The Red Wolf Chronicles

Seven years ago a girl stepped into the Wolves Den Arena, and left as every man’s nightmare. The red wolf, the crimson werewolf, the howl in the night, the shiver down your spine, the last words you speak before you die, the fire in the sky: They say she comes only for those monsters that live between nightfall and hell, the ones that crawl beneath your floorboards like roaches at 2 am leaving destruction and waste in their wake. If you delight in rape or long for torture, she will tear your heart out and devour it, and I don’t mean that figuratively.

For us, the wolf/human hybrids known as The Pack, the Wolves Den Arena is a sacred place where pack members fight for rank. The top ranking pack members are the Pack Emperor followed by the Crown Prince, who is next in line to run the pack. The only way to reach either rank is to challenge the prince to fight to the death in the Wolves Den Arena. For to be our Pack Emperor, you must kill the Crown Prince in wolf to wolf combat then wait to ascend the throne. It was unheard of for a female wolf to ever fight against a male, simply because of the natural advantages, but this all changed when a hotheaded wolf named Bash challenged Crown Prince Greyson, the Grey Wolf.

He had challenged the Pack Emperor’s son for his place in rank, but instead of the the Crown Prince, the emperor sent a girl with flaming red hair the pack had never laid eyes on. It was a sight, the young warrior woman who stepped into the Wolves Den against a beast twice her size in brawn. It was a sizable insult indeed. With the beast’s anger visible in the pulsating veins, he vowed in front of everyone to rip her to shreds for the dishonor of having her as his opponent. Then he would continue onto the “Scared joke of a prince”. The smile that appeared on her pale face seemed so out of place as the full grown man before her ripped apart his human skin to reveal the wolflike creature within. His black coat mauled with fighting scars, he was a large beast, larger than most, with canines dripping with saliva from a victory he thought he already had.

Then came the next great insult, the girl did not shift, but stayed in her human form. For a moment, the idea that she could not shift, that she was human, flittered within the minds of the crowd wrapped around the arena, but that idea was struck down with the first blow to the great beast. Without hesitation, this pretty young thing plunged her hands into the beast’s bloody chest as if they were as sharp as knives, ripping his rather large heart and biting into it in front of him before the light died in his eyes. As the blood of brethren dripped down her chin, she grinned at the horrified crowd and did the most strangest thing she could do, she waved as a child waves to a parent, with her hands coated in blue blood.

How could a creature so slender and feminine kill like a machine without a flash of remorse, I remember wondering. What monster had our Crown Prince created in the dark recesses of the castle walls, for it was not clear to me then who the real monster was. Now, thankfully, I can say I know better.

Crown Prince, Greyson, suddenly appeared in the arena, a look of pride on his face. Then, everyone watched in shock as the willowy flame walked before his tall, wiry, and strong form to bow, then wrap her arms around his neck in a grasp of love and familiarity not usually kin to the stature of a hardened warrior next in line to the throne.

“Meet my youngest daughter Zane, who has been gifted the spirit of the red wolf. She is formally appointed as the top warrior within my council from this day forward, and entitled to the same pack stature as the fellow male wolves on my council. Thus, she will choose her mate if any are worthy. If you wish to challenge my stake on the throne, you will have to go through her to get to me, a ruling ordained by our illustrious Pack Emperor himself. For all those who disagree with this ruling, feel free to take it up with my daughter, I warn you she is not the best listener,” and with that the mysterious red wolf-girl was whisked away, never to be seen in the light of day again.

To this day, people still wonder what her wolf form must be like if her human form is powerful enough to rip the heart out of a warring wolf. It is even said that one pack leader saw the red wolf run in the black wood out of his peripheral vision, and thus, in fear, he paid the royal family of the red wolf $20,000 in reparations and for amnesty from her wrath. So, now it has become a custom to leave $20,000 as tribute to her upon the royal alter, for those rich enough that can afford it. Paying off their darkest sins, they believe the red wolf has a price that can be met equating to freedom from persecution. Though, I have a feeling that the money never makes it to her and that she is actually insulted with the thought that she can be bought with blood money. Well, it’s more than a feeling…

