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9.
Present day...
Matt roared out ready to stand and fight in Beth's defence while Eli shook his head in his mind thinking of the foolishness of trying to fight the cloaked man.

The cloaked man assessed the situation. Most probable scenario was that he took out Matt in a blink of an eye, but that blink of an eye was too much time for Eli to decimate him. Besides the day was still young, he didn't want to draw attention to the werewolves. His decision was to aact the way Eli described him when he made his entrance.

He turned and ran. Disappeared more like. He was that fast.

Immediately he left, Eli struck out his staff, using it to hit Matt squarely in the stomach as he doubled over clenching his abdomen in pain while Beth recoiled and rushed to him to check him out.

"What was that for!" she screamed.

"His utter foolishness and lack of concentration"

"Damn that hurt" Matt thought as he regained his sense of orientation and sat up.

"He has been tailing you for a long time, how could you have missed that" Eli hissed at him

"I'm. ..." Matt started but was interrupted by Eli.

"Keep your apologies and explanation to yourself. Just know how you are going to work on using your senses" Eli said as he turned and started walking back into the inner part of the apartment "I need some quiet time, I need to meditate"

"Really? Right now? There are tons of questions we have to ask" Beth said

"Ask them later tonight" Eli replied calmly

"Hello. I have a home to go back to"

Eli stopped in his tracks and told her gently and solemnly
"Little one, if you want to be alive tomorrow, you will find a way to sleep in this house tonight. Your choice"
And returned to his slow match back inside, ignoring all the shouts and protests that Beth put up.

"Matt! Talk to him" she cried

"You heard him. I don't think cloak man is done with us yet" a dejected Matt answered.

______________________________

Old Calabar

Immediately James set his eyes on the lady, his most primal of instincts set in and no one at the table could miss the immediate glow to his normally dull eyes that followed. His original host Ini noticed and threw an arm over his shoulder and drew him in like a brother but expecting an almost immediately rebuff as he teased him

"Ekamba Owo, have you seen anything that you liked?"

Surprisingly, James had no snide remark or nasty comment for him. He just looked at Ini and turned back in the direction of the maiden he had just seen and noticed that she had left. Although his first thought was to burst out at Ini for making him loose sight of her, he simply did nothing.

That shocked Ini.

But it shocked James himself even more. He had to meet this lady that had frozen him from all instincts but one.

Ini saw this as an opportunity to present the captured maiden from the hinterlands to James and took it immediately. And talking to James and convincing him to accompany him to this "gift" was surprisingly too easy for a person like James. Ini was getting shocked and scared.

James on the other hand decided to play along with Ini because of the very almost impossible slim chance that this "gift" might be the damsel he saw. He knew his pack very well and judging form the inconsequential and juvenile activities Ini liked to engage in for leisure that might be a possibility. The other reason was that even if that was not what Ini had in store, it presented him with an opportunity to explore the place. He couldn't have gone waltzing around on his own. He never deluded himself about his role or position at Duke Town. They needed him, were scared of him even but did no trust him a bit. Who could blame them. So going around the compound of an Elder with no other viable explanation would have started an implosion, non that would have had any deleterious effects on him however. Except that he may never have the chance to see her again.

As they moved around the compound, all his senses were on alert for any aura of hers, nothing came up. But when Ini stopped in front of an hut and began yapping on, James believed him his mind that she was in there. He knew that Ini would only have her in mind as a present for the gratification of desires of the flesh, he wanted to know the damsel, know what made her eyes sparkle the way they did, breathe in her fresh aura, watch her smile and oh so much more. It was very abnormal thinking for him, James knew this. But he couldn't help himself

He was broken away from his reverie when Ini finally finished yapping. From which he had not heard a single word and began opening the door as James held his breath and waited for his life to enter a new phase.

Alas he was shocked when he finally stepped him and saw a totally different lady on the beddings in the hut. She was adorned in wears that would have made even the most risqué of the London kept ladies he had seen in his time as a slave blush.

The change was instant. Ini saw the glow in his eyes disappear almost like PHCN takes light and watched as his jaws locked and the old hard faced James came back. It was almost as if he had been awoken from a trance and Ini began to wonder what kind of magic or spells those hinterland people hand used on James. Because the man seemed like he as going to explode.

The mischievous smirk on his face gone, Ini with a lot of outward bravado but a lot of inward trepidation asked James

"What is wrong?"

James offered no reply. He just turned and walked away. Ini was not surprised, he was rather somewhat relieved. That was the James he knew.

He laughed it off and went back to join the table.

If only he knew that James was uncontrollably attracted to his betrothed.

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"Mother! I'm just going to the hostel for two days. Not going off to the moon" Beth cried out in exasperation as her Mom went over all her inventory for the two days away.

She had managed to convince her Mom that she wanted to go and spend the next two days in the hostel with Rose and Steph her new friends because of her early morning lectures and besides her Mom was almost always on the night shift so she felt lonely at home.

All the other arguments held no water to Beth's Mom, also named Elizabeth, but more fondly called Lizzy. But when she mentioned being lonely at home Lizzy let it go. Because she knew it would eventually led to them arguing about how theirs was not a fully normal family and if only she knew her Dad, things might be different. She didn't want to have that argument with Beth about her Dad, especially not with her friends present.

She just couldn't tell Beth yet, she wouldn't understand.

______________________________

Reaching the school gate, Beth parted ways with Rose and Steph, deflecting every possible question from them about where she was spending her night. She would give them the juices the next morning. Or never. They finally agreed that knowing later was better than not knowing.

Taking a cab, she doubled back to a street close to her home, ensuring that they weren't following her before proceeding to Matt and Eli's.

As she stood on the front porch and rang the bell, she wondered what terrors awaited them as the night came.

