The Wolf's Boy

POV - Kyas - Age Ten

“Oh K-eye-yassssssss!”

I tensed. It was Evelyn. She was saying my name in that sing-song tone that meant nothing but trouble for me. Even though she was just two years older than me, I knew better than to ignore her.

I hurried to get the big pot of water onto the stove before she rounded the corner. If I’m caught holding it, I’ll be wearing the water. I had three more of them to get up there before Mistress Annie got to the kitchen, but thankfully, I’m at least taller than the stove now.

Evelyn appeared from around the corner. Never was there such a contradiction as Evelyn to Kyas. Outwardly, Evelyn was heaven in wolf shifter form. The classic blond hair, blue eyed, perfectly balanced beauty that needs no assistance from cosmetics. Unlike Kyas’ own black haired, blue eyed, scrawny frame. Though she was only twelve, it was clear that, once fully developed, she’ll have every male within miles panting after her. Inside though… Evelyn was the devil incarnate. At least as far Kyas knew.

Evelyn was the daughter of the Cedar River Pack’s Beta. She had the higher ranked wolves believing she was as sweet as she looked, but to most of the lower ranks, particularly the Omegas and the pack slaves, she was a cruel bully who took joy in the pain of others.

“Kyas!” Evelyn shouted, “I just got Great news! The Alpha of the Fire Moon Pack is finally visiting today! That means TWICE the work for YOU! Isn’t it wonderful?” she said excitedly.

My knees threatened to buckle. My work load was already exhausting and Evelyn knew it. She made sure of it. Evelyn had already learned a long time ago that inflicting pain on me didn’t get the same reaction it used to. After so long, one hurt just blended in with the others and I had stopped reacting to the pinches and backhanded slaps. So she made sure that I was the first one up in the morning and the last to bed at night, with barely any down time. If there was a rare break in kitchen activities, Evelyn would invent something for me to do, often volunteering me as though I was her personal property.

The only good thing was that I wasn’t alone. Evelyn treated all lower ranks like this and she didn’t have time to pay special attention to me usually, but she knew that additional tasks were difficult on the low rations we received. That was what brought joy to Evelyn this morning.

“Yes, Mistress Evelyn, this one is grateful to be of service to the Pack on this special day.” I said in a monotone voice. I knew well the proper way to address my betters, though I wouldn’t class Evelyn among them.

“Oh, you Will, Kyas! That’s not all! Alpha Silas is getting another magic lesson today from the witch and needs another “helper”. The last one died… Anyway, I’ve decided that YOU would be a great replacement! Now, say, “thank you”.” she sneered.

I reacted before I thought and backed up the few paces between me and the stove. No one wanted to be Alpha Silas’ helper, so many things go wrong when the spells weren’t done right. Many of the slaves never came back, and those that did were never the same.

I recovered quickly and said a hurried “Thank you, Mistress Evelyn.”, but she had gotten what she wanted. The fear and reaction she needed.

She gave me a nasty grin. “You’re welcome. I always try to recognize the less fortunate. After breakfast clean up, you’re to report to Alpha’s garden. You’ll have to skip lunch to make it on time - oh, wait, you don’t get lunch!” she laughed.

She picked up an apple from the sideboard, took a bite and then threw it at me. It hit me in the shoulder. That would bruise by nightfall. We heard Mistress Annie coming, barking orders at the other slaves as she came. Evelyn repeated my orders to her, then happily left the kitchen.

Mistress Annie was not happy. She wacked me with her spoon because only one pot was on the stove and there was an apple on the floor. I picked up the apple and pretended to throw it away, but actually hid it behind the trash can. If I was lucky, I could grab it on the way to the garden.

Morning chores were grueling, and since the Fire Moon’s Alpha was due by mid-day, extra preparations for lunch were needed. Mistress Annie had me clear the tables in the hall today, so there was a clear point at which I knew to head for the garden.

