Lykos-Apocalypse Ch. 2
Lykos Apocalypse
Ch. 2: The Full Moon Summit
Coulter Dark Claw
Io sat at the table enjoying his Chai. They'd gotten it right this time. He relaxed as he surfed the web from his phone. His last class of the day had been canceled. He had about an hour before he needed to go home.
He looked at the headlines in the day's news. The top story made him raise an eyebrow. ***Breaking: World Leaders Meet In Three Days to Discuss the Lycon Problem***
He looked up Mikey's number and pressed call. "Hey bud, how goes it?"
"You see this? 'In an announcement Monday afternoon Chief of White House Correspondence Michael Renaud told reporters that the government is well aware of the hot button issue of Werewolves, their existence now confirmed thanks to a worldwide partial genocide of one of the races of werewolves that occurred on Saturday, April ninth. He says that the Prime Ministers of the Commonwealth Nations and the UK will meet alongside the President, the German Chancellor, and several other nations to discuss what to do about these newfound peoples and how to move forward. As of yet, any correspondence from representatives of the wolf packs has been nonexistent except to confirm their existence...' The report is a piece of bait Mikey. What is Ino's plan? Ignore it?"
"She wants us to stay quiet. She's going to talk with each of the wolf packs for which she is responsible and discuss what to do."
"We need to be there, Mikey. One keeper and one wolf from each nation should be there to represent us."
"And let me guess you want to be one of those alphas? Io, do you realize how crazy that is?"
"As silly as it sounds, 'No taxation without representation' they shouldn't be allowed to make decisions involving us without our being there. At least a few of us."
"I agree, but do you understand the first thing about world politicking?"
"Uh..."
"I thought not. Io, I love you, buddy, but think more seriously. Us young bucks are gonna have to rely on the old wise ones on this. It sucks, I know, but it is the best thing for us."
"I know...I just wanted to be a part of something, y'know?"
"I know, but seriously, we have a few more pertinent issues to deal with here. Ezekiel for one. Marc and Chris for another. Finally...Quand marieras-tu mon frère?"
"...And there it is! The question that I've been waiting for. Quand je me sens prêt. Je m'accouplais déjà avec ton frère, mon ami. Nous sommes une paire accouplée déjà. Je ne vois pas pourquoi je nécessite marier ton frère quand il et je sommes déjà accouplée. Seriously, Mikey, I'm mated to your brother. What else do you want from me?" <--When I feel ready. I mated with your brother already, my friend. We are a mated pair already. I don't see why I need to marry your brother when we're already mated.-->
"A friggin' wedding. I know to a wolf it may seem pointless, but to me and our parents, we'd like to see Henri get married."
Io shook his head. It felt like no matter how many times that he talked with Mikey, he always brought up a wedding. It had gotten to the point of just being routine when talking with the French mage. "Je ne peux entendre à cet un moment plus. À bientôt, mon ami."<--I can't listen to this a moment more. Until later, my friend.-->
"Non, nous nécessitons parler sur cet. Ne raccroches avec moi, monsieur!" <--No, we need to talk about this. Don't you hang up on me, sir!-->
"Je fais quoi je veux, et tu connais cet."<--I do what I want and you know this.--> Io finished and proceded to hang up the phone.
