CHPT 169: Manipulation.

The Deviant somehow piloted by Monsters faced its first changes. Actually, it was never completely stagnant as Samuel thought. Whenever Dolion lost control of himself for short moments, a shooting star would blaze across the dark night sky, or the Moon would slide off side slightly.

Reactions such as this paled in comparison to what took place inside after they were told of the reemergence of a spawn of Romulus. It was like merely hearing the name caused them to descend into their monstrosity and plunge the small world they occupied into chaos.

Volley's of flaming shooting stars ignited the sky in a sporadic light show, lightning bolts fell from above while the wind howled and the ground below them trembled with an uneven agitated pulse. It seemed to match the state of their Alpha perfectly.

"Don't you know what this means? If Remus has to kill another like Romulus he'll never return! WE WONT BE ABLE TO CHANGE THE WORLD!.....I thought we killed all of them and their relatives...." Dolion continued, still holding Jack to a tree.

"We did. I don't know how his existence is possible. But it's by no mistake on our end." Dier chimed in from behind them.

"But that doesn't change the fact that the boy's a Lupine of Romulus." Jack said from under Dolion's crushing forearm against his jugular.

In response to his words they all snarled loudly, completely detested by his words and the unbelievable reality of the situation.

"Romulus...Remus. Like the founders of Old World Rome? Who the hell are these people?" Samuel questioned in confusion. The number of questions and mysteries tied to these people was starting to make him think they were more than just mindless monsters. There was an unsettling level of complexity to everything he was witnessing. Mentions of a Lord, referring to themselves as Followers, expressions of their being another species like them that shouldn't exist, plans to change the world.

"Did you ever show anyone who you truly were, Claude?" He thought as he realized the more he heard about him, the more he began to question. All it did was make him dislike the scowling liar more.

***

What followed Samuel's story was chaos, Dolion stormed off into the forest throwing an absolute fit. Roars and heavy sounds of impact echoed across the lands threatening to force the Lupines to shift in response to their Alpha's distressed state and the environmental madness surrounding them that mirrored their Alpha's emotions.

Samuel's nerves were on edge, completely, it seemed everyone else was the same way. Everyone except Jack, always scheming, always doing something behind the scenes. Samuel realized it after noticing the man smiling to himself as if everyone around him wasn't on the verge of insanity. He was working an angle. As usual he was up to no good.

***

A small crater sat in the center of the forest Dolion occupied— with him at the center. His furry knuckles dripped with red sticky blood over the faint metallic emerald glimmer around his middle finger. The trees that were sprawled all over the ground around him were littered with holes and claw markings from enduring his enraged assault. He destroyed everything around him in a fit of rage, fear and anxiety. He couldn't believe what Samuel had told him.

The story sent a plethora of questions firing off in his mind, all with answers that would be very unfortunate for them.

Crsh!

Somebody was approaching, causing him to spin around. Jack stood at the entrance of the forest, running a hand through his mangled greasy balding mop of hair.

In response to his arrival, he quickly shifted back, hoping to hide his hideous form.

"WHat....do you want, Jack?" Dolion said midway through shifting back to the shape of man.

Jack entered the forest, taking calm and slow steps while he looked around at the damage Dolion had done to the area. "I would like to offer a bit of light in these times of intense darkness, boss."

Dolion snarled, "Spit out your scheme, you greaseball."

Jack chuckled to himself, "This is nothing self serving, I promise." He lied, with a noble bow.

"Get on with it."

Jack stood back up, "With the emergence of.....you know what. Our current problems need to be nipped in the bud sooner than later."

"Problems such as...?" Dolion questioned.

"Samuel." Jack replied with a malicious grin fighting to appear on his face.

"Continue."

"The rich boys pride is a serious problem. It'll be close to impossible to make him a loyal member of the pack anytime soon with our usual methods."

"We can continue beating him. In the end, they all submit in the face of dominance." Dolion said plainly.

Jack nodded in understanding but continued, "Thats true, but I think I know a faster way to do it."

"What do you know?"

"I know Samuel's type. I also know that he's more like us than he shows.....and he's easy to be directed— manipulated. Plus, in order for your plan with him to work, he has to be on our side in the outside world. What if we didn't make him loyal in the classic sense, but driven in our favor? Driven with a goal that helps us in more ways than one?" Jack said with barely contained excitement lining his grumbly voice.

"How so?" The Alpha asked, slowly gaining interest in Jack's words.

"He didn't kill the Lupine of Romulus, Dolion. He didn't do one of his most severe duties as a Follower of Remus." Jack pointed out.

"Hmmmm...." A small grin made its way to Dolion's face as he understood what Jack was leading to.

Jack took a step closer to the Alpha and placed a hand on his mountainous shoulder, "He left that bastard to live. We can't have that. I say we show him what happens when we find weakness within the pack! Show him the beatings— the hell he'll endure because of Clllllaude. Wound his pride— remind him of the cause of this brutality, then feed on that anger— that disgust for weakness that he'll feel for himself and remind him it's all because of our Last Lupine of Romulusssss."

"Then with a proposition placed, when I plant him back inside the walls of the Leon Estate, he'll be focused, he'll work for me with no questions asked. He'll execute my plans for him and possibly eradicate that bastard of Romulus since the two go hand in hand." Dolion finished.

"Exactly." Jack supported, matching his leaders mischievous smile.

Dolion suddenly walked out of the crater, heading back to the clearing where the rest of the Lupines waited, where Samuel waited.

Jack watched him leave as spirals of hot smoke rose from his flesh and his fingers curled into claws.

"The complete transformation of Samuel's mind begins now. There'll be no more room for pretentious pride. Or overwhelming ego. Only his duties as a Follower of Remus and his disdain for Claude. With his potential, he'll be frightening behind the walls of his pretty little mansion. Perfect."

***

Jack stayed in the forest, smiling to himself at the success of his plan. He'd enjoy the blood and chaos that came from the damage Samuel was soon to experience, but what followed was going to be much more enjoyable. Seeing the young boy emerge from it all as a cold blooded killer, a reaper, hunter of man, would be so much more captivating— and required with what was now here.

He'd need Samuel to become what he knew he was sooner than later, to execute their plan with his potential and connections. To ensure that Jack would see a world where he could hunt the best form of prey freely— humans. A world where he could drown in their fear indefinitely.

"It all begins now, kiddo."

The last sound he heard from his spot in the forest before the violence was a somber howl. Infected with cruel excitement and yearning for blood.