When we reached the village, neither of us spoke. Neither of us wanted to talk about it. We asked around, and finally found the hut where James and Ace where being hospitalized. “Hey, where ya been?!” James shouted. He was in rough shape, as his wings were clasped together like a cape, since he couldn’t keep them up, by the small thumbs on their ends. His arm was in a sling. He had many bruises and cuts. Ace didn’t look any better. His arm was also in a sling, and they cut had off a pant-leg up to his knee on one side. It was in a splint. “Uggh, where you been? Through a blender?”  But James didn’t notice. “Hey, I didn’t know you brought Vitara!” Ace said. He patted her head, and she purred contentedly. James tried to, but he went against her fur. Vitara shivered, and bit his finger. “Ouch! Hey! What’d ya do that for?!” James shouted. He mumbled something about him wishing she hadn’t made the fall. We knew he didn’t mean it, but Don and I still looked at each other, smiling nervously. “Dude, what happened to your arm?” I asked. Ace said, “well, it mighta been the fact that I landed on it, and I don’t have any wings, but it’s prolly just me.” I laughed. “Hey, why didn’t you guys get hurt?” he asked. I shrugged, and looked at Don. “Hey, who’s the one who woke up chained to a freakin’ raft?!” he said.

“You were chained to that raft so you would not harm anyone.” a voice said. It was Yhavane. “Who’re you?” Don asked. “I am Yhavane, how are you?” she asked, smiling widely. “I, uh, I’m Don.”  She laughed. “Oh, hello Don. But you were chained there because of the instrument in your head.”  “Oh.” Don said sadly. “No no no, the evil that once infected you is now gone. If you were to see any of the Trees of Light, the instrument would control you, and you would kill us all.” she said, somehow still sounding cheery. “It was programmed to make you use the gifts of Nehtrinoughe to destroy them, as that would signal that Annumreale inhabited the area. In fact, when Ebaele, our shaman, woke you up, the chip took action. If the medicine men had not given you a tranquilizer, you would have killed many with your gift.”

“Whoa, whoa, what gifts?” Ace said. “What’s she talkin’ about?” “You know,” Don said. “The weird, psychic thing. You know, I did it at your sixteenth birthday.” Ace thought, and then he remembered. “Oh yeah! You flew all of us around to the movies! It was great!”  What were the movies? I thought.  “Yeah...” Don said. He looked down, and Vitara looked confused at his change of mood. “Anyway, besides the obvious, are you okay?” Don asked. “Yeah. I broke a rib, but the trees really help. You shoulda seen yourself before you woke up. Your neck was all twisted n’ stuff, yeah it was cool.” Ace said. I instinctively felt my neck. I could feel bones sticking out awkwardly at the back of my neck. I shivered.

“Well, what about you?” I asked James. “Well, I got he skin on my wing torn, but that should be fine in a few days. Other than that, I just broke my arm.” “And you?” I turned to Don. “Well, I didn’t really fall,” he said, laughing nervously while Ace scowled. “I accidentally dropped Ace into a tree, then I remembered he, uh, can’t really...”  “Fly, is what you’re saying, right?” Ace said maliciously. “Uh, yeah!” Don said. “It’s fine, though. I play with my other hand anyway.” “What do you mean, ‘play?’  Play what?” I asked. “Ace looked at James critically. “You haven’t told him yet?”he asked blandly. “Well, I showed him my guitar, and you told him what rock is, didn’t you?” “Yeah. But you didn’t tell him we have a band?” he asked. “Well, you told him, didn’t you?” “Yeah, but he doesn’t know about the band. This is a problem.” “What? You have a band. Cool. What’s the big deal?” I asked. Even Don stared in disbelief. “Well, he’s only been in Lernalaban, like, one day. How could he know?” James said. “What are you talking about?!” I shouted. Ace sighed. “never mind. Where’s Naru?” I asked. “We don’t think he even got on the blimp with us. He’s prolly back at Lernalaban.” Ace said. Just as he said that, the wolf Annumreale walked in. “Oh, hey. You’re the one whose LIFE I saved, right?” I hissed. He turned to me, blue and green eyes staring maliciously. “You think you saved my life? You almost killed me.” he hissed.