In the instant that he put his phone in his pocket he looked up and there was Mikey sitting in the seat across from him at the café. "Nous avons cette conversation en une façon ou une autre. Suis-je clair?"<-- We are having this conversation in one way or another. Am I clear?-->
"Cristal. Comme j'ai dit, je ne vois pourquoi je nécessite marier ton frère. Je comprends que tes parents veulent un mariage de moi et Henri, mais nous avons eu un mariage en les traditions des loups-garous. Les traditions des loups-garous sont un peu plus simples, mais elles ont chaque peu des signifiances comme ceux des humains. Vrai, Nous n'avons anneaux, mais le lien que nous avons est tout fort, si plus fort, comme les liens des humains. S'il te plait, pouvons-nous seulement laisser seul?" <--Crystal. As I said, I don't see why I need to marry your brother. I understand that your parents want a wedding of me and Henri, but we've already had a wedding in the lycans' traditions. The traditions of the werewolves are a little simpler but they have just as much significance as those of the humans. True, we don't have rings, but the bond we have is just as strong, if not stronger, as the bonds of humans. Please, can we just leave this alone.-->
"Je suis désolé, mais non, ne pouvons pas. C'est seulement une cérémonie. Quoi est le problème?" <--I'm sorry, but no. we cannot. It's only a ceremony. What is the problem?-->
People were staring at the two of them. Intently. By the look in the eyes of some of their onlookers Ioannes could tell they weren't among a crowd of stupide américaines, as much as he wished it were so. Some of these people understood what he had been saying well enough to gape. He gave a look to Michel and got up slowly. He left his chai and went out the back door to the café. Io whispered, "Le problème est que je ne suis un homme. Je suis un loup. Je dois pouvoir vivre ma vie comme un loup. La même peut être dit d'Henri. Il n'est pas plus un homme. Nous nécessitons être traités comme loups. Quand tes parents comprennent ça, nous serons plus heureux. Parlons plus à la maison, s'il te plaît. Je pense que certaines personnes comprenaient notre conversation en que café."<-- The problem is that I am not a man. I am a wolf. I should be able to live as a wolf. The same can be said of Henri. He is no longer a man. We need to be treated as wolves. When your parents understand that we will be happier. Let's continue at the house, please. I think that some people understood us in that café.-->
"T'es sûr?" <--Are you sure?-->
"Oui." <--Yes-->
"Alright. Well looks like the secret's out. Ugh. I need to inform Ino. I need t--"
"--Stop. It was bound to happen sooner or later. We will see how people react as the information spreads, Michel. They know now that we exist. Let's see how they react when one of their classmates turns out to be one."
***
As they rounded the bend, Marcus saw a camera crew out front of the den. He looked over to Christian. "Why's there a camera crew at our house?"
"I...uh...don't know. Let's check it out." Christian replied. He scented the air continuously as Marcus drove the convertible as slowly as he could without stalling the muscle car. "Ioannes and Henri are there. I can't smell Dick or James. I know Jared is having dinner with his family. So wonder where they could be?"
"I smell 'em too. Let's go tell Io we're home." He said as he took the keys out of the ignition before getting Christian to help him put the roof up on the car. They walked up past the news vans and crowd of reporters and finally made way to Ioannes who was standing on the porch looking wide-eyed at the pure amount of attention the house was getting.
"Lucia Jimendez, Chanel four news, Mister Lycaonagius, we have a few questions for you. Firstly, how long have you been hiding in Fort Collins? Secondly when did you become a Lycan?"
The reporter looked expectantly at the young alpha and held the microphone in his general direction. Io looked about as dazed as Marc felt. Did she really just say that on the news? "Uh...uh...uh..." was Io's only response.
Henri squeezed his shoulders, "What my mate means to say, is that the Lycaonagius family came over from Greece five generations ago. They've lived in Colorado for as long as Io here's been alive and much longer. As far as when Io became a wolf, well he was born one. He bit me so that I may enjoy my life beside him as his equal. To answer the next question: Yes you are all safe here. None of the riff-raff that caused the incident seen on Saturday are in any way associated with us. To answer the next question no. Not everyone will become one of us with the bite. The options are death, us, or them. It's up to the wolf and you. We will not change people willy-nilly. It is dangerous. Now please leave us in peace. Thank you." Henri finished before turning him and Ioannes around and leading them into the house.
Marcus walked in quietly behind them. He turned to the reporters before saying, "Leave now. Please. I'd rather not cause an incident." And then closing the door, letting the subtle threat hang in the air above the reporters.
