"It is becoming more difficult for me to shift nowadays," the elderly man murmured.
"Father, I have come to redeem myself in your eyes and the pack. Please allow me to speak."
Victor's mouth dropped open as he reeled from Mark's words.
"Rise, my son, you may speak." Mark stood and the old man continued. "You know the law, Mark. You were given a chance to speak and yet you said nothing," he said with a stern tone.
Mark stood eye level with his father. The family resemblance was uncanny. Victor could tell that in his youth, Mark's father's physique had been similar to his son's, but time had weakened it. Mark's facial features were almost identical to the chief's. The only difference was their eyes; the old man's eyes looked like coal.
"Forgive me, Father, my injuries prevented me from doing so at the time. I beg you for another chance."
"Many years have passed, Mark, since you were cast out. It may be difficult to convince the tribe of your innocence. Why do you come forth now seeking redemption?"
"I have found my mate. I wish to live in peace with my people again, with him by my side," he said gesturing to Victor.
The old man turned and acknowledged Victor's presence for the first time. He openly ogled him. Victor held his tongue, not knowing their customs.
"You have bonded with this man already?" he asked, turning back to Mark.
"Yes, Father. We are one."
Mark's father looked between Victor and Mark and his face softened. He sighed and with a sympathetic voice, said. "Son, I am old now. Soon the youth of our pack will challenge me for my leadership. There is not much I can do for you."
"Father, I know you could not go against the laws on my behalf when this crime occurred, but please, could you try to influence the counsel to see me now? I am prepared to fight for my place."
Concern filled the older man's eyes. "If you lose this time, Mark, it will mean your death," he warned.
Mark nodded. "I know."
Mark's father caressed his face and gave him a warm smile. "It is good to see you, son. I will do what I can." Changing to his wolf form again, he returned to the cave.
"You could have mentioned your father was the leader of your tribe," Victor said when Mark turned to him.
"That would have made no difference. It only made my banishment that much more unbearable. Usually the son succeeds the father in leadership, but not always, especially in a case such as this. I used to be second in command, but I was set up and betrayed. My status was stripped and my family dishonored. My father had no choice but to follow the laws of the council."
Victor nodded. "So now what?"
"We wait. My father will speak for me. His time to step down is near, but he is still leader. They will listen to him."
Mark took Victor's hand and led him to some nearby rocks.
They waited for hours. Victor fidgeted and shifted his position to sit on the ground. He looked up at Mark. His mate's body stiff as he stared straight ahead with his eyes transfixed on the cavern wall. He had not moved a muscle from the moment they sat down. Victor rose from the dirt and dusted himself off.
"I'm starving, Mark. I'm gonna go back to the stream we passed and—"
Mark jumped to his feet, startling Victor and held his hand up for silence. "Wait, someone comes."
Victor turned to see wolves exiting from every opening in the wall. Many filed into the small clearing, filling it quickly. He counted at least fifty before there were too many to count.
"Stay here, Victor," Mark demanded and advanced on the crowd.
Victor remained behind without protest, taking slow, deep breaths to calm his rapidly beating heart. When Mark kneeled before the grizzled old wolf again, he and all the rest of the wolves shifted into their human forms. Men and women, young and old, all now stood naked in the opening separating the trees from the cliff. Mark's father gestured to one of the older men to step forward.
"Mark, your father says you are prepared to do what is necessary to return to the pack," the man said bluntly.
Mark rose to his feet. "I am, Byron. An injustice has been made. It is past time for it to be rectified."
"You will have your chance to speak and if a challenge is made will you accept?"
"I will."
Byron nodded. "So be it."
Byron, his father, and all the members of his clan surrounded him, leaving him in the center of a large circle. Victor spotted the other council members easily. The male/female ratio of the pack seemed almost even, with almost all being young and strong, but there were a few who were advanced in age. All of them stood close to Mark's father and Byron. Mark looked around the circle. His face looked calm until he turned and stopped in one direction. Victor followed his gaze to a tall, slender man with long blond hair. The man glared back at Mark and Victor knew in his gut he was looking at Raymond. Mark's voice gave him a start when he spoke.
"Brothers, I come to you today to clarify what I did not have the strength to explain all those years ago. You were told I was the cretin who did the heinous crime of taking the life of one of our own. I fear my wounds at the time were such that I was unable to deny those accusations. I am here today to let you know that you were deceived. The crime was an atrocity alone, but to compound it with lies only makes it worse. I am grateful for this opportunity to exonerate myself of these transgressions and challenge the one who made them against me."
There was a sudden intake of breath from the crowd which quickly burst into incoherent murmurs.
"Silence! Say your accusation and make your challenge, Mark!"
The crowd went quiet as Victor and everyone else heard Byron bark his order. The masses turned immediately to Mark to wait for his reply.
"Raymond is the deceiver in this pack, not I," Mark said, pointing to the blonde man. "I challenge you, Raymond, for my rightful place among our people."
A sneer spread across Raymond's face as he stepped forward. "Accepted."
The circle opened to let Mark out. He walked to Victor, disrobing.
Victor stood to meet him. "What's going on? What are you doing?" he asked, taking the shirt from him.
"Removing my clothes. We fight as wolves."
Mark sat on the rock and pulled off one of his shoes. Victor kneeled before him and removed the other.
"What? Why? He beat you as a wolf last time you guys fought. Wouldn't you have a better chance as a man?"
"This is how it is done," Mark said, unbuttoning his pants.
"Okay, but does it have to be that way?"
"It is tradition."
"Fuck tradition, Mark, we're talking survival."
"Our laws and traditions cannot be ignored, Victor," he said in a disapproving tone, sitting back on the stone.