______________________________

A cloaked figure watched her intensely, only turning aways once she had gotten into the house.

And No, he didn't have a crescent shaped scar.

Good evening house.

I am truly very sorry.

First for not updating for over two weeks. Trust me, it is not intentional and I feel I owe it to my readers a little "explanation of sorts".
In addition to running a gruesome 8 to 6 academic programme, I have been in what I would rather refer to as a state of unwellness rather than sickness and for quite a while my routine has consisted of recharging on panadol during the day and crashing at night to reboot for another gruelling day.

I am getting better though. And hopefully things are easing off a bit at school.

The second apology is for the length of the update the will follow this post. It is not as long as I promised. I had written more, but I wouldn't sacrifice the story for improperly written stuff, so I cut it down.

Don't tell anybody I said it tho' but I'm also kind of emotionally messed right now. So e be like my pen wan dry. :-D . Hopefully I'll soon overcome the block too.

I truly do hope I am forgiven.

Thank you in advance.

Oga Tobadein,

Thanks bro. Checked out the story, it's not mine. I think I've seen it here on nairaland too. just similar names.

Oga Rex1,

I no say excuse no follow. I have the story outline and direction. I just need to flesh it out. Time has been scarce. Next update will be very long I promise.

Twale

8.

Tailing the young wolf was very easy. The boy was still too ignorant of the info his heightened senses delivered to him and did no justice to the art of being one with is environment. Well. That was his problem.

Following the information he had gotten from Oko, he was able to track the boy and had been following him discreetly over since.

Today he met up with a girl. Ordinarily, he would have chucked it up to hormones. But the girl had a very different but powerful aura about her person. That aura was all so familiar to him. He knew what was his. He had found his wolf.

He heard them discussing and observed how the boy displayed total ignorance of the history of werewolves in the Old times. Eli had obviously not given the boy a proper lecture in history.

Talking about Eli. He knew the old bugger was still around somewhere, but no witch or bounty hunter was ever able to trace the Eli. So when Oko had come to him with news of being unable to finish off the young wolf because of the sudden appearance of the Night Terror. He was shocked.

Even up to the point Eli stepped into the room, he was still unable to pick up Eli's aura. He was not surprised nonetheless, Eli was a powerful and cunning old entity.

Seeing the three of them in the room. He decided the time was ripe for him to make his entrance.

--------------------------------------------------

"I taught him"
No sooner had the words come out of Eli's mouth when suddenly there was a loud sound of breaking glass and a dark character cloaked similarly to Matt's attacker came crashing through the windows.

"Terror of the Night" he said "I see you are still alive"

"Coward" Eli spat back "I'm not shocked your still walking this earth. What do you want?

The character took time to peruse Eli's appearance before replying.
"Time hasn't been so kind with you. It seems you have stopped turning. You look old"

"That is none of your business"

"Yes. It isn't. If you were still any good you would have trained your wolves better"

Matt and Beth watched the two elderly men stand off with the the agility of stubborn children poised to fight. Both of them had their different questions.

Matt wondered why the man called Eli Night Terror and seemed to insinuate that Eli was a wolf. Beth wondered why the man had also referred to her as a wolf while Matt and Eli did not seem to know what see was.

Turning to face them, the man spoke up "What do we have here. Little wolfie girl, what's your name?"

"I'm not a wolf" she replied.

"Oh you are, your aura says otherwise" the man said

"Leave them out of this" Eli interrupted

"Oh no. It is about them. Don't you see?" Facing Beth again "Give in to your inner nature"

On saying that, his eyes began to glow red, hairs springing out from his face as if he had overgrown side burns. His canines elongated and sharpened into frightening looking weapons of attack. This transformation was followed by him looking straight at her and giving a loud, earth shaking roar.

The whole scene reminded her of her dreams but while she did feel like something was calling out to her, unlike the in the dream there was no transformation.

This lack of change in her lead to an ever louder roar from the man. Lack of any transformation still caused him to be to reduce the roaring and look at the girl in suprise. She had the aura of a wolf. He had felt the power in hear presence. But he called out, wolf to wolf. He felt no flicker of response and no change. It was his turn to ask questions.

"What are you?" he asked suprised

"Same question I have been asking. You old fart!"

"You need answers then come with me. Or I will be forced to take you" the man said.

It was Matt's turn to transform and roar out.

"You'll have to get through me first"
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Old Calabar,
Council of Elders, Duke Town.

"The time we feared is upon us" The fearful one

"What has happened? Is he unable to coordinate attacks anymore?" the Slave Trader

"The beast has gone out of control" The concurrer

"We need the priest and his witches to tell us how to subdue him" The arrogant one.

"James only acted as any man should. It is a conflict that can be resolved amicably" The warrior, who was the first turned wolf and now a trusted lieutenant of the beast.

"All these claims and counter claims. Can someone tell us what happened really before we start making conclusions and taking action" The wise one

sammyendowed ashatoda Jesusbaby6 joanee20 Omotayelolu adefunke62 Ashiat39 remiseyi DandyPearl ChizzyMaris Onodray Damilola69 joanee20 Tunechi1 Cylovee Nimzzy akpobi Rex1 Tobadein David49 heemah BlizzydoDo All the ghost mode people
Thanks for appreciating my art. Y'all make me write.
Expect something tonight.

Momentarily confused, James used this opportunity to bash both their heads together with his claws around their necks. He hit them together with so much force that even mashed potatoes had more substance than what was left of their heads.

Immediately done with that, he leaped towards Ini, tackling the leopard man down with a diving shoulder spear. The leopard man quickly regained his feet and threw three quick jabs at James, all of which were easily dodged. The fourth was parried and returned four times over to the side of of his face. He was going in for the kill when suddenly the leopard man dropped to his knees. Dead.

