The Wolf Folk Series: The Rebuilding Of A World

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 Warrior Protectors 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.

Tosco returned to the guest apartments in the lower levels of Greystone Manor, where Joe Bind was currently resting. His cancer was sapping the old man's strength and the excitement of being reunited with his Grandson had tired him out.

Joe's Grandson, Carl was standing out in the hall outside his Grandfather's suite and he had fresh tear tracks down his face. His partner, Jason Tallman, was holding his beloved's hand and trying to comfort him.

Carl asked, "Sir, eer ah Lord Tosco, is there nothing that can be done for Grandpa?"

Tosco sat down on a bench in the hallway and said gently to the overwrought young man, "No, son, there is nothing we can do. Perhaps, if we had caught the disease sooner, our doctors might have been able to slow its progress, but, sadly, the final outcome would have been the same."

The young man shuddered and said, "Sir, what am I to do? When Grandpa goes, I will have no one, except for Jason, here." He looked sadly at Jason and continued, "How will we live, my father has disowned me and, when Grandpa dies, I will have no home, and we are just beginning college, I, at least, will have to drop out."

Jason hugged Carl and said, "No my love, if necessary, I will drop out and support you so you can finish your degree."

Tosco suddenly made up his mind, "Nonsense, neither of you will drop out, we will fund your education and, if you wish to go on to an advanced degree, we will fund that too! What are your majors?"

Jason replied, "Mine is Earth Science and I am specializing in the reclamation of worn-out, overworked land. Carl is studying alternative food supplies and crops that people might grow in place of the fertilizer-intensive crops that are being grown now."

Tosco smiled and said. "Marvelous! That is what we need, both of you will be fully funded to continue your schooling and all your research will be paid for by the Greystone Fund." Tosco continued, "I want you to consider your apartments here as your home, you may come and go as you desire, but I am going to assign one of my folk as your protector, we are not going to have any more problems like you had when your father threw you out. No more sleeping on park benches and dumpster diving for your breakfast, you hear me?"

Both young men hugged Tosco, tears flowing down their faces, both in gratitude and relief that their ordeal was over. Tosco mind called Warrior Leader Feld and asked him if he would be willing to protect the grandson of his wartime friend, Joseph Bind.

The elderly Warrior Leader practically screamed back at Tosco, "YES! My Lord, YES I would love to do that! That way, I can help my friend Joseph and be with him and ease him, block his awful pain in his final days!"

Tosco replied to him, "Consider yourself reassigned as of now, Warrior Master Feld!" The old warrior blinked and stammered at what had just taken place, a Warrior Master was a Wolf Folk equivalent of a full General among the Humankind!

He raced through the basement of Greystone Manor to get to the hall where he knew his Family Lord was waiting with the two boys he was to protect. He raced up to Tosco and dropped to his knee, saying, "MY LORD ALPHA OF CED, COMMAND ME."

Tosco replied, "Stand, Warrior Master and know that you are loved here. This boy and his Grandfather cherish you beyond all others and Jason will come to treasure you as I do. Be at peace, you have earned your place."

Tosco then turned to the two boys, who were staring in amazement at was unfolding before their eyes, and said, "Care for your Grandfather, he loves you both dearly. When his time comes to depart this life, come to me as I have an idea that will interest you both. Now, go and attend your Grandfather and give him joy with your presence."

The next thing he heard was Jason speaking to Carl, "Carl, will you be my Lifemate?"

Carl responded, "Yes, my love, I hereby proclaim with great pride you are my mated partner in life. Only death may separate us."

The two young men clasped each other in an embrace, fearing no shame or censure, they had already accepted that the Wolf Folk did not care if they were two men in love and they only asked that their love be true.

The business of running an empire that spread beyond two continents was an enormous task. Even though he had a large staff, Tosco was busy day and night.

The wolf population was growing by leaps and bounds and just the task of keeping everyone fed, clothed and housed was more than a full time job. With the additional folk they had freed from bondage, combined with those already there, the new maternity hospital was overloaded before it ever opened its doors! In one month alone, more wolf kind had been born than in all the preceding ten years!

An odd occurrence was taking place among the wolf kind. In the past, only a few of their females had ever been able to make change, now, more and more females were making change and they were asking to become Wolf Warriors. Some were now being promoted to Warriors Leader!

As Tosco was perusing the Monthly Operating Report from Greystone Medical Services, his Secretary, Shirley, buzzed his intercom and said, "My Lord, Mr. Davis and Mr. Rivers are back to see you and they have a Military Officer with them. They say it is urgent that they speak with you."