***
Horsetooth was always beautiful this time of day. The sun was setting and the orange fire of the sunset backlit the rock and shimmered off the water in a way that made Ricky sigh deeply as he lay naked atop his lover. They lay in a part of the reservoir that was barely occupied by visitors. Richard's knot sat swollen in his mate's ass as he lay atop him. He could never quite get over the serenity of this place. The landscape just made him want to paint. That, though, was Jared's department. "You good, Jimmy?"
Some shuffling below revealed James' hand giving Richard a thumbs up. Ricky chuckled. "I'm good, Dick." James responded.
Ricky growled at the name. "Don't push it, love. I will ride your ass again twice as hard. You know that."
"Oh really?" James asked snidely.
"Or I could just pull out and rip you in half. Your choice."
James just started laughing hysterically. The five-two lycan upon his back harrumphed. James could be a bit of a size queen in some senses. He couldn't get over how short his mate was. So any reference to size always made the taller of the two just start laughing like an imbecile. Ricky tugged back against James' anus with his knot and got a groan in response. "See, mister size queen. Mr. Not-So-Tall isn't so small. Is he?"
"Pull out, then. We gotta get home soon anyways. You know our healing will make it so I'm all better by the time we park behind the 'stang."
Ricky sighed dramatically, "Okay..." He pulled out and heard James scream out in pain in a sharp burst. Ricky grabbed his pants and donned them before throwing James his khakis and started heading to the car. "You're a masochistic dipwad as far as I'm concerned. And for some reason I love you all the more for it," As they arrived at the car Ricky gave James a glare that could kill the Queen.
James laughed, "That will never hurt me. Never scare me. Never make me back down, love. It makes the little imp look so cute," before getting in the car.
Richard grumbled before getting in the driver seat of his Corolla. He turned to double check that James was being responsible and had put his seatbelt on. When he turned, though, he received a massive kiss on the lips. Moaning and leaning into it, he returned and deepened it with a vigor. They kissed for a good five minutes, swapping spit and wrestling tongues. They started changing and before long their tails were out and wagging full force. As James broke the kiss he smiled. "We do need to get back. Io will call us before too long."
"Yeah...yeah." Rick said and turned the ignition. The little four-banger hummed to life. Making absolutely no change in the roll of the vehicle. Rick missed the Mustang. He loved riding--or driving--in the beautifully restored muscle car that Marcus had built. He put the miserably underpowered Japanese car into drive and accelerated down the stretch to exit the reservoir. He looked at his dash clock and read seven forty-five. "Shit! We need to be home fifteen minutes ago. Ioannes will kill us."
"Relax. Don't get us a ticket." James chided.
***
"General, sir, the computers have finished their threat assessment, sir. As far as these therianthropes go we needn't worry about the ones who are communicating with us. It's the ones that used to be direwolves, sir. They are...shall we say...disturbed. They are unstable at best. Considering their abilities, sir, we suggest elimination of the threats."
General Devereaux looked at the lieutenant and laughed, "I hope you aren't serious, Lieutenant. 'Elimination of the threats' sounds a whole lot like genocide to me. Quarantine won't help either. That's askin' for trouble."
"Then what do you suggest we do?"
A new voice came from behind the general, "I have an answer for that..." The voice came with a presence. Not a dark presence per se, but a presence just the same. He carried with him a long turquoise staff. Straight and long. It was obviously metal, but it had been styled after a wood of some sort. It seemed to glow internally. The stranger just sighed as he struck the staff upon the ground. "Good bye, General. Good bye, officers. When next we meet I hope Hades has smiled upon your soul."
With that said, a large concussive blast radiated out from the staff. The unknown man sat unaffected in the center of it all and watched as the officers were sent flying with the force of the blast. Those sitting in front of their computers were thrown through the screens as they, their desks, and their chairs flew through the air and into the wall. The windows in the office building were blown out as were the screens of the many monitors that had been on the wall.