As he fell, James saw another one of his pack Ekerette standing behind with the leopard man's heart in his hands and a wolfish grin (pun intended)

Eventually the battle thinned out and the Duke Town warriors overran the hinterlanders and pillaged their town, taking the able bodied for slave trade and leaving the extremely weak behind. Children were taken to be used as servants back at Old Calabar.

The whole business of raiding innocent towns and carting away their people for salve trade was beginning to tire James and he was being haunted by memories of his numerous killings.

The journey back was slower due to the increased traveller load and the slow speed was annoying to James. With only his wolf pack, they covered the distance in less than a day. Now with these weaklings it would take 4 to 5 days.

James was broken out of his thoughts by Ini. The young wolf whose neck he had literally saved. He had healed completely, but it seemed the leopard man poisoned his claws, there was still a crescent shaped scar on his neck from the attack.

"Ekamba Owo" he hailed James

"Nsido?" James snapped angrily

Ini expected it. James was a brute beast. He lead his pack and protected them fiercely like his own. He always had minimal casualties. However Ini was too grateful for his life being saved and was bent on having James over for dinner with his family. Not surprisingly James turned it down with a sharp retort and Ini returned. Well, it just meant his father would have to invite James. He must have his thanks. He had a present for James.

James for his part scoffed in his mind at the invitation. The boy was sharp no doubt, but he wasn't ready for all this. Of course he didn't want him in the pack. But his father was an elder and his influence got in him. If not for the fierce loyalty he had for his pack he would have left the boy to perish.

---------------------------------------------------

As the messenger left his place. James almost regretted saving Ini. The brat had gotten his father, The Arrogant one to invite James over. Now he couldn't refuse. It would be seen as disrespect.

Ini had never seen James around a lady. Not that the maidens of Duke Town hadn't gotten enough warnings to stay away from the beast. He wanted to change that today. While pillaging the hinterland village, he had found an exquisite beauty and had ensured she was kept hidden and he had he prepared, scented and pimped for James. He was so sure there was no way he would resist the girl. She had a full figure and radiated a certain innocence and calm that had a way of drawing one in. He was sure James would be drawn in too.

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Seated around the feast prepared for him that evening were quite some people. None of them interested him. The Arrogant one. Ini. The Warrior, who was the first person he turned and was now a trusted lieutenant. The first wife of the elder. His Akpan. And some other neighbours and town dignitaries. James drowned away all the conversation and replied only with a cursory nod and short one word answers to all questions he was asked. No one at the table was surprised. That was how the man was. It was just an excuse for them to engage in another social gathering.

James was getting tired and about to announce his intention to retire when it hit him. A scent so beautifully sublime and smelling of fresh flowers. The voice came next, it was melodious, the kind a person hides to listen to, for fear that she might stop talking. And then she laughed. James was almost beside himself. As he turned to locate the one wrecking this havoc on him his eyes met hers, large boring eyes that seemed they could see into the very depths of your soul. She had a petite figure, which was unlike most maidens who were more voluptuous. She was light skinned and radiated like the warm morning sun caressing the skin. That was all he could make out. For she was covered up from head to toe, much like a hijab. As their eyes locked, she blinked and looked away shyly.

That was the moment he knew he wanted her above all things.

That moment, was the beginning of his end.

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In present day...

The leader of the 14 old town stood before the mirror and dropped down his cloak.

It had been an eternity. But the end was coming soon. It was all going to end now.

He was old. He looked like a well kept 60 year old. The appearance belying the agility beneath. His face was unsmiling, as if cast in a permanent scowl. Dark eyes with bags under then thinning as they came together at the bridge of his nose to taper into a short stiff nose.

Turning his back to face the mirror. He examined his neck. Stamped proudly, was a crescent shaped scar.

7.
Over 200 years ago, exact time unknown....

Duke Town, Old Calabar...

The voices were tense, the atmosphere was heated. The sentences came rapidly.

"You have to help me. The attacks are becoming incessant"

"That is not our problem"

"Those deaths were on your behalf"

"On your masters orders!"

"I have no master anymore"

"Your problem too. We do not need you in our territory. That is an open declaration of war with Old Town"

"You don't know it yet. You are already at war with them. If they take me down, who do you think is next"

"The white men killed their elders, not us"

"Tell that to who cares. I was the killer. How come you all were spared"

"He has a point. Wait outside, let us deliberate"

James was escorted outside while the Duke Town elders deliberated. The voices came as rapidly as the banter with James seconds ago.

"He is right. Old Town think he is aligned with us" One voice started. The fearful.

"But he isn't " Yet another voice. The arrogant.

"It doesn't matter to them" the first voice again

"We might as well protect him. If he dies, Old Town will have the nerve to attack us" Came a third voice. Deep and carried a bruteness in it. The warrior.

"Most of our warriors are always away on Slaving raids and we can't afford to stop the raids" A new voice. Carried greed in every vibration from the vocal cords that produced it. The Slave Trader.

"I suggest we provide him protection in return for his making more like him. He surely must have knowledge of how to do it" The third voice again.

"Yes, that will strengthen our military power. Protecting us from Old Town and making our raids into the hinterlands easier" A fourth voice. The concurrer.

"But we need to be cautious. Even the white men, his original masters could not control his anger. His roaming freely without retaliation from them is a testament to that". The first voice again.

"Call the Chief Priest. We shall make the oddest request of him. He must dine with the strongest of witches to find us a way to limit the power of the beast if we ever need to" A fifth voice. Grave and light like the speaker had to struggle for breath with each word. In this voice, even the deaf could hear the cunning and wisdom that comes with age.

"It is decided then, the beast shall come under our protection, in return for making more like himself for us. As insurance, we shall have the witches find a way to limit the beastly power, should we ever need to" came a sixth voice with finality. The Leader

---------------------------------------------------
5 years later,
Somewhere in the hinterlands, around current day Aba...