I am the son of the pack leader, Lesion, 4th in command in the Crown Prince’s war council, and friend of illustrious red wolf Zane. When we first met, I thought I was being given to the red wolf as a sacrifice. I was 13 years old when my father presented me to the Crown Prince, and to be honest, I am still not sure to this day if my father knew of my fate when he did. I was told not to shift unless I wanted to lose my life, making me uneasy as a young wolf who couldn’t always control shifting. Then, my wrists were bound in red rope, making me yelp in pain from fear and the tightening of the bonds. I was then lead to the dark wing of the castle, which was believed to be where the queen died years ago. I remember there was no torches to light the corridor, even though it was night. My vision slowly adjusted to the darkness, but then I was shoved into a large courtyard where the moon and stars lent themselves to my aid. Before I knew it, I was abandoned by the guards who brought me there. I first thought I was alone, but then I felt my hackles rise without really knowing why, until I discovered the two red eyes glowing in my direction. I didn’t realize they were eyes at first, thinking they were petals of red flowers. That was when they began to move. I was not there when she ripped the heart from that wolf’s chest, but I had heard all of the stories. In that moment, I felt as if my heart was being severed from my chest from beating so hard.

I fell to my knees in submission, knowing that was my only option. I was shaking, my breath uncontrollable. That is when I heard her speak for the first time. Her voice is somewhere between a babbling brook and a razor, soft yet sharp. “Do you know who I am?” She asked in a low, amused whisper, my ears only picking it up through my fearful heightened senses. I simply nodded with my shaking body, not looking at her. I could feel tears in my eyes and I hated myself for that. “Say my name, then” she hissed.

“Zzzzane,” I stuttered over my words thinking they would be my last. That was when everything changed, for that was the first time I ever heard her giggle.

“Good, what’s your name then?” She said in a cheerfully inviting and friendly tone drastically different than moments before.

So, I ever so slowly lift my eyes from the ground to see her crouched in front of me with her arms around her legs like a big kid. I remember thinking how something so dangerous could be so…pretty. Her fiery hair curled just below her chin, tossed wildly around her pale face. She seemed wiry, lean and muscular like her father, their faces similar. She was dressed in black pants and a long sleeved black t-shirt, almost in a boyish manner. Her expressions became inviting, like that of a child ready to enjoy play. To be honest, I thought I was going to pee my pants from relief.

“Are you going to kill me?” I blurted out uncontrollably, needing validation that I would live.

“No silly, I’m not going to kill you. I need you. Why do you think I had them bring you here?” she asked with a smile that was meant to downplay my fear.

I took several deep breaths then laughed uncomfortably, still pretty unstable in my fear. I held up my bound hands, silently asking for release. “Ha, nice touch, right? I thought it would be funny. I mean if I simply requested your company you would have run for the hills I’m guessing,” She explained, like a child pulling off a successful prank.

Before I said anything further, she leaned forward and untied them, I nearly fainted from her touch, and then I began to laugh in conjunction with her smile. I quickly composed myself realizing I should still keep my manners. “What may I do to serve?” I bowed my head below that of hers.

“For starters, you can knock off that royalty crap. If we are to be friends, I expect you to address me informally. I didn’t bring you here to be my servant, she said, as she stood up and did a random cartwheel, unable to stay still.

“Then, why am I here?” I asked with genuine curiosity, intrigued but still on guard.

That is when she suddenly came so close I could feel her breath on my lips, and whispered “Well, if anyone asks you, you are here to be my companion because I got lonely.” I found myself unable to breathe in or out even though I strangely wanted to breathe her breath.

“And?” I ask softly with a fluttering in my stomach.

“My father keeps a little black notebook on him at all times. I have recently discovered that, within it, my father logs business records pertinent to running The Pack, including the illegal sale of human children taken from orphanages along the human border, to horrid, high ranking creatures of all kinds. I believe he is raising the capital to invade the border lands under the guidance of the Pack Emperor. He is allying himself with the underbelly of border land leaders at the expense of these children’s lives, and I need your help to stop him.” She said her words dark, deep, and quiet, but her speaking mannerisms showed a light hearted conversation to throw off those who might be watching.

“Why me?” I asked, my world rocked by information that destroyed the foundation my life was built around. The first thought that came to my mind was if my father knew, but his cruel nature to his own family members left little doubt in my mind. Serving the prince and gaining power was all he seemed to care about.

“Well, we shall see, shall we,” she winked, and with that my world was ripped apart and put back together around this strange girl.

To be continued… It's only the beginning.