As I cleared the tables, the rest of the pack was full of gossip about the visiting Alpha. They said he had twin sons, but that one of them had been killed when young, and that the Alpha took the loss hard. The Alpha came every so often to see the witch, trying to see if she could communicate with his dead son. No one knew if she actually did or not. It is assumed that she did, otherwise, the Alpha wouldn’t keep coming back.

This was background noise to me though. I couldn’t stop thinking about that apple. It would be the biggest food item I had eaten in weeks. As I was taking the last of the dishes to the sinks, where usually I would be washing them, I noticed Bjorn, another slave, conspicuously hunched over under the sink. Then I heard the distinctive sound of him biting an apple. My spirits plummeted, but I couldn’t blame him. We all needed food and we were intentionally kept malnourished, to ensure we were never strong enough to do anything but the work expected of us.

I heard Mistress Annie coming and quickly moved to hide Bjorn. As she came up, Bjorn shouted behind me “I found it!” and crawled out from the sink holding a fork. I nearly sagged with relief. If he had been caught, they’d have starved him for 3 days to make up for the “loss” of the apple.

Mistress Annie whacked me on the shoulder with her spoon. “Don’t you have somewhere to be?” she said. I tensed. It was time to go to the Alpha’s garden.

“Yes, Mistress Annie, this one was just finishing the tables.” I said. I looked at Bjorn. At least if I died, my last act on earth was helping Bjorn have a better day.

Alpha Silas had become obsessed with magic, since finding out that witchcraft existed in his ancestry. He was convinced that if he could master witchcraft, he could become the most powerful Alpha in the area. Some even said he had mentioned the Alpha King.

Based on some of his “experiments” that had survived, it was unclear whether Alpha Silas could do magic, or if it was the witch doing it for him. Alpha Silas had created a secluded garden courtyard that no one was allowed in unless specifically taken inside so that his experiments with magic could be kept secret.

I made my way from the kitchens to the garden, a large circle surrounded by hedges taller than most men, set in a maze pattern, letting the guards know that I was to be Alpha Silas’ helper today. One of them nodded and led me through the maze to find the center. Inside the garden walls, there were smaller gardens in a circular maze pattern, with a huge stone altar in the center, and various benches scattered around it. Exactly what one would expect for secret witch ceremonies and sacrificial offerings.

Alpha Silas and the witch, Alma, were already there, near the altar. I approached them, and Alpha was in conversation with the witch. He didn’t even look at me, he just gripped my waist and lifted me up to sit on the altar. The witch was explaining something.

“It’s not actually a spell, Silas, it’s an incantation. You don’t specifically use magic so much as allow the incantation to draw the magic from you.” she said. “The incantation will bind it because you use the correct words and phrasing, but are not required to produce the magic yourself.”

“I see,” Alpha Silas says. “So, it won’t matter if I can’t bring the magic forth, the incantation will take the magic it needs without me trying?”

“Yes,” she said, “and it’s a simple binding, so it doesn’t even take that much. We know you have Some ability, and this type of magic depends more on getting the words right than on how much power you can bring forth.”

Alpha Silas looks at me. Looks me up and down like deciding which part of me to cut off first.

“What’s your name, boy? How old are you?” he asks.

“This one is ten, Master, this one is called Kyas.” I timidly answer.

Alpha Silas barely acknowledged my response. He turned back to the witch.

“This one is too young to have it’s wolf yet, will it still work on it?” he asked her.

“Yes, Silas. It doesn’t have it’s wolf yet, but it’s because the wolf is dormant, not because it isn’t there. Once we bind it, it will never come forward and it will be as though it never had one.” she explained. “The only reason it wouldn’t work would be if it doesn’t have a wolf, which we can check before we begin.”

I was used to being called “it”, they sometimes call me worse. I suppose I wasn’t really a person to them anyway, probably why they use pack slaves for the experiments. They wouldn’t want to potentially harm a real person. Like Evelyn. I couldn’t help the small smile that came to my face, imagining Evelyn here in my place.

The witch took on an instructional tone, and set a book on the altar next to me. It was like the exam table at a doctor’s office. Not that I’d ever been to one, but I had seen pictures.