The punch glanced his chin as he got out of the way just in time. It would have dislodged some teeth had it connected properly.

"Ini! Watch out" James shouted. But it was too late.

The man he was fighting was a leopard shapeshifter. Some as the punch had missed, he continued with his hand wrapping around Ini's neck and morphing to the leopard form in the blink of an eye. The hand around his neck became a strong paw whose claws dug into his neck.

Despite the searching pain, Ini put all his weight into his right arm as his own claws went slashing the leopard man's abdomen follwed rapidly by a direct blow to the stomach. The leopard man stumbled backward and his grip on the neck loosened. Seeing an opportunity Ini tried to use his left hand to remove the claw in his neck.

It was an error, for as soon as he concentrated on the claws the leopard man began delivering a barrage of blows to his stomach.

The pain was horrible. He was bleeding from his mouth and nose. He felt his lungs literally search for air as he was getting breathless. He began to sink to his knees. The leopard man saw it as the ripe time to finish this and roared, opening his jaws wide and clamping on the throat of Ini.

"May you dance eternally with Amadioha's thunder, you filth of the white man" the leopard man thought as he had Ini firmly, ready to be killed.

James noticed his connection to one of his pack was waning and quickly scanned the battle field and saw Ini going down. Meanwhile in that split second, a foolish enemy had thought it was to spring a surprise attack from behind. James could feel his every movement in the disturbance of the air and vibration of the ground around him. As he man from behind threw a punch, James sidestepped it and it hit his fellow warrior square in the nose breaking it in the process.

Sorry for the delayed update. No data stuff. and I like to get feedback on a chapter before I move on. This chapter is a little Longer.

To all my readers, Twale! Untop all my years for nairaland I no sabi how to mention person for post.

Can sombori teach me?

Anyways enjoy the update and I hope to see ur criticism and comments, thanks.

The room was pitch black. Belying the fact that it was early hours of the morning. Eli sat in this darkness, enjoying the uneasy calm it brought him and concentrating on his meditation.

Being an experienced wolf he heard when Matt came into the apartment. Normally that was not enough to break his concentration. However, he felt an aura, a disturbance in the very fabric of the atmosphere. A second presence that worried him. He kept his calm and tuned into the conversation going on in the sitting room. He could tell it was a girl. Hadn't he warned Matt to kept involvements away from the apartment? When he heard about the dreams however, even he couldn't really understand them. He had his hypothesis, but they all seemed unlikely.

All that threw him into a remembrance of events of the past and how he and the fate of the Wolves of Old Calabar were where they were today.
______________________________

Truth is, the beast of Duke Town was a werewolf. His name was James. He was the son of a slave captured from the shores of the area that is now Liberia and a Slaver who was a werewolf. He was brought to the Old Calabar area as a measure to keep the people in check. They were getting too bold.

The beast of Duke Town did murder the elders of Old Town. But it was because he had been caged up as a beast for so long and denied freedom that when he was set upon the Old Town elders he could not restrain himself. He tore them to shreds.

In grief for his actions, he rebelled against the Colonial British who brought him to Old Calabar and began living the life of a Nomad. But the youth and warriors of Old Town wanted no explanation, they only feared what the beast could do and wanted revenge for the lives they lost. Several attempts were made on James life. However, he wasn't called a beast for nothing. The attacks became incessant and more coordinated. This out of necessity drove him into the open and awaiting arms of Duke Town who were ready to provide him protection and asylum in exchange for him making their men like him. His hands were tied. He took the deal. If only he knew the pain that was to follow. He would have chosen death.
______________________________

"I'll give you the truth as I know it" Matt started. "I'm a werewolf"

"Seriously, is this twilight or some joke like that" Beth replied.

"No, it's for real. I'm a werewolf. The last one I once thought. Now, I don't know how many are out there"

"How did you become one? Am I a werewolf? Where is your pack, I mean that's what the books say right? How is this even real? Why are you or your look alike in my dream? What's the dream about? A coming of age ritual? Talk to me please" Beth fired the questions rapidly with eyes wide like a child asking for candy. If only she knew almost no one had the answers she sought.

"Cool off. I honestly do not know how I became a wolf. I do not know if you're a wolf. I do not have a pack. It is real. I never had any dreams before I first turned" Matt answered honestly.

"Wow. That's so helpful" Beth said.

"Look. Werewolves can be born or made. Born wolves had a parent or both with the "werewolf gene" and inherited it. Made wolves are turned by the bite of a Born Wolf if their bodies and minds are strong enough to accept it. Made wolves can only turn humans into wolves if they belong to a pack with a Born wolf as Alpha. Any wolf could be the Alpha in a pack, provided he was the strongest. Historically, born wolves were the Alphas most times for obvious reasons. A made wolf cannot pass the gene down to his offspring"

"That's a start" Beth urged him on.

"As a werewolf, all the senses are heightened, reflexes are split nanoseconds. We are stronger and faster. The full moon as most fiction puts it, is the peak of our power. We also heal very much faster and age more slowly especially when we are still active transforming"

"Lemme see. From all I have heard from you. Unless you were born or made a long time ago, which seems unlikely due to your lack of answers,if as you claim you have no knowledge of how you became a werewolf, how do you know so much about the werewolves, including history. Don't even tell me the Internet, I've been there" Beth asked.

Matt hesitated, he did not know if to mention Eli or how Eli would react to whatever decision he took.

"I taught him all of that" came a voice from the dark corridor.

Eli said that as his staff heralded his presence and he stepped into the light.

"I taught him" Eli repeated.

I'm sorry for the over delay. Diff stuff jus coming up. Here is an update. enjoy.

____________________________________________

6.

