Gray & Lupine

Dream April 30th, 2021

In this dream, I witnessed the interaction of two camps of were-folk that were in the middle of territorial conflicts. One camp considered itself morally good while simultaneously perceiving the other as morally gray and dangerous. This dream followed the perspective of the alpha of those that considered themselves to be good.

The dream began in a hospital where he encountered a few members of the other camp. They came looking for him as he walked through the building and recognized him by his scent. They easily sniffed him out from among a crowd of people that filled the small hospital. Quickly he was tackled to the ground and dragged to the roof. He had little ability to resist them because he was alone at the moment versus the organized team of were-folk. The other were-folk began to take on massive spider-like forms to try and sedate him. One, in particular, appeared as a centenarian beast with a spider's lower body and a humanoid upper body with an exoskeleton covering the skin. It also had long blade-like appendages in place of arms that swung with terrifying speed.

Though outnumbered, he would go down fighting. He formed certain spider-like qualities and large venomous fangs that grew out in place of his canines; dodging between the blade arms of the imposing figure described above, he only had to get close enough to put the fangs to good use. While also evading the others, he managed to get behind his prey and bite deep on the neck, delivering a potent dosage of venom. A liquid began to pour out of his skin, but this victory was costly, he was bitten as well somewhere in the scuffle, and the venom was already beginning to take effect. The alpha managed to bite one other before the venom began to take hold, and he could no longer resist them.

The one that bit him was a man in a dark cloak with tendrils flowing out. He had the power to construct traps or barriers or something; I'll call them leashes. I believe that he was the one that carried him out of the hospital. This group of five or six brought him to a big opening shaped like a square carved into the ground. It could have been an iron or stone passageway. There were two or three openings, and the team divided into two before jumping in. The team took one passageway, the man carrying the alpha took another; none noticed that the poison was beginning to wear off as they jumped in. Only the alpha emerged through the second passageway. A long red vein hung from his mouth to the ground with a severed arm at the very end. This understandably pissed off the others who were ready to begin where the previous fight had ended; however, the leader of this pack stepped out of a corridor to greet their prisoner and put an end to the fight before it even began. Since neither have names, I will call this alpha Gray and the other, their unwilling guest, Lupine.

Gray's calm demeanor would be enough to lull anyone into a false sense of security, excluding those that understand his true nature. However, a fight while outnumbered would prove to be foolish for Lupine, especially in the presence of a pack with their alpha. When the day's events were described as merely an invitation to talk, what could be done except having a civil conversation.

As the two stepped deeper into the ancient ruins, the others collected an amber-colored crystal, the remains of their friend. They also had a red box, the remains of the one that died earlier. They went down another path to find a room that would allow them to resurrect their fallen brethren with these artifacts. Gray walked down an intricately carved hallway into a winding maze-like tunnel that led deeper into the base.

As the two walked, the conversation quickly came to the reason for the previous assault. "You're strong, and I could use someone like you." Gray didn't slow down as he walked and stated his thoughts as they were.

"I'm an alpha; I can't be anything other than what I am. I may not express it the same way, but I have a pack that relies on me." Lupine's response was careful, diplomatic even.

As they progressed through the winding corridor, small openings led from one part of the path to another. It seemed to serve no other function than to make navigating this winding path more straightforward and less time-consuming. As they talked, Gray began to take the short opening while Lupine continued to walk around. After the second or third time, Lupine followed Gray through one of the openings. This was a mistake, and Lupine suddenly became aware of the true function of these doors. Without saying anything, with just a slight glance over his shoulder, Lupine could almost hear Gray saying, "Look, you are already following me very well." Silently Lupine responded by not following Gray through the next gate and instead walked around just as he had before. Lucky for him, it was the last turn before the winding tunnel opened up into a large corridor. 

Lupine found that they had stepped into a large room full of archaic machines and strange devices everywhere. Gray turned to Lupine and once again said, "You should join me."

