Chapter 6

Summit Of The Night Prowlers It was dark. The luminescent moon hung above the Oregon woods as its white light dimly radiated on the surface. The woods, usually filled with sounds of birds chirping as well as various forest animals and critters engaging in activity, was now filled with nothing but a deafening silence. One could assume it was due to the harsh condition of winter which caused a lot of the wildlife in the wild to go into hibernation or simply a period of inactivity. A valid reason… But this wasn't the case. The reason for such silence on a usually active and noisy night was due to only one thing… The presence of Apex Predators, the ones who dominated the Oregon woods. Known to be none other than… Werewolves. Howls of different tones and volumes covered the expanse of the vast region of trees and thistles. With such sounds filling every corner of the region, every other creature knew by instinct to be quiet and retire to their beds that night. The Howl of the wolves, and ones as plenty as this. It could only mean one thing… A gathering. From the deep corners and dark recesses of the cluster of trees, they emerged. One would expect to see beastly monsters with fangs and claws. With bloodshot eyes and watering jaws. But that was not the sight beheld. The ones who were seen were none other than men, yes, men who walked through the woods with such confidence and aura that it could be seen that they were truly one with the wild. The fallen branches crunched and the dead leaves mashed. The human looking beings trampled upon them underfoot as they all headed to their destination. Some came from the east, some the north, some east, some West, all converging at one single location. The Zenith Hill. They looked above them as they saw the huge cliff, the howls emanated from the leak of the cliff, a summons of sorts. The people who converged there knew what had to be done. A hike was necessary. A steep hill, one difficult for even the most experienced of hikers. Coupled with the winter, the hill seemed even more dangerous than ever. A place where no human would venture, at least not in the dead of night with no equipment whatsoever. The people looked at one another and nodded. With a single coordinated leap, they launched from the cold ground filled with dried up roots and moss. In an instant, they were already a great distance from the place they started from. Their hands grabbed the hill as they maintained a crouching figure. Clearly these weren't ordinary men. They kept climbing the steep slope, not flinching as they seemed to do it with such great ease. They effortlessly reached the top within moments, after barely a minute after their start. Finally, they reached the pinnacle of the hill. It didn't have a pointed tip, but rather, a smooth and horizontal platform of hard and cold stone. In front was also a cave, dark and deep. No one dared venture deep within, for they knew of what lay inside. As they, one after the other, got to the top and walked further, they saw two figures in a distance, standing directly in front of the dark cave. These two had gotten there first, or rather… They had always been there. As the last of the not-so-ordinary hikers finished his climb, they all converged as a group and looked in front of them to view the silhouette of two men like themselves. The group of men were 5 standing at the forefront, directly facing the two shadows, with another group of 5 standing behind them, making 10 of them in total. The howls had stopped some moments ago, making everywhere once again deathly silent. Then… A deep voice spoke. 'You're all here…" Upon hearing this deep tone, the men all took to their knees and bowed their heads. The two silhouettes they had seen were not the one they bowed to, because those shadows also went on their knees and likewise, bowed their heads. The voice came from further beyond, deep within the cave. Tap. Tap. Tap. Footsteps were heard by everyone at the top of the Zenith Hill, the sound of soft legs tapping on the hard floor echoed from the recesses of the cave, making the bowed men twitch slightly. Finally, the owner of the voice emerged from within the darkness. 'Good… We may begin our meeting" 'Lord, that concludes our report" One of the five men who sat at the forefront said, with the remaining five standing, respectively, behind each one of the seated ones. Mats waved with fresh green grass with purple streaks on them, and were spread all over the floor where they sat comfortably. As for the one before them, his seat differed from theirs. A massive boulder chipped to form a great throne, decorated with various ornaments and stones which glowed thanks to the illumination brought by the night sky. He had two men close to him, serving as his aid. One of them stayed by the right hand side of his throne, while the second stayed behind the throne, a small distance away. 