HERITAGE     —-     THE  STORY  OF  THE  BASROQ  PACK .

long   ago   there   was   a         witch         called   the   hollow.       she   grew      consumed     by   power       &         the   people   who   created   her   were          forced         to   bring   an   end   to   her   life.      in   return   for   her        death,     the   young   witch   cursed   the   tribe   under   a          full   moon,      into   the   wild   beasts   they   used   to           track         her   down.      this   created   the   seven   original   wolf   packs:       crescent,    deep   water,     malraux,         basroq,     barry,     poldark        &        paxon.         from   these,       all   werewolves   were          born.      centuries   passed             &       the   packs   integrated   to             combine        into   the   werewolf   species   we   know   today.       the   original   packs   still   hold           royalty        status,     all   gifted   with   powers                unlike         the   ones   we   know.       they   are   stronger,     faster,     more               resilient        than   any   other   werewolf.        

one   of   these   packs   is   the   basroq   pack.        they           reside           in   the   chihuahuan   desert   of   mexico,       known   only   as                   myth           among   the   people,      stories   of   men   turned   beasts                roaming           the   open   plains.       a   bedtime   story   to      scare          the   children   into   behaving.     some   of   these   stories              prove         true.     they   are   men   who   turn   into   beasts,       with   an               emphasis         on   men.       in   this   particular   pack,     it   is   only   the   men   who                 inherit          this   gene.      the   women   are   advisors,     doctors,            revered,       but   human.      to   keep   the   bloodline             clean,     the   men   are   only   allowed   to   have                relations           with   either   humans   or   women   from   their   own   pack.       they   live   like   this   for   a             long          time,       until   lucien   castle   comes   to               hunt             them   for   their   venom.     the   basroq   pack   had   one               extra           gift   though,     they   were   inhumanly          intuitive.      some   of   the   wolves   managed   to           escape,    go   into   hiding,      while   the   rest   was       slaughtered.

one   of   the              casualties         was   their   current   alpha,     a   man   from   the         clair      bloodline.             the   role   of   alpha   always               befell        upon   their   family.            this   left   them         scattered,     unable   to   reunite,     until   the   brother   of   the   former   alpha         returned.       he   assumed   the   role,     but   he   was           callous,        ordering   the   remaining   werewolves       &        their    families   to   stay             hidden       while   he   went   home   to   his   ‘human’   wife.      unbeknownst    to   him,      his   wife   held   the   werewolf       gene       herself.            he   produced   two   children   with   her,      a   daughter       &      a   son.     both,    who          inherited        the   gene.      he   did   not   know   about   his   daughter   nor   would   he   ever,     until   the   day   that   she              shot         a   bullet   through   his   head.      

RELATIONS     —-     DOVE’S  RELATIONSHIP  WITH  HER  PARENTS .

gabriella   was   young   when   she   became   pregnant   with   dove.      her   relationship   with   andrus   was   passionate,      but   not   based   on   love.     it   was   only   because   of   her   family’s   reputation   that   she   married   him.        when   dove   was   born,      all   of   gabriella’s   doubts   disappeared.      the   girl   was   beautiful           &       everything   she   could   have   ever   wished   for.       for   the   first   time,      gabriella   shared   some   kind   of   happiness   with   her   husband.      he   too   was   in   love   with   the   little   girl.      they   pampered   her   with   attention           &           gifts.         andrus   was   not   around   much,    but    when   he   was   he  spend   all   his   time   with   his   daughter.       while   dove   was   not   an   easy   child   to   take   care   of,      with   her   many   temper   tantrums,      she   was   still   beloved.       three   years   after   the   birth  of   dove,     her   little   brother   jay   was   born.     he   soon   gathered   all   the   attention   with   his   adorable   laugh        &           charm.          dove   did   not   mind   this,        loving   her   brother   just   as   much.       while   andrus   ignored   her   in   favor   of   jay,       her   mother   still   tried   to   pay   as   much   attention   to   her   as    possible.        it   was   hard,     being   alone   to  take   care   of   two   children   most   of   the    time.      

when   jay   passed   away   years   later,       the   entire   family   took   it   hard.      it   was   during   this   time   that   dove   came   to   despise   not   only   her   father,       but   also   her   mother.       whenever   andrus   was   home,     he   beat   mercilessly   upon   gabriella.      she  never   defended   herself,     dove   often   in   the    same    room   as   the   violence.        not   even   when   andrus   turned   his   violence   upon   dove,     which   did   not   happen   often   but   still   enough   to   leave   her    with   lasting   bruise   marks       &    scars,      did   her   mother  interfine.        she   merely   watched,      before  leaving  her   bleeding   on   the   floor.        if   she   did   this   in   fear   of   getting   hurt   herself   or   because   she   too   blamed   her   daughter,          dove   did   not   know.      when   andrus   was   not   home,       gabriella   became   despondent.       she   did   the   minimal         &        dove   often   had   to   pick   up   the   slack.         her   mother   rarely   talked   to   her,     but   there   was   the   occasional   night   where   gabriella   called   dove   to   her   room.         they   spend   the   night   in   each   other’s   arms,       the   woman   finding   comfort   with   her   daughter.       the   next   day,     this   event   would   be   ignored.             dove   loved   her   mother,    but   hated   her   at   the   same   time   for   leaving   her   to   her   faith.       still,       gabriella   was   the   only   spark   of   hope   in   her   life,      how   small   that   spark   may   be.        

LOUISE GLÜCK x RAFAEL M. MILANI

‘Parados’, Ararat (1992);