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A Biography of a Human.

Chapter Eleven:

"The Prime Beta."

"Three are Lupus of the east that rule at the dawn;

those pass before the wolf not wolf arrives."

"Seven is the number of the one who lived in blue shall rule;

after years near but far, there but not there."

"One is many named, will take but another and issue forth as:

Rex, victor of the mountains, ruler of wolves."

"Eighty set in glory, surpassed by twelve pillars hewn in gold;

while hundreds come, two boys of Vulpus dance."

-Collected prophecies of Damus the blind fox.

At last Gernan was Prime Beta, one of many in the history of the Kutlar Alphate since the ranking system was codified by the first Alpha Wuffrim I in the year 3008 A.A, after the Wars of the Many Alphas, when Alphas changed like the coming of day and night. Only the nomads still follow the old ways of a hegemony with a high Alpha and lesser Alphas swearing loyalty in a loose confederation.

But my Master was at last, the Prime Beta. The highest rank a wolf could aspire to, apart from the throne of the Alphate itself. If one was born to the noble Beta class of Wolven society, like my master, it was an easier goal than for born in the lower classes of the Gammas and Omegas, though it was not unheard of. Even though the Alphate bureaucracy is a meritocracy, noble birth always is preferred when the cards are down.

But Gernan deserved it despite being born from the great house Koff, whose ancestors went all the way back to the rise of the Anthros and more recently, master's father helped the rise of the Kutlar Alphate. Gernan was the perfect wolf for the job. I know I must sound like a sycophant in my praise for master and that may be true, but in my mind he was the best and he proved himself time and time again for the benefit of the Alphate, including saving Prince Wuffrim II when he was taken in a battle against the foxes in 3053, storming the enemy lines himself to get to him and which he was greatly decorated for by Wuffrim's father, Alpha Lycan.

But though Gernan was now Prime Beta, he could not act as one, being inured and had to recover first. Until then, the old wolf who was retiring as Prime Beta would continue and deputize for him until master recovered.

The doctor thought it would be best if Gernan was moved to the countryside to heal and it was a wise thought. We began to pack for Gernan's villa in the hills outside the city, when a message arrived from the Alpha, inviting Gernan to use his summer palace instead since he was not using it.

"He still trusts me!" Gernan, still in bed, excitedly said when he read the document stamped with the doubled-headed wolf seal. Pantaleon, who was nearby, snatched the parchment out of his paw and read it over himself.

"See, master? No one, not even that upstart human can sever the bond you have with the Alpha!" Pantaleon said in that yappy accent of his as Gernan nodded his head, pleased with himself. The sedatives had worn off since the day of the attempt on his life, so he was no longer out of it.

"Yes, yes! This is more than a kind move on Wuffrim's part! He wants to show the whole court his trust of me!"

"I can see that master! The Alpha's summer villa and just for you! I bet Jao is fuming!"

"I can imagine, Panta! I can imagine! After all, it was all thanks to him that I became Prime Beta with that lousy attempt on my life! And it was all thanks to you too, pup!" Gernan lifted himself up, pointing to me while I sat on my small bed at the foot of his own, fiddling with my hands.

"Iskander, you're my lucky charm!" I just smiled at him, bowing my head as he laughed before he continued on with Pantaleon.

You could say I was in a state of shock still, the image of that arrow bursting through Gernan's shoulder and the feeling of blood spattering all over my face was very fresh in my mind. I came too close to losing someone who I had just started trusting. I ate very little the past few days and feared falling asleep.

The idea of leaving was a pleasant one and I thought it would be a good way to take my mind off the near-tragedy that occurred.

After a while, Pantaleon departed and Gernan fell into a nap while I stayed where I was, always looking back at the gray-furred mass that was the sleeping wolf to make sure he was still alive. Every time his breath slowed I would fear the worst and almost stand up to shout out for help before I saw that large gray chest of his rise again.

A few days prior, just after it happened, Neith and Rena came looking as worried as I was. Their fur and clothes were a mess and their eyes looked crazed, it was like they had just woke up and were still dressed in their night gowns. They completely ignored me, collapsing at Gernan's bedside and letting out pained whimpers as the newly awoken Gernan was trying to calm them down.

