Chapter 44 - THE LEADER
Chapter 44 - THE LEADER
The place was a remote, a hidden island. It was quite far from the mainland, and there was no electricity on the island.
There were no permanent buildings, there were only a few small huts made of wood and woven bamboo. Blue had been staying in one of those little huts last night.
Last night, Blue and Jack's boat pulled over to the island just before midnight. It was already very late and night, and Blue was also very tired. That was why Jack escorted the girl to one of the huts to rest. He said that he would bring Blue to meet their leader the next day.
This afternoon, Jack finally accompanied Blue to meet their leader. The island was very secluded, and many big trees grew there. Last night, Blue did not see the view of the island because it was very dark there and there was no electricity, and it was only today that she clearly saw what the island looked like.
There were many mangrove trees there, as well as coconut trees. Besides that, there were also other trees that Blue didn't know what kind of species they were.
The golden sand swept around in a scythe of beach, hemmed in by towering mangroves trees. The powdery sand grazed the brown shoes. It looked like granulated sugar sprinkled the bombolone.
After a few minutes of walking, Jack finally stopped, and Blue followed the lead. The long-haired girl, who was currently wearing a plaid shirt combined with long jeans, was shocked to see the scene in front of her.
She expected the werewolves would welcome her in human form, but she was mistaken. The werewolves were waiting for her in wolf form. Their coat color was predominantly black and brown, and their eyes glowed red and bright.
That scared Blue to a degree. She couldn't imagine if they attacked her and made her their lunch menu.
"You don't need to be afraid, just keep walking," Jack, who was standing beside her, tried to clear her doubts.
Blue swallowed nervously. In front of her were lined wolves that seemed to form a path for her, on her right and left as if welcoming her. She slowly walked between the rows of wolves that were lined up.
At first, the wolves stood on their four legs, but later they changed into a sitting position and slightly lowered their heads towards Blue. It looked like they were saluting the girl.
Blue ignored all of them and continued walking past the wolves that probably numbered over fifty. After passing through the wolves, she finally stood face to face with a wolf in black fur. Its body was large, and its eyes were red. From the aura alone, it could be seen that the figure was the leader of the werewolves.
In the next instant, the wolf suddenly changed form. Its black fur disappeared, its eyes turned brownish-black, and it stood on two legs. The black wolf's figure turned into a man with grey hair and beard.
Blue's blue eyes witnessed the transformation, and she noticed that it was not only the leader who transformed. The other wolves, which had been lined up facing each other creating a path for her to pass, had also transformed into human form.
"Welcome to our clan, Blue," the old man greeted Blue kindly.
Blue watched the old man's appearance closely. His appearance was simple. He was wearing casual black clothes and was not wearing any footwear. The man's body was tall and well-built even though he was no longer young. At first glance, the man bore a little resemblance to Kris.
The old man indeed resembled Kris. But, even though the two of them looked a little alike, Blue felt the aura of the man in front of her was less intimidating. She felt more intimidated when dealing with Kris.
"Did you sleep well last night? Sorry that we couldn't welcome you in a better way," the old man spoke again.
Blue glanced at Jack, who was standing quite a distance behind her, then looked back at the man and asked, "Who are you? And, what is this place?" Even though she could tell that the man in front of her was the leader, but she still asked just to make sure.
The man smiled a little at Blue and replied, "My name is Mike Allaband, I'm the leader here, and this place is our secret base."
Allaband. That was Kris's surname, so the old man was indeed Kris's father.
And, the island was the werewolves' secret base. Blue eyes glanced around. She did not feel anything special with the island. There was absolutely nothing extraordinary, and she felt that the island looked like a private island that the rich usually rented for a honeymoon or other occasions. The island just didn't have many facilities and didn't even have a power grid.
"What are you planning to do with me?" Blue asked straight to the point.
"Didn't Jack explain to you?" The leader asked back. "You are our true leader, Blue. You are destined to lead us to conquer mankind."
Blue snorted slightly at the answer. "Why do you guys want to conquer humans so badly? Why can't you coexist with them?" She asked again.
The question brought a change of expression on the leader's face. He smiled sarcastically and asked, "Coexist with humans, you say?" He asked in disbelief. "Look around you, Blue. These are the only werewolves left after those humans wiped out our people. Take a good look at them. They lost many of their family members, they were also badly injured in the past. You think they can coexist with humans who have been cruel to them?"
Blue obeyed the leader's request. She paid close attention to her surroundings, and she just realized that there were various types of werewolves in the place. At first, she thought there were only grown men in the place, but she was wrong. Among them were also women and children, and all of them were now looking at her with pleading eyes.
"They all can't keep hiding, Blue. The Earth can only be occupied by one type of creature with intelligence, be it humans or werewolves. Two kinds of intelligent beings cannot coexist because they will only destroy each other," the leader argued again.
Blue turned to the old man and said, "Humans wouldn't do that if you guys didn't prey on them first."
The answer made the leader widen his eyes for a moment, but then he laughed out loud. "Why are you defending humans, Blue? You are part of us, so you should defend us," he said.
"I lived for nearly seventeen years as a human, and I enjoyed my life quite well. Those humans weren't mean to me either. Then, why should I join you in conquering humans?"
Again, Blue's answer caused a different reaction on Mike's face. The old man now smirked and asked, "Are you sure they weren't mean to you? Then, why don't you have any human friends? Why there were no humans who adopted you before? Aren't those humans isolating you, Blue?"
Blue fell silent. She felt that what the werewolf leader just said was true. So far, she was not that happy living as a human. She always felt empty and lonely without knowing the reason.
"But, that's not enough to make me want to kill them," Blue finally answered.
Blue's response made Mike nod his head several times and sighed. "I understand," said the old man. "Then, I will give you a week to think about it. There is only one month left before you turn 17, and you have to give me an answer before that day comes," he continued.
"What if I'm still not interested in your offer until the end?" Blue asked again.
The question didn't seem to put Mike on the edge as he casually replied, "I still have other ways to get you to join us, Blue."
Now, it was Blue who felt a little frightened after hearing Mike's answer. She was wrong when she thought that Kris's aura was more intimidating than Mike's. She just realized that Mike was far more dangerous than Kris. She did not expect that she had made a mistake in her judgment. Blue now felt confused about what decision to make.
"Come here, Jack!"
Blue's reveries shattered by Mike's shout.
The young man, who was summoned, hurriedly walked over to the two of them and asked, "What's wrong, Sir?"
"It's time for lunch soon, so take Blue back to her hut and prepare the food for her."
The order seemed absolute because Mike immediately left the two of them before Jack could respond. Even Jack could only sigh as he motioned Blue to walk with him.
Inevitably, Blue followed Jack because she was still unfamiliar with the other werewolves. It could be said that Blue only trusted Jack in that place.
"Where are you taking me?" Blue asked after she had aligned herself with Jack.
"To your hut. I will prepare your lunch after that."
Talking about food suddenly made Blue realize something. The girl frantically asked again, "What food will you prepare for me?"
The question made Jack stop walking. Blue also did the same and waited patiently for Jack's answer.
The werewolf grinned slightly and said, "What kind of food are you expecting? Of course it's human flesh."