Chapter 4 King Lord Alpha

He lightly patted his horse's back and gazed at where it was looking at from afar. Jorril cannot help but to wonder if it is wondering too about the cursed forest.

"My Lord, it will not be a good idea to go there alone. Let me at least go with you." Cernous attempted to make him change his mind once more.

"You are the most trustworthy knight that our pack has, and now is the only one who is entitled to be in my son's side-to be his aid and shelter. How irresponsible of you to leave him alone?" He raised his brow and rode his horse. "Stay here and make sure that everyone is safe. Specially the women and the children. Don't worry about me. I will be fine by myself and will be back before the sun sets."

"If you say so, My Lord. Pardon my rudeness."

"No, you aren't rude. You have never been," he replied and in a swift move, he left in a flash.

The breeze whistles as his ride run fast. Its lean muscles are clenching tightly as he leaps in synchronize to his breathing. Looking ahead, even from afar, he saw a few individuals walking around the far forest.

"Slow down, they should not see us, buddy," he whispered.

They stopped when the ground shakes. He even has to get down to lessen the weight that his partner has to balance. His eyes changed in color as he observed where the earthquake was coming from.

"I knew it. The forest is unpleased," he hunched upon seeing the intruders get thrown away from it.

The ground stopped moving and everything seemed to be already gone back to normal when he heard two loud stumps. That sound sent chills to his spine up to his nape, as if it was a warn that he should not violate.

'My Lord!' A wolf approached, Hougren. 'Stay away from here at once! Believe me, it is not the same forest anymore. It shows no mercy to beasts and humans and to anyone who has been there before who have joined the war.'

"Where is Lufeire?" He glanced at him and at the sight afar interchangeably, his heart beats faster in fear for the safety of the former maiden of the tree of gold seeds.

'She went to warn the others, Lord Jorril. How she will do it is something she has not mentioned to me. Since the day she left, she hasn't come back yet. I am afraid that something might have happened to her. But she insisted on leaving me behind, for she believes that you will come here to see it yourself the irregularities happening in the cursed forest, to which she has guessed right. You really came. My Lord, a lot has sacrificed their lives in that war and one of the reasons is to make sure that you are safe and unscathed. It was a tough one, but they have succeeded. Please think of those lives-you are here because of their selflessness.'

The guilt that he thought had already been shut for good in the depths of his conscience pierced his pride as if it were the first that it did. It feels like he is being haunted again, though he doesn't know which of which are his faults and has to atone for the rest of his life. It seems like he is being blamed, though no one has ever pointed his finger on him and said that he is the cause of everything that happened decades back then.

"How long she has been gone now? Which direction she has gone to?"

'My Lord, she went to the West. We have agreed that she will not go too far away, so I can still track her. At first, I was still able to trace her scent. But one night, she has just disappeared. I am bothered that she might have got lost, which is impossible, because she knows this land more than anyone of us do. I don't want to think about it, but she might have fallen into the traps of those who are looking for her.' The wolf's eyes get filled with worry and pity.

"She was once one of the well-known maidens. The cursed forest is the only place that has been envelope by the changes that the heavens and earth have cast that day. In here, outside that place, despite being no more the maiden she used to be, I am certain that this land will still recognize her the same. No one can harm her easily. No trap can cage her that easy, unless..." he paused and gulped. "Unless she surrendered herself."

The wolf groaned in disagreement. His fur stiffened as well. Evidently, he is indeed not believing that the former maiden will do such an unreasonable thing.

'She knows she has to stay away from harm. She is fully aware that she is our eyes above at night and oversees the things that we cannot see from the top. The maiden have understood that she has to keep on watch from the sky. There is no way that she will turn in herself to anyone-not to those who think and do no good at least.'

They stopped conversing when another set of two stumps made the ground quake. This time, even the birds flying above the trees have fallen.

The wolf jumped in front of Jorril and growled as he eyed on the approaching intruders, who had finally decided to run away. His fangs grew longer and his fur turned to sharp glass-like spikes.

"That's fine. Calm down," he hushed him, but he remained on guard.

'My Lord, stay behind me. They smell different. They aren't from the South, neither from the West. I have never been to the East ever since Lufeire have taken us here, and those who are in the North-we both know what happened to them. No, no one knows exactly what really happened to them.' He scratched the soil with his paws. His nails are digging deep in it that no one will ever think that those aren't sharp enough to slit one's throat.

"Oh, look who we have here! A werewolf from the South!" one of the men spoke as he sniffed and got down of his horse, while the others stayed riding theirs.

"Seems like you have come from a far place. I am indeed from the South," Jorril responded calmly.

The eyes of the man then shifted from him to the wolf that looked like about to jump on him. He held on to his waist, showing that he had a sword with him. Yet, as expected, the wolf didn't get frightened like what usually happens to a normal one whenever they see someone with a weapon. For having one that has an emblem engraved on it is a sign of being superior.

"That is a rare pet of yours. How much would you consider selling it for?" the man bid and slid his hand in his pocket.

"I am not selling him. He isn't even mine. He is a free one lurking around the South."

"I assume that no one owns him, then." The man touched his chin. "It is our first time to see someone from the South here. Where are you heading to?" he then inquired and looked back at Jorril.

"I was just wandering around when a quake happened. I got curious where it was coming from, and so I ended up getting here. How about you? Where are you from?"

The men glanced at each other and gazed at him sharply. The one who is standing spit and unleashed his sword, showing off how covered it is in blood. He then swung it and licked its blade.

