The Wolf Folk Series: The Rebuilding Of A World

Halfway through his rant, he stopped and hugged Luka, saying, "Oh Luka, I would have died if anything had happened to you, you are like a son to me and I just couldn't take it if you had been injured!" Luka replied, "Papa, you must learn to trust us, we are the young Warriors who will bring us into full communion with the Human Kind." He spread out his hands towards the young wolves who were enduring the "chewing out" and said, "Lord Jeremiah, Prince and Lord of our kind, we are your Paladin's, we stand with thee in guardianship, wherever you shall go, so also shall we. To you we owe our allegiance, to you we swear our fealty, our loyalty and our love." So it was that the Wolf Order of the Paladins was begun. Prince Alpha Luka would serve as the leader of THE WOLF PALADINS for the next two thousand years and would be the "spearhead" for the integration of Human Kind and Wolf Kind into one civilization.

It had been a tiring day for Tosco, there had been a break-in at the Records Depository and he had spent the morning with the Head Librarian. As near as they could determine, nothing had been taken and the only damage was to a set of lockers that contained the data concerning the Wolf Warriors who had been assigned to assist the American State Department in the Middle East.

Whoever broke in knew what they were looking for, but they had been unable to gain access to the contents of the files. The fact that someone knew of the existence of those files not only worried Tosco, it frightened him.

The Wolf Kind had been assisting the American Government since the time of the American Revolution and this was the first time anything like this had taken place.

He ordered three Wolf Warriors be placed on guard in the Repository immediately and that the security be upgraded as soon as possible.

He had hardly gotten back to his office when his Personal Secretary, Shirley Flecker, told him there were three Gentlemen from "Washington" to see him.

The word, "Washington" was their private code that high-ranking National Government officials were here to see him. He made a rapid mind-call to his Father, Jeremiah, who replied, "Speak with them and find out what they want. We have always cooperated with the American Government. Let me know later what you both have decided."

Tosco straightened his jacket and then told Shirley to admit their visitors. The door opened and Shirley escorted three men into Tosco's Office.

She bowed to Tosco and said, "My Lord Alpha Wolf, I present to you Mr. Aldon Davis, Chief of Staff to the American President, Mr. Carelton Rivers, The Secretary of State and Mr. Joseph Bind, Director of the National Security Agency."

She then backed away from Tosco's desk and quietly left the room, closing the door behind her. The three men were not sure how they were supposed to address this young looking man, who they had been told, wielded enormous powers and commanded forces sufficient to bring down the government.

Tosco grinned and said, "Please sit down gentlemen, I have had my breakfast, so you are perfectly safe."

Aldon Davis kind of gulped and said, "I hope you are joking, Mr. Tate, eer, or do I address you as Lord Alpha Tate?"

Tosco sat in his chair and smiled, "Sir, you may address me as either, but I really would prefer that you just call me by my given name, Tosco."

The Chief of Staff replied, "Ahhhh Lor, I mean Tosco, we have come to acquaint ourselves with you and your folk. We have read our Top Secret Files from the last two hundred years and we know of you and your folk's loyalty to the United States and the services your people have performed for the safety of our country."

He continued, "Firstly, the last person in your position our government dealt with was a Lord Jeremiah Tate."

Tosco replied, "Yes, he is my Father and he now commands all the Families of our folk."

The man said, "Are there many Families of your people?"

Tosco replied, "Yes sir, there were six Great Families, but in rescuing some of our folk from Asia, two Families were so small, they combined to make one Family."

The Chief of Staff looked at Tosco and asked, "Are you not very young for your position?"

Tosco laughed, "Yes, Mr. Davis, but, when my Father was elevated to Lord High Alpha Wolf, it was necessary for me to step into his shoes."

Carelton Rivers asked, "What kind of title is that and what is an Alpha?"

