Lykos-Apocalypse Ch.1
Lykos: Apocalypse
Ch. 1
Coulter DarkClaw
The Lykaonagius family watched the telecast in their living room. It was completely silent. One would have been able to hear a pin drop were it not for the drone of the reporter. The press conference was on every channel. No matter which channels Katerine turned to--even the cartoon channels the kids enjoyed--the broadcast was the same. What she saw on the television screen scared her. Deeply. She wondered what her son Ioannes was up to at the moment. She hoped he was safely in his dorm room doing his homework. Not laying on the forest floor bleeding out like many of these children and young adults were on the screen.
Without even realizing she had done it, she was on her cell phone dialing Ioannes. It rang. And rang. And then voice mail. She looked at the phone before the monotonous text tone of her phone went off. ==In class, ma. Call you after, k?==
==Call me as soon as you can== she replied before putting the phone down and looking back up to the television. "Well this is bad. What are we going to do now Alexi?"
A large Slavic looking man raised his extremely bushy eyebrow at her, "What we've always done, love. Adapt. Survive. Continue His legacy. The man that Melaeneus, son of Lykaon was. The wolf he was shan't die with this family." He spread his arms at the three pups lying on the floor all facing the TV.
***
He walked out of the lecture hall numb. Io just couldn't comprehend what he'd just seen. It was the day after the Blood Moon and he felt lucky that his keeper was his mate's brother. The werewolf had just seen on the screen of the classroom projector hundreds of his kin and their keepers slaughtered. Blood strewn across hundreds of miles of carnage had seared its image into his head. If not for Mikey, he'd have been screwed. The kid had a way with magicks that he'd never seen before. He'd had so much power as just a twelve year old. Now he just oozed power. His magic, his control over the magical vail the gods had constructed to blind humans to the truth of demons and angels, was unbelievable. It was his outstanding magic that had saved him and his mate. Of course it wouldn't have been without the training of the Shepherds. The keepers of the Lycaonagius family were directly descendent from Nyctimus' disciples of yore. Strong in their control over the mist. They were true magicians. Not just Psychomancers as the other keepers seemed to be.
He had walked idly to the campus coffee shop where he immediately calmed. The press conference was on every channel. Every TV. He couldn't escape the broadcast that told him how screwed he was. Yet because of the calming scent of chai, coffee, espresso and the sugary syrups, he wasn't afraid. He was indeed calm. He walked up to the counter while pulling out his phone and turning it back on.
As soon as he did it vibrated. ==Call me as soon as you can==Mom; 2:15 Ugh. He had to call his mom. He ordered his vanilla chai with one pump of each, went and sat down in the back corner and sniffed. They'd put in more syrup than he'd asked for. Darn. Well he wasn't the type to complain. He'd just deal with his super strong latte and call his mother.
"Hey ma. Are you seeing the news reports?" He always got straight to the point with his mother. The way they spoke to each other they'd be talking for hours if he started with the niceties.
"Yeah. It's scary. How are you and Henri? Safe. Mikey kept you both safe, right?"
"Of course, ma. He is a magical prodigy, has been since he was just a kid. His skill with magic is a gift from Hecate herself." He replied idly. He heard the tension and panic in her voice, yet he couldn't help himself. For whatever reason even the keepers couldn't explain he was able to stay calm in even the most frightful of situations if he had any amount of cinnamon and black tea--chai--in his system.
It angered his mother to no end. "You realize how many werewolves lost their lives last night? You realize how many friggin' problems just arose? You realize that people know about us now. Know that we exist. Ino just called us to let us know that we'd be in more danger for the next couple of days than in all of the last thousand years. It's true. Humans aren't known for their understanding nature."
Io chuckled. She spoke truth. Yet he knew for a fact that there were exceptions to the rule. Henri was one of those exceptions. He'd fallen for the human so easily. It had been as if the Fates had wanted them to meet that day. He sighed remembering Henri's expression when he'd first shown him his true self. The shock, the fear, the fascination. It had been one of those moments where Ioannes really hated being a werewolf. True 'coming out' for him wasn't difficult due to his species latent bisexuality, but coming out as a wolf always scared him. It was the most intimately kept secret he had, he would never consciously reveal himself if he could. It was always difficult to process. It was always a frightening prospect. If werewolves were real, what other nightmarish legends of the humans could be real. He'd turned only four people in his life. With the exception of Henri, all had been to try anything to save that person from some form of imminent death. The reaction had always been the same. Shock, fright, fascination, realization, questions. If wolves were real, were the vampires of legend?