"I don't think I could join you." We are far too different. My pack only shifts in the night to avoid hurting humans, whereas you all shift at any given moment; even among humans, we are too different. And also, there is too much shed blood between us, not just in my pack but in your pack as well. If I join you, what if I can't control my aggression and I lash out. They were beasts after all, and Lupine spoke of such outbursts as if they were common. Despite the ability to feel each other's emotions, somehow, they could still be caught off guard, and the result could be devasting to the pack.

"I know, Gray said, "and that's ok. We struggle with the same things, and we are still learning how to deal with it." The conversation was cut short here as Gray was suddenly approached by one of the females that had helped capture Lupine.

"Boss, something is wrong. We are missing a security camera."

Gray left to investigate, and Lupine stayed with the young woman and the others gathering around to survey the damaged artifact she had shown to Gray. Lupine already knew what was up. Of course, some of the camera equipment used for surveying from within the mountain base was damaged, and Lupine was partly to blame.

Lupine explained how some from his pack had invaded during their last skirmish. Lupine had a twin brother who was directly involved in the act of sabotage along with his uncle. Footage from the camera revealed his brother and uncle talking before setting to work on the device. This footage had been recorded from a camera within the base.

After explaining this to Gray's pack, who were surprisingly calm, Lupine said, "now that we're cool, y'all can explain it to the boss while I go ahead and let myself out." Lupine wanted to leave while he could, but then he thought to himself, "I can't do that either." So he decided to stay and explain the situation to Gray himself, saying, "actually, I've got time. I will let him know myself when he gets back." A bold move when in enemy territory.

While he waited, Lupine easily began to win over the team as they talked. No longer were they enemies but friendly strangers and learning each other's names. They already knew Lupine and his brother's name; they also knew their nickname, the twins.
After that, Gray's voice echoed through the chamber, summoning everyone to the surface. They all rushed outside as he surveyed the damage, and as Lupine attempted to explain the actions of his uncle (who Gray had recently killed) and his brother, he was overcome by a sudden silence. A strange golden liquid was on the stone that had been cut to remove the camera. Several cuts must have been made as it was in different places, and it grew from the rock in the shape of crystals.
Gray tasted some of the liquid, and his eyes changed, well, gray. The pupils became a star-like shape with many points, and he could feel his strength rising. Lupine took a taste as well, followed by Grays pack, who all began to taste it and grow stronger.

Gray was pleased; the previous skirmish and destruction of property no longer concerned him in the least.

Lupine knew his pack would be outmatched and decided to not drink anymore of the strange liquid, "I would rather die with my pack."
Lupine went ahead and left while the others were busy lapping up the amber liquid, headed to his own camp. Lupines camp was in a small cave with maybe only six or seven of them. Much less than the other camp, only a few more than those that had captured him. 

Once there, Lupine explained what he had seen and experienced. "I was invited to join them, but I was not interested. We shift in the night to try and avoid hurting anyone. They are grey, shifting during the day, and willing to shift among humans. They allowed instinct and emotion to guide them. We are too different. We don't give in to our emotions; we restrain ourselves as much as possible."

"Now, the little revenge excursion my uncle had been on would soon cost us more than his life alone. There was a mysterious liquid that seems to enhance our kind, and it grows in the walls of Grays hideout. Cutting into the rock triggered its release, and they all tasted it and are planning to harvest it to increase their own power. Soon, everyone in the pack will be stronger than an alpha. This won't be good for us."

Truth is, Lupine was not even a true alpha, but he acted like one because that's who he needed to be. Circumstances arose that gave me no other option. There are those born with leadership traits and those that are made leaders by unforeseen circumstances in life. Lupin was the latter.

I saved a crucial detail for the end. Both Lupin and Gray were African American. Gray was older, despite the youthful look on his face; he also had a short beard and gray in his hair. Lupin was younger, late '30s or early '40s, with a clean-shaven face, and he might have been bald, but I can't remember very well.