The Dreadwolf Soldier

War, in any light, is a horrible thing. It's messy and depressing. Beymin will learn through his trials that through perseverance and courage, it is men like him who help win the war.

There was a war, a great one, a smaller country against a larger one ruled by an evil dictator, Beymin was a soldier who turned into a dreadwolf to fight using drugs by syringe. With every transformation he became more emotional, this happened with all dreadwolf soldiers until they were eventually pulled from the program. When Beymin was in a human form, he started becoming depressed, losing the will to fight, he was about to be pulled, but then he got letters from home, first his dad who never liked war, but wanted to send him a letter anyway. Later he heard his father died, became depressed again. Then, Treyla, an old female friend of his, who had spoken with his father before he died and was told Beymin had gone to war, decided to send him a letter. Both letters said a lot, but what he would always remember was essentially the same from both, ‘You are good and you’re brave, and what a great father you will be some day, men like you are why we will win this war.’ The letters is what got him passed the depression and he fought on.

More time passed, the drugs worsening the side effects, he was the longest running Dreadwolf Soldier, surpassing all others. He started to get depressed again, thinking how many good, brave men, who would never get the chance to become great fathers, had died in this war, and how many by his hands. Even getting letters from Treyla only made him feel better for a short time. One day the messenger that had always been the one to give him letters had come to him battered and hurt, with no letter, but wanting to say to him, ‘My squad and I tried to get to the main lands to get letters for you soldiers, but we met enemies and could not making it through. As I saw my comrades die, all of them being good, brave men. I fled, not knowing if I stayed I would die, for one reason, someone needed to come to you and say: 'You are good and you are brave, what father you will be some day. If anyone has the strength and will enough to win this war and stop other good, brave men from having to die, I believe it’s you Beymin." Beymin then went to his commander to demand that the messenger not be put out in the field again. His commander was refused, and Beymin was so full of emotion that he became part dreadwolf.  Turning into a dreadwolf was unheard of without the drugs, not even theorized that after consistent use his body would become so used to it he could start changing without them.

Baymin then took several of the drugs and pumped them into his veins, one after the other until they started taking effect and he couldn’t hold the needles steady. With an intense amount od pain he became the largest dreadwolf that was ever known. He went and launched a final assault upon the main fortress, making his way up to the main room. On the way, he lost several of the dreadwolf soldiers that went with him. His last soldier sacrificed his life to get past the gatling gun shooting silver bullets guarding the room to the evil Dictator. when he entered the room, the enemy leader surprised him and injected him with a serum that they had been developing. It forced him back into his human form. With all the injuries he had gotten, Beymin was dying. He became more depressed than he’d ever been. Even if he could move, it would have felt too pointless to, his emotions were more than he could control. The villain laughed and said, ‘You see, what you Korbins truly need to learn is that good, brave men do not win. Why would they when there is so much more evil in the world.’

Beymin wanted to close his eyes and die, but when he closed his eyes, he heard his father, his old friend, and the messenger, all telling him and that he had to fight for the other good and brave lives that would be lost if this war continued. When The Dictator’s back was turned, Beymin forced himself up and said, coughing out blood as he did. ‘Good men win because we have SO MUCH TO FIGHT FOR!’ With so much emotion, he turned once more into a dreadwolf. Although he was the weakest he had ever been, he had enough strength to leap forward and kill his enemy while he was still surprised, and the good men won that day. Beymin then fell and lay there in pain, still gravely wounded, expecting to turn human and die, just being glad that other good, brave men would become great fathers, even if he would not. But he never turned, a dreadwolf he remains forever. Eventually he went home, and everyone was afraid, they didn’t know if he was hero or beast, this started to depress him greatly, but then Treyla came out, hugged him, and whispered, ‘you’re good and you’re brave, what a father that you will be someday.’ He then started to cry.

Author's Note

This is a wonderful novel idea from a dear friend who asked me to put this on my page. Let us know what you think and if we should turn this into an actual story?

Reviews

[Dhanadeepa Dixit]

the dread-wolf idea is very cool, sounds alot like Witchers in the Witcher series. Although the plot seems a little clique. Especially the part about the final voice of his father telling him to get up and fight. It's one of those ideas that seemed very neat a time ago, but now has become somewhat overused I think. If you flushed out the plot (added more characters, added more details about the dictator, and why he was evil and maybe some interesting origins of the dread-wolfs?). I think you could have something very cool and original. And since you've gone to the trouble of writing a very emotional and human story, I think making the characters very real too, would be a nice complement.

Good Work (: