The Werewolf Whisperer Page 3

  “Seriously? Ask for guidance? You’re making it sound like a cult.”

  “Don’t be skeptical. You will not be alone tonight. All of us will be there with you. We’ll make sure everything goes down the way it should.”

  I looked at Lena. She might have suddenly become tough, but I wanted her to have no part of tonight. “Look, I’m going to go alone. I don’t want anyone else to get hurt.”

  “You know you have a family now. We stick together.”

  “Not tonight. Let me deal with this tonight.”

  “Don’t be fucking macho. We’re going with you. What time is the fight?”

  I looked at Lena and lied, “3:30 am.” I said. “Meet me there. I’m going to do a couple of things before I get there.”

  “We’ll meet you a mile up at 3:15.”

  “Who?” I asked.

  “Everyone: Wyatt, Hector, Yari, and me.”

  I didn’t think having just four people there was going to be very much help. I might as well just go by myself.

  “Sounds like a plan.” There was no way I was going to have Lena go tonight. “I better go,” I said. It was nearing midnight, and if I was going to fight someone I needed to at least prepare myself the way I did a mixed martial arts fight. I needed to go to my gym.

  Chapter Three

  After I left Lena, I transitioned into the eagle. I didn’t have a car and walking to my old gym would take entirely too long. I could feel myself growing stronger, and sleeker with this art of flying. The wind alone was exhilarating.

  When I arrived at the gym, I noticed the second floor window was open. I challenged myself and flew into the small opening. I made it unscathed, but landed hard into the concrete of the gym, and rolled into the wall like a ton of bricks. I was dizzy and disoriented, but I found the strength to turn back into my Mani form. .

  The gym was dark, but there was an eerie glow came from a street light outside. I searched high and low; it was empty. It had been a long strange night so far, and I thought I should stretch and mediate to make sure I was ready. I warmed up like I would before any fight. I worked out my legs, punched the big bag and let my heavy emotions dictate my moves. Tears ran down my face. I swung over and over as if every punch were the pendulum to turn back time—to take it all back. “Leave some for the fight.” A faceless voice said from a dark area of the gym.

  “Who is that?” I called out

  “You cannot expect to beat a werewolf if you exhaust yourself before you actually fight.”

  “Who are you?” I said again.

  There was a man sitting in a chair in the dark. “I’m Mr. fucking Myagi.”

  Holyshit. I knew who it was. Karate Kid was our favorite movie growing up.

  “Tommy!” I yelled.

  Tommy turned on the lamp beside his chair. “In the flesh.”

  “Or should I call you Kyro?”

  “Kyro is dead. I will forever be Tommy.” Tommy was still pretty scratched and bruised. It had been a couple of weeks, and his scars still looked fresh.

  “Are you alive?”

  “You mean am I some kind of Carni ghost that has come back to haunt you?” Tommy laughed. “No. I’m alive. I’m as alive as you used to be. What the hell happened to you?”

  “You must smell it. The Carni at the bar did.”

  “Josiah, you have no idea how many times I almost told you the truth. I couldn’t. So what happened? Did you go willingly or unwillingly?” Tommy was obviously asking if I had chosen to be Mani or was it forced upon me.

  “I didn’t choose it. That choice was definitely out of my hands. That’s not the worst of it.”

  “What’s the worst of it?”

  “I don’t know what you know about Mani lore, but apparently—”

  “You’re the Chosen One. I know, Josiah.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Your hawk friend might have had something to do with it.”

  “Yari, you’ve spoken to Yari? When?”

  “The last thing I remember was this beautiful redheaded woman dropping me off in front of the emergency room. Before she left I asked her name. She said Yari.”

  “Did you know a Mani was saving you?”

  “I didn’t know much of anything. This ten-foot tall motherfucker kicked the crap out of me not even an hour after we had our MMA match. The guy looked like a freaking scarecrow.”

  “His name is Atticai.” I said.

  “I knew who he was.”