Tosco replied, "Please show them in, Shirley, and then you take an early lunch, I have a feeling it is going to be a very busy afternoon for us."

Tosco stood to greet his guests and was introduced to Marine Corps General William Jones.

As soon as Shirley had closed the door, Mr. Davis began to speak, "Mr. Tate, eer Lord Tate, we have an urgent problem and we are desperate for your assistance."

Tosco gently probed the man's mind and he suddenly sat up straight in his chair and asked Mr. Davis to please proceed.

Mr. Davis said, "Sir, we have been infiltrated by enemy agents from an unknown source. We only stumbled upon the problem by accident, one of our high-ranking civilian employees was killed in an automobile accident and, when an autopsy was performed, we discovered he was not who we thought he was. He was not even an American!"

Tosco templed his fingers and replied, "How can we help you?" He already knew what the men wanted and he agreed that it was the only way to ferret out the intruders.

Mr. Davis smiled and said, "I suspect you already know what I am going to say, Lord Tosco, but I will say it anyway. We need someone who can read minds and get beyond their covers and their lies. We need help in ridding ourselves of those who are spying on us and discover why they are doing so and who they represent. We don't even know who they are working for it's an awful mess, sir."

Tosco said, "I think we can help you, if you will wait for a few moments for some of my folk to get here, we will start making right this problem. There is fresh coffee and tea on the table beside you, please feel free to help yourselves."

He had already mind-called Jonal and he was hurrying up the ramp from the drill yard where he had been observing first-year Warrior Cadets in their exercises.

There was a rap on the door and, when Tosco had said, "COME," the door opened and the men gasped, an erect man of obvious military bearing entered the room. He had to have been over seven feet tall and easily weighed five hundred pounds!

The huge being dropped to his knee before Tosco and said, "COMMAND ME MY LORD OF CED"

Tosco replied, "Stand Warrior Commander Jonal of the Maya Clan." He then said to his visitors, "This is Warrior Commander Jonal, he commands all the forces available to the Family of Ced. Think of him as our equivalent of your Chief of the General Staff. He is also my personal friend, we have had many harrowing adventures together, he and I."

Mr. Davis asked, "Eeer ah Warrior Commander, how many troops do you command?"

Jonal smiled and replied, "All Wolf Folk are Warriors, I command forty thousand regular Warriors and another one hundred and fifty thousand that I can call up in an emergency. All are trained Warriors and are skilled in all weapons available to you and a few more that are unknown, as of yet, to you."

General Jones gasped and Mr. Davis stammered, "If needed, how soon could you mobilize all your forces?"

Again Jonal smiled and replied, "Twenty minutes, sir."

The three visitors gasped again and had to sit down. They had no idea there was such a force around that was completely hidden and unknown to them. They looked at the Warrior Commander and thanked their Deity that this man and his Warriors were on their side!

Mr. Davis wiped his brow and said, "Warrior Commander, we have a spy problem within our organization and we need your assistance to locate the spies and neutralize them."

Jonal replied, "Sir, by neutralize, do you mean to kill them outright, or obtain information from them first, then kill them?"

General Jones looked surprised by the question, "You do not object to killing them?"

Jonal laughed and replied, "If they are spies, then they are not your friends. Why would you allow them to live among you after you had drained them of their knowledge?"

The General wiped his brow and replied, "WOW, Lord Tosco and Warrior Commander Jonal, this is getting to be above my pay grade to handle, but, yes SIR, we agree, kill them all!"

So it was that forty powerful mind speakers were detailed as clerks in the Pentagon, the headquarters of the American Military Forces. In a short time, a few clerks, secretaries, information specialists and assistant department heads began to mysteriously disappear.

Each morning, a sealed report, just as mysteriously, was deposited on Mr. Davis' and General Jones' desks containing individuals' names and a synopsis of the information they had in their minds at the time of death.

No trace of their bodies was ever found, nor were there any witnesses to describe what had befallen the missing people.

It was determined that it was an international business consortium behind the spy effort and, after the spies were cleared out of the Defense and State Departments, a number of international companies were minus their top leaders. They had mysteriously disappeared all in one night and for the next several months, international business and finance was in an uproar trying to recover from the loss of their top leaders.

What the American officials did not know, Jonal left a few of his wolves in place, just to prevent reinfection.

General Jones was the Chairman of the General Staff and he led the leaders of the several military branches to a better understanding of this wonderful new resource they had stumbled upon. The cooperation between America's Military Services and the Wolf Folk became cemented in friendship and mutual respect.

The end finally came for the Grandfather of Carl Bind, Tosco and the Wolf Doctors did all they could to ease the man's terrible agony that often accompanies such cancers and it was a relief to all parties when the man finally drew his last breath.

