Chapter one

Faster Faster !!!, they are catching up! The words echoed through my mind as I ran through the forest with my siblings. The village had finally found out what we were but had not given us a chance to fully explain how we had fallen into our predicament. For four good centuries we had survived without anyone noticing us, mind you this was the early 1800s, 1862 to be exact and somehow they had found out. We had left out home in a hurry, the local witch who had eventually become our friend and had been helping us out every full moon, had sent her youngest grandchild to warn us. I know youngest grandchild, who would trust a child with such valuable information…let's just say the villagers might have gone crazy and a bit mad but they were barely scratching the surface. As we enter the field I notice that my feet are bleeding but careless as that is the least of my worries, imagine bleeding feet versus being burnt alive. It didn't help our situation as rumours of the hunting of witches had started a little over a year ago. I had lost a number of cousins who were also innocent of what they were being accused of, a number of clergymen had driven themselves crazy chasing ghosts in the middle of the night. The few lucky ones had managed to run away but unfortunately some lost their children. One couple, wife had escaped and the husband left behind to care for their three teenage girls had lost his life protecting them, sense only came back to the murderers after they realised that the mother may have been a descendant of an accused witch but had no 'magic' in her.

These stories, amongst other despicable things flash through my mind and somehow boosted my energy as we changed route and seek refuge amongst the trees in the thick forest. I knew the forest like the back of my hand, it was practically my second home every full moon since I started turning. Having been born in a family of werewolves, the moment I turned 18 meant that every full moon I would transform into a giant werewolf and roam the forest until dawn. It had been difficult throughout my first ten year stint but somehow I managed to keep calm unlike my siblings. A whizzing sound pulls me back to reality, they are catching up and we are slowly running of cover. Joseph, my older brother lets out a yelp and transforms into a wolf, as the eldest son in our family he has the ability to turn whenever he wants to. He starts running ahead of us looking for a place for the rest of us to hide. He was now the head of the family since our parents had been arrested by the village elders, unlike the rest of us, the wolf gene had somehow skipped a generation, my father had been blessed with the ability of long life but could not transform, my mother having had been married to my father had been cursed to a certain extent to also share my father's ability. They had thought none of the children would carry the gene but nature had other ideas for them. They had gotten married on a full in 1399, surrounded by family and friends. As per tradition the first born males attended the ceremony in wolf form and had stood guard around the sacred grounds were the wedding had been conducted.

The wives of the first born who were married had to form a circle around the bride and act as a shield as they accompany her to the alter, where her groom would be waiting for her. The groom dressed in the traditional attire of the wolf tribe, a piece of cloth with the tribal design of the family he belonged to wrapped around his waist and a wolf's skin around his shoulders, bearing the colour of his fur colour when he transformed but in his case, Jacob had to use his father's due to his inability to turn. His bride, Rachel, who slowly moved towards the alter was dressed in a handmade dress that had been her mother's on her wedding day, it was tradition for the first born daughter to wear her mother's dress, new handmade shoes with her grandmother's shawl wrapped around her shoulders as a sign of new beginnings, after the ceremony she would change into her new tribe's family cloth made dress and pack away her wedding attire, when she passes on she will be buried in that attire. The ceremony was a beautiful one; the moon gave out a bright light that made it extra special, the bride and groom having been childhood sweethearts couldn't take their eyes off each other as they held hands as if their hands depended on it. The village elders sat on logs that had been set in design to ensure that everyone had the perfect view. The ceremony had to be carried out in such conditions as they had to ensure that no unwanted visitors would gate crush, the elders also believed that the new moon signified new beginnings, a fresh start for a new couple who have been joined to become one.

