"Papa, I would like to ask you something."

Hannah quietly approached her father. Never had she felt so nervous in all her life. She barely even knew him, yet every time she saw him, she could only struggle to keep her face from flushing. She dreamed of him many times at night. In her dreams, she was never frightened. She would always throw herself into his arms.... how she loved looking at his arms. He really was a beautiful boy.

It was such a shame that she hardly ever spoke a word to him. But in her mind's eye, she imagined him running his hands over her body.

She gathered herself. It wasn't the time to daydream about those things.

"What is it, Hannah?"
"I think I'm in love with a boy." She was nervously pulling onto her dress.

Isaac wanted to shout for joy, pick up his daughter in his arms, and dance with her right then and there, but he couldn't do that. Instead, he frowned.

"That so? Which boy? Out with it!"

Hannah quickly lowered her eyes. How foolish she had been to tell her father. He couldn't possibly understand.

"It's.... nobody, papa."

She turned to leave the room, but what her father said next stopped her dead in her tracks. It was something she had dreamed of hearing since she was a little girl. She had never dared to believe that she could love any man, aside from her father. After her mother died, she could only take care of her father, and dream of her wedding that could never be. Her eyes filled with tears of joy, and she happily skipped out of the room.

She would wait for him to come back from hunting. Then, she would tell him everything.

---------------

Isaac was giddy with excitement. He could barely contain the joy he felt for his daughter. Liek was a fine boy, and he would surely make an even finer husband for Hannah. Isaac slowly leaned back, and enjoyed the sun on his face.

He smelled the familiar smell of change. Summer was turning to autumn, and the leaves were already starting to turn different colors. This was his favorite time of year. It was that perfect time where the air was starting to cool, but it was still warm enough to wear light clothing. It was the kind of air that was dry, warm, and refreshing. Isaac could only take everything in.

He never even saw the two figures standing at the edge of the woods.

---------------

Cale continued his trek home. There was nothing left for him to do. Ajin finally broke the silence.

"What shall we tell the council when you get back, sir?"

Cale frowned. It was obvious what his intentions were. Cale rubbed his hand against his swollen jaw, and spoke.

"I had gone ahead to find Liek and kill him myself. Unfortunately, I was not prepared for how strong he had become. He and the human had overpowered me, and I was unable to finish the task."

Ajin nodded. Cale was willing to throw away his dignity just so he could live. The more that Ajin thought about it, the more he began to despise Cale. But then again, he DID try to warn his brother. It was Liek who had chosen to live the life of a human. But still....

"And what about me?" He asked.
"You followed me and helped me find my way home upon witnessing my defeat."

Ajin remained silent. Cale was obviously troubled by what had transpired between him and Liek.

"Do not worry over this, sir. He has chosen to live life as a human, and will soon die by the nails of a werewolf. He-"

Cale gripped Ajin by the throat and pressed him against the trunk of a nearby tree. Ajin was too shocked to fight back. Tears were falling freely down Cale's cheeks as he spoke.

"I don't care what life he has chosen. He is my little brother, and he is the only one I have left. I don't want him dead. However, I'm sure that before he is killed, he will curse my name, and he will wish for my death. And if that is the case, I will not deny him that. He will get what he wants, because it is also what I want."

---------------

Liek carried his prize back to his home. He was filled with limitless energy. Only the day before, he was barely able to drag home a buck, but now he was able to jog back home with a feast upon his shoulders.

Hannah loved him!

He could feel it. When he would get back, he would throw down his remarkable catch, grab Hannah by the waist, swing her about and kiss her on the lips. Then, he would tell her everything, right in front of Isaac!

Liek cackled with ecstacy. Through all of his trials, he had finally been acknowledged as an adult by his older brother, and he was even falling in love. With a human girl, no less! For once, Liek didn't have a care in the world.

But it was when he reached the edge of the woods that his world was shattered before him.

As Liek stood and smelled the rank stench of death hanging in the air, his entire body was numbed as he could only stare at the slaughtered corpses that were once Isaac and Hannah.



to be continued....