ONE
Lilly.
She
was the first, last and only thing on his mind right now. To be
honest, she was the first, last and only thing on his mind from the
first moment he had first laid eyes on her. Lilliandria Evozia Sovol,
princess of the D'Meon Realm had been the queen of Jackson Hargrove
"Jack" Leonard's heart. She had only been seventeen at the time
they had met, and he was a year and a half younger. Tomorrow
afternoon he will be married to her. This made Jack feel like he was
on cloud nine.
Jack
returned to Cleesburg, Ohio via the portal he had opened with the
spell Lilly had taught him. He found himself in the parking garage
under Harrison's Jewelers. His muscular arms moved his wheelchair up
the somewhat steep ramp to Main Street. Fortunately, Jack had put on
his parka before he had left the D'Meon Realm. The howling winter
winds sounded like they could bite exposed skin with their frigid
cold. He waited for them to die down before leaving the underground
structure.
"Hover,"
Jack said to his wheelchair when he saw that gigantic mounds of snow
had covered the sidewalks and pavement. The wheels folded into
pockets within the sides of the armrests, a joystick control and a
speed indicator appeared on the right armrest, and compressed air
shot out from jets under the seat. Jack knew his wheels couldn't
navigate through the white, powdery barriers. Thanks to the voice
activated commands program he had designed, they wouldn't have to.
Jack
looked up to see the full moon push its way out of the clouds. Its
light made the snow and streets brighter. This won't last,
Jack thought. Grandpa always said, "If you don't like the
weather in Cleesburg, Ohio, just wait a few seconds, and it'll
change."
Suddenly,
something struck the back of Jack's hooded head. He laughed. The
"Chaf" noise and the moisture on his hood told him that a
snowball had hit him, and he knew exactly who had thrown it.
His
chair turned around. His eyes scanned the area to and fro. The sound
of snow crunching lightly ran to Jack's left. Jack turned to see a
lamp post. Its light shined upon the ground, revealing a long, small
shadow. Jack chuckled to himself and circled around to the other
side.
"There
you are, Little Cub," Jack said joyfully, his voice muffled
slightly by his scarf and the collar of his parka.
A
female werewolf cub of about eight human years of age, named Jara,
looked up at Jack with mischievous yellow eyes. She was dressed in
primary colored winter layers, including red mittens. The right one
was holding another snowball. Her black, furry face revealed a smile
full of crooked teeth. Jack noticed that the front two were missing.
To Jack, it seemed like yesterday when Jara was born. Jara's
grandfather Louis Harrison owned the jewelry store. He and Jack's
grandfather Orville Leonard served in World War II together and
helped create the United Nations Supernaturals Charter which allowed
supernatural beings such as vampires, werewolves, witches and the
like to co-exist publicly with humans. Jara's parents, Richard
Harrison and Anna Seigel, had been friends with Jack and Lilly since
they were teenagers. Both Jack and Lilly were with Richard and Anna
during the births of Jara and her older brother John. Now, Jack was
thirty now and amazed to see Jara ready to launch snowballs like
missiles.
"Little
cub?" Jara protested with a slight whistle in her speech. "I'm
eight years-old, Trelabol."
"You'll
always be Little Cub to me even when you have cubs of your
own, Little Cub," Jack said with a smile. "It's something that us
old folks feel for the children we love. You'll understand someday."
Jara
was confused, but she figured Jack was right. She protested and
complained in the way children do sometimes. However, she liked when
Jack called her Little Cub. She called him Trelabol. Trela
was the word for "Worthy" in the werewolf language, and Bol
meant "One who uses wheels". Jara's parents and brother were
worried the name would offend Jack. Yet, he found the moniker to be
one of endearment.
Worthy.
Throughout the Infinite Realms, the word is spoken in many tongues.
Yet, its meaning is the same. A Worthy is one with various abilities
who is meant to keep the peace between supernatural beings and
mortals and prevent those who are evil from plunging the Infinite
Realms into eternal darkness and tyranny. The number of Worthy is
greater than any being can count, for they are everywhere in the
Infinite Realms. The one thing they all have in common is a crescent
moon shaped birthmark on the left side of the backs of their necks.
Jackson
Hargrove Leonard, like most on the paternal side of his bloodline, is
one of the Worthy. Jack discovered he was a Worthy when he was
younger than Jara. Since then, he had been doing his best to live up
to the meaning of the word.
Jara
leaped into Jack's lap, hugged him, put down his scarf and parka
collar, and chewed lightly on Jack's beard. The latter action was a
form a affection that werewolf cubs expressed for those whom they
loved and trusted. It was not meant to hurt anyone. In fact, the
feeling of Jara's teeth tickled Jack's chin.
"Grandpa
said you'd be coming to get your wedding gift for Lilly when you
return from the fight. Did you kick his butt?"
Jack
laughed and hugged Jara. "I can't kick worth a hill of beans,
Little Cub, but I did win. D'Meon Laws made it official that Lilly
and I can be married tomorrow."
"Great!" Jara
exclaimed as she hugged Jack tightly. " I can wear the dress
Grandma made for me."