"Come now, girls, I have faced worse! No need to act like puppies! I have fought bears before, an arrow is nothing!"

"How could this happen!?" cried the normally austere Rena, while she clasped his paw with her own.

"I will be fine! I am here, thanks to that human you gave me, he saw the assassin!" Rena glanced over at me in the darkness, I could see gratitude in her wolven eyes.

The two of them came over everyday since then to help in any way they could.

It was mid-morning and my platter with my breakfast had been sitting on a table in the bedroom for some time. I felt no need to eat at all, but I knew I needed to keep my strength up for Gernan and so got up, walking across the room, picked up the plate of now cold meat and began to eat, while my master rested. After that, I returned to my vigil at the foot of his bed, watching him in a trance-like state as the world revolved around me and morning became noon. Below me, on the ground floor, I heard the bustle of the household staff packing for the retreat.

But I stayed where I was. I had lost everybody from my old life, I would not stand to lose the only one I trusted in the new one. He might be my master and I may be his property, but he was all I had then. Wolf or not, master or father, he was my protector and I would stay by his side.

My trance was broken by a pressure on my shoulder from behind me. I thought it was another assassin and grabbed the invader, biting down, determined to defend my master.

I was answered by a yelp of pain and looked up to see the dirty orange snout of Elyk contorted with pain. Quickly releasing his paw from my mouth, strands of fur clinging to my mouth to bother me throughout the day, Elyk cradled his paw as he whimpered in pain.

"I'm so sorry!" I cried out.

"WHY DID YOU BITE ME!?" the fox yelled as he jumped up and down. All this racket would have woken up Gernan if it were not for the sedatives that Pantheon gave him before he left and so he did not budge.

"I thought you were an assassin!" I shouted out, defending my actions to the young fox still holding his injured paw.

"An assassin!? Do I look like an assassin!?" Elyk yelled out with a mix of pained whimpers and his fox yaps.

"I couldn't tell! I'm sorry!"

"Tell that to my paw! Canis, damn it! I had no clue human teeth hurt so much!"

After a while of him massaging his paw until the pain went away, he asked how I was and at the that time I was at my wit's end and exploded all the bottled up fears and emotions I had since it happened. I threw myself at the taller fox and wrapped my arms around his slender frame, crying the whole time!

Elyk was taken by complete surprise with his arms at his sides and stood there as I soaked his tunic with tears and mucus. For once I could say I finally took the clever fox by surprise, but I was not thinking about that. Elyk was the only other individual I knew well, aside from Gernan, and it was in him that I was now finding comfort in, even despite the skunk-like fox scent that was now invading my nostrils.

After a minute of being dumbfounded by my action, he finally wrapped his arms around me in return.

"Whats wrong, Iskander!?" I heard him say muffled. I pulled away to look up at him and saw his orange and white muzzle, topped with orange eyes filled with genuine concern for me.

"Master almost died! I am so scared!" I cried out before reburying my head in the fox's belly. I felt a petting motion on the back of my head.

"But he didn't! And it was thanks to you!"

"It was too close! If I did not see him in time master...!"

"But you did see him, kit! And you saved him!"

"I know but-!" I cried while struggling to find words in my fear-stricken mind. My body felt more and more limp, almost slipping onto the hard floor and Elyk was bearing more and more of my weight.

"Come, Iskander lets sit down," the soft voice above me said as he led me to my small bed. Both of us sitting down as I leaned my upper body on top of his. His heart beat lulled me into a slight calm.

"I know what happened was scary for you. But you saved him and you know that! Don't think of the 'what ifs' and such, okay?"

"Okay," I murmured as he patted my back.

"Now come on, lay down. You have been up for days now, you need some sleep," I nodded my head, growing exhausted now after unleashing my emotions.

He got up and gently lowered my head onto my small pillow before pulling up the blankets over me.

"Sleep well, kit," he cooed before I fell into a deep slumber, relaxed at last.

This was the first time I showed my vulnerability to Elyk and to my surprise there was gold in that trick-filled heart. Despite being only six years older than me, he could be mature when he needed to be, like in that moment.