“Well, you were floating in the water with black stuff coming out of you face, not moving. I don’t think you were doin’ that well by yourself.” he stared. “Follow me.” he said simply. He got on all fours, and darted out of the room. These little guys were fast. They moved like big squirrels, their arms leading the way in a big arch, and their tail following in the same way. I ran after, him, and he ran up a tree. I still couldn’t shake a wolfness about him. He seemed to be better fit to run on all fours than walk. I tried climbing up the tree, but it was too slippery. It was smooth, like glass. I finally got into the tree, and ran along one of the branches, following him.  He jumped down onto a branch and kept running. “Jesus, he’s fast!” I shouted to no one. I jumped down as well, but slid like the branch was ice. I finally found him. He was standing next to a small glass object sticking out of the ground. It had a writing on it, like the kind on my object. He stood silently.

 “Do you know what you are?” he asked. “Uh, a human?” I responded. “No. You are not.” “Um, yes I am? Are you okay?” I asked him. He turned. “Do you know where we are?” he asked. “No.” I said honestly. “We are at the temple of Forthrine, the mother of the moon shepherds.” I looked around. “I don’t see any temple.” I said. “Look down,” he said, still not looking at me. I did. There was nothing, simply branches. “I don’t see anything.” he turned his face solemn. “What is you full name?” he asked. “Uh, Beldas phredryk Threabaum.. Why?” “No. If you are the son, you are not.” “Well, what is my name?” I was getting angry. “Your name is Beldas Malembre Nysiir XIII, Son of the Father.” “Uh, my name isn’t that long.” “Yes it is. And did your companions tell you anything about elongated lifespan for you?” I remember when I first flew, James said I would not die unless I was killed. “Uh, yes?” “Do you know  why?” he said, still with his back turned. “No. Why?” I said. This was serious. “Because your life is a lie. You are not human.” “Well, what the hell am I then?!” I shouted. “You are a Lycanthrope, you fool!” he shouted. He turned, and he was holding a knife. He jumped at me. I had seen this little guy fight, and I didn’t want to get involved. I started to turn and run, but thwump!  I stopped. The knife was doused in a black, bubbly liquid. It also had blood. My blood. “Oh, God...” I whispered. Everything was turning, turning black. But I knew I wasn’t dying. I felt my bones shift, crack, getting longer, wider. I felt my muscles going into spasms, shaking, being pulled by millions of unseen hooks. But the worst was my spine. It seemed to rip itself apart at every vertabrae and clumsily send tiny shivers and convulsions, rattling my organs and bones. My mind was changing. I began to feel thing, smell things that I never knew existed before. My eyes, suddenly I could see. Like I was a blind man, and for the first time, I saw. I smelled, life, death, action, movement, everything. I was in hell. I felt an enormous pressure build up in my nose, and then a cracking, a ripping. My nose was being unwound, it felt hellish. That’s just were I was. I was in hell. For a time, I felt nothing. Nothing, simply a white, blank peace. Then it was gone. I was looking at the shiny crystal tree branch witch was supporting me. I breathed. It felt good. I stood. I was taller. I looked at the moons. En Liseba Muelnia, the Blue Tear, named so because of the many, tear shaped moons it possessed the largest moon Falacia had. They were the most beautiful things I stood up, and, with both hands, slid the knife out of my chest. I looked at it, and broke it between my fingers. I turned to look at Ebaele. He had not moved.

“So, now do you understand? You have been like this since you were born, as with your father, and his father before him. If you were put in mortal danger, to save the hope of this world, Forthrine, goddess of he moon, gave you this gift. You are not a human. Accept that. You are a Lycan, and forever you shall be one. Whenever you or someone whose death provokes enough emotion, you will become this.” I felt a tiny needle thud into my neck. I fell. I would wake up, and never be the same person again.