Chapter 5 The Secret Pathway

Peter leaned on one of the pillars holding up the array of seats surrounding the training grounds. It was built like an arena. It sometimes functioned like one when they held contests and qualifying tests for new trainees to become soldiers. In the old days, the arena/training grounds were used for fight-to-the-death challenges. Now, in modern times, no one was that barbaric.

Peter watched his elder brother practice his swordsmanship. He was the best swordsman in the pack. Peniel's grey eyes were serious as he wielded his sword. He swung and slashed with purpose. His sword was like an extension of his limb. It was a rather entrancing sight to behold. Peter, himself, preferred light and easy to handle weapons. Daggers were his thing. Swords and spears weighed him down. They made him slow.

Peter was jolted from his thoughts by the sound of metal slicing through the air. Out of reflex, his hand shot up and caught the sword that had been thrown at him. His palm stung, blood dripping out. He tilted his head to catch a glimpse of his brother who was smirking back at him. He threw the sword up, caught it at the hilt and threw it back at his brother. While the older boy was busy dodging that, he threw two daggers at his leg and arm respectively.

Peniel dodged the sword his brother had thrown back at him and caught it at the handle. He deflected the dagger aimed at his arm and grunted when another lodged itself into his thigh. "Nice shot," he chuckled at his little brother.

Peter felt his palm injury close up and picked up his brother's towel. He smiled cheekily and smeared the blood on the white material.

"Real mature." Peniel shook his head as he pulled out the dagger. His wound immediately started healing.

"You're the one who decided to get bloody."

Peniel walked up to him. "You were meant to dodge it, idiot." He handed his daggers to him.

Peter regarded his elder brother's fond smile and released one of his own as he took the daggers. He put them back in his belt, his cloak hiding them once more. He sat down on one of the seats beside his brother.

Peniel hummed, using the towel to clean his bloody sword. "So, how was Laredo today? You have fun?" As expected, his little brother bombarded his ears with the cool things he had seen. He went on and on about some kind of socks with compartments for weapons. As he kept speaking, Peniel knew his little brother would engage the pack's tailor and blacksmith in a rather long conversation over a new blueprint for boots. It was always like that. He'd come back with new ideas, consult the necessary experts and work them out until they were prefect.

"Why don't you ever submit your inventions to the International Inventions Association in Laredo?"

Peter froze when his brother asked him that. Not only did that association house the greatest minds, they were also well recognized around the whole world. Every two years, young aspiring men and women came from every pack all over the world to submit their inventions to them in hopes of being amongst the top five to receive the money and prestige that came with a position in the association.

The thought of entering and possibly winning would be a dream come true for him but he had more important things to do than chase a fleeting dream. With a sigh, Peter leaned back on his hands. "You know I can't do that, bro. It'll attract attention."

"But your inventions are so good." Peniel scooted closer when the younger boy groaned. "No, I'm serious."

"They're just a copy of other people's work. I never make anything that's actually my idea."

Peniel shook his head. "The pulley system for the water purification factory was your idea."

"The plumbers already laid down the pipe work."

"The whole heating system using the charcoal from the blacksmith forge while diverting the smoke through a different channel was also your idea."

"We had a fireplace in each house. Getting wood was tough already. It just made sense to give all the wood to the blacksmith and get burning coals and an automatic fan."

Peniel shook his head at how he dismissed his brilliance as though it was nothing. "You generated more income for the blacksmiths now that people buy coal instead."

Peter shrugged. "I guess."

"You know sometimes I think it wouldn't be so bad if you were to take over from father instead of me."

Peter sighed. "Not again." Peniel started suggesting this two years ago after he turned eighteen and he never stopped bringing it up whenever he could.

"Why not? You care about everyone more than I ever could. I'm all about war and battle strategies. You're more about the people, how to make their lives better, how to develop anything you touch into the best it could possibly be. That's the characteristic of a leader. You're an-"

"Inborn leader," Peter completed with an eye roll. "I know. I know. Do you think I don't want to lead our people? It just wouldn't be right."

"Because you're the rightful heir of the Moonlight pack?"

Peter's eyes widened. He frantically looked around, making sure no one was within the vicinity. "What is your problem?!" He whisper-yelled. "Dad said never to mention that name outside his office walls."

Peniel sighed and shook his head. "If I didn't know what happened to your parents and the fact that we have to reveal the truth one way or another, I'd have cursed you right now." He looked away from his brother and rested his elbows on his knees. "Sometimes, I get jealous of the Laredo pack," he said, staring into space. "They get to have someone like you pining after their freedom."

"Peniel-"

"It's night already." Peniel stood up, sheathing his sword and picking up his bloody towel. "You have to report to father."

Peter sighed, getting up and following after his brother. He smiled and greeted as many people as he could until he got to the main house. He and Peniel entered the house and went to their father's office which was hidden behind the main house. He had a faux office where guests met him and did business with him but pack matters were tabled and solved here. Only the most trusted of high ranking officials knew about this office. It was underground but instead of going around the main house, there was a secret passage inside the faux office. It was hidden in a mini topaz statue of a wolf standing on the moon. The statue signified the friendship between his real father and his current father. Skywalker and Moonlight Pack.

Peter stayed behind Peniel as he pressed down the statue to reveal a stairway which they both descended until they came upon a metal door. His brother knocked lightly twice and then heavily once on the door. They listened until they heard light rasping on the other side of the door. Peniel tapped the door two times to tell the guard on the other side that it was just the two of them that had approached. The metal door clicked open and several guards were lined up in the hallway. Most of them were of Delta ranks. They saluted as the brothers passed by. There was another door further down which led to the back of the main house by the waterfall.

When they got to a wide corridor, their ears began picking up the familiar humming sound of the magical barrier that prevented anyone not from the Alpha's blood line or anyone without a seal of permission from entering.

Holding on to the necklace which had a pendant shaped like a white tiger, Peter crossed the barrier with Peniel and they found their father looking up at the array of glittering gems embedded into the roof of the cave they were in. His office door was wide open as he sat on the circular gazing bench.

"It's amazing how these gems glow even brighter than the sun. It's a cave but it's never dark," Hored smiled at his two sons. "Come in." He gestured towards his door.

Peter tried not to look at the long hallway beyond his father's office. He had been in this pack for nineteen years and yet, he had never stepped a foot past this point of the cave. His father had warned him never to go there. He had initially planned to go regardless but someone had put a magical barrier there. He hadn't figured a way around it yet. There were more important things to do so he left it alone...for now.

"So," Hored clapped his hands together as Peter closed the door, "what's the estimate of the gems your men managed to snag this time?"