While I slept, Neith and Rena returned, having heard the news of Gernan being invited to stay at the Alpha's summer lodge and how it was a gesture of the Alpha's trust in him. Rena then insisted on coming along to make sure her father was safe, despite Neith's whines of wanting to come as well. Neith, however, was told she had young pups and they needed her, while Rena's pups were a bit older and could handle being by themselves and her mate could keep watch on them as well.

But I was not in a conscious state when this went on. I had to be told by Elyk who was eavesdropping from a door like the sly fox he was!

Oh, Elyk, what a fox he was, at least he was good to me. Two faced, sneaky and with a bag of tricks that would put old Reynard rom the stories the Anthros are very fond of telling, to shame. As the old saying goes, when you have a fox at your side he will save your hide countless times.

The day of the move came. A line of box-carriages were lined up in front of Gernan's manor and I could see them from the window in the master bedroom. From there I saw all the servants bustling about carrying boxes and trunks, fastening them on the rears of the carriages. I spotted Pantaleon in the front courtyard inspecting all the bustle in the crisp morning air, fog spewing forth from his red muzzle. It almost looked like he had a mustache on the side of his muzzle, thanks to his black markings.

Hearing a groan behind me, I let go of the silk curtain and spun around to face the waking wolf.

"Is it time?" he said groggily, nearly howling as he yawned. He grunted, trying to get up on his own only for his wounded arm to give out and send him back upon the bed with a muffled thud.

"Master! Don't over do it!"

"Argh, I hate this!" growled the war-torn wolf, baring his canines in annoyance.

I sprinted over to his bed, which was level to my eyes and had to reach my hands upwards to touch my masters paw, clasping it in mine.

"Don't worry! You will get better!" Gernan turned his wolfish face down to me and gave me a slight smile while he patted me on the head.

After a while, Pantleon came in creaking open the wooden door to the bedroom, his black-tipped tail swishing behind him while carrying a wooden cane topped with an ivory head and silver accents.

"Master, everything is ready for us to depart. Let me help you up!" Pantheon came rushing over as the lumbering wolf tried to get up on his own.

"I don't need your help! Just give me that damn thing!" Gernan swiped the cane out of the fox's paws, showing the injured wolf still had his bite.

Gernan positioned the cane in his paw and grunting and huffing all the while, pushed himself off of the bed. He flashed Pantaleon a proud look that said, "See I can do it!".

As Gernan walked out of the bedroom wearing a simple over-robe with Pantheon hovering behind him, tail twitching anxiously and since I was behind him, that tail of his hit me in the face a few times, giving me such a mouthful of fur and a whiff of musk that I considered giving it a large yank to make him to stop. But this was not the time for something like that, I didn't want to cause master Gernan to lose his balance or anything.

When Gernan reached the top of the staircase he begrudging let Pantaleon help him down, supporting the injured arm. But the moment the two reached the ground floor he threw off the fox's paw. Gernan was not a happy wolf at all, he hated being in such a state and it was showing.

It took a while, but Gernan finally reached the waiting carriage and, stubborn as he was, did not let anyone help him in, lest he be seen by anyone. It was more than a point of pride, he was likely concerned about someone seeing this and reporting it to Jao and his cohorts, who were aching to turn my master into a joke again.

When the wolf took his seat inside I followed suit, climbing in after him and taking a seat on the opposite side to my master, having to jump up to reach the rather high seat.

When I got seated, I heard a familiar young voice outside.

"Father, can I please sit with Iskander and master? Please?" It was Elyk, of course. Before Pantaleon could say no, Gernan, worn out from simply getting out of the house spoke out slightly groggily as he leaned his head on one of the windows of the carriage, flattening his ear against it.

"Sure, let the kit come. He could keep Iskander busy while I rest," The moment this was said, the young fox burst inside and pounced onto the seat next to me while he made strange excited yipping sounds and a tail hit me in the face again for the second time today.

The moment the doors of the carriage shut, we were off. Slowly, the box swayed and bounced a bit on the road below, as the scent of fox,wolf, and the medicated poultices applied to Gernan's arm combined into a rather unpleasant smell.

