Trials cont-1

“Stay inside,” we told Kiras boyfriend Daniel. We let him watch via the cameras in the lab. He wouldn’t be sure what he was seeing and there’d be no questions from the riders before we were ready for them.
He’d been given the tour yesterday when we arrived. He was a future biologist so he’d been appropriately fascinated. He hadn’t been told the rest yet, that his love was a werewolf, that in order to keep her he’d have to compete in a potential death race for her hand against two other werewolves.

Uncle Tony wasn’t pleased he was here.
This wouldn’t be easy for Kira. She’d barely spoken to him since she turned 18 and was told about her position here. She hadn’t wanted him involved.
I’d overridden her and invited him along because I knew something she didn’t.

Mother knows best?
Maybe. Maybe not.

The bike parade ended with Paco, an old hispanic man who road in the sidecar of his son’s bike. He was the traditional caboose of the bike train. Years ago it’d have been him sitting astride the sun yellow and red trimmed Harley. He got old enough that he let his son drive the parade while he sat cheekily in the sidecar with his feet up and out the side in order to wave at us.

I shook my head, smiling, and gave him a little salute.
We sent Kira inside to find her Daniel and we went to the clearing to the meeting tent. It would be a good 15 minute walk if we hurried. We didn’t hurry. We had things to discuss en route.

It was the first night of Full Moon.

The energy could be felt in the air. It played along my skin like a low level electrical current.

Details were discussed. Preparations were made.

We came into the clearing, lit on the perimeters with tiki torches, and moved past the lines of bikes as they unpacked their trailers and tents. Cooking equipment was set out and I knew there would be bottles and kegs later, and that some of the smoke would be of an herbal sort as the night wore on.

The red tent, always the first to go up, already had two men on either side of the door – Guards. Inside would be a circle of camp chairs around a table, wit h three larger chairs backed by a banner. A gold gavel would mark the leaders spot.

We pushed through the doorway as the men tilted their heads to one side in our version of a salute, they bore their throats to Tony, showing submission. If it’d been just me I would not have received such a welcome. I’m an alpha, but not AN alpha.

The light took on a reddish cast as the sunlight filtered through the tent material. We lit the pre-placed kerosene lamps and he took his seat behind the gavel. I sat behind him, to the right.
We were as ready as we were going to be.

The others made their way in, the leaders and their seconds of the three lupine nations of the US would hammer out territory disputes and arguments. And present Trial race candidates.

Tony is the Holder for the East Coast (describe territory boundaries) . I act as his second when needed. Clyde is the Holder for the midwest and his son B.J. is the second (describe territory) and their Trials runner. Last was Vin, the holder for the West Coast. His territory ran from (border). The most interesting thing here is that he also has no wife. So he would be the runner for the west.

The main conflict for this meeting were the few small towns that’d cropped up in the territory between Clyde and Vin. Clyde’s people had made some trouble there and Vin wanted it stopped. Tony sided with Vin after consulting a map that showed that 90 percent of the new town fell into the Western territory.

“For the sake of peace, I’m going to say the 90 percent is good enough,” Tony said calmly. “So even though 10 percent should still be available to you I’m going to ask that you leave that be.”

B.J. jumped up just as his father was about to speak.
The boy was a hothead. He was an inch or so north of six feet with long black hair and dark green eyes. A taller copy of his broader built father, the boy was handsome enough but had a cruel mouth that twisted downwards habitually. If he were a female I’d call it resting bitch face.

“Why should we leave it be?” he demanded. “It crosses the border, therefore it’s ours.”
He stepped too closely to to Tony, a bad attempt at looming. My captains arm shot out, faster than sight would allow, and grabbed the boys throat, forcing the taller figure to his knees, very slowly. He was milking the maximum humiliation on the young man.

“Why are you arguing with me, pup?” Tony asked, pointedly placing the emphasis on the final word. He’d won leadership of this particular council by a combat trial so he wasn’t the old man he appeared. I think the boy had forgotten that – well he was being made to remember. “You will be competing with others for my niece, you should be trying to please me. I could be a member of your family soon enough. For now, at least, I still outrank you.”

I was the same rank as this boy in the pack, seconds. Though I wasn’t his blood, technically, Tony had made me his second after I won a tournament of trial by combat. I was as good as blood. He’d always treated me as his treasured family.

I looked at him through a mother’s eyes and shuddered. If he won Kira he would move east and join our clan. We are the academics of our nations. This rough biker would be very out of place.. But if they bred true it would be worth making him a place. Our birth numbers were declining too rapidly to maintain the population. It was the only reason this barbaric tradition was kept in todays enlightened age.

“Or could it be, boy, that you don’t think I’m worthy of your respect?” Tony taunted as he closed his fingers more tightly around the boys neck. The young man practically whimpered, his eyes going wide as he realized there was no breaking the older man’s grip by force. His eyes sought out his father’s, who looked at him with disappointment. Though it was impossible to tell whether that was disappointment in the boys bad manners, or disappointment that he didn’t win.

Tony let him fall at his fathers feet.
“Eve has a few things to tell you,” he said. “Good news and bad.”
And so I proceeded to show them the manilla folder that contained my proof that Daniel’s family line had recessive genetics that, when combined with ours, should allow for the continuation of our species. The pair would have a 50/50 chance to breed human and wolf. For example, twins, one might hear the mooon and the other might not.
This is where the hell began.
“Creative writing,” Clyde scoffed. “You expect us to believe that, so conveniently, this boy has the genetics in him that we’ve been looking for – for decades.”
“I don’t know that I’d call anything about this convenient,” I shot back. ““I believed it enough, to move myself and my daughter to a town in the middle of nowhere 10 years ago to investigate I.”
He was ready to make trouble, I could see it in his face.
“And this magical boy is now your daughters lover,” he scowled. “And we all know how much you hate that she’s in the exalted position of Trial Bride, but no matter what his DNA structure says — he’s human! How dare you endanger us all by bringing a human into this!”
“Is it that you’re more worried about exposing the pack,” I retorted with scorn, knowing I was about to cross a line. “Or are you worried that your pup can’t take a human boy who’s never faced the moon.”
Clyde came to his feet with a growl at the insult, B.J. close behind him. I stood my ground, not backing off a single step as I saw the bared teeth inches from me begin to grow beyond the usual size for human. He was starting to change!

“Enough!” Tony’s voice boomed, and we froze. I felt myself yanked backwards by the hair. Keeping my head down, I went to all fours. I could see that Clyde and his whelp were down on their knees. I almost smiled, knowing that Tony would be a sight…

“I’ve read over the reports,” Tony said, his voice deeper than it had been. “I trust the source of the information. But Clyde is right on one thing.”
His feet entered my vision and I stayed bowed.

“Look at me and accept your judgment, bitch,” Tony commanded, and I did. His face was fearsome, as if the voice coming from it, lit it from the inside with extra power. “Your fate is linked with that boys’ now. For bringing him among us and endangering us by exposure to human law enforcement …”
A clawed hand wrapped itself around my neck and I could feel the muscles in the arm tense.

“If he fails and dies – so do you!” and with that he threw me through the door of the tent.
I was stopped in my flight by a pine tree, 20 feet away.