With the concussive force abated. The stranger walked among the wreckage checking for survivors. When he found none he dropped a single lotus flower atop the mangled remains of the general's body. Then with a tap of his staff on the ground he disappeared without a trace.
As the man appeared in an alleyway fifteen hundred meters away from the office building, he pressed his finger to a hidden earpiece and said, "It's done. They were assessing us as a military threat. They came to the conclusion of elimination. I believe these Airmen were the only ones who knew of the threat assessment's results."
"Twenty, sir. Twenty are dead. I really hated this assignment, sir."
"I know sir. It's just. I have great respect for these men and women."
"The four winds blast."
"Of course not, sir."
"Yes sir. I'll rendezvous with the team in an hour."
"Thank you sir." With that last response the unknown man with his turquoise staff melted into the shadows, as the fire patrol sirens became louder and more insistent.
***
"First responders were baffled today when they found an office suite in the northern corner of the Pentagon blown up. The force of the concussive blast that caused the explosion killed all twenty of the Air Force Officer staff that were in the room at the time. One of those killed was Air Force General Aaron Devereaux and his youngest son, Air Force Lieutenant Jared Devereaux. The body of the general was found with this lotus flower on top of the remains. It is unknown what significance the lotus has at this time."
Michel stared at the screen and before he even knew what he was doing, he heard Petra's voice on the other end of the line. "Yes, Michel. What can I do for you?"
"You can explain why the Golden Lotus was sent to the Pentagon."
"He was needed. Is that all you wanted to know?"
"You realize that making an enemy out of the United States Military is about one of the biggest mistakes you could make."
"I do."
"Then why? Why kill these airmen?"
"They were about to try and start genocide of your brother's people."
"And that warrants wanton murder?"
"Note the deaths. Michel, the only room and the only people destroyed were those in that office. They were tasked by the president with finding out what to do about 'our little furry problem'. We couldn't sit idly by as the world's most powerful man descended on a path to genocidal sociopathy."
"So to stop that from happening you murder twenty members of the US Military to silence a threat assessment which by the way I know said we weren't a threat. Those of us who are actively communicating with the government are not a threat. Why, Petra, would you of all people try and stop the president from hearing exactly what he needs to hear?"
"H...how did you know?"
"Petra, my magicks aren't as limited as yours. I am simultaneously tapped into every important person's subconscious mind and I keep track of the important information which goes through their sensory pathways."
"Why? Why would you do that?"
"To stop an insanely naïve woman who happens to be in charge of the only source of good magicks left in the world from doing something stupid."
"How dare you!"
"AM I WRONG?! Petra, they were about to propose an alternative to mass genocide or quarantine. The general was about to suggest working with us at rounding up the wolves who used to be dires and institutionalizing them at an already established special facility."
The squeak of guilt that escaped the thirty-year-old Irishwoman's mouth was laughable. "Y...you are serious, Michel. Remind me again why you aren't where I am?"
"The tenants of our organization say that true wisdom comes with age. You are now the oldest Shepherd left in the organization. Therefore, you are according to our bylaws the new leader. I'm sure you will hear from Ino in a moment. She won't be too pleased with you. Remember our place, sister. We are a part of the keepers. We are not above or below them. You may be the Megálo Poiména for the moment, but believe me, you do not want to cross a woman as strong as Ino. Call the Golden Lotus. Tell him to turn himself in. Make sure he cuts all ties with the organization. Understood?"
"We'll lose our only assassin."
"The only assassin? Why did we even have assassins in the first place?"
"To be honest Galicia never once explained that to me."
At that moment Henri came into the room, took one look at the TV, and saw the expression on his brother's face. "S'il te plait, Michel, dites-moi que les Pasteurs ne sont responsibles pour cette atrocité. Je ne peux comprendre pourquoi la grande pasteure a permis cette à passer. S'il te plaît, dites-moi qu'elle n'ordonnait cette pour passer." <--Please, Michel, tell me that the Shepherds weren't responsible for this atrocity. I cannot understand why the Megálo Poiména has permitted this to happen. Please tell me that she didn't order this to happen.-->
"Elle a." <--She did.--> The look Michel gave his brother was one of extreme pain.
