Episode 2

Mardel:

A few days ago, I turned 18. As usual, my mother forgot, and to my surprise, she left with her family a few days beforehand.

When I returned, just like always, my aunt was waiting for me outside.

And just like always, her comment for each year.

Anya: Pay no attention to your mother. I can't tell you what happened on the day you were born because I'm forbidden to, but promise me that when you meet your father, give him the chance to explain what happened, okay?

Mardel: Alright, Aunt, only because you say so.

Maybe my aunt is right and I should ask my father first what happened, before I forgive him. But I definitely won't be able to forgive him for leaving my mother for another man. How foolish.

A few days later, I was at my graduation.

The guys invited me to the party, and well, I wanted to see what college parties were like. Parties that nobody invited me to because I was underage, poor, and attending a prestigious scholarship school - an all-boys school for the elite, as they say. One of them is the captain of the team that all the girls want, a total playboy. Oh, what a nuisance.

He's always with the most beautiful girls, but he's just a brute.

Well, as I was saying.

Today, I wanted to get drunk for the first time. Normally, a guy gets drunk for the first time after graduating from high school.

But I was only 11 years old.

My uncle Ivan told me,

Ivan: No, son, when you graduate from college, then you can, for now, let's toast with juice, okay?

But well, today we were at the prom, and it's not like I'm very sociable, but my uncle said,

Ivan: Have fun, but please come back early.

At 11:30, I decided to head back home.

I felt dizzy, I had definitely had too much to drink. As I entered the forest, everything was silent. The moon shone brightly, and I've always thought that the moon is alive, that it lulls me to sleep at night. The only one who understands my suffering and my pain besides my aunt.

When I reached the lake, I sat down and looked at my reflection. I was 18 years old, entirely virgin, living with my mother, and a college student with two majors.

The boy reflected in the lake was a young man with fair skin, light brown hair, and sapphire blue eyes. Strange, yes, my mother says I'm an exact replica of my father, that's why she hates me so much.

That's why she has hit me several times, in the freezing taiga forest.

Taiga means "cold forest".

Although the weather here can drop several degrees below zero, I've never felt so cold during those times. However, tonight the sky was clear.

I lamented how miserable I was.

Suddenly, an excruciatingly painful sensation made me fall to the ground, doubled over in pain. I fell to the ground, witnessing my fingers turning into claws, my hands covered in fur. I could clearly hear my bones cracking, as if something inside me was breaking. I reached the lake, wanting to drink some water when I saw the reflection of a gray wolf with amber eyes.

I was frightened by that sight.

Mardel: What the hell?

"Hello, Mardel, my name is Akeem, which means "Intelligent"."

I hear a voice in my head.

Mardel: Damn, I'm going crazy. What the hell did they put in my drink?

Akeem: You're not crazy, or well, yes we are, I've been waiting for you for a long time.

Mardel: Yeah, right.

That's the last thing I can say before falling unconscious from the shock of going crazy.

I wake up to the coolness of the morning. My head hurts, and when they say they fear hangovers, they're right, they're dangerous. My bones ache, probably from the cold.

As I stand up, I realize that I'm completely naked. My clothes are torn and lying on the ground. The images of my drunkenness from last night come flooding back to my mind.

Mardel: Damn, I always took care not to pollute my body, I didn't even drink coffee, and now I get drunk once and they drug me.

I can see that there are wolf tracks around where I was lying.

I'm frightened because although they have never done anything against me, that doesn't mean they won't attack someday.

I approach the lake to wash my face, the water at this hour is frozen, to my surprise it is not, so I immediately end up bathing to fully activate my senses.

Once ready, I step out and check my clothes one last time, maybe there's something salvageable, but no, there isn't.

I'll have to walk home naked, my mother is not there so there won't be any problems.

As I pass by my aunt's house, she comes out and sees me, I try to cover my male tools with my hands.

Anya: What happened to you, son?

Mardel: Uh, well, I don't know, aunt.

She lifts her head and stares at me, inspecting everything.

Mardel: Can you lend me some clothes from uncle? I promise I'll change as soon as I get home and return them afterwards.

Anya: Okay, son, come in.

I nod and enter, hoping my cousins are not around.

Anya: The clothes are on the bed, go into the room.

I nod and enter.

While in the room, I can read some things on the wall, it seems strange because my aunt had it written in a foreign language that she never wanted to tell me about. I have learned several languages, I know Spanish, German, Italian, English, Korean, and my native language Russian, but I was never able to figure out the meaning of what she had written on her walls. Now I understand it very well.

I finish changing and come out.

Mardel: Aunt, what does what you have written on the wall mean?

Anya: Son, it's a language I learned as a child, you wouldn't understand.

Mardel: But I understand what it says there, hey aunt, you smell different, like a forest and wild flowers, your eyes have always been that color.

She looks at me strangely.

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