Overlord Legacy - Chapter Forty-Two - One of the Pack

Tobie: "Sigh...mom, it seems like we're having autumn salad all the time. I'm getting sick of it."
Amaranth: "Tobie, you've been complaining since you got up. Give it a break."
Severin: "Aww. Did Tobie wake up with a mood swing? I thought those only happened with teenage girls on their periods."
Amaranth: "Uh...not just teenage girls, honey."
Tobie: "Severin, you can shut up. I'm not in the mood to deal with you today."

Amaranth decides not to push it any further with Tobie. Normally he's such a well-mannered, contented young man who's obedient and helpful around the house. Today, however, he seems to have woken up on the wrong side of the bed. Amaranth just chalks it up to part of the teenage years. Everyone has mood swings now and then. Tobie will surely be over it by tomorrow. Besides, Amaranth can give him one day to be moody when he's otherwise so easygoing. Conversely, Severin appears to be going through a mood swing as well - he's actually calm and contented today and has made no attempts to blow anything up yet. Amaranth finds herself more concerned with Severin than with Tobie.

As the boys finish up and get ready for school, Amaranth decides to make an important phone call. She dials the police office and informs them that she is ready to retire. She can't hide her grin from ear to ear as several officers yell into the phone, "Happy Retirement!" One even tells her how honored they were to have her as their private investigator and how much they'll miss her.

As she hangs up, she grabs some confetti left over from the wedding that she'd stuffed into a kitchen drawer and throws it into the air with a cheer.

Amaranth: "Ah...it's been a long time coming. But I've accomplished everything I set out to do, and I can retire in dignity and peace."
Severin: "So that's it? Your investigator career is done?"
Amaranth: "It's done, and I've done my part for the Overlord legacy."
Severin: "That's awesome! It's almost my turn now!"
Amaranth: "Yes, it is, Sev. I'm excited to see where you'll go."
HONK HONK!
Amaranth: "Well, that's the school bus. Tobie's already out there, you'd better go catch it. I'm sure Jackie's already there too. I notice you and she talk pretty often. Is there...something going on?"
Amaranth gives Severin a knowing smile. Severin gives her a horrified look in return.
Severin: "We talk and we sometimes flirt a bit."
Amaranth: "Sometimes?"
Severin: "We're not getting into a relationship. I don't want a relationship. I'd rather have my belly button stapled together with a rusty needle."
Amaranth: "Sure, Sev. Sure."

Amaranth: "Ah, it's such a beautiful day...Happy retirement, spending the day with my husband after he gets back from practice, Severin having his first experience with young love..."
Severin: "...Love?? I only feel that emotion in my most horrific nightmares..."
Amaranth: "Make good choices at school today, honey! Let me know if anything happens with you and Jackie!"
Severin: "...I think my mother is going insane."

As Severin trots out to the school bus, swallowing back the nausea after such a disgusting conversation topic, Amaranth starts to clean some things up around the house. She actually has time now - no work, no obligations, and the two sons that are still living in the house are high schoolers and in many ways they can care for themselves. And when Gator is home, he can even help her. She's never felt quite so relaxed in her life.

Amaranth spends a bit of her afternoon lazing around the castle, reading books and enjoying doing absolutely nothing productive. Hey, she's been productive all her life. She deserves a break. As she finishes the second-to-last chapter of her book, her cell phone starts to ring. Checking the caller ID, she sees her uncle Phantom's name. She smiles. It's kind of hard not to smile when talking to Phantom.

Amaranth: "Uncle Phantom! How are you doing?"
Phantom: "Well, I'm doing...pretty well, in terms of my family and everything."
Amaranth: "Awesome. I'd love to stop over sometime and see you guys. Especially Tamika! She's getting so big! I see her on the school bus when Severin and Tobie go out."
Phantom: "And she's a Pixie! She played a prank on me the other day. I was so proud of her."
Amaranth: "Haha! Only you, Uncle Phantom."
Phantom: "Well...anyway, um...I actually called you with some news, Amaranth. It's...it's not easy for me to say."

Amaranth stomach falls. She immediately knows something's wrong when Phantom's voice gets tighter on the phone. He takes a long break before speaking. Phantom doesn't usually pause while he speaks. There must be something that's happened, something that's affecting him and hurting him a great deal. Amaranth almost doesn't want to listen. She's scared of what he has to say.