***
"Welcome, World leaders, Alphas, Keepers. We are here today to make peace with the knowledge of our new world. We are here to write international law concerning treatment of lycanthropic peoples and those who protect them. Despite what was revealed a short time ago at the Pentagon bombing, we still believe that humans and werewolves can live in peace. This is why we are here." The president looked around the many tables in the UN building. At each table was a world leader, a lycan, and a keeper. The number astounded the president. At his own table sat a lycan that had been chosen by one of the lead keepers in America. Hoping to represent all American Lycans to the best of his ability. The Lycan in question was one Peter Lykaonagius. Ioannes' father sat at the table stunned at this amazing once-in-a-lifetime situation. The large Slavic lycan just sat and listened as the President said a few more words, "Today, we will hear from many Human and Lycan alike and their concerns. Today we will start with Peter Lykaonagius."
Peter stood and walked to the podium. He was extremely nervous, yet he knew that this was necessary. Knew that unless he did his part the whole world would descend upon his kind. He walked the final steps and stood behind the podium, "Welcome everyone. You know this year will mark the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Second World War? May 8, 1945. Six years of fighting in Europe came to an end. Germany had officially surrendered to the Allied Forces. The good. The bad, Hitler was a mad man and had shot himself. The ugly. During the twelve years of his reign, Hitler had relentlessly persecuted the Jewish population of Occupied Europe. All in all he killed six million Jews. Eleven million people in total died in the event we now know as the Holocaust. One-point-one million children lost their lives to a genocidal sociopath. Why did this happen? Why did the people of Germany allow this to start? Why did Hitler succeed in killing so many? The answer is human ignorance and xenophobia. Hitler used that to his advantage as he used propaganda to paint Jews as less than; as something other. Once he'd done that--once he had convinced people that Jews were something other, they turned a blind eye. By singling out the Jewish population and turning them, in the eyes of the German public, into something less than human, Hitler granted himself permission to do inexcusable crimes against humanity.
"This is something that everyone learns and understands. This is something that I was very familiar with as I came to America from St. Petersburg. I had seen the codes tattooed on people's arms. I had seen scars. I had seen Dachau. I had seen Bergen-Belsen. I had seen Auschwitz with my own eyes. A single mad-man had convinced an entire country to kill millions. He convinced them that there was a 'perfect German' and that any anomalies were to be persecuted. Gays, Bis, Transexuals, Blacks, Jews, Gypsies, handicapped persons, anyone who did not fit into Hitler's ideal was persecuted, killed in the name of the Third Reich.
"Why am I talking about this? Why am I digging up a seventy-five year old skeleton and putting it on display? George Santayana once said that 'those who do not remember the past are doomed to repeat it.' And I see a few possible futures ahead of us. I wish to prevent one of those futures from happening. I worry that human ignorance and xenophobia will raise its ugly head again. I worry for my kind. I worry that one of your successors will use us the same way that Hitler used the Jews and actually annihilate my people. I worry about losing my rights. The rights so many humans fought and died to protect, because I turn into a giant wolf twelve nights out of the year. Let us prevent that future. Let us show the world that humans are capable of acceptance and sharing their world. Please join me on the path to cohabitation." With his speech delivered he looked upon the delegations and watched their eyes. Those who understood what it was he was speaking about. Those who knew his fears. Those who lived them. They stood and clapped slowly as Peter descended the stairs to sit beside the president.
The president patted him on the back and let a single tear roll down his cheek, "Touching speech. Very touching. Maybe a tad heavy for today, though."
"It needed to be said, sir."
"I agree." The president sighed, "The road for your people gets very bumpy up ahead, Peter. I understand your fears. I hope to address and mollify that fear."
"I hope you succeed sir. For Io's sake I hope you succeed."