“Put one hand on the middle of it’s chest, and the other just above the eyes on it’s forehead, then concentrate. You’ll see a bright blue light. Tell me when you see it.” she instructed.

Alpha Silas put his hands where she told him, and I had to catch myself from falling backwards at the physical pressure. He didn’t seem to care. “Yes, I see the blue, that’s the aura, right?”

“That’s correct.”, she said. “Now visualize the aura as having a dimensional front and back. You’re trying to see behind it’s aura. You’ll see a golden light, behind the blue. Let me know when you see it.”

I could feel a different type of pressure coming from Alpha’s hands. “I think I see something…” he said. “I’m not sure… Maybe I need to push harder.” he said.

“No, Silas, you’re not using magic, you’re just using sight. You’re just trying to see it, not touch it.” she cautioned.

I could feel an increased pressure, and Silas shifted his stance, seeming to become impatient. He grimaced and I felt a massive push, but this time, not physically, but deep inside.

“Ok,” he said, “Now I see it, there’s the yellow light. I thought I saw it a minute ago but it wasn’t that bright.”

“Well, it’s probably brighter now because you woke it up. I told you not to touch it. It doesn’t matter though, we’re going to bind it anyway.” she responded.

Alpha Silas removed his hands and stepped over to look at the book. I sat back up, but suddenly I didn’t feel well. I felt a bit sick to my stomach and a pounding had begun in my head. I literally felt something roll over in my mind. It felt like she said. Like something inside me was waking up.

I was a little bit relieved. It was common lore among the slaves that some of us never get our wolves. That sometimes our wolves can’t deal with being slaves and will refuse to come out, never even speak to us, and eventually fade away. We never know until we reach fifteen years old, and sometimes not until years later, because of delayed development due to harsh treatment.

So, at least I know I have a wolf. I just hoped mine didn’t reject me when he found out we were a slave.

“So,” the witch said. “This first part here, identifies the two subjects. The child, and the wolf. This will center the incantation on only those two, so we’re not trying to bind everyone in the pack.”

Alpha Silas started reading words from the book. In the back of my mind, I heard a voice. 'Wha... What's happening?'

I don’t know how I knew the way to do it, but I responded by thinking back at the voice. 'This one doesn't know. It is being experimented on and they said they woke you up. This one may think you're it's wolf?'

Mentally, I felt an image appear, like in a separate room or compartment in my mind. The image was a wolf, standing up and shaking out it’s fur. In my mind, the wolf was golden, like the light the witch described. Even the eyes were gold, as though it was Made of the light.

'This one is called Kyas, what is your name?' I thought at it, while Alpha continued the words.

'I'm Chaos, something feels odd. ' he said back. 'What is this experiment they’re doing on us?'

'This one is not sure, they keep saying the word "bind" a lot, but this one doesn't know what that means.' I say.

Alpha Silas pauses. “Ok,” he says. “What’s next?"

The witch turns the page in the book. “This part creates the barrier. It’s what prevents the wolf from coming forward. It won’t be solid until the incantation is complete, but it puts a partition between the child’s aura and the wolf’s aura.” she explains.

Alpha Silas begins reading from the book again.

'A barrier?' Chaos asks. 'Is she talking about us? She wants to put a barrier between us? Why? Did you do something?'

'No, this one didn’t, but they made this one come here because Alpha Silas is learning magic and this one is a nobody. Please don’t reject this one, this one is sorry that it's a nobody.' I say back.

Chaos flicked an ear in annoyance. 'Don’t apologize, Kyas, no one is ever really a nobody. That’s a class thing, a rank thing, but not a person thing. Everyone is someone. You’re not nobody to me.'

'So, she’s teaching Alpha Silas a binding spell? On US?' he asked.

'It... thinks so?' I respond. 'This one doesn't really know.'

As Alpha Silas continued, and I spoke with Chaos, a slight shimmering white wall began rising in front of Chaos in my mind. Chaos poked it with a paw, and his paw went through it, like it was mist.