Amaranth: "What's wrong, Phantom? What happened? Are you okay?"
Phantom: "I-I'm at...I'm at your dad's house right now and--"

Amaranth's heart crumbles at the mention of her father. It's even worse when she can hear sniffling on the other line. Whatever happened has bothered Phantom to the point of tears.

Amaranth: "Oh Uncle Phantom! Did he fall? Did he break his hip? Are you taking him to the hospital? Is he okay?"
Phantom: "He w-was just l-lying on the c-couch..."
Amaranth: "Was he hurt? Is he still there, Uncle Phantom?"
Phantom: "He was unconscious...I t-tried to wake him, b-but he wouldn't wake up. I t-told him it was me, but he d-didn't respond. I k-kept trying and trying...I even g-gave him Pixie Dust...b-but then the Reaper came...he was quiet and respectful, and...h-he came to take him. There was nothing else I could do."
Amaranth: "...No, Uncle Phantom, no...that...that didn't happen...not my dad. Are you sure it was my dad?"
Phantom: "I c-couldn't mistake Jakkson, Amaranth. He and I w-were always good friends and close..."

Phantom finally breaks down, hanging up after a few minutes to prevent Amaranth from listening to his choking sobs. Amaranth goes numb from head to foot. She doesn't want to believe anything of what she just heard. Her dad is still here. He's always been here for her. He's always been the most kind, loving, supportive father in the world. He can't be gone...

Then, without warning, the sobs come for Amaranth as well.

Her crying nearly doubles her over, choking her, making it difficult to breathe. Her father had always been there to help her in her hardest moments. When she'd first told him she was pregnant with Soren, instead of judging her disapprovingly, he'd immediately offered his support and comfort. She'd never be the person she is today without her father. Every part of her wants to speed to her father's house, fling open the door, find her father standing and smiling at her, and collapse into his arms like she did as a little girl.

Memories swirl in her mind. She remembers the day she and her father ran away when she was very young. There'd been a misunderstanding between the rest of the family and her mother, and for her safety her father had taken her into the wilderness with her. But he'd come prepared, and she never once felt unsafe - only when he'd left to go find Phantom did she begin to fear. Her father was much younger then, a rather handsome man in Amaranth's eyes.

Now he's gone. He's gone for good.

Hoping to relive some of the memories with him, she decides to take a drive around town, visiting various places where she'd had memories with him. One of her final stops is to a small beach house by the river. She'd never really been here herself, but her father had told her of this place before.

Looking around, Amaranth notices it's a rather nice place, if a bit rustic and...well, abandoned. Her father had told her that this was where he lived before he came to live with her mother. He'd hid away in this little area because people hardly ever came here, and he was frightened to reveal his werewolf nature. Amaranth finds it a striking contrast between Gator and even Severin - they're werewolves and they really don't care who knows it. As both were born werewolves instead of being turned later, they're comfortable with their state.

Noticing a coffee machine on the counter, Amaranth remembers her father always liked to drink spiced chai. Grabbing a cup and letting the machine pour her some of the warm beverage, Amaranth sits down and takes a sip.

The taste of the tea swirls around her mouth, dancing happily across her taste buds. It's wonderful and makes her feel warm inside. No wonder her father liked it so much. Amaranth finishes it off. She knows she'd gotten an espresso machine as a wedding gift from someone. Perhaps she can make the chai at home.

Her final stop is to the graveyard - Phantom had taken his ashes there earlier. At the site, Amaranth allows herself to mourn deeply.

As she's at his gravesite, she mourns for her mother as well, whom Phantom had buried her father beside. After many tears are shed and much time has passed, Amaranth gives one last smile to the grave.
Amaranth: "Goodbye, daddy. Thank you for all the things you did for me, and all the ways you loved me. And daddy?....I'll be there soon. I'll get to see you again before long."

Taking a deep, shaky breath, Amaranth gets back into the car and heads back to the castle. By her watch, Gator should be home, and Tobie and Severin will be back from school soon as well.