Beth felt a great relief when she walked into Tasties the next day to find Matt on the very seat she had been on to wait for him the past two days.

The very moment she entered Matt turned around and their eyes locked. It was that kind of awkward moment. Beth smiled shyly and Matt did the same. However what ran through their minds were very different.

"Hey" Matt said, getting up to act the gentleman and pull out a seat for her. "Good morning"

"Good morning" she replied sounding unsure. "How have you been?" she asked, but the real question that her head was screaming was "Where the F have you been"

"Been good. Even better when I heard a cutie has been on the lookout for me" Matt answered grinning from ear to ear.

"Boys, all the same"

"Say what?"

"Matt, you are a cute guy and all. Under different circumstances, the oestrogen in my body may have had me pining for you" she started.

Matt looked confused. Crestfallen almost.

"Awwn, did I hurt your feelings?" she mocked
"Anyway, we need to talk. In a quiet place. Away from school preferably"

"What could this girl want?" Matt wondered as he stood up and led her out of Tasties while Idara winked at him and he responded with a forced smile
______________________________

Matt wondered the safe quiet place to take her and finally decided on taking her to the apartment. It was still morning so the cover of night wasn't there to help.

On getting there he dropped his bag and turned to face her and offer her something but she wasn't up for the niceties.

"What are you?" she asked

"What do you mean?" Matt replied, looking genuinely shocked. He wondered if she knew about wolves and more importantly how?

"Oh! Don't gimme that look of ignorance. You know what I'm talking about" she spat.

"Seriously babe, calm down. You're acting crazy"

"I know you like me. How long have you been stalking me huh? Taunting me with weird dreams to build up to when you meet me? What do you want? Ifot!"

"Hahahahahaha" Matt began to laugh in relief. While he still need to know about her dreams, he found it funny she thought he was trying to charm her into liking him

"What's funny? Scaring me as a half man half wolf in my dreams is funny huh?

Matt's reverie was cut short. This was getting interesting "What did you say?"

"Oh. You remember now?"

"Calm down Beth. Calm down and talk to me. Can you describe your dreams to me?" He asked coming closer to her.

"Don't come any closer, just answer me. What are you!"

"If you need answers, I need to know your dreams. Tell me your dreams. I promise to give you answers to the best of my knowledge.

"They started when I turned eighteen, they start with me running in the woods...." she went on to describe her dreams in detail. When she was done, Matt was almost as confused as her. The only difference was, he was a Wolf.

______________________________

Thanks guys. I'm very sorry I haven't updated. it's been a busy time for me the last three days. I promise to make it up this weekend.

I feel the update is short this evening. Please bear with me.

Meanwhile, Eli said he did not fight with the mysterious wolf we now know as Oko. The leader of the twelve reported his death in the fight. What do you think? Who has something to hide.

In others news, someone is not happy with me. I hope my dark mood doesn't tell on the story.

Thanks.

5.

Twelve figures cloaked in the darkness. Their long shadows cast under the light of the full moon. Faces underneath hoods and heads bent in reverence and solemnity. The were shadowy figures. Almost in consonance with the shadows they cast.

One voice spoke out.

"For the better part of two centuries, we have been on the search for the descendants of the Beast of Duke Town. We thought all hope was lost, till the foolishness of one of our brothers has shown us the light. He came to me and informed me of an aura he perceived around a young boy whom he thought was a wolf"

"There have been no new wolves since we were turned; the fourteen of Old Town" a voice said, sounding shocked as whispers went through the circle.

"Quiet" The first speaker bellowed. "It was his hypothesis that this young boy was either in the Line or turned by the Line. I ordered him to follow, observe and report back to me. He disobeyed and foolishly attacked. His head was all that was left of him. Oko was a strong and ancient werewolf, an established shapeshifter before he was turned. Only a seasoned fighter could have taken him down. The boy must have been in the Line."

He continued.

"Due to his actions, of the fourteen of Old Town only twelve remain. Unfortunately I do not know the boy. But I will find him. Myself. Enough of our secrecy has already been jeopardised. We will find the Line and get our vengeance."

"Vengeance shall be ours" a voice spoke out.

"Vengeance shall be ours" they chorused in unison.
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After regaining consciousness Matt healed completely in a matter of hours. Immediately he could get on his feet, he was all about training and in between sparing with Eli and punching different punching bags for the past day the only thing that punctuated his thoughts were Beth and why she had still not called him. Being that he missed school Tuesday, he'll have to find her tomorrow. However, he didn't understand why he felt so drawn to her.

"I'll just have to found out"

That evening around 7 pm he found himself at Tasties asking the waitress if any girl matching Beth's description had come in that day. Unfortunately she had the evening shift and had not been there in the day.

He was sure she had been there. He could never mistake her scent after holding her that close the day before. She had a flowery aroma about her that overwhelmed his senses and intoxicated him.

Just as he was about to leave, the waitress called him back from the counter.
---------------------------------------------------
Tuesday was uneventful for Beth and Steph and Rose saw how irritable she was and did their best to avoid setting her off.

After her Ten am class, she found herself in Tasties asking about Matt. He was a regular there, but none of the waitresses had seen him that day. She sat down and stayed there till 6.45pm before leaving. As soon as she was out of sight of Tasties, Matt came in sight.

Wednesday saw her there by Eight am. She wasn't leaving Tasties till she saw Matt.
---------------------------------------------------
Idara had seen different kinds of love birds while selling at Tasties, but the latest was just crazy.

First the girl came in Looking for Matthew's number which she misplaced. Then spent the whole day waiting for him to show up which he didn't which as unusual as her tatafo friend on the afternoon shift told her. Now she was on the evening shift, just after her friend who gave her the girls gist left, Lo and behold Matthew appears and is asking about the girl. Luckily for him she overhead him asking her colleague from inside and rushed out to tell him.
"Bobo Mathew" she called our from the counter as he was about to open the door.