Tosco settled back into his chair, this was going to be a long meeting. He replied, "Sir, an Alpha among our kind is the Head or Maximum Leader of a group of our Folk. For example, my title is Lord Alpha of Family CED, sometimes referred to as Lord of Ced. The heir to any Lord Alpha is always named the Prince Alpha, except in my case, I am my Father's heir, but I am also the Lord Alpha of my Family and Clan."

The Secretary of State, Carelton Rivers replied, "I think I understand, may I ask how old you are, we have records with some names of individuals whom our government worked with for more years than a lifetime."

Tosco laughed and replied, "Are you sure you want the answer to your question?"

Mr. Rivers nodded his head in a yes, so Tosco continued, "Sir, I am one hundred and twenty-nine years old, My Father, Jeremiah, is slightly over six hundred years and my Grandfather, Lord Franklin Tate just celebrated his two thousand year birthday."

The man sat in his chair with a thud and his hands shook as he asked, "How long do you people live?" Tosco smiled and said, "Remember, we are not of the human kind, although we are closely related. My Great Grandfather is living still and he will soon be twenty-five hundred years old."

The three men looked at each other with frightened expressions on their faces and began wondering just how dangerous this young-looking man was!"

Tosco could read their minds, but figured that knowledge would send them over the cliff, so he asked, "What is the urgent matter that you came to speak to us about?"

Mr. Bind, the Director of the NSA said, "Sir, errr Lord Tosco, the son of the President has disappeared and we fear for his safety. He was last seen in Atlanta, where he had gone to a concert. He never showed up at the plane to bring him home after the show."

Tosco immediately mind-called Oscar James, the Alpha of the Atlanta Sept, giving him all the information he had heard and gleaned from his visitor's minds.

Mr. Bind continued, "Sir, with all our resources, we cannot locate the President's only child. Sir, we are asking your help, none of our own resources have been able to find any trace of the boy. Please, Sir, can you help us?"

Tosco replied, "Yes sir, we can help you, in fact, we have members of our Folk out looking for him as we speak."

The three men looked startled and wondered just how this young man had known what the President's son even looked like. To forestall any questions, Tosco said, "Gentlemen, will you join me for a late lunch and, perhaps by then we might have some news for you."

Before they could disagree, Tosco stood and headed for his private elevator, motioning the men to come with him. Somewhat hesitant, the three men followed Tosco out of the room and into the elevator, which took them to the Cafeteria/Dining Room located in the basement.

They were ushered into a private dining area by a bowing servant and were served an excellent three-course meal. The three men were served a selection of wines, but they noticed that their host drank only iced water. Mr. Davis asked, "I notice you have not been served wine as we have?"

Tosco chuckled, "Yes, that is correct, we are not affected by alcohol in any way, it is just that I do not like the taste of it. About the only concoction that affects us as alcohol does your folk, is a chemical mixture so nasty smelling and tasting, no Wolf in his or her right mind would even be in the same room with it."

They dawdled over their meal, speaking of various unimportant subjects when Tosco went silent for a few seconds before spreading a wide grin over his face, the three men looked expectantly at their host and Tosco said, "Gentlemen, we have the President's son. He is alive, but he has been beaten and robbed, my folk are cleaning him up and getting some solid food in him. I am sending my own plane, The Red Wolf down to Atlanta to retrieve him. He should be here in a few hours,"

The Chief of Staff, General Aldon Davis was the first to recover, "My God! You communicate with your mind, don't you?"

Tosco looked a bit uneasy, but he replied, "Yes sir, we do, all Wolf Folk have that ability to one degree or another. Those of us who have the Blood of our Ancients have more abilities than most others of our kind."

Before they could ask any further questions, Tosco hustled them into the elevator and they returned to his office. He allowed Mr. Davis to use his telephone to speak directly with the young man in question and then to call the President with the happy news.

While they awaited the arrival of the boy the men plied Tosco with as many questions as they could think of, some he answered willingly and others he simply evaded answering. Finally, Mr. Bind asked, "Are you able to control the minds of a human?"

