"You're bluffing man." Max said dismissively.
"I wish I was, but it's all too real. You have no idea the danger that lies beyond that border. We have to leave here at once." Carl said breathlessly.
"That's nonsense. We are werewolves, not pussycats." Max yelled. "Our ancestors were strong and aggressive. They didn't run away from danger, they faced it."
"You never ever listen until you get us all into trouble." Carl Yelled back into Max's face. "I'm telling you, getting across that border will get us all killed."
Max gritted his teeth as he prepared to respond.
"Hold it you cantankerous moron." Aman snapped. "Carl is right." Aman said, shoving Max slightly aside as he moved a bit further, towards the end of the cliff.
"Look at those trees. Have you ever seen anything like it?" he asked, pointing to a vast expanse of strange shadowing trees that looked more like the devil's handiwork than a gift from nature. "That is the wildering oak. It only grows in shadow realms like the Vampire territory."
"Okay let's just say by some chance this really is the border, why should we freak out like some pathetic creatures? The vampires might be tough but we are not just some pussycats with overgrown whiskers." Max pushed further, unwilling to give in.
"You don't get it do you?" Carl snapped. His eyes held a mixture of terror and anger. "Ever since the Great War that wiped out several kingdoms over two centuries ago, the Vampires have remained invincible. They have no weaknesses. Only strengths."
"Yeah yeah yeah, I've heard about those housewife tales. That's impossible! Look, the sun is up. They don't move around during the day. Do you see any vampires around? Max snorted…"Those are just tales cleverly woven to scare children from going into the forest. Do you still believe that nonsense about Vampires invincibility?" Max shot back.
Carl's gaze flickered for a moment as he considered.
A lot of books spoke about vampires' weaknesses from history, but very few and rarely seen books spoke of their invisibility for over two centuries now. It wasn't something that was openly talked about in the kingdom so not many knew the whole story.
There was no way to be certain if the stories were true or not, but he could still hear the sounds of his father's throat being ripped open, he could still hear the desperate screams of his brother urging him to run.
A wave of dizziness hit him again as he fought to stand his ground. Invisible or not, their brutal strength was unmatched.
"Are you alright?" Aman quickly rushed to grab Carl by the shoulder.
Max held a look of righteous disgust as he watched Carl sway slightly on his feet. "Go ahead, faint like a big girl." he thought silently.
"Yes I'm fine. But we really have to get out of here now before it's too late to try." Carl said, desperate to leave.
"Alright, let's head back now. The moon festival is tonight anyways, we need to get back in time to prepare for the contest." Aman agreed.
"We are only half way done. There's still some time. If you want to head back fine. But I'm continuing the training." Max insisted.
"You're mad! Do you have any idea what you are getting yourself into?" Carl snapped as he slammed Max into a rock again. Terror and desperation clawed in his chest like a nest of vipers.
"Get your dirty paws off me!" Max gritted out as he jammed his hands into Carl's chest, sending him staggering back a bit.
"I'm going to see what's on the other side of the border whether you like it or not. I'm not going to screw up my training schedule and my chances of winning the contest based on your stupid fears and some folktales of vampires with no weaknesses."
"How do you know they are just folktales?" Aman snapped. He rarely ever lost his temper, but he could feel anger rising in his chest at Max's insistence.
"Let's say they are true. A creature with no weaknesses can still be killed," Max insisted.
"Enough of this nonsense," Carl yelled. "No one is crossing the border, it's too dangerous."
"Watch me." Max said, shifting back into his wolf form. In a split second, he crossed the border at lightning speed.
Carl stood for a moment, paralyzed by the shock before he quickly snapped out of it.
"That boy is crazy! He is going to get himself killed. We have to get out of here right now." he said through gritted teeth as he turned to leave.
"Wait, we can't just leave him alone out there. What if something happens to him?"
"Whatever happens to that jerk is his own fault. I'm not going to get killed today because of his own foolishness. We have to leave now before it's too late."
Carl swiftly shifted back to his wolf form as he turned around and raced off the cliff, heading back for the wolf kingdom. After a brief hesitation, Aman quickly followed.
Halfway into their journey back home, a piercing wolf howl echoed through the forest, forcing them to a screeching stop.
They turned to look back in the direction they came from. Horror written all over their faces. They knew without doubt that the piercing howl came from Max.
Max was calling for them, asking for their help.
Has he been caught by the vampires? The question echoed through their minds.
"Quick, we have to help." Aman said, trying to race back in the direction of the border but was quickly pulled back by Carl.
"Are you crazy! What can we do? He might already be dead. We will only get ourselves killed if we go after him now."
"But what if he's alive, we can't just leave him there. He's our friend." Aman insisted.
"He chose to cross the border by himself. We told him the danger of doing so. I'm not going to get myself killed by going after him now. It's suicide." Carl shot back angrily.
"Then hurry back to the wolf kingdom and get some help from the king. I'll go after him."
With that last statement, Aman took off at lightning speed, heading for the vampire territory knowing if the stories were true, he might not return back alive.
But he couldn't bring himself to turn his back to the cries of a friend.
Max might be impossibly hard-headed, arrogant, impulsive, and reckless, but he was still his friend. They grew up together.
If there was a slight chance he was still alive, he had to help him.