He turned and was surprised to see it wasn't the waitress he spoke with but Idara. The girl had sha been giving him eye. He didn't have time for her stress today.

"You sef sha" she started "see as u take dey bone face look me. Smile a little joor. Or you won't hear about that dark skin, fine hips girl that has been looking for you"

"I don't know what this one is forming sef, because he is fresh na" Idara fumed inside while smiling outwardly.

On hearing what Idara said, his face lit up like a bulb that hadn't tasted NEPA for years. His prayers had been answered.

DandyPearl:
I smell a nice story here. You should proof read before posting and I tell you its gonna make a whole lot of sense. Mind you, I'm not going till d end of dis story because iyaff come to stay

Thanks alot. I'll work on my proof reading and editing.

It wee be a preashure to haff you hia.

Barman!! two bottles of pure water.

To all who are following and commenting. I'm thankful to you.

To the ghost readers, thank you a lot too. Though I'll sha appreciate your comments and criticism.

Continue to read, share, like and comment.

Next update drops this later this evening/early night.

Thanks once more.

4.

His head ached terribly as he began to regain consciousness. He was disoriented and confused as he opened his eyes and his surroundings came into focus. He looked around and saw he was in his apartment.

"Damn it" he thought "this must be my personal hell"

There was no way the strange guy did not kill him. However when he heard Eli's voice he was sure this hell was horrible. How would he have his personal tormentor too. But what he heard wasn't the brash reproach he expected but genuine concern in Eli's voice. And he tried to sit up as Eli rushed to his side and gently put him back down.

"You need to rest. You're lucky I heard the noise and came up" Eli said.

"Who was he"

"I don't know" Eli said and added reflectively "but he was strong. I doubt if I could stand him myself. Only my reputation made him cease the attack"

"He mentioned the Line"

Eli didn't look surprised. And that in turn surprised Matt.

"You don't look shocked" he said "what is it you are not telling me?"

Eli closed his eyes and decided to tell the boy at least some part. He almost lost his life today. He deserved to know.

"Now if you expect to hear a tale of how the line of Lycans started. Just go to bed" he started

"I don't want bedtime stories Eli. I want the truth"

"Okay. It all started here over 250 years ago. During the time of the slave trade. Everyone knows about the massacre of the leaders of Old Town by the British and the Leaders of Duke Town, all in old Calabar. But few if any know how. They were brutally murdered and mangled beyond recognition. It could not have been done by human means. Or even the wildest of animals known then."

"What did it? And how does it concern us?"

"Patience young one. In our local supernatural environment, we had shapeshifters. Back then it wasn't all foreboding of evil. The range of animals shifted into was wide. And even then, they took on the natural qualities of the animals. Haven't you ever wondered even with all your education, wolves are not indeginous to Africa, yet there you stand. One of the last werewolves in existence in Nigeria?" he paused.

"That massacre introduced the old calabar people to a beast above all they had ever seen. A force reeking of evil. The first of the wolves in Africa. Long story short, he allied with Duke Town and transitioned several of thier members to wolves. This lead to a rise in their military power and the slave trade prospered for them. The one catch was only born wolves could pass down the gene. The changed ones couldn't."

"Let me guess, so they gave the beast a maiden?" Matt asked.

"No, they never knew or needed it. See when a werewolf is in his active transforming years. Aging slows in addition to his abilities." He went on "while they revered the beast, they were also scared to him and had strong witches limit him once they had enough military power. The heart even of a beast can feel something. He did find love in the arms of a fair maiden. The hidden relationship produced a child"

"The child and his love were cast out to die in the woods or forest. A poor lady rescued them. The beast unaware gave up on life and stopped changing. Finally aging and dying. Soon that was the fate of all the others he changed.
The child grew and soon reports of a new beast began surfacing. His life was once again in danger. Hiding in the forests and never coming out. He was never seen. Duke town was never forgiven by Old town till this day. The search has been on for progeny of the Son of the beast. Till this day."

"If all the others changed died, how about me? How about my attacker today? You're not telling me the total truth" Matt said.

Eli looked down deep in thought. The boy was smart. But he knew enough. Enough for today

As he stormed out Matt stood on the street confused, he didn't even know where he was headed to. He just needed to get away from Eli and his bullcrap. Strangely he felt as though he was being watched but shrugged it off as paranoia.

He decided to get some cans of Orijin from the shop down the road and chill at the rooftop of their apartment block hoping no riff raff will be there smoking weed tonight.

Getting to the rooftop he smiled. No weed smoker. Who would have thought. As he set his cans down and sat down to pull his earphones out and listen to music the same eerie feel of being watched came over him again. He paused and scanned the area with heightened senses. Nobody.

He then relaxed and popped his first can and chilling in the wild vibes of Burna and thinking of the beautiful Beth and why she hadn't called him.
"Oh, well I'll just have to track her down" he thought.

At least her tatafo friend had left enough info indicating they were in the faculty of arts. That was a bleak start. But it was a start nonetheless.
---------------------------------------------------
"It's time" the one in the shadows thought.

The boy had good perception, he had to give him that. But he was yet to trust his judgement else he would have been discovered by now. The boy also lacked a certain finesse to his abilities.

Well, all those worked in his favour he continued thinking as he stepped out from the shadows behind the boy and waited.
---------------------------------------------------
Now Matt was sure it wasn't a feeling. There was someone behind him. He scrambled to his feet and turned back to face who was behind him, taking slow but sure steps away from him.

"Who are you" Matt inquired.