The ceremony only took a few hours to the extent that by dawn everything was back to normal and the newlyweds were already in their new home making breakfast. As they lived amongst the normal people, they made sure to have a small wedding by the village church as few days later so as to avoid unnecessary questions that would eventually raise a lot of eyebrows. The couple lived happy alone for a few years enjoying their love but as the years slowly passed them by the extended family started wondering if there was any prospect of having children. Rachel had to endure taking different types of concoctions given to her by the elderly women who lived in the village. Jacob would assure her that when the time was right they would have their own children, they didn't have to wait long. During the next summer season, Rachel started feeling off, a bit sick in the morning and at night; she lost her appetite and couldn't stand the small of meat. Jacob got worried and eventually asked her mother to come over, the petite and now old lady, just gave her one look and smiled, the kind of smile that showed relief and happiness at the same time. Jacob's mother in law started singing in the kitchen as tears of joy started rolling down her eyes, finally she was going to see her grandchild form her first born. Jacob confused, kept looking at his mother in law like she had gone crazy, it slowly dawned on him as to what was going on. He lifted his wife and did a mini twirl around the room, Rachel in turn who had started crying as well let out a loud laugh of joy as she had realized that her silent prayers had been answered.

The months went on by quickly and soon Rachel had to be stay at home as the others went to the field to cultivate. Her little sister, Ruth had moved in so as to help Rachel around the house with the chores. The baby arrived a few weeks into winter, on a windy night. They were all seated in the little lounge telling each other stories, Rachel's mother was around to ensure that Rachel was ok and somehow knew that Rachel was about to give birth. At first Rachel thought it was one of those passing pains but as she lifted her cup to drink some water, she felt a bit of wetness and had to quickly stand up just to make sure she was ok, that's when the first contraction hit her. She let out a yelp and in an instant her mother was giving out instructions. Water was placed on the fire and clothes were brought out for the special event, Jacob tried by all means to be strong but this being his first birth breathed a sigh of relief when his mother in law asked him to leave the room after they had moved Rachel to the side bedroom. After what felt like eternity, Jacob was called in by Ruth who had a huge smile on her face, as he entered the room, he felt a bundle being placed in his hands and as he looked down he saw the most handsome face with light brown eyes look back at him with wonder, Jacob smiled and for the first time in a long time he cried, his mother in law smiled at him and said 'congratulations my son, it's a boy'.

As per tradition a small ceremony was held the next full moon but this time around only men were allowed. This was a special occasion, the first borns married wolves took up their positions around the ceremonial clearing, Jacob who held the baby was surrounded by the first borns who were not yet married and they acted as a guard around Jacob as they walked down the path to the alter. Once they got to the alter Jacob placed the baby on the slab, the baby confused started crying in search of its father, Jacob then took a step back as the tribe chief took a step forward together with the tribe doctor, who then picked up the baby, held him up in the air and started chanting out Jacob's totem also known as spirit animal. The doctor then gave the tribes man the baby who then gave a small prayer with his back facing Jacob, then turned around and as he handed the child back to Jacob, he introduced the child to the rest of the tribe, ' his name shall be Joseph'. Joseph enjoyed life as an only child for two good years, his father made sure he had everything he wanted but drew the line when he would cry for crazy things like playing with bees, Jacob also made sure that he wouldn't be a spoilt child, he wanted his son to grow up with an understanding that life could be wicked and nothing comes easily. He knew that his wife had a soft spot for him but she had this aura of a very stern and firm mother. Rachel loved every minute of motherhood, for her it was like having a real life doll, the only difference was that she had to make sure her son was properly looked after. Their village and more specifically her tribe believed in herbal healing and consulting nature for all the necessities they needed.

Joseph in turn was a calm child who wasn't fussy about a lot of things. He enjoyed the attention he would get from his parents, aunt and grandmother but he somehow found everything else around fascinating enough to be pre-occupied and forget that he was around people. He had been unfortunate enough not to meet his grandfather the great chief healer of the tribe, as the chief had peacefully passed on a few days after his parents had gotten married, as his father would tell him his grandfather's adventures before bedtime.

