THE ISLAND WOLF - EPISODE 29

“Why? Why did you keep this away from me?”, Dakar questioned.
“Because it is a secret. Only I and Anthena know”, his mother answered.
“That’s why you never approved of her being my bethrothed”.
“Yes. That is one of the reasons”.
“So, there are other reasons?”
“I will tell you everything as they unfold. Right now, we have to get you to Anthena”
He nodded and got on his feet.
“Today already started on a bad note. I am off to my Chambers for the day”, he said and turned to the door.
“Dakar, please forgive me for hiding all these. I was trying to protect you. To give you a normal life first”, Luna pleaded.
“It’s okay, mother. I don’t hold anything against you”, he replied and left the room. On his way out of the building, he didn’t meet anyone and the whole of his mother’s Chambers was awkwardly quiet. It was because the servants had all left the premises, so they wouldn’t use wolf senses to listen to their conversation.

Dakar returned to his house and met with a terrible smell of burnt food. He also heard little murmurs and groans of frustration.
“No, Dakar should not meet me like this. How did I manage to burn it? Ugh! Smells terrible”, Camper murmered in very low whispers. Dakar stood still with his hands on his waist. He was already in a bad mood and could snap any second. There were three things he hated other people messing with; his weapons, his women and his cooking or food ingredients. Camper messed with all of them as far as he was concerned.

He decided not to go inside so he turned to go back through the door. But that very instant, Camper came out with a pan of burnt brownies, a bowl filled with terrible looking steak and a cup of milk that a raw egg had broken inside. Only Camper knew how to make weird combinations of food. As he walked, he didn’t even notice Dakar standing in front or scent him.
“I have to throw these far away so Dakar won’t know I ruined his food”, he whispered to himself.
“Too late”, Dakar’s voice rang and Camper halted immediately. He gasped and stood like a statue.

“You are going to throw my food away?” Dakar asked.
“What? Throw away? Of course not. Don’t you know that while we dine and dance, there are some people even in this kingdom that have nothing to eat. I am going to give this to some of them. It could go a long way, you know”, Camper said with all sincerity, that Dakar almost laughed.
“Three…questions”, he drawled.
“Ask away, Prince”, he smiled and even moved closer.

“Why are you giving such small food to the poor? Why did you burn what you want to give? Why does it have to be from my personal kitchen when you know I don’t joke with whatever is found there?”
Camper stopped smiling and started thinking of a suitable excuse.
“I… You know—” he stuttered and looked at his friend. He broke into crocodile tears and knelt down.
“Mercy, your highness. Mercy!” he cried and began to bow, touching his head to the floor and raising it up again.
“Why didn’t you eat in your own house?” Dakar asked, totally ignoring his friend’s act of surrender.
“Oh, didn’t you hear? My mother somehow disowned me. And my father has forgotten I exist. He doesn’t even recognize my scent of all things”.
Dakar finally laughed. Camper’s father was almost a thousand year old. He was one of the oldest. To have a child as young as Camper, you should realize he was like Camper. He only stopped having his women after he got struck by a silver sword in his leg. He would have died immediately if it was his heart or any delicate part of his body, but since it was his leg, it affected him slowly. Werewolves could only be killed with silver and wolfsbane, a plant that is poisonous to them.

“Return everything to the kitchen”, Dakar ordered.
“I know you’re a foodaholic, but what are you going to do with these?”
“I can use all but the brownies. Those are burnt beyond use.”
“How?” Camper inquired and got on his feet. He left the things on the floor where he laid them while bowing.
“I can make beef rolls. I’ll cook and mash up the steak. Then add sauce and stuff it into dough before baking. The milk and egg can be used for the dough”, Dakar replied calmly. He figured out he needed company so he wouldn’t ponder on all he just found out.

“Great! Let’s go!”, Camper yelled and went back to the kitchen, leaving the things on the floor for Dakar to pick. Dakar knew that act was intentional. He however picked the things, smiled and went to the kitchen. It was cooking time.

END OF FLASHBACK

“So you enjoyed cooking then as much as you do now. Wow, I’m proud of you”, Avril hailed and Dakar laughed.
“Fifty four years later and I still find cooking relieving. Especially if the food turns out great”, he stated.
“How old were you then?”
“Just fifty. I was quite young, wasn’t I?”
“Young? You were old enough to be a grandpa!”
“Haha, I wish that was how it worked. But in our world, we live way longer and don’t age much. Camper’s father got his first grey hair at seven hundred”.
“Wow. So I’m speaking with a hundred and four year old? Man, you’re old!”
Dakar laughed.
“Lycans live longer than that”, he whispered and got on his feet.
“What are lycans?” Avril asked and looked up at him as he began to walk around her room.
“We are in the same family, but different species. Just like gorrilas and humans. Both primates, right?”
“Yeah”
“Lycans are greater than we are. Faster, stronger, deadlier. In fact, I don’t want to ever meet one in my life. They are also very ugly in animal form. But handsome in human form”
“And they live longer?”
“Yeah. A young lycan should be about five hundred years. We do have one thing in common though”.
“What is it?”
“Vampires are our eternal enemies”.

“But I love vampires. They’re hot, man!” Avril exclaimed and Dakar frowned.
“Sorry. Just joking”, she quickly added.
“I’m going down. I’ll be back later” he said
“Wait, you didn’t tell me if you succeeded or not”
He laughed then said, “I succeeded and I’m here? I did a mistake and doomed myself. I got the crystal ball complete, and I was supposed to destroy it immediately with my sword. But I wanted to see what it would do if I got close to it when it was completed”

“What did it do?” Avril asked and listened attentively to what he was going to say.
“Sucked in my wolf but made me take his form. Then possessed me and began speaking in my head, exactly as my wolf does.” he paused and tightened his fist. Avril guessed whatever was in his mind was pissing him off. Memories were flooding in and he remembered what.

“Made me kill my mother”, he stated and his eyes turned teary. He turned back to face her.
“Avril, I dug my claws into her chest and ripped her heart out. I killed my mother”, he said, and the scene replayed in his head. He broke into sobs and Avril ran to hug him.