"I
bet you'll be the prettiest werewolf at the wedding," Jack said
with his dark bearded chin exposed and sporting a broad smile. "What
did you do today, Little Cub?"
"John
took me ice skating at Goose Creek. School let out for the holiday
yesterday. Cousin Connie pulled the beard off Santa Claus at the town
square on the way home then. He turned out to be your daddy."
"Dad
and Uncle Harold have been helping the real Santa Claus by dressing
as him for years, and before that, my Grandpa Orville was Santa's
helper."
"That's
what I told Connie," Jar commented.
The
werewolf cub suddenly looked to her left. Her nose wiggled, prompting
a concerned look on Jack's face. "What is it, Little Cub?" He
asked.
"Wind's
picking up near the Helford Tree Farm. It's heading this way."
"Then
we'd better get inside before that wind blows us all the way to
Columbus"
Jara
laughed. "Daddy says Columbus is a shithole."
Jack
chuckled. "Your daddy had a bad experience in Columbus when we were
in school. Every city has its good points and bad points."
The
wind began to speed up slightly. Jack held Jara with his left arm
while his right hand used the joystick to pilot his wheelchair. They
approached the jewelry store. The hand of a human Caucasian woman in
her early-to-mid sixties - Jara's grandmother, Lois Harrison -
opened the door. Its little bell rang letting those inside know
someone had entered the shop.
"Wheels,"
Jack commanded the chair. The joystick folded into the compartment
within the right armrest, and the wheels returned as they were in the
parking garage.
Jack
saw Richard and Louis behind the counter. Both were wearing jewelers
glasses with special lenses to examine gems, precious metals and
other things carefully. Louis' fur was gray, and he was dressed in
black trousers, a black vest and white shirt with long sleeves.
Richard was clad in muted gray. His fur was black. He was around the
same age as Jack. He looked at the wheelchair using Worthy with a
broad smile.
"I
see someone greeted you when you arrived," Richard said jovially,
indicating Jara. "How did it go?"
Jack
hugged Jara before she went to her grandmother. "Best greeting I've
ever gotten even with the snowball to the melon," He chuckled.
"Don't be hard on Jara, though. It was all in good fun. As for how
things went, Sovol pulled a crazy stunt that nearly destroyed the
main city because he believed I wouldn't fight him."
A
shocked look came over Richard's face, and his brown eyes widened.
"After his decision in that... incident with Krulan, he still
believed you wouldn't engage him in combat?"
Krulan...
The name brought back bad memories for Jack. Krulan was right hand
man to Sovol, Lilly's father. He was also a vicious bastard who
thought his job gave him the right to possess Lilly. Jack had stopped
Krulan from assaulting Lilly. However, he and Sovol disagreed on
Krulan's punishment. There had been bad blood between Jack and Sovol
ever since.
"Sovol
and I never agreed about Krulan, Rich," Jack told his friend. "On
top of that, he believed I wouldn't battle him. He somehow thought I
wouldn't respect D'Meon laws and traditions."
Richard
laughed heartily. "If that were true, you and Lilly both would have
lost your virginity at Cathy Farnsworth's graduation party in 1991."
"That's
exactly what Lilly told her mother."
Richard
laughed and sighed. "You're a stronger man than I am, my friend."
"How?"
"I
couldn't wait as long as you have for Lilly."
"I've
waited because I love Lilly. That love allowed me to follow and
respect her culture's ways."
"You
always did respect other cultures. Your grandfather's training and
your reading copious amounts of science fiction and comic books had a
hand in that in my opinion." Richard looked reflective. "You
think some years ago we were just crazy kids in high school. Now,
Anna and I are married with two incredible kids, and Lilly will be
your wife at this time tomorrow."
It
was in that moment John and Anna entered the shop from the back room
where they had been taking inventory. John had reminded Jack of
Richard when he was John's age. The young werewolf was about eleven
human years of age. He went to Jara, who gently pulled on his black
chin fur. John made playful growling sounds as she did that. Both
children helped Lois Harrison put up holiday decorations around the
jewelry shop.
Anna had sandy
colored hair and dark framed glasses. She hugged Jack when she saw
him. She then became shocked. That meant only one thing. Anna was
getting one of her vague clairvoyant visions. They were a gift and a
curse in which she had inherited from her mother. The look on her
face was one of horror as she looked at Jack.
"Everything
okay, sweetheart?" asked Richard.
It
took Anna a second to come out of the stupor her visions caused. She
shook off this brief side effect and responded, "I'm fine, honey.
It was just one of my flashes."
"You
looked scared out of your wits."
"She
probably just saw Uncle Harry doing the Chicken Dance at the wedding
feast," Jack interjected.
Everybody,
including Anna, laughed at Jack's remark. However, she was still in
shock. The flash's image of fangs and blood was burned into her mind.
Anna was never sure what her psychic visions meant. Yet, this one
seemed connected to Jack somehow. She didn't want to needlessly alarm
anyone, for her premonition could mean something good could come from
it.