We soon left the eastern gate of the noble district and continued eastwards through the rest of Lupercal, passing through areas I had not seen before, such as a lake park with small pleasure boats in the waters, surrounded by some small manors which belonged to those not born noble but who wanted to live like them.

We then went through some kind of a military area. There were barracks and some fields were some wolves were training in the morning drills.

"Ah, I remember when I was just a young pup training in the fields and sleeping with the recruits on those rock-hard beds," Gernan spoke with a longing nostalgia.

"It was here, pups, that I met the Alpha, who was then just a Princeling being forced by his father to toughen up more! Oh, he was so miserable in that first year!" looking over to Elyk, I saw him roll his brownish orange eyes like he heard this many times, but I had not, so I listened eagerly.

"Good Alpha Lycan. He was smart making his pup go through the training of a common solider, he did not want his potential successor being an out of touch Alpha!" The young fox beside me looked bored as Gernan continued on with various stories about himself and the then Prince Wuffrim and the exploits they had when training under a firm commander, whom they would often play pranks on.

"We once put stones in mean old Cato's mattress to see how he like sleeping like us for once! The whole place was woken up in the middle of the night so he could question all of us to see who did it! He did not find them though and he was forced to sleep on the floor instead! Ah, those were good times! And even though old Cato was mean he made good wolves out of us pups!"

"Is he sill alive?" I asked innocently as Gernan turned his head to me before he roared with laughter but with a touch of sadness in his eyes.

"Are you kidding?! He was already old when I was a young wolf! Though it seemed like he would live on forever! I swear I have never seen a wolf reach his eighties like he did and he was as tough as a leather soldier's boot till the end!" Gernan voice was filled with glowing admiration for his former instructor.

After this, I returned to gazing out the windows as the city moved passed us. We were now leaving the city proper and soon passed the eastern gate, where we stopped for a bit as the gate wolves read over the papers and such before we were allowed to leave.

The moment we passed the gate it was like a new word: a vast flat plane that was dotted with modest homesteads that would not look out of place back on Safehaven, and farms where most of grain for the livestock was grown.

We were heading eastward on the paved road and also caught sight of large and suspended stone railing-like structures that went from the city walls and led to metal tubes that looked even more ancient, shooting off to the north-east. It looked like the metal tubes were there before the stone additions were made connecting it to the city.

"What are those!?" It was Gernan who answered first, even though Elyk was about to speak as well.

"Oh, those are things from the human days. We don't know what they used them for, but they're all over the place, connecting old cities. Perhaps humans walked in them from city to city, fearing encountering us Chimeras outside!" Gernan chuckled. "Whatever they are, we have modified them as aqueducts and built stone additions leading to water sources and to our cities," the mention of old human relics immediately perked me up, but I did not know what an aqueduct was.

"What are aqueducts?" I heard Elyk chuckle at this statement, like everybody should know what they were.

"Elyk, don't you laugh! He is new here! They are used to bring water to our cities. It was the foxes who first devised them and started modifying the human tubes for water bearing."

"Are all of them made to carry water?"

"No, not all of them. Some have too much of an incline or are too far from a water source to work as aqueducts, but a lot are not and used for water," I found this fascinating. I didn't know what the human tubes were and neither did they, but they were still using it in their everyday lives.

Once we passed the farms and Lupercal was far behind us in the distance, our train of carriages made its way onto a much wider road that was much different from the other ones I had seen. It looked like it was formed as one single structure from a light gray substance and not made from blocks like the other roads. They were smooth and we began to speed up on them because of that.

It finally hit me. These were human roads, the ones made for the horseless carts that grandfather told me about! I could not believe it. It took me a while to realize these were the roads made from liquid and do not weather with the seasons.

Aside from a few carts and horses, we were the largest group on the road going eastwards to the coastal mountains, where the Alpha's seaside lodge was located.

"You humans may have offended the triad, but you sure did great with these roads! Without them it would take over a day or two to get to the lodge!" Gernan said, having woken up from the change in speed, his wolf senses as sharp as ever. I found his words about humans to be very kind for a wolf and was pleased with them.