  “And you fought him anyway?”

  “Why not? Who was he to tell me what the rules were?”

  “Apparently he was the judge, jury, and executioner.” I said.

  “He was only the judge and jury. Goliath was the executioner.”

  “Who the hell is Goliath?”

  “He is another 7 foot beast, but he’s not a twig like Atticai. He weighs almost 500 pounds.”

  “So I take it that Goliath wasn’t his birth name.”

  “It’s the only name that fits.”

  “After your friend Atticai was done with me–”

  “Trust me, he’s not my friend.”

  “Anyway, I had the pleasure of getting my ass kicked further by Goliath.”

  “That doesn’t make any sense that Carni do that to their own people.”

  “We know the score if we challenge a Mani and lose.”

  “That doesn’t make any sense. What a backwards way of dealing with shit. They should tend to you. That is what Mani would do.”

  “Nobody said Carni’s were rocket scientists.” Tommy got up and walked toward me. He grabbed a pair of trainer’s gloves and motioned for me to get into the ring with him. He still looked fit.

  I made my way through the ropes, and met Tommy in the middle of the ring.”

  “I’m sorry I wasn’t there.”

  “You have nothing to be sorry about.” Tommy gave me the motion to punch his hand. I threw a right cross and our gloves popped. “Good shot, Josiah.” I continue to do combinations that Tommy and I had worked on in the past. “You know Josiah, that seven foot bean pole was actually fighting in your honor.”

  “I didn’t ask him too,” I said. “He just wanted an excuse to fight.”

  “Maybe, but in the end, he was defending you.”

  “All of this is crazy,” I threw another four punch combination with the last punch making a popping sound that echoed throughout the gym. “The Triat used him as a pawn to get me. The more I think about it, it’s pretty fucked up how bad he was mind fucked by the whole thing.”

  Tommy put his gloves down, “did you kill him?”

  “I had to. He was trying to kill two people I care deeply about.”

  Tommy nodded his head. I think Yari had let him in on all the details but he just wanted to hear it from me.

  “So, you’re the fucking white eagle that’s in all the stories. That’s unbelievable. You have no idea how huge that is. It sure beats a mixed martial arts title.”

  “Can I ask you a question?” I looked at Tommy. I didn’t want to rub salt into Tommy’s wounds. But this had really been bugging me ever since I knew Tommy had been a werewolf. “Why would you fight me in a sport that is designed for humans?”

  “Because I was a Tandra when I began my mixed martial arts training. I didn’t become a Carni till 5 years ago. I worked too hard at the sport to give it up. I wasn’t much stronger.”

  “But being a Carni made you stronger?”

  “A little bit.”

  “And you don’t see anything wrong with that?”

  “If you want me to say sorry, Josiah, I will. But I think the Triat gave me the punishment I deserved. I was pretty much left for dead.”

  “The hospital said you were dead. Did you die?”

  “I’m not sure what happened. One moment I’m being left at the door of the hospital and the next moment I wake up in the woods with dead rabbits and squirrels all around me.”

  “You obviously turned into a werewolf the following night. The fo
llowing night was a full moon.”

  “I realize that, I’m just not sure how it happened.”

  “So then what did you do when you turned back into a human?”

  “I went looking for you. I was at the house and Yari was there to see you and said you weren’t answering the door for anyone. She told me that you needed time.”

  “When was this?”

  “About two weeks ago. She told me everything. She told me about Atticai trying to kill a girl named Lena. She said how you saved both Lena and her. She mentioned that you had been turned into a vampire. I felt awful for you, but I knew if anyone could help you deal with it, it was me.”

  “I would have answered the door for you. You should have knocked.”

  “I did knock– a couple times, but you didn’t answer. I figured you were dealing with a lot of major shit and I would speak to you when you were ready–”

  “You being alive trumps anything I would have to deal with.”

  “I just figured our time would come. I wasn’t going anywhere.”

