Brotherhood of Cain (Werewolf/Mafia)

Chapter Two: Useless Things Are Killed *

"I never lie because I don't fear anyone. You only lie when you're afraid." - John Gotti

Chapter Two

8 Years Ago

 I looked over the broad field that spread like a deadly parasite across the vastness of the Croft Woodlands. Wind rippled through the grass and dashed along my face. My head fell back, savoring the crispness that spoke of winter's approach. The sun had left in favor of nicer lands, leaving the dark to its rightful predators. The predators in question stalked through the grass below me.

A blurred shape rushed into the meadow where I stood. Breaking into the moonlight, the fawn-colored wolf carried the carcass of a rabbit in its mouth. The wolf was unperturbed by the extra weight and slowed down fifty-feet away from where I stood. Its tail hid between its lean legs and its ear dropped to rest against its neck.

I kept my eyes on the wolf, watching every move he made religiously. The pack galloped across the clearing and whizzed through the old trees. They gave the hill I was perched on a wide berth. We were wolves by different standards. Natural wolves didn't require the separation, they didn't have packs by the hundreds, and they didn't slaughter humans mercilessly whenever the need struck. We still held their instincts though, the need to dominate the weak.

Besides the sly sound of fur brushing against scrub, the pack was silent. They would wait to howl, they would wait for my say. Never ones to remain idle, they had shifted into a form as natural to them as their ten fingers, their canine skins. Some of the wolves were small dashes of black, shifting into the night, while others were broad as horses, whipping across the land.

The wolf had finally worked up the nerve to get within feet of me. It dropped the corpse at my feet. It was a fresh albeit sloppy kill. I chose to excuse the juvenile sacrifice. I knew the child inside the wolf. The young boy had been working up the nerve to greet me all week. He was ready to start hunting as one with the pack. The greeting was necessary but the rabbit was ass-kissing.

His body shook with apprehension. And rightfully so, he was introducing himself to the alpha of one of the strongest packs in North America. I had two options: to reject him or accept him. I could choose the first and have the pack eat him alive, or I could accept him and he would emerge as another wolf in the Brotherhood of Cain.

The first was messy, messy enough that it had me leaning towards the second option. He had done nothing to offend me; he had no prior offenses and a healthy respect for authority. His parents watched anxiously from the shadows, muzzles held proudly in the air as they awaited my decision.

His eyes churned with very recognizable fear. For once, I wouldn't call him out on it. He was young and had seen the effects of my decisions. We might've had lethal abilities over humans, but we were much much harsher because of it. I wouldn't let one of mine run off on a tangent or decide to massacre another just because the wolf told him to. I gave no second chances. If was a liability now, he would be useless in the future. Useless things were killed.

His snout lifted as he padded closer to me warily. He was inches away from me and flinched back when I went to scratch my neck. With a very careful, very stiff lick, his tongue grazed my chin. He backed up immediately, body hunched, pointed ears down. I remained indifferent throughout his behavior, one could even say dead. My eyes didn't flinch and my body didn't move. I was steady even as the gigantic wolf offered himself up to me.

Lifting my head into the air, I let out a howl. It was unnatural to the human body. The sound too low and too rough for a human to imitate. However, it came freely from my throat. The pack joined in only moments after. Excited howls rose in a symphony that had my adrenaline kicking.