Liberation: Oscar's Story

Chapter 2: Pt 1

Oscar's mind went numb. A murder? He attempted to confirm with the wolf who had linked him in such a panic. He was still gripping onto Cai's convulsing body, but the vomiting Beta was the last thing on his mind. What's your name and position?

Egon, Alpha, the wolf readily responded. Sixth infantry number 87001. My position at the moment is five degrees at the south border.

Shit, Oscar scowled to himself. The south border, you said?

Yes, Alpha.

Shit, shit, shit. Oscar's mind was playing a wicked game with him, and suddenly, despite having only drank a glass of mild liquor, he felt dizzy. His large hand slammed against the wall for support and his eyes narrowed in concentration. He could feel the veins in his head pushing against his skin. Egon, I want you to remain there. Link for General Karsten immediately.

Sir, General Karsten is...indisposed.

WHAT? Oscar's impatience grew. What do you mean, he's indisposed?

A tremble wracked Egon's voice. H-He requested not to be disturbed tonight, Alpha. To go against his orders would lead to much trouble for me...

And to go against your Alpha's orders is alright? Oscar pulled Cai to his feet and released the stone wall he had grasped. A headache grew with every sentence Egon spoke. Egon, wake Karsten up immediately. Break the door down if you have to. This is serious and I won't let it pass through my borders so easily. His heart thrummed madly. A tiny, galling voice implanted in his membrane cackled gleefully.

An Alpha who can't even protect his pack, the voice sneered. Are you a wolf or a man?

Oscar scowled. His frustration escaped in the form of a punch, one directed at nothing in particular. His knuckles collided with a nearby lamppost and the noise around him came to a sudden halt. Dozens of eyes dug into Oscar's spine, including Cai's, who studied his leader oddly.

"Oscar? What's wrong?" Cai's hand fell on his shoulder. "What happened, Oscar?"

"There's been a murder," Oscar hissed through clenched teeth. "At the pack. There's been a fucking murder." His eyes darkened precariously and even though Cai had done nothing wrong, he still found himself to be the object of Oscar's glare. "Had I stayed home and done the work I wanted to, perhaps this wouldn't have happened."

Cai was nonplussed. "It could have," he said. "After all, you were on the verge of becoming a psychopath tonight." His stare hardened. "Who informed you of this murder?"

"Egon," Oscar said. "It's at the south border. I knew there was a problem at that fucking place." Guilt ate him up and the nasal voice in his head laughed louder. His nails dug into his palm; the pain was irrelevant.

"We have to go. Now." Oscar shot a glance at the club, its body still throbbing with life, then stepped onto the street. His shoes scuffed against the pavement as his body felt the full effect of the moon sink into his skin. A muscle tensed. A bone cracked. Every fiber of his being came to life with a howl that escaped his taut lips. His spine curved, his ankles rose, and just as the moon disappeared behind a curtain of gray clouds, Oscar's face changed, a muzzle and rows of deadly prongs enhanced by blankets of dark fur.

A similar black wolf appeared beside him, his nose twitching and eyes alert. Cai shot Oscar a look, the Beta's slightly smaller wolf seeming engulfed by the Alpha's presence.

"Let's go." Oscar positioned his feet and propelled himself down the road. Wind sifted through the coarse hair of his fur and pounded his sensitive nose, but the powerful wolf, relative to the Alpha King himself, continued fearlessly. Empowered by the moon's influence, Oscar felt surges of strength push him through the dense crowds and eventually into the thickets that safely hid his pack from the dangers of the other world. Roots and vines and leaves all grabbed and nipped at his skin, attempting to ensnare the Alpha in their thick claws, but Oscar resisted and pummeled through until, finally, he was able to sight the tall black gates of his pack. The scent of blood hit his nose immediately - it was no werewolf blood, and that only created more tension in his shoulders.

Egon was waiting for them at the entrance. The security guard was absent from the booth, which was where he stood, shaking and smelling like fresh blood. Egon was much younger than Oscar was -- a boy who was hardly a man. He was lanky but marginally well-built, a boy with angular features and wide, deep-set eyes that radiated the color of a perfect, clear sky. At eighteen, he was a rising figure in Oscar's pack and military, despite the Alpha often forgetting his existence. Egon was a boy who hardly stood out and never made an attempt to anyway. However, the blood-drenched, saucer-eyed boy seemed to be frozen like a statue, glistening in such a way that at that moment, Oscar decided that he'd be noticeable to almost anyone who saw him.

"Egon." Oscar shifted into his human form and, disregarding his naked appearance, rushed to the tight-lipped boy. "Egon, explain everything. Show me what happened."

"Oscar." Cai tapped his shoulder and handed him torn, old underwear and a shallow pair of sweatpants. Oscar nodded and quickly slipped the garments on. Egon remained silent.

"Egon." Oscar tried again, his heavy hands falling on the boy's shoulders. He noticed that Egon was trembling. "Egon, answer me. What exactly happened? Where are the victims? Are they wolves? Is anyone in the pack injured?"

Egon didn't speak. His eyes, his shallow, deep-set eyes, stared straight into the distance like he was paralyzed with horror. Every limb of his body was shaking but he spoke nothing at all. His silence irked Oscar, but the Alpha remained cool. 

--()--()--()--

Hey everyone!

What did you think? What do you think of Egon?