She thinks she's much stronger when she arrives at the castle. But as soon as she sees Gator, the emotions flood back in again. The last time she and Gator had seen her father was at their wedding. Gator immediately notices Amaranth's strained face and walks concernedly over to her.
Gator: "Am? What's wrong? Was everything alright while I was gone?"
Amaranth: "...No, Gator. Phantom went to visit my father at his home and...my dad had passed away. He fell asleep and never woke up again. He's gone, Gator..."

Gator: "...Oh my gosh. Am, I'm...I'm so sorry..."
Amaranth: "I went to visit his grave and some other places. And I thought I was okay now, but..."

But Amaranth is not okay. Bursting into tears again, she falls into Gator's arms and sobs on his shoulder. Gator holds her tightly as long as she needs him to, gently rubbing her back and even shedding a couple of tears with her. Jakkson was an honorable man and an honorable werewolf. Gator had been so pleased to finally officially meet him at the wedding. He knows how much Jakkson had meant to Amaranth. He can't imagine how broken she's feeling right now. He just wishes there was something he could do to take the pain away.

As Amaranth dries away her tears and reduces her sobs to sniffles, Gator gently lets her go and gives her a small kiss on the lips. Amaranth gives a tiny smile in return, starting to calm herself down fully. Gator, still feeling a little stiff from practice, decides to sit down on the couch.
FART.

Gator: "What in....?!"
Amaranth: "Oh my."
Gator: "That wasn't me, Am, I swear."

Searching under the cushion, Gator spots a whoopee cushion. He's not amused.

Gator: "Rrgh...if this is Severin's doing, he's going to have to learn a lesson."

Gator rests on the couch for a little bit while Amaranth paces the floor. After a while, Amaranth suddenly breaks down into sobs once more. It startles Gator out of his seat. He wonders if his wife really is okay, if she's going to be able to get over this.

Amaranth: "My dad used to play with me all the time when I was a little girl...right in this castle..."
Gator: "Am..."

As Amaranth continues to cry her heart out, the door opens behind Gator. In walks Severin and Tobie, home from school. Severin notices his mother's tears immediately.

Severin: "Mom? Mom, what's going on? Why are you crying?"
Gator: "It's...it's your grandpa, Severin. Grandpa died today."

Gator doesn't know how Severin will react. He'd visited his grandpa a few times in his life, but he certainly didn't know him as well as Amaranth did. Severin's never really experienced death and loss before either. Gator just prays Severin reacts appropriately.

Perhaps to everyone's surprise, Severin doesn't say a word. He simply walks up to his mother and gives her a gentle hug. Amaranth tries to control her crying, but lets her tears fall on her son's shoulder.

Tobie: "Grandpa...grandpa's dead?"
Gator: "Yes, Tobie...he is..."

The next few days are a time of healing and recovery, especially for Amaranth. She sheds tears on and off throughout the day, but she's been getting stronger as the days go by. Gator is frequently around to comfort her when she needs it. The boys have been trying to sort through the awkwardness of it all as well. Eventually, though, life does return to some sort of normalcy.

Tobie: "I just don't understand why I have to do this."
Gator: "It could really help with your future, in what you want to do in life."
Tobie: "...Do you think anybody will actually care what I want to do in life? I feel like I'm not talented enough to really make a difference."
Gator: "Oh come on, Tobie, you know that's not true. I've seen some of your drawings. You're a natural artist."

While Gator spends some quality time with Tobie, his other son is off practicing his performance techniques when he can.

Severin doesn't exactly like performing with his grandmother's guitar in public, but he doesn't have the money himself to afford a new one, so he uses it for the time being.

As Severin begins to prepare for his future legacy ambitions, Tobie has surprisingly been the prankster around the house. Gator has been getting tired of sitting on whoopee cushions and having pink hair when he shampoos in the shower. He decides that enough is enough. He hardly likes tolerating Severin's mischief; he doesn't need to deal with Tobie's on top of it.

Gator: "Tobie! I've told you time and again, knock it off with the pranks. You know it bothers your mother and me."
Tobie: "They're just in fun..."
Gator: "I don't care what they're in. They're getting aggravating. Please quit."

Tobie: "...You know, just because you married our mom doesn't mean you can march into our lives and boss us around like you're in charge. You really should have no say over what Sev and I decide to do. You weren't there when we were growing up, so don't try and pretend like you're our father now. Severin may accept you because you are his biological father, but I don't appreciate your interference with my life when you have no right to interfere. Leave me alone."

