Chapter 16

Story and origin of Werewolves. 'What do you know about Werewolves?" Rita asked. Roxanne scoffed at the question. Was this some sort of joke? Why was Rita talking about something that had no bearing with the questions she had within her and the situation she was in. 'What kind of question is that? Just tell me-' Roxanne started to speak impatiently. 'It's an important question, just answer it. What do you know about Werewolves?" Rita's eyes focused on Roxanne, who was a bit confused by the question. But, after seeing the serious look on Rita's face, she decided to just give her an answer. 'Werewolves are people who have the ability to turn to wolves. Happy?" Roxanne said with dissatisfaction. 'I'm serious Roxanne. Is there anything else? Anything your parents told you? Anything you remember hearing or seeing?" Rita asked, drawing her face closer. 'N-No. I don't even understand how that is an issue here. Werewolves are fiction, okay? They're not real, unlike the predicament I'm currently stuck in" Roxanne expressed. Rita didn't reply. Instead, she rested her back and closed her eyes. She mumbled some words to herself, which Roxanne could not quite make out before she finally sat upright again. 'Okay, listen to me Roxanne. Don't be freaked out, okay? You asked about the identity of everyone here. The truth is… We're Werewolves. 'Werewo- Please stop joking with me! I'm serious here. Werewolves aren't real. That are-' 'Then what would you call the ‘thing' that chased you outside your home till you collapsed? Surely you don't think it was just your everyday animal, do you?" Rita asked her. This took Roxanne back to when she was running for her life in order to escape the black furred creature. She remembered it and spoke some words before she fell unconscious, though she didn't remember much else. 'T-That was…" Roxanne said, stopping midway. She couldn't explain what she saw, but that didn't mean she was just going to accept some crazy logic on werewolves. For all she knew it could be a new species or breed of animal, and the voice she heard? Maybe it was just in her head. Maybe she just imagined it. 'That was a werewolf, and a very strong one at that… Roxanne. We are all werewolves here. That is the truth" Rita confessed. 'No, no… W-Werewolves aren't real. Can you hear yourself right now? You sound crazy!" Roxanne said with disbelief. Rita sighed, unsure of how else to explain things to Roxanne. Then an idea appeared in her head, causing her to smirk. She stood up from her wooden chair and faced Roxanne with her now superior height. 'Watch this," Rita told Roxanne. She raised one of her hands and showed it to Roxanne. Roxanne stared at it emptily, not knowing what to make of Rita's demonstration or what to expect. Suddenly, veins started appearing in her arms as her hair grew longer and covered a portion of her hands. Her nails became longer and her palm became larger. Before she knew it the hands had become partly claws as they retained human form, but with a morphed look which resembled that of an animal… A wolf to be specific. Roxanne's eyes widened at the sight, taking in the unbelievable scene she witnessed with her vet's own eyes as her initial doubt began to fade away, slowly replaced by a new emotion she hadn't felt in a while… Fear, but at the same time wonder and amazement. She looked at Rita and saw her eyes glow yellow, something that wasn't present before. She also knew there was no trick to it since they had been together the whole time. 'Believe me now?" Rita smiled as she saw the look in Roxanne's eyes. Roxanne jumped from her seat and took steps back, apprehensive of Rita's beast-like hand. 'T-This is crazy. Omg, how did you do that?" Roxanne screamed, frightened but at the same time thrilled by the sight. 'It's okay, calm yourself. Look, it's fine, okay?" Rita said with a little laugh. 'This can't be real, can it? I mean… You just …" Roxanne stuttered. 'It's real. I'm a werewolf, that's how I'm able to do this… That's the truth, you can deny it all you want but it's the truth nonetheless." Rita said. 'Unbelievable…" Roxanne mumbled, watching Rita's hands morph back to regular size. 'It's called Partial Transformation, a skill we possess" Roxanne was lost for words. She didn't know what to believe. She had undeniable proof that Rita was something more than human. But calling her a Werewolf was far too extreme. 'Can everyone here do this?" She asked Rita with a curious look. 'No, not really," Rita laughed. 'It's a skill, you see. That means it takes practice. It's like saying every person has the potential to run fast. However, a person's speed and how far they can run is determined by how much time they invest in it and train. In that sense, individual skill differs. I'm one of the few who can control Partial Transformation to only a portion of my body without the help of the moon.," Rita explained. 