Louis
Harrison handed Jack a gold locket. It had belonged to his maternal
great grandmother, who had passed away when Jack was seven. Louis and
Richard had added a blue-amber jewel to it. The gem was one from the
D'Meon Realm and Lilly's birthstone, called Le'Vael. It had
the ability to show images of the wearer's fondest memories. Richard
had cut the Le'Vael into the shape of a heart, and Louis had
set it into the locket.
Louis
smiled reflectively and looked at Jack. "It seems like yesterday
when you were on your grandpa's shoulders when he and your dad would
go to Neil McDonald's barber shop." He chuckled. "You'd read the
comic books on the spinner rack Neil had and spend your quarters on
those."
"He
still has a lot of those comic books in his collection," Richard
added teasingly.
Louis
sighed, looking at the framed copy of the United Nations
Supernaturals Charter on the wall to his right. "I wish your
grandpa could see you get married and have a family of your own."
Jack
placed a hand on Louis Harrison's shoulder. He could see the
jeweler's sadness. Louis clearly missed Orville Leonard, who had
passed away two years ago.
"No
sadness now, Mister Harrison," Jack said reassuringly. "Grandpa
wouldn't want that. He'd want us to celebrate." Jack smiled
impishly. "Sobriety optional."
Louis
let out a boisterous laugh. "You're right. Thanks, lad."
"We
all miss Grandpa. He was one of a kind." Jack let out a breath.
"However, I like to think that we'll all see him and all of our
loved ones again someday because, as Einstein said, time does not
exist. Past, present, future, life and death are all the same moment.
We just see them in a linear fashion. Plus, what makes us truly what
we are is pure energy. Our bodies just house that energy for a finite
period until we either choose another body or live as that energy."
"You
really need to stop watching reading science fiction," Richard
joked.
"And ruin my fun?"
Jack quipped.
Jack
paid for the locket. Both Louis and Richard protested. Yet, Jack gave
them money for their hard work. He placed his gift for Lilly in a
black onyx-like jewelry box. It teleported upon Jack saying a magic
word Lilly and her mother had taught him.
"There,"
Jack said. "The locket should be well hidden in the chamber that
Lilly and I will share after we're married."
Lois
Harrison, placing a Christmas star on a small plastic tree in the
window display to the left of the jewelry's store's entry door,
smiled and said, "Lilly's going to love it, Jack."
"I
sure hope so, Mrs. Harrison. Thank you all very much. I owe all of
you a great deal just for all you've done for Lilly, our entire
family and me."
"Just
be happy with Lilly like you always are, my friend," Richard said.
"That's thanks enough for me."
Jack
smiled broadly and replied, "I will, Rich. I will. See you all
tomorrow."
Jack hugged the
entire Harrison family and allowed Jara to chew on his beard once
again. Richard opened the door for Jack, and the Worthy said goodbye
to the Harrison family. Jack looked at the cloudy sky believing that
more snow may be on the way. However, he could always hover to
Leonard Manor. It was just a few miles south of the Cleesburg town
square that was adjacent to Harrison's Jewelry Store.
The
trip to the family home had begun uneventfully until he heard a noise
from the nearby woods. Jack had only about two or three miles to go
before arriving at Leonard Manor. Whatever it was, Jack's keen
hearing picked up the sound of what seemed to be wild animals roaring
and growling. It took a few seconds for him to realize that a pack of
vampires were coming toward him, and they were ravenous. From the
snarls and laments coming from them, Jack understood that someone had
locked them somewhere for days, allowing them to feel intense hunger
to the point of near starvation. Now, their search for sustenance was
driving them to utter madness.
The
sheer numbers of the nearly starving undead took Jack by surprise.
Jack hadn't actually counted, but it seemed like hundreds of the
living dead were coming at him from the forest. The otherwise white
landscape was covered with drooling, hungry vampires. Some wore
leather jackets with a chain design shaped like an S on the left
breast. That meant Steven's gang is among the blood drinkers. Steven
was someone who had been a rival of Jack's even before he had met
Lilly. However, Jack did not see Steven anywhere.
The
pack of vampires had run and leaped toward Jack. They reminded Jack
of a large group of lemmings heading toward a cliff. He drew a silver
bladed sword from the scabbard in the back of his jacket. He slashed
some of the group like a scythe through wheat, thus turning them to
dust. However, more vampires kept coming replacing the ones killed by
twofold.
Jack
continued to battle the pack. Yet, Their weight and combined insanity
and strength had knocked Jack out of his wheelchair, which had been
toppled into a nearby snow drift. Claws tear Jack's clothing, and
fangs bit into his skin. Jack fought of some and killed others, but
he was overwhelmingly outnumbered. This combined with the utter
savagery of the attack gave the blood drinkers the upper hand. The
pure, white snow in the area was covered in a blanket of red after
Jack's flesh was punctured and ripped to shreds, beginning the feast
upon the Worthy's crimson life fluid.
Jack
continued to fight to the bitter end. Blood loss, unfortunately, had
gotten the better of him. Jack felt his heart slow down as the
vampires continued to feed on his person. During this time and when
his bodily functions had ceased there was but one thought on his
mind. It was the same thought that permeated his very being in every
moment of his life. A single word, the name of his one true love, was
all he could think about even as death came to claim him.
Lilly.
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