Tobie walks away, leaving Gator a bit stunned. He tries not to take it too personally, but Tobie's remarks sting much more than he probably thought. Gator's been trying to make up for all the time he didn't get to be there. He's trying to be the best father he can be for the boys. It hurts that he's not as well-received as he hoped he would be.

Gator doesn't have much time to ponder it, however. It's a full moon night - a perfect night to be a werewolf. If there's any time to teach Severin what it means to be a lycan, it's now. It's time to honor his supernatural heritage and respect his true form.

But before any of this happens, a surprise visitor outside...

...Soren?!? Oh no! What happened to you?!

As the sun sets and the full moon blasts its beams across the town, the transformation takes place for Gator and Severin. It's getting easier and easier for Severin every time he does it.

Gator: "Severin. I hope you don't have any plans tonight."
Severin: "Not particularly, no."
Gator: "Good. We're going hunting tonight. You're going to learn the ways of the werewolf."
Severin: "But I know the ways of the werewolf. Last I checked, I am a werewolf, dad."
Gator: "You were never properly trained on how to respect and honor your heritage. A werewolf is not a human with a little bit of extra fuzz. We are different and we celebrate those differences, especially on a full moon night."
THUMP.

Severin: "...Did Tobie piss himself and pass out again?"
Gator: "At least he didn't pass out in his own urine this time. You'd think he'd get used to having a couple of werewolves in the house."
Severin: "You'd think he'd get used to me singing in my sleep at night too, but he still beats my face with a pillow when I do."

Gator tells Severin to help Tobie up, which Severin reluctantly agrees to. Then Gator calls up his family. There's no sense in simply teaching Severin how to hunt by himself. No, the point of being a werewolf on a full moon is to hunt in a pack. Severin may carry the last name of Overlord, but he has Wolff blood and he will travel as a part of the Wolff pack. He is one of them now.

As Gator waits for his family to arrive, a zombified Soren wanders into the house and directly into Amaranth's bedroom.

Oh, this could end disastrously. Poor Amaranth, still getting over her father's death, and now her son is a zombie.

Oh dear. Ohhhh dear. Poor Amaranth's going to have a heart attack...

Amaranth: "Oh! Soren! Now don't you just look adorable dressed up like a zombie!"
...Or not.

As the family arrives and heads into the castle, Gator steps outside, sniffing the air to see if they'll be able to find anything tonight. He doesn't smell gems...no, he smells something rather strange...

And then his head starts to feel a little wet. In fact, something's dripping on his skin. Looking around, Gator notices water droplets are rapidly dripping all over the place. Startled, Gator glances up, only to get nailed in the eye by a water droplet. What is going on? Why is there water falling from the sky? What's going to happen?

Heading back inside, Gator grabs the newspaper and takes one more look at it. The forecast calls for "rain," which a picture of water droplets on it. So this is rain? Rain is water falling from the sky? But what is its purpose? Gator can imagine it has uses for farmers and gardeners - they wouldn't even have to water their plants. But what's the point of water falling from the sky? They already have water at the river, or in swimming pools if they didn't want to dip into the river. If they want to get wet, they don't need rain to do it.

The next day's forecast says "sunny," however, which, judging by the previous days with a "sunny" listing, means that there will be no more rain. So this can't be the end of the world.

Going to his bedroom, Gator picks up an umbrella. His coach had given to him yesterday. His coach wasn't sure what it did, but he'd heard rumors that it was supposed to help during rain. Curiously, Gator heads outside with it, pushes the button, then pushes the little device up. What was one a small stick has now turned into a mushroom-like device. Gator holds it over his head. Sure enough, it protects him from the rain.

Gator: "Hmm...I like this 'umbrella.' Seems to work well. It'll keep me from getting too wet while hunting. I can't sniff very well with water dripping all over my face."

Heading back inside, Gator immediately marches up to Severin.