  My eyes began to well up. “Tommy, they pronounced you dead. I thought I had lost everything.”

  Tommy put his hand on my shoulder. “I know Josiah, I should have come to you sooner.” We shared an awkward silent moment that neither of us was used to. Tommy broke the silence with, “show me the white eagle.”

  “Seriously?” I said.

  “Why not? I’m curious what you look like.”

  “I don’t feel like it right now.” I really wasn’t in the mood.

  “Come on, Josiah. Look at me. I’m beat up and broken down. I don’t ever ask for much.”

  I looked at Tommy. His puppy dog eyes and bruised face and body were pulling at my heart strings. He didn’t ask for much so I decided I would do it. “All right. I’ll do it this once. But this isn’t some kind of routine I’m going to pull out at parties to get you laid.”

  “Very funny.”

  I gave Tommy a look that said, ‘you better enjoy this cause this is the only time I’m going to do this just for the hell of it.’ I closed my eyes and concentrated. Immediately, I felt a rushing wind come over me and I dropped to the floor.

  I squawked, as if to say, ‘here you go’. I was the white eagle. I took off in flight, trying to navigate through the confinement of the gym. I nearly hit the ceiling and the walls right before I flew smack into Tommy’s arms. I was trying to land on his shoulder, but instead plowed into him. Damn, I was awful at this.

  “Holy shit,” Tommy held me in his arms and petted my feathers. “You’re beautiful, Josiah! You have any idea what this means?”

  Tommy let me go and I flew down on the concrete gym floor and transitioned back to a Mani. “What does what mean?”

  “It means that you shouldn’t waste your time fighting Carni’s that you meet in a bar.”

  “How do you know about that anyway?”

  “Let’s just say I have been in the shadows.”

  “Seriously? You have been following me?”

  “Someone needed to make sure you didn’t do anything stupid.”

  “Well, you did a great job with that.” I said sarcastically.

  “You were bound to get challenged by a Carni out of the gate. Consider it a rite of passage.”

  “I don’t need a rite of passage. I think defeating Atticai proved that I can take care of myself.”

  “The Carni and Mani feud is epic, Josiah. You might have defeated a Mani stud like Atticai, but now you need to take care of your business with a Carni. Just kick his ass and get the hell out of there before they challenge you a second time. If you don’t leave after the first fight, you’ll be there all night. Trust me; you want no part of Goliath.”

  “Was he that giant bald guy back at the bar?”

  “Did he have a long braided goatee?”

  “Yup,” I said.

  “That’s Goliath. And he is as filthy as they come. He doesn’t play by the rules, and he never quits a fight. No matter how long it takes.”

  “Will he be there?”

  “Oh, that grizzly bear wouldn’t miss a duel for his life.” Tommy slipped through the ropes and hopped on the concrete floor where I was standing.

  “Any advice for me about the bartender?”

  “The owner challenged you?” Tommy’s laugh echoed through the gym.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “You’ll have no problem kicking his ass. He’s all talk. A couple of high kicks should finish him off pretty quick. What time is the battle?”

  I looked at Tommy. His bruises and scratches seemed fresh. I didn’t want him to get hurt anymore. This wasn’t his fight. It was mine, and I fucking can take care of myself. “It’s scheduled for 3:30.”

  “I’m going to meet up with Yari and we’ll meet up with you before. You don’t want to walk in there alone.”

  “Tommy, you can’t go. You have been banned by them.”

  “I just want to see their faces when I show up alive.”

  “You think that would be safe?”

  “Who gives a shit about safety? Those assholes left me for dead.”

  I took a deep breath. “I’m going to take off and get some fresh air.”

  “No more working out. Go have a Slurpee or a Red Bull. Find a nice tree and mentally go over your takedowns and submission moves. You probably won’t even have to use them, but you can never be too careful.”

  “Will do, Tommy. Will do.” I transitioned and flew out the same window I had come in through.