The family was blessed with another bundle of joy, a set of twin girls. Rachel was over the moon, her dream of having girls of her had finally been fulfilled. The rest of the extended family threw themselves into groups so as to prepare for the welcoming ceremony, having a child was one thing but two baby girls was a blessing from their ancestors and it also meant that they would have to organise as well as conduct a special ceremony, a ceremony that hadn't been done in the last hundred years. Within the tribe, it was believed that having twins was a sign of good faith and a blessing for the whole clan. It showed that the Gods were happy with their and that the next few decades would be filled with bumper harvest for the whole village. Jacob's father was a twin but his brother had died at birth, because of that he became thee village healer as he had also inherited his brother's gifts, this was the reason why he and his father had not been wolves, most of the tribesmen had believed that Jacob would continue with his father's work but the ancestors had other plans in mind. Jacob turned out to be a seer and dreamer but his powers were not controllable, this meant that he could have a vision even in the middle of telling a story or whilst he was out with the wolves hunting. The clan took advantage of his gifts and ensured that he would be the leader of his tribe and co-leader of his tribe's wolf's pack. As it stood each tribe had a seer and dreamer, never one person who had both of those abilities.

Hunting became easier for the clan as they had extra help. Jacob had fortunate enough to start using his gifts from the young age of ten, while his peers were busy playing in the mud and getting into trouble with their mothers, he had been invited to be a part of the pack and would enjoy getting tips from the senior seer as well as the dreamer. Being a dreamer wasn't that much stressful as it only involved consulting the ancestors the night before. The ceremony preparations for the twins were going as planned. They had to wait for the new moon as per tradition but this time around everyone had to attend the event, everyone had to take part in the ritual as it would affect the whole clan. Jacob was a proud father of three now and he couldn't hide his joy amongst his peers, since joseph was still young, he only knew that he had been promoted to big brother and that he was supposed to protect his little sisters regardless of any situation, little did he know that very soon he had to prove that he understood his assignment. A few days before the ceremony for his twins, joseph had gone to the field with his mother, aunt, twins and grandmother, as usual he would sit under a tree with his baby sisters as well as ensure that the food that had been brought for lunch for everyone, would be stolen by the little animals that lived in the nearby forest.

As he was playing with the twigs and leaves around, pretending to have discovered a new settlement, a rattle snake had slithered into the blankets that were surrounding the twins as they slept. Joseph thought he had heard something rattle but decided to ignore and continue playing, after a few minutes he heard a hissing sound and bolted to a sitting position and sat still so as to ensure he heard right. He then heard the rattle sound he had heard before and his eyes opened wide as it dawned on him that a snake was close by. Quickly he remembered what his father had taught him and he sprang into action. He moved slowly and stopped here and there so as to establish where the snake was, as he moved closer to where his sisters were sleeping, he felt a sinking feeling and a bit of dread, he knew he couldn't call out to his family as it would fright the snake and his sisters would wake up instantly and start crying, he definitely didn't want that. The snake kept moving in the blankets, looking for the warmth that was being produced by the twins, it had been starving and hadn't eaten in a week; hunger ruled his mind body and soul and couldn't wait to find out what it was going to have today. Joseph saw a bit of movement then decided one of the twins to the other side of the tree, he picked up a basket and blanket and neatly laid it in there and picked the baby and placed her there, as per tradition, the twins were going to be named at the ceremony so at the moment they were just twins and no other names. Now came the hard part.

The other twin was sleeping peacefully and to her right, the snake's tail with the rattle was protruding close to her hand. Joseph had to be very strategic on how to pick her up, he tiptoed and stood a bit close to her tiny head and started calculating on how to pick her little had with scaring the snake. He leaned forward and he firmly grabbed her arm, which he then stretched out, with his other hand he grabbed hold of her arm and slowly picked her up. It seems like the snake had felt the movement and had started to slither trying to locate an opening so as to sense what was going on. As joseph lifted the baby, mid-air in the lifting, the snake's head appeared and he froze. The snake did a mini dance as if coming out of a basket, joseph shifted his body a bit so as to be able to distribute his weight equally whilst holding the baby, it felt like a Mexican standoff, who would win this round? Joseph knew that he had to move and take the baby to safety, the snake as if it had read his mind looked as if it was getting itself in to position, as joseph moved, the snake moved forward to strike. Joseph turned his back to it whilst screaming, clutching the baby on his chest, he waited for the bite with his eyes closed but nothing came. Confused and scared, he turned around and he saw that the snake was no longer there; his mother was standing over it a few metres away with a huge stone in her hands. The snake moved a bit and she dropped the stone on top of its head.