Gator: "It's time."
Severin: "Time now? But...there's water dripping outside. 'Rain,' I think they call it? You know I hate getting wet, except when I'm exploding toilets."
Gator: "We are not putting this off. You are a werewolf and werewolves aren't wusses. Whimpering is for puppies. I hope, at this point in your life, you're not still a puppy."
Severin: "I'm not a puppy!"
Gator: "Good. You're one of the pack now, Severin. Tonight you're hunting with your Uncle Waylon and Grandma Erika. I am the alpha wolf of this pack. I trust that I need not remind you of what that means in how you communicate with me. In addition, you are the youngest and the lowest in rank in the pack. You will submit not just to your alpha, but to the other members of the pack who rank higher than you."
Severin: "...When do I move higher up in the pack?"
Gator: "When the alpha wolf says you do."
Severin: "So even if I do great things and I achieve a bunch of monumental stuff...I'm still not going anywhere in the ranks unless you move me yourself."
Gator: "Correct. That may not be how it works in the human world, but that is the way it is in a werewolf pack. Now, enough talk. We don't have all the time in the world tonight. Keep your nose sharp and always follow your pack. Never, ever wander off from your pack. Understood?"
Severin: "I got it."

Immediately Gator charges out of the house, quickly followed by Waylon and Erika. Startled at their speed, Severin bounds after them. He quickly finds that he needs to run at nearly all his speed to keep up with the rest of the pack. Severin almost wants to call "Hey! Wait up!", but that would probably sound wussy. And he is not a wuss. He is a werewolf. And he will prove to his father - his alpha wolf - that he's worthy to move up in the ranks and be worth some respect. Severin's determined in this. Of course he is the Overlord heir and he will continue to build the Overlord reign over Moonlight Falls. But he's decided that is not enough. He will be the Overlord heir, and the most well-known rock star in Moonlight Falls, and, eventually, the alpha wolf of a pack.

Gator charges to a far away spot, so far that Severin is nearly exhausted by the time they reach there. He wonders if his father purposely went this far just to push him. The wolves all begin sniffing the ground, clawing to throw out more scent, taking moments to let out piercing, screaming howls at the moon. Severin can hear the echos of wolf packs howling all over Moonlight Falls.

 Waylon: "...Tonight's not a good night for finding gems, Gator. The ground is becoming too wet. It's dampening out the scent."
Gator: "We are hunting regardless, Waylon, even if we only find one gem. The point is not the gem-collecting."
Waylon: "It's to train little Severin, isn't it? I admit, he seems...largely unaccustomed to the ways of the werewolf."
Gator: "My wife never knew what to teach him. He needs to learn now, before he reaches young adulthood. No son of mine is going to disgrace the lycans by not knowing how to behave appropriately."

Tired of the rain pelting on his head, Gator gets out his trusty umbrella again and starts sniffing while the rain taps on the shelter over his head. Waylon smirks at him.

Waylon: "You're going to hunt with that thing? You're a true beast, Gator."
Gator: "Don't forget I'm the alpha wolf of this pack, Waylon. I organized it and you all accepted to be under my leadership. I wouldn't want to shame you for disrespecting me in front of my son."
Waylon: "I know the respect code of the wolf pack, Gator. Don't you forget I'm the one who helped teach you how to hunt. You had to respect me once, as a higher-ranked pack member than you."
Gator: "But you are not now, Waylon. Honor the respect code and don't argue with me. This umbrella's useful for helping me sniff the ground...plus, I don't want to smell too much like a wet dog tonight with the missus."

Letting out an energized howl, Gator stalks over to his mother and former alpha wolf, Erika. She may be old, but she turns young and fierce again in her werewolf form. He's glad she's still strong enough to hunt with them. He tries not to think about how old she is. She's not that much younger than Jakkson.

Gator: "Are you doing okay under the rain, mom?"
Erika: "Of course I am. This old wolf's still got hunt in her. Wouldn't want to miss this opportunity to oversee your young pup anyway. He's...rather inexperienced. He's strong and fierce though. I see much of you in him. I trust that he'll be rather easy to train."
Gator: "Submission will always be a difficult thing for him, but he's catching on to his werewolf heritage quickly. I fought him a few days back, and the other day he engaged me in a practice fight. He'd significantly improved since the first time."
Erika: "He will be a source of pride to you in time, Gator. I have no doubts of that."

