"Where are you, Cale?"

He felt himself blinking back the tears. His little brother was all he had left. In this world of violence and cruelty, he knew that he needed somebody by his side.

"I'm right here, Liek."

----------

Siras gripped his groin in agony.

How could Cale do something so underhanded!? It was a cheap shot, but it worked. Siras didn't want to look at the injury. He knew that he would never heal properly from that kind of wound. Moreover, Cale had also severed his achilles tendon. He would never be able to walk the same if he should live.

Cale groaned and made a slight movement. The entire village had gathered to watch the two werewolves fight. Siras couldn't let down his people. One of them was going to die. He brought his arm forward and dragged himself closer to Cale.

----------

"Liek..."

Liek looked up from his meal and into his brother's eyes. He knew that something was bothering him. It had only been a few months since their mother's death, and Cale had hardly ever spoken more than a few words unless he was angry.

Liek instinctively recoiled, fearing he was going to be hit. To his shock, he felt his older brother wrap his arms around him and hold him.

Nothing more needed to be said.

----------

Siras moved closer. Just a few more inches, and he would have him. Cale would be dead, and the whole mess he was in would soon be over with. If there was one thing he wanted, it was for everything that was happening to end. Liek was surely dead, the assassins would regroup, and peace would be restored to the village.

Almost there....

----------

"If there's one thing you need to know about humans, little brother, it's that they're all the same. Each and every one of them have no moral values like we do."

Liek's eyes were wide with shock.

"They don't?"

Cale smiled at his little brother. Liek was so young. He had a long way to go before he would become an adult.

"No. It's said that they will kill any one of their own kind for no reason. The men are big and ugly, and they can't jump over even your head!"
"And what about the human women?"

For some reason, Cale sat back in a fit of laughter. Liek was too young to understand what his question implied.

"Don't you worry about the women, Liek. The last thing I want is my little brother getting himself a human girlfriend."

----------

Siras grabbed Cale by the shirt. A murmur broke the silence of the crowd. The news of Liek had spread like wildfire, and the town was eager to see the traitor killed. But what had his brother done? What had Cale done, other than show concern for the one person he had left?

Siras looked around himself. The other werewolves were not pleased with the fight.

"What are you all grumbling about!? Cale is just as treacherous as his brother! Any one of you who wishes to beg for his life, come forward!" Siras yelled into the crowd.

The murmur died down to silence. Siras looked back at Cale's mangled face. Cale's eyes slowly fluttered open. He was still delerious with pain. Siras brought himself on top of Cale and positioned his nail above his neck.

"Cale, you have been found guilty of treason against the werewolf race. Your punishment is death, by the nails of a true werewolf."

----------

Cale looked back into the assassin's nail. He was in a living nightmare. His entire body was paralyzed with pain. In the back of his mind he was screaming to simply move. Just move. Get out of there.

The nail came down. Everything slowed. Time nearly stopped for him. Siras' face was twisted in anger and pain. His nail had a few chips at the tip.

Focus.
There's nothing to focus on.
Get out of the way.
There's no way to turn.
Fight.
There's nothing to fight for.

Cale felt himself slipping into unconsciousness. No. Stay awake.

This is your death. You have to see how it ends.


The nail stopped for a few moments, and hung just inches over his neck. Siras' eyes had gone dark and he coughed up some blood. It landed on Cale's chest.

Ajin removed his nail from Siras' neck, and pushed him over. Siras could only stare back at him in confusion. A gurgle escaped from his lips, and he pressed his hand against the open wound. He had already lost too much blood. He could feel himself slipping away.

"I choose to come forward, assassin, to 'beg' for the lives of both Liek and Cale."

Siras looked up into the sky, shut his eyes, coughed, and then died seconds later. Ajin put Cale's arm around his neck and helped him up. The crowd stood still with shock. Ajin began to walk Cale back to the south end of the village, but stopped suddenly. Cale's stomach reeled with horror.


Liek was standing there next to a disemboweled assassin hanging in a tree.


"I'm going to kill you, Cale." He said simply.



to be concluded....