'I see, so the Hunters have started making their move. Interesting, very well then. It appears we'll have to send a message to them sooner enough." The seated ones nodded their heads in affirmation, agreeing with their lord. 'Gerund, your pack will take the lead on this one. From the report, it appears they intend on striking from the east, which is the territory of your pack. Gather the Warrior units, enough to send a small message to the trespassers. Give your ‘Gamma' the order to dispatch the available ones and lead them himself. As the Alpha of your pack, I'll leave the remaining details to you" 'Understood" The one called Gerund responded. 'The rest of you should remain on high alert. There is a possibility that this is merely a ruse and their aim is to cause misdirection and strike somewhere else while our focus is fixed on a single spot. That can not be allowed to happen. We must be vigilant, as is our nature." The Lord said. 'Understood" They all responded. 'Order your signalers to be extra vigilant, and the Guardians should take more care in their duties as guards to the pups. Hunters should move carefully and should prevent straying from the path and wandering too far." He added. 'Also instruct your Betas to supervise the domestic and trivial matters while you deal with the more pressing affairs. I believe we have an understanding…?" 'Yes Lord" They all answered. 'Good. That is all, you are all dismissed" The Lord said, waving his hands to signal they should leave. 'M-My Lord… There is one matter we have yet to address." One of the seated ones said, the oldest looking one among them. 'Oh? And what's that Benson?" 'Grand Alpha, Lord Asher… It is a matter that has shaken the entire Tribe of Oregon Woods. The members of the packs all seek an answer and we the Alphas also have the burdened question within us…" The Alpha, Benson said. 'Spit it out Benson… My patience wears thin" The Grand Alpha and Lord, Asher, commanded his Alpha subordinate. 'My Lord… It concerns your bride and mate… What are your plans for the Grand Luna?" Suddenly Asher's eyes turned bright red as an ominous feeling swept through the Alphas who sat and even the Betas who stood behind them. They felt the cold winds of winter blow harshly, their bodies shivered and shook due to the pressure he exerted from his throne. With a glare, he laid his eyes on Benson, the man who spoke concerning a gnawing problem which plagued him and disturbed the very structure of the pack, threatening the balance within it. 'The Grand Luna… You dare ask me such a question?" Asher said in a low tone, but his undertone depicted danger. 'N-No, my Lord. I just wanted to…" Benson stuttered, trying to defend his earlier statement. 'Just wanted to know what?" He asked, still glaring at the elderly Alpha who shivered at the sight of his Lord. 'N-Nothing my Lord… I apologise for my impudence" He let out in defeat, unable to withstand the pressure of intimidation which the King exhibited. 'My bride will be ready before the next convergence. That is all you are required to know. Any further… contributions?" Asher said, narrowing his eyes. No Alpha spoke as they all bowed their heads, too afraid to meet his gaze. 'Good. You are dismissed." He said. Within the blink of an eye, the Alphas had vanished from their positions, alongside their aides, the Betas. Seeing as they had all gone, Asher let out a deep groan as he stood up from his throne and clenched his fist in anger, leaving the remaining two subordinates to clean up the scene of the meeting. They both looked at each other meaningfully and understood their Lord's frustration and seething emotions. Asher was the Wolf King, the Alpha of Alphas, the Grand Alpha and Lord over the entire Oregon Woods. As the youngest Grand Alpha in all of history, his position was never challenged due to his ruthless nature and immense strength which easily trumped the other Alphas, even as he was just 23 years of age. However, the biggest problem he faced, one which threatened the hierarchy of the entire Werewolf Community he ruled… Was his lack of a mate, his other half, his Luna. Without one, he would still be recognized as an incomplete king. As one who had achieved the pinnacle of his entire Tribe and race within the borders of Oregon, he lacked the most vital, most crucial piece of his existence. As he walked back into his cave where he liked to stay and think, he couldn't help but replay one of his Alpha's questions in his head. A question he couldn't even properly answer. 'Damn you Benson!" He said with gritted teeth. Now, with only three weeks to the next convergence, Asher needed to show his bride to the Alphas. The only problem is… He didn't know where to find her. The frustration and anger of having something denied him provoked and irritated him beyond words and expression. Only one thing, one question rang through his head. 'Where are you… My Luna?"