Severin keeps a close eye on the rest of his pack, observing them - how they paw the ground, how they sniff the air, how they howl when they think they've caught a valuable scent. As much as he doesn't want to let on, Severin tries to imitate them as much as possible. He's a bit frustrated. It seems like his dad and Uncle Waylon and especially Grandma Erika are picking up scents left and right. Severin can hardly smell a thing, and he doesn't feel confident howling when he hasn't actually caught a scent. One time he thought he had something, but after digging, he noticed it was just a stupid feather. Is he being a disappointment to his whole pack? Why can't he contribute something valuable? Angry, slightly fearful, and more than a little bit hurt at his own lack of talent, Severin tries to block the rain from his face with his hands and sniffs even harder. Still nothing. How come he feels so competent and powerful at his "human" ambitions (his Overlord legacy ambitions) and so stupidly worthless and terrible at his werewolf abilities? Unable to hold his frustration, humiliation, and shame anymore, Severin lets out a loud, long howl. Pouncing on the ground, Severin claws and digs and sprays tufts of grass everywhere. There must be something, some way he can redeem himself, some way he can be of use to this pack.

Waylon: "Finding anything over there, pup?"
Severin: "I'm not a--....no, sir. I'm not....I can't find..."
Severin admitting his considerable lack of ability brings him even more shame. He just wants to go home and hide in his room, not talking to anyone. He can't believe his incompetence. Erika lets out another howl, indicating she's found yet another trail - another trail Severin can't smell at all. While Erika and Waylon go after the smell, Severin timidly walks over to Gator.
Severin: "Dad...I can't....I can't smell anything. I've been trying so hard and it's not working. Why am I so bad at this? Is it...is it because I'm half-human too?"
Gator: "By nature, werewolves are half-humans. If you're born a werewolf, you're born a werewolf. There's no watering down your nature, no matter who your other parent is. You have all the abilities every werewolf has."
Severin: "Then why...? Why am I so incompetent? I feel like I'm adding absolutely nothing to this pack. How am I ever going to move up in the ranks when I can't even do what werewolves are supposed to be able to do?"

Gator glances over at his son, who looks more like a drenched scared puppy than a strong fierce lycan. Gator imagines Severin's shame and humiliation must be pretty huge for him to be this open and vulnerable about his feelings. Normally Severin comes across as apathetic to anything except world domination and mischief. He doesn't seem to get bothered about anything. Right now, however, Gator's son looks very, very bothered.

Gator: "Don't give up, Sev. I know your frustration. This is the first time you've ever exercised your hunting ability, and yes, hunting is a skill. It's not something you know perfectly the first time you do it. When you first begin, you can hardly smell a thing. But as you continue to do it, you will get better and better at it. I promise this, Severin. I was once in your place, indescribably aggravated that I couldn't find anything while the rest of my pack were turning up things left and right. Keep searching. Keep trying. Your skill will develop."

Swallowing but deciding to try again, Severin bends his nose to the ground and keeps sniffing. He wanders around the area, sniffing everywhere he possibly can. In fact, he concentrates so hard that he doesn't even notice Gator bounding away for a new area, Waylon following him. Severin claws the ground, breathing it in as deeply as he can...

...And then he smells something.

It's faint, oh-so-faint, but he definitely smells some sort of rock. It's a special rock. He can just tell. Excitedly he lets out a piercing howl.

Nose to the ground, Severin follows the trail as far as it will lead him. As he moves along, the scent gets stronger and stronger. Severin's heart races. He's finally found a scent! He's finally found something! He's finally contributed something! Bounding into the field, Severin finally spots what his nose alerted him to. It's a gigantic statue. Right behind him is Grandma Erika.

Erika: "Severin. Your father and uncle are on their way home. We've collected enough."
Severin: "Hang on, grandma, this is an incredible find. I recognize this statue. I saw it pictured in the Prophecies of Vorticae. It's called the Weather Stone. I read that supernaturals can interact with it. If I howl at it, maybe it will do something..."
Erika: "You believe in the fairy tales of Vorticae? Pah."

Ignoring his grandmother's remark, Severin begins howling at the Weather Stone. It begins to shudder at his voice. His heart racing, Severin howls even louder. According to Vorticae, he should be able to control the weather - and a bunch of fortune - with this stone. Imagine! He, the Overlord heir, controlling the very weather itself!

Deciding to go along with her grandson, Erika begins to howl as well. Hey, perhaps he's right. Maybe something cool will happen.