At Carl's request, his Grandfather was buried with a simple ceremony in a hillside cemetery near Cashiers. There were six Wolf Pipers playing the dirge as the casket was lowered into the ground and Carl's beloved, Jason, was beside him to keep him from falling to the ground in his own agony.

Tosco let the young men recover from Joseph's death before he asked them to come to his office when they had the chance.

They arrived after classes one afternoon, Carl was still sad over the loss of his Grandfather, but he was holding up pretty well, with the assistance of the young man he loved, totally and absolutely.

Shirley showed the two young men into Tosco's office and both young men dropped to their knees and greeted Tosco with the traditional Wolf greeting to a Lord, "Lord Tosco, Command Me."

Neither of them thought it demeaning to render such honor to a being who had done so much for them both and they liked being around the wolf-folk. While they were not mind-speakers themselves, they had found that there was no falsehood among those who could read another's mind and they did their best to emulate that in all they did.

When both young men had been seated, they looked at Lord Tosco with expectation; he had promised them that he would continue to help them after Grandpa Bind had passed away. They waited patiently while Tosco gathered his thoughts.

Little did they expect what was about to happen.

Tosco asked, "Do you guys like living among us or would you prefer that I set you up in an apartment near the University?" As well as brilliant scientists in a discipline that would become vital for the survival of both the Wolf Folk and Human Kind, the two young men had become friends with many of the Wolf Folk and they were genuinely liked and respected by all!

Jason relied, "Lord Tosco, our apartment here is pretty fancy and neither of us is used to such luxury. If you wish to move us, of course, we would comply, but we have come to love your folk and their ways. Just down the hall from our apartment is your Secretary, Shirley, and her mate. They have the cutest little wolf boy, who comes over often, just to sit and talk with us. His parents were worried he was disturbing our studies, but we assured them that we enjoyed having the little guy around. We have taught him how to play ball and he plays a wicked game of kickball! No sir, we both would prefer to stay here with the folk we have come to admire and love."

Tosco smiled, he had already scanned both boys' minds and had made up his own mind to make them an offer.

He templed his fingers, as if in deep thought, then he said, "Boys, there IS a way you can become one of us, we will need to ask permission of my Father, the Lord High Alpha Wolf of our kind. It is not an easy joining and it takes a week to make the change, but, if you are willing, I will begin the process. I warn you, that doing so is irreversible and you will both become my children, you will no longer have any blood ties to your birth parents."

Carl replied, "My Lord of Wolves, my own parents threw me away like so much garbage and Jason's folks are both dead. So, no, it would be a blessing to call you Papa, not a hardship."

Jason agreed and asked, "Lord Tosco, how soon may we make this change and become your sons? I think we are both ready now!"

Tosco had already mind-called his Father, Lord Jeremiah, and he had concurred with Tosco's plan.

Jeremiah had met both boys and had developed a liking for them both. He had watched as the two older boys had taken the little wolf boy, Kevin, and taught him how to play ball out on the back lawn of Greystone Manor. Their patience with the child impressed him as much as their care that the boy did not get hurt playing kickball.

Tosco said, "My Father has given his permission, if we start now, you will miss no classes as it is spring break."

So it was that Lord Tosco Jeremiah Tate, Lord Alpha of the Southeastern Clan of Wolves, Lord Alpha of Family Ced became the parent of two human boys requesting change to become Wolf-Kind.

It took Tosco out of circulation for a week, but it was time well spent, he gained two sons whose loyalty was beyond question. They both had brilliant minds and would become fierce warriors, both would rise to be Warrior Commanders and, perhaps, even more!

Time passed by quickly and the seasons changed in their regularity. Jason Tosco Tate and Carl Tosco Tate graduated with high honors and went on to do their graduate work.

Carl had developed a food-bearing plant, by breeding several weeds together that could survive drought and harsh climate and still produce grains that could sustain a human or a wolf with enough nutrition to thrive.

Jason's work in soil chemistry brought him a Nobel Prize and international recognition when he developed a simple treatment that would restore worn-out lands and make the land fertile and productive once more. There was a delicate balance throughout the world, where the land was producing barely enough to sustain the population. Starvation was always just around the corner!

That they were both of the Wolf-Folk would become important in the near future as the Business Cartels sought to reassert their dominance within the American Government and their overlordship over the world's food production.

As Warrior Commanders, Carl and Jason Tate will lead the charge in the struggle to wrest control of the American Government and its allies from a business cartel that threatens to plunge the world into the darkness of medieval-like kingdoms and warlords.