Tosco thought for a long time before answering the difficult question. Slowly, he said, "Yes to some degree. Some humans are easier to control than others. We cannot control a human to perform a certain task, all we can do is alter his thoughts to influence his actions. Only those of the Ancient Blood have that power, and our customs and laws govern the use of such power. We are sworn never to harm a human nor do that which might lead a human to harm him or herself. EVER!"

They all looked at Tosco and asked as one, "Can you do that?"

Tosco replied, "I am of the Ancient Blood, so yes I COULD do that. However, I and all my kind are bound by a code of ethics so strong, that to cause harm to a human who is NOT a criminal, would do so much emotional harm to us, we would no longer be able to function on any level we would, simply put, die of a broken heart!"

The three men sat down to ponder what this strange young man had told them. The phone buzzed and Tosco answered it, "Yes, that is fine, now, you, Shirley, go home, you have spent more than enough time taking care of me, go love your family."

He turned to his guests and said, "Gentlemen, the President's son has just landed here in Charlotte and my Warriors are bringing him here to us as we speak."

Mr. Bind squeaked, "Warriors?"

Tosco smiled and said, "All the Wolf Kind are Warriors, but some are more than just simple warriors. Some of us have taken up the use of arms as a calling and they are quite good at it."

Mr. Bind sat down, thoroughly shaken and he almost whimpered, "It was one of Your Warriors who saved my life in Afghanistan many years ago!"

Tosco carefully searched the man's memories and then replied, "Yes sir, from your description, I believe it was Warrior Leader Feld, who saved you."

The man heard in his mind, "Sir, I only looked at your memories of the incident, without your permission or it being an emergency, none of my Folk would dare probe further!"

Mr. Bind's eyes bulged out and he stammered, "Did you see my……"

Tosco interrupted him and sent to his mind alone, "Yes sir, I saw your tumor and no, we cannot help you. All we could do is make you more comfortable, you have, perhaps, six more months before the pain will become severe. I am sorry, more sorry than you can ever know."

The man broke down in tears and asked Tosco, "Lord Wolf, I beg of you to care for my beloved Grandson, I am his only living relative who cares for him. His own father threw him out because he is gay, he loves another boy. I beg this of you, PLEASE!"

Tosco gently led the grieving man to the sofa and sat beside him, "Mr. Bind, if you would like, I invite you to bring your family here, we will put you up here at Greystone Manner and care for you until the very end."

Tosco continued, "As for your Grandson, he also is welcome among us, we do not care who a person loves, just so long it is an honest love from the heart."

He thought for a moment, then made one more comment, "We might consider something more for your Grandson and his Mate, we will discuss it at a later time." He then pressed his hand on the man's forehead and Mr. Bind fell into a deep sleep on the sofa, his pain held at bay.

The others looked on at the unbelievable events that had just taken place before their own eyes. Tosco looked at them and said, "I think Mr. Bind needs to rest, he is very ill. I will have someone take you back to your hotel, you are both welcome to return tomorrow and collect the President's son, he will be well taken care of and will be much better rested after a good night's sleep."

As soon as the men had departed, Tosco mind-called Lord Warrior Master Jonal and asked him if he could have Warrior Leader Feld at Greystone Manor first thing in the morning. Jonal replied, "At once Lord Tosco, he will leave this night and be at Greystone Manor the first thing in the morning."

The next morning there was a line at Tosco's door. Warrior Leader Feld was there on orders from Lord Jonal to report to Lord Alpha Tosco.

Jerry Allen Conklin was there in company of two huge Warriors, having been scraped up from the trash bin his assailants had left him in Atlanta and treated by the kindest, most gentle lady doctor in a strange place in Atlanta, where the people bowed and called some of them Lords.

There were also two of the biggest beings Jerry had ever seen and they had strange Mayan Symbols tattooed around their necks and shoulders. The two men had to have been more than seven feet tall!