After a few hours, we were now up in the mountains and forests, the trees all colored with orange leaves or bare of foliage. I was growing tired and decided to take a nap to take my mind off the popping my ears were going through.

"Iskander, we're here!"

"Wake up, we're here!" I then felt a shaking motion on my shoulder and woke up to Elyk's maw in my face, his whiskers tickling my skin.

"I'm up! I'm up! Now get your smelly fox breath out of my face!" I playful pushed him and looked out the window, the sun was just about to set and we were pulling past a small gate behind which a palace of white and beige rose above. It was two stories tall and made from stone dotted with windows, balconies and pillared walkways. It was different in style to master's manor and the rest of the buildings in Lupercal, possessing a low, almost flat roof made from red tiles and walls made from stone and plaster. Master's manor house and many of the buildings in Lupercal were constructed more from wood with occasional stonework here and there or when support was needed.

On the other side, opposite of the lodge was the blue sea and a white beach. This place was wonderful! Gernan told me that this lodge was designed by a fox architect in a foxen style built on the foundations of a much older human structure and commissioned by Wuffrim the First. That explained the different look of the place.

We pulled to a stop by the pillared entrance of the left wing of the lodge where we would be staying and began getting out. It felt good to walk again as my legs were very tired from sitting all the time and walked around a bit. Pantaleon helped Gernan inside and I followed with Elyk by my side.

Inside, there was a large foyer with a large unlit dark reddish purple stone fireplace dotted with clear crystals and two staircases of ornate carved wood on each side going up to walkways leading to various room. The dying light of the setting sun was pouring in from large cloudy windows above the entrance, shining subdued light on a small flourishing fountain in front of the fireplace on tiled floors. On the sand colored wall were paintings, mostly of wolves, two of which got my attention.

They were of Alphas, one wearing court dress a little similar to that of Gernan on the day when he got shot, but in black silk and covered with stars and constellations with a crown cap with a horizontal board on top from which strings of beads hung from at both ends of the board in front of the muzzled face, a veil of stars. While the other Alpha's portrait was wearing gold armor resting his paw on the handle of a dagger with a fierce look in his eyes that I could not help but look away and lose track of my surroundings.

"Do you know who they are?" I yelped out in surprise to the voice behind me, but found it was only the sneaky fox Elyk.

"No, I don't, and don't scare me like that!" the fox gave a smug grin before speaking.

"Meet Alpha Wuffrim the first and Lycan, grandfather and father respectively to Wuffrim II," he said, pointing first to the robed wolf then after to the armored one.

"Tell me about them, what did they do?" I asked eagerly and the fox looked proud that he was being consulted on such a topic.

"Wuffrim the First founded the Kutlar, unifying all the packs under one Alpha."

"He sounds like a strong wolf!"

"Strong yes, but his sixth pup Lycan was the real brains of the rise of the Kutlar," he said, pointing to the armored wolf again which was Lycan.

"But if he was the younger child why did he become Alpha? Doesn't the elder brother take over."

"Well that's the rule, but after the Alphate was establish in 3008 and Lycan's older bother became heir they became intense rivals and that came to a head during the 10th year of the Silver Disc Establishes Peace, year 3018."

"What happened!?" I asked, hooked on the drama being told!

"It happened in this very palace! When the Alpha and his whole family was staying here, Lycan's older brothers were working together to plan a plot to kill their ambitious young brother and were just getting ready to go to bed when...BAM! The doors flew open and soldiers burst in, lead by Prince Lycan who sought to out maneuver his brothers by surprise! One Prince was instantly cut down by Lycan's own sword, his blood spraying on the walls while the other Princes ran, followed by Lycan and his troops. DO YOU SEE THAT CUT MARK THERE!?" Elyk shouted, pointing to the pillar with a large gash in it.

"That's where Lycan decapitated his eldest brother before slaughtering the rest of his surviving elder bothers!" I was in shock at this tale!

"And when the deed was done, Lycan and his followers burst into his father, Alpha Wuffrim's chambers as human and wolven concubines screamed at the sight of armed wolves!"

"Oh my god! H-h-he killed his father!" I stuttered out.

