The Werewolf Whisperer (4 page)

“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 following 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.

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 some 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?”

I looked at the woman. She was at least fifty and about 50 pounds overweight.  I smiled bemusedly at her. “Listen, ma’am. Do yourself a favor and don’t come anywhere near me.”

“Ma’am? The woman said. “This little twig just called me ma’am.”

Little Twig?
I decided to take off my shirt so everyone could see I was definitely not a twig.

“What?” the bartender said. “You think because you spent some time in the gym that it matters out here on the ranch. You’re going to need to do more than just flex, pretty boy.”

I stared at the grizzly mob. They looked like something out of a bad seventies movie starring Billy Jack.

“Kick his disgusting Mani ass!” The fifty-year-old woman yelled out.

“Let’s get this going,” A man from the mob yelled out.

“Kick his ass, Brian!” Another echoed in.

“Brian?” I yelled out. “Your name is Brian?”

“Why the hell do you care?”

“When I write my memoirs, I want to be able to call you by name.” I turned to the mob and said, “So, if one of you can grab a piece of paper and pass it around. Could everyone sign it with your first and last names?  I promise, you will all become infamous after tonight.”

“Kill him,” A man from the back yelled out. I looked over. It was Goliath.              

Kill him? Damn this was real. This wasn’t a stupid college fight. This was as real as the night I became a Mani. At least then, I had Yari on my side. Tonight, by choice, I was alone.

I slapped my body all over to get my blood flowing, doing it the same way I would before a mixed martial arts fight. I didn’t know if I had blood anymore, but slapping myself was doing the trick.  I was ready to go.

Here we go! I circled Brian. I had him come out to me by nodding my head and motioning from home to come and get me. This was a safety measure. It is common to circle each other in a fight. So being that I was outnumbered 30 to 1, it was in my best interest to move the fight away from his friends. You never want to turn your back to a group that wants to rip off your head. These guys not only wanted to rip it off, they wanted to display it at their bar.

“It’s show time, you Mani piece of shit.” Brian charged at me. I focused my eyes on my opponent, and this is the part where everything goes in slow motion. All my life—whenever I fight—it would seem as if time would almost stand still. My brain goes into what I call Good-Will-Hunting mode. I am able to dissect and break down my opponents weaknesses in milliseconds. This would allow me to do the most damage by delivering the least amount of energy.