Curious beasts

Ryker helps me up from the mat and I'm internally debating with myself about letting Ryker in on the mystery surrounding the seal that is separating me from my wolf and the wolfsbane that is slowly poisoning and weakening me so that I can't harness the abilities that should be coming to me naturally.

But with his distracted gaze and his fists clenched by his side, I decide that now is not the time. The dark stranger had told me to keep it a secret. I don't know if I agree with keeping this from Ryker, but for at least a little while longer I think I can hold my tongue.

We drink some water and do some stretches to cool down before leaving the gym and head back towards my room. He's unusually quiet, seeming to be deep in thought about something he clearly doesn't want to share.

It is dark out, but I can see the black fountain as we pass by it since a white light from the ground is pointed at it. I stop and face the fountain to look more closely at it - I have never seen anything like it before. With the direction of the light, what used to be an abstract shape in the middle of the fountain turns into a wolf that is in such fine detail that it almost looks alive. The light weaves through the wolf's fur, making it look like a lighter grey at the tips and darker at the base where the fur meets the wolf's body. The wolf's head is slightly bent down and its ears are to the side in a dominant and threatening manner. It's eyes are pitch black, giving me an eerie sensation as I feel like I could get lost in its depths.

"It didn't look like this before," I whisper, as though if I speak too loudly it might wake up the black stone wolf before me.

In my peripheral, I can see Ryker nod his head in agreement. "The fountain is designed to be unrecognizable in daytime, but its shadow will take on different shapes throughout the day based on the position of the sun in the sky and the direction of its light. When it is nighttime, the real shape of the fountain is revealed."

"Wow," I breathe in astonishment, impressed with the skill of the artist, or maybe the magic, that created this masterpiece. "Oh right, the other day I saw that the shadow was in the shape of a horse but it had what looked like a fish's tail. I forgot to mention it before," I say as I turn to look at him.

"Ah, a kelpie," Ryker answers with an excited smile. "Or a hippocamp if you're looking into greek lore. They're a water horse only known through legends, as the last sighting of one was recorded over two thousand years ago. You see, when human populations started to rise and civilizations were becoming more formidable, supernaturals retreated to their original realms or hid from discovery. Kelpies, though, were curious beasts by nature and were more trusting. Some kelpies had lived peacefully with human companions and thus, believed it to still be possible. So they started to appear to humans as one of their own, able to mask their true identities and hold the form of a human for a short while satiating their curiosities. But as much as kelpies were naturally curious, humans were as innately fearful of things they could not understand. Consequently, kelpies were hunted, captured and killed. Many believe that they are now extinct, but some still hold the hope that they were able to retreat to a different realm and find peace once again."

"That's terrible," I tell him, sadness lacing my voice.

He shrugs indifferently. "That's nature," he says. "To deny that would be to deny our true selves. In the game of survival, there are those that hunt, and those that are hunted. Predators and prey are the basics of nature and are what drive our instincts. In the case of humans, it is fear of becoming prey that forced them to change and use resources to outsmart their predators. They are still weaker than most, but are strong with their ability to adapt and use tools and technologies."

"True," I say, but a frown overtakes my face as I think that over. "But if we hunt, then I can assume it is to survive. And to survive, we need to meet our basic needs for food and to protect ourselves. By following the logic that hunting is natural, then to kill for reasons other than food or self-defense would be unnatural. Thus, killing creatures out of fear would be reprehensible."

He grins as he looks at me in the corner of his eye. "You bring up a valid argument. When should you act in self-defense? Only after the other person strikes first, so to speak? Or is it still self-defense if you act before you know the strike is coming? Furthermore, is it still self-defense if you act to protect yourself before giving the other person a chance to strike at all? At what point is it too early to take action, turning the victim into the assailant or turning the prey into the predator?"

"In the eyes of the law, it's premeditation," I tell him intently, glued to the conversation at hand. His grin grows larger at my response.

"In the eyes of human law, you mean. Not every sentient species has law and order, or a perceived notion of one. And we each have different cultures and behaviors that are perceived differently by other supernatural beings."

"So who is to say who is right, or what is natural and unnatural for that matter?" I ask him.

"Whom indeed?" He questions in return, causing a chuckle to slip from both of us.

"You're supposed to have the answer, not more questions Ryker." I tease him, giving him a small nudge on his shoulder and he steps back playfully with his hand over his heart.

"I'm a student just like you," he scoffs. I give him a stern glare so he rolls his eyes and his lips twitch before he answers my question. "For werewolves, and some might say for many other supernatural creatures, the Ponoćni Savet sets the foundation of rules we live by and dole out punishments as they see fit. Five families were chosen to oversee our society and each make up a seat on the council."

"I see. And do they rule fairly?" I ask, curious about the mysterious council I have heard about in passing conversations but do not know much about. Ryker purses his lips and his face turns grim.

"Depends on who you ask, but I'd caution against you voicing such a question. Whether they do or not doesn't matter, they are the unopposed ruling body that we must abide by."

I tilt my head to the side in thoughtfulness, digesting his curt response. "The werewolf government isn't a democracy then?"

He barks a laugh in surprise and puts his arm over my shoulder, pulling me close while taking an inhale of breath from above my head. It seems to calm him down, much to my delight.

"No," he says in a low, deep voice. "Democracy is primarily a human concept. Most of the supernatural realm govern themselves in other ways. Think of ours as an oligarchy." I nod since that helps put things in perspective, and he leads me forward to continue on our walk back to my room.