They howl and howl and howl until finally the Weather Stone shakes so violently that Severin and Erika jump out of the way in case it falls down on them. Then Severin waits. He waits for the rain to pour even harder, for the wind to pick up even stronger. He waits for the Weather Stone to do his bidding.

Startling both the werewolves, the Weather Stone speaks in a slow, deep, monotone voice: "The Weather Stone does not find you worthy to use its power."

Severin: "Not...not worthy?"
Erika: "Hmm...perhaps it only reacts for alpha wolves."
Severin: "But..."
Erika: "Come on, Severin. We're already separated from the rest of the pack. That's a high source of dishonor. Let's hurry."

Angry at the stupid stone, Severin kicks it, then bounds after his grandmother as they head back to the castle. Not worthy! Did that stone even know who it was talking to? One day, when Severin became in charge of the Overlord throne, and was the most famous rock star in Moonlight Falls, and was an alpha wolf himself, he'd come back and utterly humiliate that stone for its insolence. Stupid, idiot, arrogant rock!

As Erika and Waylon head inside, Gator commands Severin to stay out with him. Severin supposes he's going to get scolded for separating from the pack.

Gator: "You're a bit late."
Severin: "Sorry...I finally found something and I was excited to go look for it. It was the Weather Stone, and I tried to summon it, but it didn't listen to me. It will next time. It'd better listen next time."
Gator: "I'm glad your grandmother stayed behind with you. A lone werewolf is not always safe on a full moon night. Zombies and vampires are your biggest concern. Vampires, even controlled ones, can go a bit blood-crazy on full moon nights. Next time, stay with the pack."
Severin: "Yeah, yeah."
Gator: "Excuse me?"
Severin: "...Yes, sir."
Gator: "Thank you."
Severin: "...Why are you fishing in the moat, dad? There's no alligators or fish in here. Tobie showed me there wasn't."
Gator: "Worth a try. Sometimes fish do collect."
Severin: "Why do we need a fish anyway?"
Gator: "Your last experience tonight needs to be a right of passage. As a werewolf, you have a beastly side to tap into. I'm trying to find you a fish to eat."
Severin: "Does mom have the right equipment to cook it?"
Gator: "You're eating it raw."

The idea sounds a bit disgusting to Severin. What if he gets food poisoning? He's not completely a beast. Can werewolves get sick from eating raw meat like humans can? Still, his father's the alpha wolf and he knows not to cross him.

After a while, the sky begins to boom and light up in second-long flashes of blinding light. Gator's not sure what's going on, so he takes Severin inside instead. Then he pulls out some raw hot dog links from the fridge.

Severin: "This?...I'm eating this?"
Gator: "Yes."
Severin: "...All of them?"
Gator: "All of them. You're a werewolf. Relish the taste of raw meat."

Under the piercing eyes of his father, Severin knows he can't be a chicken. He has to do it. He has to earn this respect. Ignoring his unease, Severin stuffs the links into his mouth, grinds them to a pulp with his sharp teeth, then swallows.

Strangely enough, the raw meat tastes...delicious. The taste fills his mouth, making him feel more animalistic and beast-like than before. It actually makes him feel a bit strong. He's a werewolf - he can eat raw meat! Tobie can't do that!

Gator thumps his son on the back, then nips the corner of his ear. Startled, Severin glances at his father.
Gator: "It's the symbol of my approval. You're learning quickly, Severin. When you're in wolf form, you are expected to bring honor and respect to the lycan name. I'm happy at your progress."
Severin: "Well, thanks. I've been trying. Do I...move up now?"
Gator: "You earn more respect now. But you're still the lowest-ranking member of the Wolff pack. You will always show your respect to your grandmother, and your aunt and uncle. And your father, of course."
Severin: "So wait...you're the alpha wolf of the pack, but you're the youngest of your family."
Gator: "I'm full-grown and have a reputation of honor among not only my pack, but many other werewolves as a whole. Nonetheless, if I asked my family to group together as a pack with me as the alpha and they all refused, I would not be the alpha of the pack. The only one in this group obligated to submit to me as the alpha is you, because you are still my teenage son."
Severin: "But once I get older..."
Gator: "Once you are a young adult, you will be able to make your own decisions."