His pack was an eclectic group, yes, but they were his family. More so, sometimes than even his own biological family. His mate Henri was a pre-med student who was at times so studious that he would disappear in the library for days at a time. The omega was really quite an amazing artist, his personality was just so submissive that he wouldn't work as anything other than an omega. His head beta, was a large burly muscle head who spent more time at the gym than was really prudent. Yet, also somehow managed to maintain a B+ grade point average while taking an Electrical Engineering course load. He was also five years older than anyone else in the pack and had come back to college after a six year stint in the Marine Corps. The other three were all Computer Science majors. Extremely introverted, yes, but in the bedroom they were anything but boring. They all had some strange kinks that continued to amuse and excite the young Greek wolf.
"...he's coming up next week to inform you of the new 'rules of engagement' in this new world."
"Um...what" Io asked.
His mom chuckled on the other end, "How you ever managed to pass high school with that attention span I'll never know. I said Ezekiel's going to come up and see you. He's coming up next week. Be ready. Let Mikey know. He'll have to prep himself. Ezekiel isn't kind to new keepers. He may only be a keeper and not a true Shepherd but his psychomancy is extremely powerful. Don't let Mikey underestimate him."
"Alright, alright." Io relented, "He won't anyway. Mike's no slouch."
The disbelief was audible in her voice as she replied with a simple "alright then. Love you, Ioannes. Don't slack off in your studies," before she hung up the phone.
He sighed again. This time in relief. He loved his mother. But it was always the same thing. She treated him still as a lost pup. Coddling and belittling without any malice yet still hurtful. That was his mother.
He finished his chai and left the library heading toward the commuter lot. His mind continued to wander thinking of the next couple of months. Thinking of the multiple possibilities, he arrived at the car. He unlocked and got in. His car wasn't much, but it got him home; got him to school; got him to work. It did its job simply and unapologetically. He saw no point in using his family's funds--of which they had plenty--to buy a car that befit his status. He was perfectly content with spending as little money as possible. He turned the ignition and sped off toward his and his pack's house. He needed to get there before shit hit the fan. And knowing the kids the way he did, oh shit would hit the fan very soon.
***
The marine got off the treadmill he'd been running on during the news report. The weight of grief in his chest made him sigh audibly. He looked around for a clock before grabbing his phone from his pocket. Six in the pm. Ugh, he had planned a dinner with Christian--one of the three computer nerds in the pack. He'd been making moves toward getting something more serious going between the two of them. Yes they were packmates. Yes they'd had sex together. Yet he wanted less of a casual relationship, as they'd had now for over a year. He needed something more romantic.
He chuckled, "Man if the boys saw me now..." He remembered how his sergeant reacted like it was yesterday. Even if he'd only come out to them in the last year of his six years of service. It made him remember how the guys in his squad looked at him as he told them over a beer at the bar outside the base. The stunned faces and the smug ones. It always made him laugh when he saw such surprise. People never thought a muscle head would be gay. They all thought he'd be the 'bro' type. Super narcissistic and bigoted. Yet here he was. Completely, one hundred percent gay and proud.
He dialed up the messaging app on his phone and texted Christian ==LSC?==
He walked to the stairs that lead down to the main lobby, basket- and racket ball courts, the rock wall, pools, and the locker rooms. His phone vibrated in his pocket. He took it back out. Chr had replied ==Caninos? O.o==
He laughed. ==Sure. Be showered up and over soon. Wow I'll be sore tomorrow! Lol.==
==Lol. U and that gym! Ulterior motives much?!? Lol :p==
==Lol. Maybe <.< >.>. How's the CS thing comin?==
==Gawd!!!!!! Lol. For something that seems so simple telling a computer to do it is so frigging complicated. Omg!==
==lol. Need help?==
==nah, I'll get it.==
==K. gonna get in the shower now. Cya soon==
==lol. K.==
He put the phone in his locker and dropped his shorts and doffed his shirt. He grabbed his towel and sat down on the bench before draping the towel over his crotch. He then removed his boxers--never briefs--and threw them into his locker. He closed his locker donned the towel upon his waist and walked toward the showers.