Chaos started to look worried. 'If they bind us, will we still be able to shift? Go running? Mate? Are they binding us To something, like the packhouse or pack territory?'

I recall the conversation I had been hearing the last few minutes. 'Chaos,' I thought at him, 'This one doesn't think so. This one thinks they are binding you away from it. So you can’t come out.'

'Ever?' he said, this time a hint of panic in his voice. 'If I can't come out, won't I die?'

'This one doesn't know. It is sorry.' I said, feeling frustrated that I didn’t know the answer to his questions.

Alpha Silas paused again. The white mist was between me and Chaos, but not completely, I could still see his ears above it, not covered in mist. We both went quiet to hear what the witch said next.

“Alright, now you need to set the conditions. As I’ve said before, all magic must be balanced. To bind something, there must be conditions set for the release of the bind. There must be rules of undoing, for every doing, understand?” she asked.

“Yes, I understand, what should the rules be?” Silas responded. Chaos pricked his ears, listening intently, and so did I.

“They can be anything really, from eating a red fruit to completing a task. Most commonly for binding, we set marking as the unbinding. It’ll have to find it’s mate, and they both have to mark each other to release the binding. Not just one, but both of them must do it. That condition usually ends up permanent, because without it’s wolf, the human doesn’t know it’s mate. Low ranks don’t need mates anyway.” she advised.

“You can also set secondary conditions, like exceptions. Such as… oh, I don’t know… if it eats a red fruit, it can shift from dusk til dawn on the full moon, if the fruit was eaten that day, or something.” she finished.

Alpha Silas was silent, thinking. He still didn’t even look at me. “Ok, I’ll do the marking as the unbinding, but do I need the exception?” he asked.

“No, you don’t need the exception, but it is good practice to learn it. With the exception, it’s wolf may not die off, as there will be a chance to come out, and there’s a chance that if the wolf doesn’t die, it Could find it’s mate to unbind itself, but again, with one of these, it doesn’t really matter anyway either way. It’s your slave, you control what it does, so you can keep the exception within your control and just ensure it doesn’t happen.” Alma said.

“Alright, then I’ll make the exception, so I can learn it, since it’s my first time.” he decided.

Silas began reading again. While I didn’t understand most of the words, I recognized when he placed the condition and exception. He said I must eat an apple by noon on the day of the full moon to be able to shift from dusk til dawn on that day only each month. Stupid apples.

As the conditions were set, the white mist thickened, but when Chaos tested it, he could still get a paw through, but it was harder. Chaos began pacing in my mind, his glowing golden form now difficult to see, except for his ears and raised tail.

Silas paused again. The witch turned the page again.

“This completes the binding and locks it in place. It will solidify the barrier and block it’s wolf from coming forward at all, unless the exception is met. After you read this part, check the auras again, and you’ll see the partition you have created as a white light between the blue and yellow. Then say the words ‘finite incantatum’ to complete it, and lock it in place.” she instructed.

As Alpha Silas began reciting again, Chaos started pacing faster, talking to himself. He was thinking about all the things we wouldn’t be able to do, how the binding would effect us, and what he could do, but he said he didn’t want to hurt me.

Alpha Silas paused again and stepped over to me, placing his hands on my chest and head like before, just as Chaos, in full panic jumped through the white barrier and then pushed my own consciousness aside.

Everything erupted in pain. I could feel everything start snapping and rearranging. My hands became black fur covered paws, my nose became a muzzle, my legs contorted and rearranged and then my mind felt pulled, like a vacuum to the other side of the white mist. As Chaos shifted, his clawed paw scratched Alpha Silas’ face and pushed him back.

Alpha Silas, in a panic, fell back and said “Finite -”

Alma shouted “Wait, Silas! If you finish it, you’ll lock them this way!”

“- Incantatum!” Silas finished.

I was now looking through Chaos’ eyes, he was in control. He quickly jumped down from the altar and ran around the garden maze until he found the exit, shooting out past the guards, who were there to keep things out, not in. Chaos headed for the trees and quickly disappeared into the underbrush.