"So, what did you want to talk about, Liam?" my father asked, looking at me curiously. He then took a seat on a couch made of fur and put on his glasses. "You don’t normally come to me for advice. At times, I feel like there is another adult in the house," he joked.
For some reason, he had a huge grin on his face.
"I wanted to talk to you about a story you told us a while back," I said as I took a seat adjacent to his. "Do you remember the Wild Hunt?"
His eyes widened.
"The Wild Hunt? Why do you want to know about that?"
"I’m just a bit curious, nothing more."
My father accepted my answer at face value and nodded.
"Well, okay, then. I’m always happy to tell you about my work. What do you want to know?"
"Mainly who they are and what their purpose is," I answered.
"Who they are, huh? Well, the Hunt is an old folk tale about a supernatural chase led by creatures that resemble ghosts. You’ll mostly hear about the riders, the hounds, and different specters. They are seen as a bad omen for war or disasters."
"You mentioned hounds. What kind of hounds? Like werewolves?"
"Not exactly. There isn’t any mention of werewolves. The hounds are normally described as beasts that dwell in the darkness."
’Hounds that dwell in the darkness?’
"What about the riders? What are they exactly?"
"I’m not exactly sure. My best guess is that they are ghosts. But they also fall into the category of harbingers of death."
"Harbingers of death?"
"Yes," my father said, adjusting his glasses. "There are certain beliefs in this world that some creatures are closely tied to death. We call them harbingers of death. Those riders are one such group. You know, I once heard a tale from a professor at my university. He was bit of an eccentric man so I often didn’t pay him any mind but what he said was a bit romantic and sad so it stuck with me. He said that if a person falls in love with a harbinger of death and that person dies, they’ll be reborn as a God of Death."
"A God of Death?" I asked slightly confused.
"Yes, a shinigami. I don’t know how true it is, though. I only heard it from that one professor. He was a bit of an odd duck. The man was obsessed with death. He also used to be a pastor," my father chuckled.
"I see. Back to the Wild Hunt, you said it was a chase consisting of supernatural creatures, right? But who is the one leading this hunt?" I asked. I wanted to figure out exactly who the spectre who spoke to me was.
"That depends on who you ask."
"What do you mean?"
"Sometimes it’s Zeus, sometimes Lucifer, or Odin, or even Death itself given form. That is one of the biggest mysteries of the Wild Hunt. There was never a clear-cut answer as to who is leading it."
That specter who spoke to me; I’m fairly certain that he was the one leading the charge. But who is he? I suddenly remembered the first words he said to me on that night. His first words sounded like a poem. It struck me as weird so I made sure to remember it.
"’And behold, a pale horse; and upon it rode the one called Death, and Hell shall follow with him. And authority was granted unto them to strike down the earth, by the sword, by death, by famine, and by the wild beasts that roam the abyss.’" I repeated this sentence out loud. It was the first thing the specter said to me when he saw me.
I stared up at my father, and he was looking at me with wide eyes.
"When did you start reading the Bible?" he suddenly asked.
"The Bible?"
"I’m fairly certain that the passage you just recited comes from the Bible, though it’s a bit different." My father got up from the couch and walked toward the stairs. "Hold on a moment, be right back."
As I watched my father walk up the stairs, I couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. While he was gone, I mulled over everything he said. Nothing clicked. I wasn’t any closer to figuring out the reason everything happened that night. After a few minutes, my father came back holding a rather large Bible.
He then opened it and pointed to a scripture.
"See here it is, the original words."
I stared at the scripture and mumbled it out loud.
"And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth."
My father was right; the passage was the same, just reworded a bit.
"What does it all mean?" I asked.
"Well, in this scripture, they were referring to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse sent to cast judgment on the world."
The four horsemen?
"There are four horsemen: Conquest, War, Famine, and Death. This passage specifically refers to Death, as he is the one who rides upon a pale horse." he explained.
Death? Could it be him? So he’s the one leading the charge. He was the one who spoke to me on that night.
"I’m not really an expert on these types of things, though. I mostly know about different supernatural creatures. It has been my passion ever since I was a boy. Well, anyway, is there anything else you wanted to ask me?"
"Yes. What are you and Mom hiding from me?" My father’s face suddenly went pale, and his heart rate increased. "W-what do you mean?"
"I mean, what’s the real reason why I’m different from other werewolves?"
Maybe all of this could be solved if they finally told me the truth.
My father swallowed hard as he stared into my eyes.
"We’re not hiding anything from you. As to the reason why you’re different, even we don’t know."
"You are aware I can hear your heartbeat. Isn’t it about time you reveal the secret, whatever it is?" I asked.
"That’s enough, Liam."
Suddenly, I heard my mother’s voice behind me.
"Go to bed," she tried to command me as my alpha, but it didn’t work. It never works. "Please. We are your parents, and all we want is the best for you."
"Then start by telling me the truth. The two of you are hiding something. Whatever it is, I deserve to know."
"I—I," my mother stuttered, trying to speak, but it was like the words were stuck in her throat. In the end, she bit down on her lip and averted her gaze.
’So that’s how it is...’
That was when I knew I wouldn’t be getting any answers out of either of them.
That was also the moment I decided to leave this pack.