  Chapter Four

  I took Tommy’s advice and flew over to Hill Crest Park in Fullerton. When I got there, I transitioned to Mani and spent about an hour lying under a tree getting my head right—getting myself in the right frame of mind to take on another immortal creature. The reality of the situation was serious because I was not sure how to prepare for the fight. Therefore, I prepared the same way I would for any fight. I meditated and walked through my takedowns and submissions. I went over and over them until I knew I was ready.

  I thought about Lena, and how amazing she looked tonight. I couldn’t help but feel an immense bond with her. Why? Was it because I was the one who turned her into a Mani? Or was it because of something else; something deeper and less tangible. All I knew was that she would have no part of tonight; I would not allow it. No one would be involved except for me.

  I glanced at my cell phone and realized I had 45 minutes until the fight. It was time to go. I transformed into the eagle and flew to Taco Bell to get my truck. I circled the parking lot waiting for the night manager to get into his car and leave. When the coast was clear, I decided to try something different. I tried transitioning back to Mani simultaneously as I landed. It kind of worked. I didn’t land perfectly on my feet, but at least I didn’t fall down. I stumbled a little, but caught my balance.

  I opened my truck and was pleased no one had stolen my radio since I had left it open. I reached down and grabbed my keys from under my seat. I started my truck and took off out of the parking lot.

  I drove up Imperial Street toward the mountains. Sure enough, there was a giant ranch right before the mountain trail started. I guess that was Barner’s Ranch. I parked my truck at the bottom, and walked up the side of the road by myself. I looked up into the dark sky, “Well Triat,” I called out. “If I’m the guy you want for all of this, then keep me safe.” I continued to walk and I figured I should cover all my bases. I looked up to the sky one more time. “Whoever is in charge of all this? Keep me safe.”

  I began my trek up a dirt path that led to a large ranch. I could hear Carni shouting and laughing like a lynch mob ready to jump me from all sides. Instead, they kept their distance while taunting me from dark places along the road. That’s all they did—taunt.

  I was wearing the same blue jeans and black t-shirt that I had on earlier in the evening.

  I had to admit I had never felt this way before an altercation. I almost felt like nothing could hurt me, as if I was protected by som
e supernatural force.

  I approached a grassy field at the north end of the ranch. I stood there alone. On the other side of the field appeared to be at least 30 to 40 Carni. The area had about half a dozen giant rocks scattered throughout. They almost appeared to be boulders. Not sure what kind of landscaping design this was, but it was definitely different. The noise and laughter soon stopped as I approached. It was obvious these ignoramuses had no idea who I was. They all looked at me amused, as if I had walked up to my own execution. I liked to be underestimated, I liked that a lot.

  In the middle of this hairy, dirty mob stood my opponent, the bartender. I don’t think he was thirty yet. But hell, he was a Carni; he could have been this age for 300 years. He made his way to the front. I was less impressed with the bartender’s stature and more impressed with the 7-foot plus wild beast in the back. It appeared Goliath had made his way to the show. Something told me he was not here to be a spectator.

  “You alone?” the bartender asked with a nervous crackle in his voice.

  “Yes,” I said staring directly at him. I was amused that he appeared anxious.

  “You really are new at this,” he laughed. All his Carni cohorts laughed like a grizzly choir of deadheads. “You are either a bad ass or just stupid.”

  “I would go with the first.” I said plainly. I walked a little closer to him. There was about seventy-five feet separating us. “So how do we do this?”

  “You’re asking me how to fight?” He turned to the others and laughed.

  “No, I definitely don’t need any advice on how to fight. I’m going to kick your ass, and I’m going to do it rather quickly. What I do want to know is this: once I’m done with you, is that going to be it?”

  “You sound pretty confident, blood sucker.”

  “It’s not confidence, hairball. It’s what I know. What I know is someone like you can’t last two minutes with someone like me.”

  “I could kick this pretty boy’s ass,” a woman yelled out from the crowd. “Are we sure that this is even a man?”