The Rise of an Alpha Were-Jaguar

Chapter 1

THE FULL MOON period lasted 2 to 3 days depending on the time of the year. It was the only time the wolves were free to wander about and howl to their content and satisfaction.

The wolves of London were evolved and civilised, so some human children ran side by side with their wolf friends during some nights. 

They would run through the woods, chase rabbits. Then they would find themselves to the knob of a hill and with the alpha starting, all the other wolves would howl loud and long. Nose pointed to the moon and tail flat on the floor. 

The human children who had ran with their werewolf friends would stay back at the foot of the hill – for the hill was sacred grounds for the wolves – and shiver. Maybe because of the cold. Maybe because of the long, low soul-wrenching howl that all the wolves made into a melodic unity. The human children would cluster together and wonder why the lycan gene had skipped them. Even if they had werewolves parents. Even if their siblings had the lycan gene. 

The humans at home would shut their doors and windows and sit near the fire with a cup of tea in their hand. The ones whose spouses were wolves would have a hot bath waiting for the spouse and children for when they came home. 

Slowly, one by one, each wolf would trudge back down the hill. Some pups would shift back to human form. Some would remain in their werewolf form. The friends of the pups brought clothes along. They would watch their friends dress up and then they would all go home together. 

The occasional ring of children laughter would ring out and drift in the night air. 

Yes, there were wolves in London. Werewolves. If only you know where to look. 

CREATURES OF MAGIC are scattered all over the world. Feys. Elves. Dwarfs. Werewolves. And even Vampires. Then there were occasional loopholes of nature. Centaurs. Giants etc.

Some species like the Feys and Elves are well adapted and can live quite undetected amongst humans. 

Feys are more slender and slightly taller than the average human. Their faces are oval but there not much physical difference between them and humans. 

Elves look just like humans with pointed ears – which can be retracted or disguised with hats, wigs or hair when they are amongst humans – and if you look closely, you might just notice that their teeth are more pointy and sharper than that of a human. 

Dwarfs are rarely seen. They move in groups and walk mostly in secret underground tunnels nobody knows about. In some wolf communities, they are used as paid labour or slaves too. 

The Vampires are, well Vampires. Most of them move at night to avoid the risk of sunburn. Then there are the ones with the elder blood. These elder Vampires are immune to sunlight. They live on blood and are the sworn enemies to the werewolves. 

The werewolves are the most socialized and civilised of the magical species. They live in packs all over the world. Each pack ground is surrounded by a magical barrier to avoid human intrusion. The pack is led by the alpha and assisted by his wife, the luna. 

In each pack, the birth of a new pup is a well celebrated affair. So, when the sister of the alpha got pregnant, the whole North London pack was ecstatic. On the week of her delivery, Feys were invited over to help oversee the late periods of the pregnancy and pre-labour process, for it is believed that they are the most skilled magical healers. On the night her water broke and the contractions began, it took every one by surprise. The Feys and wolf healers were called immediately the Labour began. 

Her cries and groans could be heard from inside the room, alongside the hushed muffled voices of the fey healers. 

Outside the room, the alpha was pacing impatiently across the room. The husband sat, numb on a seat. He looked calm on the outside but there was a raging storm inside his head. The only sign of his agitation was the occasional deep growl that would rumble from his throat and his eyes had shifted to a bright gold colour. 

Labour shouldn’t take this long.

After six hours of cries and groans and hushed voices and blood loss and confusion, the cry of a baby was heard. 

The husband was startled and leapt out of his chair and towards the door. The alpha bounded behind him. 

When a pup is born, after he takes his first breath and gives a loud shriek, he is placed in the arms of the mother who then creates a bond by looking into the child’s eyes with her lycan eyes. 

This was a moment of privacy, the healers would step away. Only the father and mother of the child will be present. 

When the bond is created, different things may happen.

The wolf of the child could surface for a moment, changing the babe's eye and pointing his ears. Then a ripple of fur, from his head would wash down his naked little body like a wave and he would give a little whimper. That would confirm him as a wolf. 

The babe could become silent and suck on his thumb and then stretch out his arms to reach for his mother and giggle. That would mean the lycan gene had skipped him and he was just human. The mother would not love him any less and the bond would still be created and strong. She would feel his pain, his joy, his sadness. All his emotions, till he was old enough to cut it, if he wished. 

What happened in this case was different. 

The child’s eyes, when bonded with his mother changed to a startling green colour. Little whisker-like hair protruded from beneath his now flattened nose and a long tail protruded from his bottom. He closed his eyes and purred in satisfaction. 

“He’s a cat and from the color of his fur and strength of his purring, it seems like he's a Jaguar." His mother said in amazement. She hugged the boy to her chest and his animal features retracted gracefully. 

Her husband gathered the mother and child in his arms and said, “He must have gotten it from my grandfather. I’m quarter-cat, remember?” 

She nodded. “We’ll tell everyone he doesn’t have the lycan gene.” Which was not a lie, if you think about it. “They will all assume that he’s human.”

THE WERECATS SPECIES were very rare and special. They once thrived successfully centuries ago. The were fast. Strong. Big. Intelligent. Proud and believed they were meant to rule. They came in different sub species ranging from large cats like Leopards, panthers and cougars to small sized cats. 

The rarest and most powerful of them all was the were-jaguar. 

It took the combined force of the major species a 150 years before the could diminish the cat’s population to 60% of their original size. But the cats didn’t go down without a fight. They wrecked chaos and havoc were they were present

Most cat’s were loners, so it was easier to wipe them out when the other species attacked. Now their population has further reduced to just 1%.

Aside Vampires, the next worse enemy of the werewolves are werecats.