"That is how brainless someone gets as he stays in a secluded place for a long time," the man muttered. "I am the right-hand werewolf of my pack's Alpha. That means, I am almost an equal to My Lord. Your Lord must go out and visit places sometimes, so he can tell you who is who not to get an argument with."

Their laughter was like an insult to his ears, but he decided to stay calm and chuckled with them, to which stopped the latter and frowned in disgust in unison.

"No lowly beast is allowed to laugh with anyone who is far superior to him. Thank me for I am not that mad today. I will not punish you for disrespecting me. I will spare your life if you would give me your horse and this wolf, of course."

That is when he gets serious. He looked at them one after another, from head to toe, from toe to head; giving them back the belittling they had done to him.

"Tell your Lord that I am not pleased with his servants' behavior. That I am requesting him to punish his men in accordance to what they have done-be it death or a hell-like sentence, it is up to him and his rules as the leader of his pack," he instructed.

The other men got down from their horses and were about to defend their superior one's disgraced dignity when Jorril waved his hand to his right.

"Look beneath you. You are in my territory, in the South. Its gate is just around here and will close when its dwellers are being harmed. If you get stuck here, there is no assurance that you will make it out. But, of course, that would taint the peaceful tie between the two kingdoms-"

"That is definitely what will happen," one of them cut him off and looked around, obviously caught off guard upon realizing they were indeed in the South's domain. "And our Lord has no mercy on those who lay a finger on his people. He will make sure to get an all-out war to your kingdom!"

"And one more thing, only the Ruler can cast the order to open and close the gate. It will listen to no one, much more if he is not someone who has his King's blessings," one added confidently.

"You sure know a lot-more than enough for someone who is not even a match to my assistant here." He glanced at the wolf, who was obviously just holding back himself.

He meets their gazes and in no time, they have shown their true selves. They shifted into werewolves, but not him-not yet. He changed his eye's hue, to which he knows no one has the same color as his. Thus, it is just normal for those who don't know him to be clueless of what his orbs can do-it equates divine justice. Those who have seen them glow in such a way have been sentenced reasonably according to what sin they have committed.

"However, you have insulted the Ruler-the King-the Lord of this land. Yes, you are now facing the King Lord Alpha of my pack, myself. And I assure you, no one will dare to declare a war against me, for I am the mightiest amongst the mightiest Alphas on this Earth." His facade turned into his true form, showing his fur that is no doubt belongs to a royal and noble blooded werewolf.

Frozen, their knees weakened upon knowing that they have really head-on face-to-face with the South's King, His Majesty.

"Leave before I change my mind! Tell your Lord to lock you up 'til I tell him myself to free you! Tell him it is Lord Jorril who told him to do so and you will know how fearful I am," he continued in a low tone, yet it sounded like a yell at them.

'Bow to My Lord! How insolent are you to keep your heads up and look at him directly in his eyes?!' The wolf warned them.

It took them minutes, and they are still staring at him, as if they were enchanted by what they saw. The wolf then growled and grew even taller.

'Bow to My Lord or I will slit your-'

Quickly, they got down on their knees and even kissed the ground. He took a deep breath and changed back to being a human form while caressing Hougren's fur. He let them stay in that position for minutes until the wolf have been satisfied and gazed up at him.

"You may now leave," he ordered.

Watching them helplessly running away made him remember the old days when everyone who sees him will always hide themselves from his sight, like he will not be pleased to see them.

'What if they will get their Lord against you, Lord Jorril?'

"That will never be going to happen. And if it does, let them be our guest, and we'll let them know where their place is." He tapped his horse, and they started going back to the village as the sun was already about to kiss the day good night.

On the other hand, in the Northwest, the dust brought by their fellows has almost made their pack think that they are being attacked. They have prepared themselves and their weapons, and even have informed their Lord Alpha about it.

"Is that them?" the Alpha queried, his eyes closed. "Ah, they are really a bunch of good for nothing werewolves. Not even once that they have done a task right."

"My Lord! My Lord!" the newcomers called in chorus and hurriedly ran towards him; bow in front of their Lord and each touched his feet with their forehead to pay respect.

"Say it," he commanded.

"We have bumped into someone, and he happened to be a Lord like you. It is our wrong to treat him rudely without knowing that we are facing a Majesty. For that, he was kind enough to just let us go and instead, he ordered us to tell you to punish us for what we have done to him-"

"Punish you?!" The Alpha laughed as he found it absurd. "Why would I follow someone inferior's order? Tell me, who is this Lord Alpha that thinks so highly of himself?"

The men eyed on each other and slowly, they looked at him pleadingly.

"It was King Jorril, the King Lord Alpha of the South, Our Lord."

With his eyes wide open, the Alpha shook his right-hand werewolf's shoulders and gave him a warning look.

"My father-Our King Lord Alpha of Northwest will definitely kill you if he finds out about this! Don't you know that King Jorril is the King of all the Alphas?! I don't know what should I do with you! Beheading you will never be enough to be forgiven!" his voice roared, that made everyone feel the fear he feels; a proof that they are nothing against the man they have thought was just a normal werewolf.

"Our Lord-"

The Alpha raised his hand and shook his head. He stood up and marched towards the entrance of his home.

"Like he has ordered, you have to be punished. Disgrace a King Lord Alpha and you have already thrown your life away-that is our law here. Now, go home and bid your goodbyes to your cherished ones. Tomorrow, as the sun rises, your remains will be burned in front of everyone," he informed without looking at his men and leave his people confused and in disbelief.