Victor sighed. "Okay, I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to disrespect your traditions. Don't you think this fight is too important to leave in the hands of some ancient ritual?" Victor yanked Mark's pant leg and fell backwards with a grunt.
Mark chuckled. "What do you suggest?"
Victor adjusted and sat on his haunches. "You said when we bonded we receive the best of each other, right? Our strengths will merge and our weaknesses will be enhanced, yeah?" He nodded and Victor continued. "Well, all I'm saying is, just don't rely totally on your wolf skills. I've lived my whole life as a man and been in plenty of fights. Call on my knowledge and use it to your advantage. It's something he won't see coming. The element of surprise usually gives the upper hand," he said with a shrug.
Mark stood and pulled Victor to his feet. "Thank you, my love. Again your wisdom illuminates me and I am all the wiser for it. I will consider your words during the battle," he said, then gave him a sound kiss.
Without another word, Mark returned to the circle where Raymond waited for him and Victor sat on the boulder to wait. His hand moved to his belly to calm the butterflies suddenly flapping there.
"At last your demise comes," Raymond said with an arrogant smirk.
"You can end this now, Raymond, by telling the truth and thus restoring me and finally paying for your treachery."
Raymond laughed, a harsh and sinister sound that made Victor cringe.
"You sealed your fate the day you released me. The bond you have with your mate will not help you. Today you die."
Mark slowly rocked on the balls of his feet and his fists clenched. "One of us will die today, but it will not be me."
Almost simultaneously the two men shifted into wolves and leapt into the air.
Victor's arms tightened around his gut and he rocked, watching intently. The others in the circle were spread far enough apart that his view was not obstructed by them. The wolves snarled and snapped at one another and Mark's tribe mates moved about, making accommodations for the brawl, but kept it within the circle they made. The black wolf took first blood by biting down hard on the hind leg of the blond wolf. He yelped in pain. Victor almost jumped off the rock in joy but quickly calmed himself. Not only did he not want to bring any undue attention to himself, but above all, he didn't want to distract Mark.
The fight continued for a time, but then took a turn for the worse. Victor bit his lip in worry. Raymond was on the attack and pushing him back toward the wood's edge. The ring they were in remained intact, moving with them, but murmurs of concern rose from it as well. He groaned and rose to follow, making sure to keep his distance. There was an abrupt intake of breath followed by a low moan from the crowd as Raymond took the high road, knocking Mark to the ground and pouncing on him. He sank his fangs deep into the black wolf's shoulder. The cry of pain that escaped him tore at Victor's heart.
"No," Victor said through his fingers in an anguished whisper.
Mark's horde instantly closed in around them, blocking Victor's view of the battle. He moved closer, trying to peer over them, but they continued to obstruct his vision. All of a sudden they jumped back with a simultaneous gasp. Their actions knocked Victor to the ground. He wondered what could have startled everyone at once. When he looked up he saw Mark standing in the circle in his man form and Victor let out his own stunned breath.
Mark glared down at the wolf. The animal looked as shocked as everyone else, but not for long. The air started to sparkle around him but Mark kicked the beast hard, sending him sliding across the terrain. The gathering of people jumped back even more, almost trampling Victor in their haste. He scrambled to his feet to save himself from being crushed by the people adjusting to the new dynamics of the battle. He found refuge behind a tree. As soon as Victor's palm touched the wood, he felt a jolt of power at the connection. At first it confused him, but then he gasped in recollection. Pressing both hands to the oak, he closed his eyes and concentrated. Energy flowed from the bark through his fingertips, rapidly filling his body.
The brawl persisted. Shouts of surprise, growls, and Mark's grunts reached across the small distance to Victor's ears but he didn't let it distract him. Resting his forehead on the tree, he focused on pulling strength from the bark. After a while Victor peeked past the timber to see if his plan was working. Mark held the wolf aloft. He slammed the beast to the ground. It let out an agonizing whine as it collided with the hard dirt and then Mark disappeared from sight. Victor smiled and released the tree to move closer. Mark was on his knees. Blood continued to run down his injured arm from his shoulder as it hung by his side. He pummeled the wolf with his good fist until it was clear the animal would not be getting up again. Mark's father stepped forward, drawing Victor's attention away from the mêlée.
"Enough Mark! End it now!" he shouted.
When Victor brought his attention back to Mark, he was a wolf again. The black wolf stood over his battered and beaten prey; without hesitation he plunged his fangs deep into the underside of its throat. With one strong yank, a sickening cracking sound ended the long-standing conflict for good. The wolf stepped back and sat down. His tongue hung from his blood-covered mouth as he gasped for air. After he got his breathing under control again, he morphed back into Mark. The group of men and women were silent for a time. Mark's father exchanged looks with the council of elders and then with the rest of the tribe. With a small satisfied smile on his face, he nodded his head to Byron who stepped forward.
"
Mark,
after
many
years
of
exile,
the
truth
has
finally
been
spoken
and
your
accuser
lies
dead
at
your
feet.
Your
unorthodox
methods
have
not
been
used
during
a
challenge
before,
but
because
they
were
not
against
any
of
our
laws,
your
victory
will
be
honored.
Henceforth,
you
are
restored
to
your
post
as
second
in
command
and
welcomed
back
into
the
fold.
"
Mark let out a breath of relief. "Thank you, Byron."
Mark's father moved to stand beside his son and raised his hands. "Hear me, my people! I am old and no longer fit to lead our pack. From this moment forward, I relinquish my position to the second in command." He dropped a hand to Mark's shoulder and beamed with pride. "May he lead our people well. All those in agreement step forward."