you started it now. You think three against one is fair? How about three against two?” Bacon announced as he tossed his melting ice cream aside.
He tightened his black belt with a jerk then motioned at all three bullies to come closer with one hand and said, “Come get some” with a growl through clenched teeth. The bigger young man dropped into a classic karate stance so quick that all three of the pursuers jumped back a foot. Their eyes popped open with obvious fear.
Bacon stood waiting with his eyes fixed on Bobby. His lips were pursed as he breathed slowly and evenly through his nose. He was obviously relaxed and ready.
“Now come on Bacon” pleaded Bobby whose demeanor had suddenly and completely changed. He had put up both hands as if to protect himself. “We don’t want any trouble with you. You’re not the problem, he is.” The boy pointed more timidly toward Jesse.
“You want him? You get me too,” stated Bacon who was still staring the bullies down. Bobby glanced back at Cory and Jimmy who were both shaking their heads negatively. They didn’t want any part of this if Jesse’s massive friend was involved.
The gang leader thought for a few seconds as he sized up the situation. Although he was not quick witted, the young man wasn’t entirely stupid. He started nodding and pointed at Jesse once again.
“Alright” Bobby said as he started backing away. “Alright, there’ll be another time. You can’t always be around to protect him.”
He whipped around in disgust. As he walked between his friends, Bobby pushed Cory and Jimmy aside. He went several steps before he called out, “Come on rock heads. Let’s go.” The two completely bewildered cronies quickly stumbled after their boss.
Bacon didn’t move. He just glared at the three of them as they turned and walked away. Every few steps one of them would look over their shoulder and shoot Bacon a look of pure hatred. A suddenly more confident Jesse waved defiantly a couple of times from behind his large friend. Bacon stood completely still until the gang had walked a block, turned the corner and moved out of site.
Once they were gone, Jesse and Bacon relaxed a little. Both kept periodically glancing down the street just in case Bobby and his gang changed their collective minds.
After a couple of quiet minutes Jesse finally broke the silence by saying, “Wow, you really scare those guys”.
Bacon replied, “I don’t know if I could take all of ‘em, but they don’t know that either.”
Jesse walked up, hugged his big friend then said, “Thanks for saving my butt again, and, by the way, I think you could take ‘em.”
Bacon pushed Jesse away gently and gave him a stern look. “It doesn’t matter, Jess” he said looking down at his smaller friend. “Until you stand up to them, they’ll always pick on you. Bobby is right. I can’t always be there to protect you. Sooner or later you’ll have to fight your own battles. You might get whipped, but they’ll think twice about messin’ with you.”
Jesse nodded agreement, but grinned up at Bacon. “I know, but they are so big.”
“Yep” said Bacon “big and slow. All you need is confidence. Remember your training. You have to be smarter and quicker, stay focused.” Bacon turned to leave and Jesse quickly followed. “Come on, I’ll walk you home.”
The big boy thought for a moment, “You know, I’m really no different than them. I just used my size to be a bully. I don’t like being that way. That’s why I don’t have many friends. People look at me differently.”
“You have our gang” Jesse said trying to make his friend feel better. “Don’t we count for something? Five friends are better than none.”
“I guess if you look at it that way, all six of us are a little different” Bacon admitted. “That’s probably why we hang out with each other.” The large young man hesitated as if lost in thought, then continued, “That reminds me. Don’t forget about our weekly meeting at the clubhouse tomorrow at noon. Saturday is definitely the best day of the week and school is out for the summer.”
Bacon couldn’t help but feel a little better. He always looked forward to the Saturday meetings. Jesse was right. His five friends were very important to the big boy.
“Well, I’m definitely glad you’re my friend, especially today”, Jesse admitted then added, “When you put the six of us together, we can do anything. And don’t let me forget, I owe you another ice cream.”
Bacon laughed out loud and patted his friend on the back a little too hard and sent him stumbling. “Alright, I’ll take an extra large chocolate on a cone, no cup. I won’t let you forget either.”
The two boys changed direction and headed back uptown. They didn’t know it yet, but in the very near future, the six members of their “gang” would find out just how much they could do together.
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Miss Dorothy had watched the entire episode between Jesse and the bullies unfold from the shadows of her kitchen. She waited until she was sure they were gone and not coming back before she stepped down off a stool and moved away from the window. The very little old lady unlatched the back door and walked out into her backyard. Slowly she made her way into her recently devastated garden. Dorothy shook her head and sighed as she surveyed the damage.