"Nope! He forced him to conceded the throne to him, and seeing what his pup had done did so immediately, fearing he would suffer a worse fate!"

"Then what!?"

"Lycan took the throne, but out of respect for his father interned his older brothers with respect and kept his father's era name until his father passed away, before starting his own era name of Chaste Governance."

"That's horrible! He must have been a terrible wolf then!"

"No, he was a great Alpha! And Gernan's father was a major part of the coup and was rewarded for it greatly. And when Lycan died, almost forty years later, Wuffrim II became Alpha, the third Alpha of the dynasty," I found this confusing. Was it possible to be a great leader but do something so awful like murdering one's brothers?

"By the way, they still roam the palace." Elyk said in an eerie voice.

"What do you mean!?" I said, starting to get scared.

"Oh, nothing, just be on the look out for any headless Princes in the night!" my jaw dropped upon hearing that and his vulpine face grinned smugly.

"What, you scared!?"

"No! I am not!"

"Good, because I have to get going now! Sleep well, human!" and with that, he ran off, leaving me alone and scared out of my wits. I quickly ran after him, wanting to find my master again so he could protect me.

I finally was with master Gernan, Rena and a few others of the household staff in the rooms where Gernan and I were going to stay, a bedroom and a side room with tables and low couches. We were currently in the side room which was decorated with mosaics made to look like grass and pathways, and murals depicting a garden scene with trees, bushes, flowers and with painted incests and birds flying about. I was siting on one of the couches while Gernan and Rena were sitting at the table in wide bench-like chairs, both of which were styled to match the garden theme of the room, wood carved to look like branches with green enamel leaves and sprouts on them; even the couch I was sitting on shared this look.

Since it was sunset and the room was getting dark, lamps were lit to give light to the darkening room while the sound of running water from a small wall fountain in the space added a peaceful air to the room.

It was dinner time and we were waiting for Pantaleon to arrive. The wolfess, Rena, said to her father that he could eat in bed to which Gernan flatly refused, saying how he should get his body up and ready as soon as possible.

"I do not want to be brought into the Beta's chamber on a gurney!" he said, greatly annoyed at how everyone was acting like he was infirm, but he had a point though, it was best that he got his body up and about.

"Father I did no-" Rena said defensively, before she was cut off by Pantaleon opening the door, carrying a tray of food for the three of us. He went on about how he was annoyed at the palace staff insisting on cooking the food themselves and how he tested it to make sure it was okay.

While we were eating, Gernan started to complain of stomach pains and that sent everyone into a panic. There were shouts of poison and orders to fetch a doctor immediately thrown about.

When the doctor finally came, another wolf, and heard the complaint, he rolled his brown eyes.

"It's indigestion, you're eating sitting up for the first time in a while, so that was what caused it," he said in a deadpan tone, sounding a tad upset to be sought out for such a minor thing, but considering what happened to Gernan earlier we could not be sure.

Soon after we ate, Rena retired to bed in her own suite nearby and shortly after, Gernan as well. Since there was no small bed in his room I would sleep on the couch in the side room, which I would have been fine with if Elyk had not told me that story about the ghostly Princes.

A servant then put out all the lights aside from one lamp that was allowed to burnout on its own and when it did I was cast in complete darkness. I wanted to run into Gernan's room and beg to get in bed, but then I heard Elyk's snide voice making fun of me in the far reaches of my mind.

"_No I will sleep here! I will show that snotty fox!"_I thought to myself as I pulled a blanket over my shoulders and tried to go to sleep.

"Ooooooo. Ohooooo." I heard a sound from outside! Being able to see in the dark a bit, I got up, my curiosity having outweighed my fear and wanting to prove myself, drove me to the door.

Opening it and looking both ways down the halls, I saw a shadow dart away down the other end. I wanted to flee right there and then, but I pushed myself to follow it, creeping down the dark hallways, telling myself how brave I am and how this will show that dumb fox!

While making my way down the winding hall with slight moon light pouring in from the windows to the inner courtyard garden, I began to feel like I was being followed. I would look behind once in a while swear I saw something move.

I was starting to really get scared and was regretting doing this. I picked up my pace, not really caring where I happened to end up in the long run.