'O-Oh… I see…" Roxanne said, not entirely understanding Rita's explanation, but excited nonetheless. She wanted to know more, so she went back to her seat and sat down, Rita doing the same as well. 'So you're saying everyone here is the same as the Werewolves I've heard about on Tv or read in books?" Roxanne asked. 'Well, I wouldn't call us exactly that. We are Werewolves of the Rockwood pack, one of the six factions in the entire Oregon Woods tribe" Rita explained. 'Pack? Tribe? I don't understand. Aren't all werewolves usually a group of some kind?" Roxanne asked. Rita laughed at Roxanne's words, making her feel silly for saying anything. 'Sorry about that. Ah, it's just that you're a bit wrong in that area" Rita said, still chuckling a bit. 'As Werewolves, we belong to different packs. A pack is a group of like-minded Werewolves who live together as a family. We are a community of friends who cherish each other and see the other as blood." She explained. 'But… As a Tribe, we do not share such sentiment. As I said, the Rockwood Pack is just one of the six packs in this region. There are five others like us, well… Not exactly like us." Rita said, adding the last part hesitantly. 'Our packs live separate from the other and we each manage our territory. This entire area of the woods belongs to us. The others have theirs as well… But do not be mistaken… We are not the same." Rita said with a tone of caution. 'Our tribe coexists and has formed an alliance, but it wasn't always this way. In the past, each pack fought the other and a lot of chaos filled the woods at the time." Roxanne's excited expression changed to exhibit shock and conflict. 'W-What do you mean? You're all members of the same race, why would you-' Roxanne asked. 'Why else?" Rita interrupted. 'For food, territory, power, superiority, revenge, fear… The endless and meaningless cycle continued for so long. Besides, aren't humans the same way? You fight over every single thing, even from time past." Roxanne thought deeply and ruminated on Rita's words. She wasn't wrong. Human nature was similar to the way she described the wolves. Maybe they weren't so different after all. 'So, what changed? How was everyone able to make up and coexist?" She asked. 'Everything changed with the appearance of one existence… The Wolf King." Rita said gravely. 'Wolf king? Hold on, like… That's a thing?" Roxanne asked with surprise. 'Yes, that's a thing," Rita smiled. 'Oh, okay. So… Who's this Wolf King guy? He sounds really ominous." Roxanne asked. 'The Wolf King first appeared in the war over a hundred years ago. He was a werewolf with unparalleled power and phenomenal strength. It is said that he single handedly subdued the Alphas of the other packs and proved himself to be the most superior in the entire region. After this, he unified the packs under a single tribe and ended the conflict" 'After his death, in order to prevent the same calamity that befell the packs, we decided to continue with the tradition, having the strongest of Werewolves compete to become Wolf King. That way, we have a symbol of authority which maintains the peace between the packs… That is the Wolf King, also known as the Grand Alpha" 'Sounds like the president of a union of institutions. It's strange how you guys are so similar to us in many ways." Roxanne said. 'Well, we are part human after all" Rita smiled. 'But, I'm confused… Just what is a Werewolf? Where do you guys come from? Who are you all really?" Roxanne asked. Rita grinned and raised her eyebrows in a playful manner. 'Come on, you can't just leave me hanging. You have to tell me." Roxanne said excitedly. 'First, let's exchange names. I just realised I don't know your name even though we've been talking all this while" Rita smiled. 'I'm Rita by the way" 'Roxanne. My name is Roxanne… B-But my friend calls me Roxy" Roxanne replied with an awkward smile. She had just met Rita, they hadn't spoken for very long and they hardly knew anything about each other. Yet… She felt like she could trust this woman. 'Nice to meet you, Roxy," Rita smiled. 'I-Is it okay to call you that?" She added as an afterthought. Roxanne laughed at the obvious slip Rita made and Rita also joined in the laughter. 'Sure you can. May I also call you Rita?" 'What else is there to call me? Roxy, you little…" They laughed heartily as they mutually realised that they enjoyed each other's company. 'Nice to meet you too, Rita" Roxanne said with a smile. Even though she was in a strange place, among strange people, learning strange things… She didn't at all feel scared at this moment. Because, despite everything she was going through… She felt like she was with a friend. And so Rita began the story Roxanne was so curious about… The story of werewolves and their origin.