"Someone you don't know" came the reply in voice that had the character of a whisper, yet very audible, as if the owner of the voice had permanently lost his voice due to shouting too much but maintaining a deep quality to it. "And someone you do not need to know"

"You've been following me a while now" Matt asked

"You should probably trust your instincts more, it could have saved you" the figure replied "unfortunately, there will be no next time"

"What do you mean, what do you want with me?"

"With you, I want nothing. It is what you represent I seek to end"

"And what is that?"

The answer that he got shocked Matt. He didn't expect anyone to know of it and as the answer took him off guard, so did the action.

"Hope for the BloodLine" came the voice again.

This was followed immediately by a low growl, glowing red eyes and a punch so quick Matt didn't see it coming. It hit him squarely in the stomach and he feel to his knees in pain. If only the Idiot knew he wasn't in the damn Line. Well he had to fight for his life, if only to see Beth again. He had to live.

His pupils glowed blue and his fingers became claws as he dodged the next punch to his face. Trapping his opponents right hand and getting ready to attack he felt greater pain as the other hand connected with the right side of his face.

Eli was right. He should have listened were his last thoughts as he slipped into oblivion.

3.

That night back at Matt's
"Stupid boy, you never listen. What do you even need with school" Matt's guardian Eli screamed at him.

Eli was a wizened old man, whose long crooked nose appeared like it had been broken in a fight and never healed well. Dark meditative eyes and crease lines of worry and aging on a strong narrow face with a mane of white hair indicated a man who had been through a lot in his time and had the experience of a sage. However, all these belied the true strength that hid underneath.

"I never asked to be a part of this" he replied calmly. "The least I can do for myself is have a semblance of a life"

"And that involves going to listen to stories you do not need and writing exams and answering to weaklings?" the man spat.

"You need a lesson in humility" Matt shot back at him.

Eli had been taking care of him for as long as he could remember. Which was a long time now. Eli was his only family. He was told his family died in an accident. He still had his doubts and Eli never changed his story.

"I'm a realist. My instincts never fail. And believe me when I say I feel a certain darkness in the air" he said solemnly "when it comes down, we have to be ready. We have to find the last of the bloodline. And here you are going to school"

"We have been searching for years. No sign. It's over. Live with it. Your glory days are over" Matt said and stormed out.

As he stormed out. A dark figure in the shadows watched him intently and thought
"His foolishness will be the end of him"
As he followed Matt into the darkness
--------------------------------------------------

Beth got back home late that evening about just as it was getting dark after spending the rest of the day sitting physically in class but absent in mind. When the last lecture rounded up by five she didn't even wait to say her goodbyes to Steph and their new friend Rose who were now really getting along. She didn't want to hear them berate her for her unusual silence and find a way to link it up with Matt.

She got to a clearing with trees for shade and concrete seats the Nigerian campus way. She observed her surroundings and saw a lot of people in pairs and for a minute almost felt a pinch of jealousy but set her mind back to her task.

Matt.

She began searching for the paper with his number but try as she could. It was nowhere to be found. Not in of her trouser or shirt pockets or her cursed handbag. She turned out all the contents of her bag, turned her pockets out, checked hidden parts of the bag, opened her notes page by page and even went as far as searching her make up kit. Still nothing.

Throwing everything haphazardly into the bag, she screamed out in frustration drawing quizzical looks from people around as if questioning her sanity. They were the least of her problems as she kept a blank expression and rushed off in the direction of Tasties.

Getting to Tasties she met another dead end. The staff had changed shifts and besides if she had left any paper it would have been swept away by then. She left dejected and dragged her feet walking slowly to the school gate where she got a cab and several cabs later had navigated the evening traffic of Paradise City to get home.

Her mom was still on the evening shift and had some errands to run before getting to work so she left early. At least that was what the stick it note left on the fridge said. More importantly it also said there were different kinds of soup in the fridge. But Beth had no appetite for food.

All she wanted was Matt.

sammyendowed:
nice story line going here, I gat ur back.

Thanks bro.

Hey guys

I'd like you to check out my story and contribute constructive criticism to help better my art.

https://www.nairaland.com/2987196/bloodlines

Thanks

Hey guys

I'd like you to check out my story and contribute constructive criticism to help better my art.

https://www.nairaland.com/2987196/bloodlines

Thanks

Hey guys

I'd like you to check out my story and contribute constructive criticism to help better my art.

https://www.nairaland.com/2987196/bloodlines

Thanks

Two more boring lectures later and she and Steph were on their way to Tasties, an eatery on campus to grab lunch. One girl overhead them talking about it and asked to join. She introduced herself as Rose. So off they went, three hot girls leaving a trail of turned heads behind them.

Getting to Tasties, Beth was about to pull the door and step in when suddenly the door swung open and hit her squarely in the head. She was falling and felt a pair of hands catch her and help her up. Whoever owned the pair of hands lead her inside and was apologising profusely as Steph and Rose finished him with mouth as expected.

She finally came to and looked at the guy in question. Gosh he was cute. She couldn't tell his exact height since they were seating. But the clean haircut, chiselled chin on a square face and deep set eyes and low cheekbones and that he looked vaguely familiar were all she could concentrate on till he tapped her.

"Excuse me, can you hear me?"

"Sorry" she said coming out of her reverie. "the knock was quite hard" she lied.

"No I'm the one who should be sorry, I'm so clumsy. I should have been looking" he said.

"It's okay" she replied still staring.

He looked up and caught her and she blushed crimson.

"I'm Mathew by the way, most people just call me Matt. You?"

"I'm Elizabeth, Beth for short".

"This is stupid and forward" he said. "But I was in a hurry as you must have seen, but I'd like a chance to say a proper apology. Say we could see sometime?"