Finally, I pushed open two massive doors and came into a large hall. On one end was a large entrance to the outside and at the other end was a throne placed on a platform with a foot of stairs leading up to it.

"The throne room!" I thought as I moved into the center of the room, standing on the swirls of the carpet leading up to the throne.

I stood there facing the throne completely in awe of it and its majesty. It was a wide-backed bench-like thing wrought from gold with sliver streaks highlighting it. Behind the throne was a decorative panel screen, also of gold and silver, covered with clouds and stars with the moon and sun on each side of the screen, all carved from the gold and sliver foil.

What really took my breath away was that massive wolf head sculpture emerging from the wall above the throne, it was made from silver with its mane-like scruff blending into the wall behind. Its white mouth was agape in a roar, the muzzle hanging above the seat of the Alpha with eyes set with amber that glowed in the moonlight.

I moved closer to the platform in a trance, forgetting what caused me to come out in the first place. I heard cheers and adoration beside me and imagined the room filled with officials as I mounted the steps of the platform, creaking slightly underfoot.

I felt a force, a desire course through my body, pushing me forward closer and closer to the seat in front of me. When I reached it, I touched the gilded arms of the throne, each with a wolfs head engraved onto it.

Turning around, I faced the hall in front of me, with the throne behind me and imagined the place filled with wolves all lined up, bowing and crying out cheers to my name.

Then I sat down on that seat for which only wolves were meant to sit and a place for which a human should never even dream of taking. I expected the wolf head above to react to such a gross transgression of the natural order of things, remembering a quote from the "Rules for Human" book during my training.

"Human beings should never rule! It goes against nature for a human to issue orders!" but here I was, sitting in the seat of the Alpha and instead of my body revolting, it felt comfortable inside me as imagined power ran through my veins and confidence soared through me. No ghost would dare harm me here.

"I am Alpha!" I said out loud, giving an ultimatum to anyone or anything and daring any to try.

Feeling at ease and no longer scared, I started to pretend. I imagined I had just taken my seat during a court session and the floor below me was filled with wolves richly attired in their court dress bowing down to me.

"Arise, my subjects! Arise!" beckoning them to stand. And imagined the Prime Beta starting off the discussion about the foxes planning to invade and how to respond.

"I the Alpha command we act first and take them by surprise! We'll have General Elyk in chains by nightfall! His army will be shattered!" I called out, imagining a wolf officer bowing and making haste to mobilize the army on my orders.

But one question stayed in my head the whole while.

Can a human be Alpha?

"Ah, Iskander! You're so boring! What happened to you!?" Elyk was whining after failing to distract me from the work of reading Gernan's correspondence in the study of the manor, a job he tasked me a few years ago, after he personally taught me to read and write even though he ran into some troubles with complications from his injury from the assassination that prompted Pantaleon to substitute occasionally. But now I was old and literate enough to help with the letters.

"Oh, Cannis! Elyk, stop it! I'm trying to go through these letters! You are going to make me miss one!" the teenaged fox groaned and collapsed his upper body on top of the desk I was working on, covering up all the letters I was sorting into piles of important and not, as his tail moved around agitated, brushing against me in the face.

"Come on, Elyk! You're acting like a child!" the foxed huffed before getting up, brushing off the papers that stuck to his tunic. He had lost all of his kit fuzz and had the same shade of sleek orange fur like his father, but did had his own distinct look differentiating him from his parents. He lacked the back mustache of his father and had more darker eyes now.

"Well you're the one that's boring!" I sighed, rubbing my temples.

"It's funny. You are fifteen yet act twelve and I am twelve but act fifteen," I mused aloud. Aside from Elyk annoying me, things were good for the past years. Ever since the attempt on master's life, even the consort has been laying low and we all hoped it stayed that way. I have heard that he is too busy waging war on his romantic rival, Chief Wolven consort Nu.

"Oh come on you are th-" we were interrupted by the sound of an arrival, most likely master returning from court. Finally I could get away from this fox.

I could only hope things went well at the Forum of the Moon and got up, pushing Elyk aside and made my way to greet my master.