A young man, who looked to be the same age as himself, shook Jerry's hand and called him by name. All the others waiting there dropped to one knee and said to the young man, "COMMAND ME, MY LORD ALPHA OF CED"

Poor Jerry's mind was swimming free, what in the world is going on here?

The young man opened the door of the office and walked in, seating himself behind the enormous desk. He asked all the others to be seated.

The young man said, "I apologize for being a bit tardy this morning, I needed to bring a young man and his mate to see their ailing Grandfather. Now, Jerry Conklin, I want you to meet Warriors Tuk and Hin, they are going to keep you safe for so long as your Daddy is in office in Washington. You will never be attacked again, like you were in Atlanta, these two Warriors will protect you against any threat or die in the trying!"

The two Warriors knelt before a startled Jerry and said, "Young Jerry Allen Conklin I swear before the Great Lord of Wolves, Above Us All, that I will protect you against all threats and will allow no harm to come to you, SO HELP ME GOD"

The young man then said, "I am Lord Alpha Wolf of the Southeastern Clan of Wolves and also known as the Ancient Family of Ced. This is a continuation of a meeting I had yesterday. Warrior Leader Feld, do you remember a man whose life you saved in Afghanistan during the war there?"

The large man, who had scars of terrible wounds on his face and arms, replied, "Indeed I do, My Lord, he was United States Marine Captain Joseph Bind. A fine man of the Human Kind, I was honored to have known him, My Lord."

Tosco replied, Warrior Leader, do you think you could be a companion to Captain Bind during the painful last days of his life and would you agree to counsel his grandson and his grandson's mate?"

Warrior Feld stood ramrod straight before his Lord Alpha and replied, "My Lord, it would be a rare privilege to again be in the company of such a fine man and, if this grandson is the grandson of his father's father, I would be proud and honored to assist him."

Tosco said, "Good, I will take you to them in a few minutes."

The two remaining men of the delegation that had met with him the day before, arrived, and they saw young Jerry Conklin standing there. They rushed up to him, but, before they could get close, two of the largest men they had ever seen pushed them away and made it very plain that, if they even touched the boy, they would die!

Quickly and without mercy!

Tosco giggled a bit to himself and then said out loud, "These Warriors are Warrior Tuk and Warrior Hin, they are assigned as bodyguards to young Jerry Allen Conklin. They will allow none to approach him without his permission. Those who would violate this restriction had best hope they have already made their peace with their God, for they shall not survive the encounter."

He then turned to the two other visitors and said, "Mr. Bind is in the process of resigning his position in the American Government. He is very ill and will not survive his illness. He has agreed to live his last days here, in our protection. We cannot save his life, but we can make those days remaining to him more enjoyable. His beloved Grandson and his Grandson's mate are also with us and they, also, are under our protection. I would be happy to meet further with you gentlemen, should you so desire, but right now, I have other matters that demand my attention."

Mr. Davis spoke up, "Ler eer Lord Tosco as soon as we deliver Jerry back to his father, along with his new bodyguards, may we return, I have many questions I would like to ask of you and I would greatly appreciate learning more about your folk and your culture. It has remained hidden from us for many centuries and I believe that our two peoples should work together, after all, WE ARE RELATED!"

Tosco smiled and replied, "Mr. Davis, I would be delighted to meet again with you and you most certainly are welcome to return. Now, I really must go, there is a frightened young man downstairs who is grieving for his Grandfather and I promised him I would help him through this awful time in his life."

The guests and the newly assigned Warriors Protector left and Tosco slipped into his private elevator and headed down to the lowers parts of Greystone Manor, where a sick old man and his beloved Grandson, Carl Bind and Carl's beloved mate, Jason Tallman, awaited his return.

How soon will the American President decide he needs the assistance of the Wolf folk? Will Lord Tosco be able to ease Joseph Bind's passage from this life into the next? Will Carl and Jason's love survive the death of Carl's beloved Grandfather and what can Lord Tosco do to assist them through this traumatic episode in their young lives?