***
He stood in front of Ingersoll hall at the end of the Academic Village line of dorms with his car behind him, headlights and engine on and running respectively. He was just waiting for the frosh to exit the damned building. This many people in one place made the elder werewolf nervous. The Mustang behind him rumbled quietly as he waited. He wasn't just nervous because of the number of people, but because he hoped he was gussied up enough for the younger wolf. He wore a black oxford shirt with sheer white tie and black slacks. The tie was tightly clasped to the shirt be a tie clasp with the three chevrons above crossed rifles of the Marine Corps sergeant. His rank before exiting after his six years. His beard was shaven and he'd cropped his hair in his Marine Corps standard cut. He'd brought a slightly less extravagant polo in case he was overdressed.
The young one came out of the building at last. He was an above-average 6'2" and more muscled than the computer nerd stereotype would lend one to believe. He was in a simple white oxford and wore a felt, black trilby with a feather in the strap. As he walked up to the 'stang the feather bounced with each of his footfalls in a rhythmic motion that caught Marcus's eyes. As he got closer to the car the marine--for there's no such thing as an ex-marine--walked up to meet and embrace the tall wolf in front of him.
"Hey, Marc. Night on the town? In this beaut of a car. Awesome. Does Ioannes know?"
"Hey Christian. Not necessary. He knows I don't actually have a mate yet. He's seen me eyeing you since the day you stepped foot on the campus," Marcus chuckled, "He doesn't need to know the details."
Christian canted his head to the side and shrugged, "True. Ready?"
Marc simply stepped back did a little bow and opened the door. "Of course. Your chariot awaits, darling."
With an affected accent Christian responded, "Oh, Marcus, you're such a gentleman."
Marcus chuckled as Christian got in the car. He shut the door and walked around the rear of the muscle car before getting in the drivers seat. He put the keys in the ignition, pushed the clutch in to the floor and turned the key. The V-8 engine roared to life with such vigor that it actually caused the car to lean to the passenger side just slightly. Marcus threw her into first gear and gently let off the clutch and at the same time put feather-light pressure on the gas pedal.
Christian sat in the passenger seat and watched as Marcus babied the car to the stop sign. "What year was this again?"
"1967. Almost all original parts. Took forever getting her to this point."
"What was the hardest to restore?"
"For me it wasn't all that difficult, though the original carb had been rusted out. How that happened is beyond me. I ended up having to replace it. One of only five parts on the car that aren't original."
"Wow. Impressive." Christian commented as they pulled out onto Stuart. As Marcus shifted from first to second, Christian rested his hand on Marcus' for a split second, "not the only thing that's impressive." He added coyly.
Marcus chuckled again. This was going to be a fun night.
***
With Marcus and Christian out on their date, Ioannes just stared at the television thinking about what had happened the night previous. With everything that had gone on he'd expected someone, anyone to freak out. Yet, it seemed that everyone had dealt with and processed the events quietly and there had barely been any questions. He'd expected a bombardment but got one question from Henri: What would it mean for them? Would they be able to stay at school?
He answered affirmatively and was surprised how little the rest said. Henri came and sat next to his mate and started to massage his shoulders. "You know everything will be fine, my love. So why do you worry so?"
"Unfamiliar territory. I am the heir to the oldest name in Lycan history, Henri. Our brethren fought for our right to exist in the earliest days of Greece. When the gods still walked among men, my great-times-a-million uncle, was married to Apollo. I can track my heritage all the way back to Arcadia. To Lycaon--that ass of a man--and of course the founder of the Shepherds. Nyctimus. I don't want me to be the end of it, Henri." At this Ioannes broke down into tears, "I'm worried about my family. I'm worried about you guys. I'm worried what the government will decide to do. I fear the inevitable. I fear another situation like Germany. Like World War II and the Jews."
Henri hugged Ioannes tightly. The Alpha bawled his eyes out into his mates shoulder, finally letting the day's revelations sink in and take hold of his heart. The death. The sheer number of deaths is really what had gotten to the Greek werewolf. He felt responsible not just for his pack, for his family, or just the wolves in Fort Collins. He felt responsible for wolves the world over. He felt lost and he hadn't the slightest inkling of how to move forward. Yet he felt that he needed to say something.
It was that realization. That single thought that calmed him down. He realized that at least for now they were still citizens of their respective countries. They could have a voice. He sat bolt upright and looked at Henri. "I think I may have just saved our kind from extinction. Would you bring me the phone?"
Henri canted his head. "S...Sure. What's this about, my Alpha?"
"You'll see."