Severin and Gator share an understanding silence between them. Then Gator glances at his hands.

Gator: "I must admit, I do wish there were some way to change lycan nail colors. Polish doesn't work, and it kind of sucks to be stuck with dark red nails when you're trying to convince other werewolves that you are to be respected."
Severin: "You think yours are bad? Mine are blue-green. They're even worse."
Gator: "Well...someone will hopefully come up with a way to change them. Perhaps a scientist, like WAYLON." Waylon mumbles something in reply. "Meanwhile, it's close to 2:00 in the morning. You should get to bed. You have school in the morning."
Severin: "But...I'm not even tired."
Gator: "Werewolves have more energy when we're in beast form. You likely won't sleep well tonight. But you should sleep some. I don't want you catching up on it in school."
Severin: "Fine..."

Severin heads towards the stairs, not sleepy in the slightest. But before he heads up, he turns around and tells his father, "Dad...thank you for taking me hunting. I promise I'll work at it. I'll be worthy of the title 'alpha wolf' one day, and it won't be long." Gator smiles at his son, then watches as Severin disappears upstairs.

Gator plops down on the couch next to his mother while Waylon brags about his catches online with the Overlords' new computer.

Erika: "Well...I think that went very well, Gator. I think Severin learned a lot from the experience. Keep training him. He's already very close to where he needs to be."
Gator: "Thank you, mom. Everything I'm teaching him I learned from you. You taught me and my siblings very well."
Waylon: "That you did, mom."
Erika: "Had to keep you in line somehow. Especially you, Gator. I told you one day you would have a son like yourself and then you'd know everything I had to go through."
Gator: "I definitely get your point."
Erika: "...It's really too bad...too bad that our full pack wasn't here today."
Gator: "I tried to get a hold of Wilhelmina several times, but she wouldn't pick up her phone."
Erika: "Probably out with her boyfriend...figures. I'm glad you're not all caught up in that anymore, Waylon."

Gator gives a small smile. Waylon had broken up with his vampire girlfriend (as well as the family enemy) a while back and Erika had allowed him back into the family. It felt good to have him around again.

Erika: "Your father would have enjoyed this hunt as well."
Gator: "Yeah...dad was so good at hunting."
Erika: "...And Severin's other grandfather. Jakkson, I believe his name was? I heard about the news just yesterday. I'm sure...I'm sure he would've been an excellent addition to the pack. He hunted quite a lot in his younger days, I've heard."

Gator sighs, thinking about what might have been. Jakkson would have been a great person to ask to join the pack. In fact, had Jakkson been around, Gator might have asked him to take on the role of alpha wolf, if only just for that one hunt. Gator's sure Severin could've learned so much from his grandfather.

But, what's happened has happened. There's nothing they can do about it now. At least they have the werewolf code of respect and honor. Every werewolf in Moonlight Falls, including Gator and the Wolffs, have visited Jakkson's grave, paying their deep respects. Once a respected werewolf, always a respected werewolf.

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Author's notes: Perhaps thanks to Twallan's mods, Amaranth did receive a "Mourning" moodlet when her father Jakkson died, even though normally those moodlets do not happen when the deceased Sim doesn't live in the active household. Amaranth literally wept more over Jakkson than I've ever seen any Sim mourn. There was one point where she literally spent one whole Sim hour continuously crying over her father's death. I felt so awful for her. I also feel awful that Jakkson is gone. With Oliver and Phantom still very much around, it just seems to weird that the third member of that trio, Jakkson, is now dead. I already miss him a bunch.

Soren turned into a zombie on a full moon night, indicating he's a homeless Sim. I hope to have that taken care of soon.

The werewolf hunt was so much fun to write. Severin seems so on top of the world in his human affairs, but it's rather humbling when he has to learn to be a real werewolf from scratch.

Finally, I feel like I'm taking forever on Severin's teenage years. There's one more event that's going to take place in his teenage life, and then he'll be ready to start his generation. I assume for his 5-Star Celebrity goal, I'll need to grab some celebs from Bridgeport and sprinkle them in Moonlight Falls, as there are absolutely no celebrities in town since I got rid of it in my options menu.

What'd you think of the chapter? Also, be on the lookout - a reader poll is coming up in Severin's generation! A first for the blog. :D Looking forward to your input!