Inside she was seething. Imagine the nerve. Him don see chick now. But outwardly she smiled " give me your number, I'll see if I'm still pissed off enough to need an apology"

He scribbled his number on a piece of paper handed it to her and left saying
"Hope you don't take this the wrong way, but I really wish you're pissed off enough"

As soon as he left Steph and Rose descended on her with teasing. But all the while she was silent deep in thought about where she could have meet him earlier as he didn't seem to recognise her.

"After all my search, Beth na you finally don find fresh guy today" the way Steph spoke betrayed her affluent background.

"The guy is sha fine" Rose concurred.

"Anyway see as the guy get nose like you. Him fit be your cousin from your Mama Papa Uncle side" Steph joked.

"I'll kill for him if so" Rose said joining in.

Then it hit her. What Steph said hit her harder the door hit her.

Matt looked like the guy from her dream last night.

Sh*t was getting real. Now she was scared.

2.

She had been having this particular dream since turning eighteen four months ago. Initially she dismissed it has her over-active imagination at work. But the dream never stopped. Each night the same dream.

She was too scared to tell anyone before the whole witchcraft angle will come into it. She didn't have energy for that one. Mother would not let her rest she told her about the dreams.

Tonight, however there was something added
about the dream. She had never seen through the eyes of the beast and it shocked her to see that who the beast was chasing wasn't her or at least wasn't her body and finally she or whoever she was actually did transform too. She needed answers. And she needed them quick.

Pushing those thoughts to the back of her head she looked on to the bright side. The whole registration bullcrap at school was done. Lectures were finally starting. At least they would be cute guys to distract her from all this.

After finding sleep to no avail, dawn finally came and she stood up exhausted rather than refreshed and set out preparing for school. Blazing Ed Sheeran's album X and singing along as she went about being a girl.

Looking at herself in the mirror she smiled. She totally killed it. She chose to go denim that day. With a jean hugging her and a white top underneath a blue denim shirt and black sneakers to round off. She was about 5'7, and had a body built to kill sculpted by her years running in secondary school. She had this sexy in a Rihanna kind of way thing going for her.

Her mom was a nurse and was on the night shift she was the only one home. She left home early to not miss the first lecture. She just couldn't.
Anyway, for the most part the day turned out to be less than she expected. She meet up with her friend Steph early in the morning and they found themselves a seat at the back of the class in a typical back bencher fashion. Steph was sha a tatafo and started checking out the guys and running a commentary on them.
"
Look at the guy in the white shirt, that beard is killing sha" Steph said

Before Beth could reply she had turned to another.

"Ohh, what wouldn't I give to get under Mr. Nerdy muscle's shirt and feel those abs" she said pointing at a guy in glasses.

"Oya Steph, e don do for you o. You no fit see fine boy carry eye?

"Why, why" Steph said. "When boys dey look me from back I dey complain? Lemme joor" and she continued on her shameless checking out while Beth provided an able listening ear and occasionally chipped in when a guy was remarkable.

Sha finally the lecturer bundled himself in at about eight twenty for an eight am class, rattled an apology and on went the glass. After the lecture one lousy guy claiming class rep came to make announcements. The class wasn't really mingling yet sha. It was like everyone was sizing themselves up.

She was out of breath. She had been running for at least twenty kilometres, she didn't know where the strength or endurance came from. She was tired but kept running. She just had to. Her life depended on getting way from who or what was chasing her. She didn't know why it was after her or how she started running from it. She couldn't say if it was man or beast. It was something. Something terrible.

She looked back, it was gaining on her. Damn it was fast. That only meant she was also that fast to have evaded it for so long but she did not understand how.

The beast wasn't clearly visible to her. It was huge and the sounds it made couldn't be described in known words. It was a primal guttural sound of a killer out to devour it's prey. Tonight she was that prey.

Suddenly the ground started to give way in front of her as if dividing into a rift and she had to slow to a stop. It was difficult given her speed but she barely escaped not falling over the newly created cliff.

She turned back to face the monster. The normal response to fear is fight or flight. It seems flight had been taken off the table. Looking straight at it. She took in its features. It was huge, over eight feet tall and commensurately large. It stood like a man but had the face and body of an animal with bent hind limbs and fore limbs with menacing claws. The face was like a dog of sorts, the Alsatian breed. It had large canines and it's eyes had a red glow.

Suddenly it was like could see through it's eyes. But what she saw shocked her because while the body she was now seeing through the eyes of the beast felt like hers and reacted as hers what she saw was a young boy, no older than 22 perhaps with sharp handsome features. What shocked her most was that his eyes also had the same red glow to it. It lasted barely a split second and she was back to herself in the boy's body.

The beast seemed taken aback for a second following the encounter. It looked up and howled wildly into the night as if preparing to attack but never moved. Suddenly she felt her eyes hurt.

Her backbone cracked, her fingers became claw like. Her jaw extended, legs cracked. Hairs growing out of her body. All these happened slowly and the pain was excruciating as the tried to resist was what happening to him/her.

Then there was a moment she could swear she heard the beast talk directly to her almost telepathically. All it said to her was "give in"

And she did.

Gave into the change and howled into the night just like the beast before her had done.

As she/he howled she woke up screaming and her bed drenched in enough sweat to turn a desert into a forest.

It had been a dream. A very bad one.

This is my first attempt at writing for public consumption. I'll appreciate constructive criticism and feedback to help better my art. Thank you.

Disclaimer
All the characters and events described in this story are purely fictional and an resemblance to real persons or incidents is purely coincidence.

Copyright Notice
This work is original intellectual property of the author "Jjagz" who has sole rights over it. No portion of this work shall be reproduced in any form of media without the express permission of the author.
Thank you.

Coming out of ghost mode. Well done Tiff.


































But I'm Oliver Twist




























Is it just me



















Or does anyone see a story in Jake the rogue and Maureen??


Just saying






















In other news, Tiff is the BOMB!