Alpha Wolf: The Awakening (PART ONE)

 

ALPHA WOLF: PART ONE

Meeting a cult can spoil your whole day. I know I should be used to this by now. I’ve battled racist villains, alien overlords and the occasional revenge seeking monster. But fighting mutants using dark magic? Nah, bro, that’s enough to throw you off your whole game.

Let me introduce myself. My name is Antonio Adekunle. I am 14 years old and currently live in Lagos, Nigeria. I am a Yoruba boy with a Ghanaian heritage. Not long ago, I discovered a big secret that changed my life forever and made me the newest hero of Lagos City. So before I tell you about my encounter with blood thirsty mutants, I’m going to tell you the tale of how I became Alpha Wolf, guardian of Nigeria.

Okay, I don’t remember when exactly, but I think I was still 13 then. You couldn’t exactly call me a normal teenager. My father had passed away last year so I was still a moody troublemaker who was easily angered and could punch you in the face at any moment if you provoked me. I was still grappling with the loss of my father and the realization that our three-person family had now become two.

My mum was handling the grief very well. Unlike other African housewives who laid their destiny on their husband’s feet, Mum picked herself out and started to find work. Like me, she had become sick of all the pity we had gotten from people in Ghana, so we packed out of our house in Accra and moved to an estate in Lagos. Everybody had admired how strong Mum was; they always said how I took my bravery and sharp tongue from her, even though I looked more like my father –same onyx skin, brown eyes and strong build. 

School started two weeks later. You don’t need to know all the details about that. Just imagine the school year for a boy with a dead father, major anger issues and little to no social skills. Yup, you guessed it: it was depressing. I was the loner kid who spent his time drawing and beating up bullies. Got into a few fights and lots of punishment but I still got average grades which was a win. But I didn’t have a single friend, so maybe not.

Anyway, let’s fast forward to summer vacation, where the real drama started…

It was the first day of the holidays, a beautiful sunny afternoon when you expect nothing can go wrong (go figure). There was a power outage, so I used the time to read some comics. Beast Boy is my all-time favourite DC hero. Something about his playful but loyal personality speaks to me. Not to mention his awesome animal shifting abilities!

As I was flipping through the pages, my mum came out of her bedroom. She was the head editor of a really famous magazine and was always busy with writing articles and interviews and stuff. She had changed from the happy, preppy plant mum to a woman who had some many emotional scars and used a protective shell to cover them. Her brown hair was packed in a tight bun, and she was impeccably dressed in a black suit and high heels. She was holding some kind of wooden box.

“Antonio…I want you to have this”, she said to me. She sounded concerned, almost scared.

“Mum, what’s going on?” I stood up to face her.

“Your father…wanted you to have this”, she said, as if that excuse was self-evident. She handed me the box and brushed an invisible speck of dirt from her blouse. “I’m gong to a meeting this afternoon…please stay safe”

Before I can say anything, she kisses me on top of my curly head, grabs her purse and rushes out the door.

I placed the box on the coffee table and stared at it for a moment. My heart was pounding in my chest. What could be inside that my father wanted me to have so badly? I took a deep breath and opened the lid.

Inside, I found a mask. It was sleek and black, with intricate designs etched into it. The mask seemed to shimmer in the dim light of the living room. As I picked it up, I felt a strange connection to it, almost as if it was calling out to me.

I turned the mask over in my hands, examining it closely. There was a note tucked inside the box. I unfolded it and read the words written in my father’s handwriting:

“Antonio, if you are reading this, it means you are ready. This mask has been passed down through our family for generations. It holds great power and responsibility. Use it wisely, my son. You are the Alpha Wolf now.”

I felt a surge of emotions—pride, fear, excitement—all at once. I put the mask on, and immediately, I felt a rush of energy coursing through my body. My vision blurred, and I felt myself falling into darkness.

When I woke up, I was no longer in my living room. I was in a vast, open field, surrounded by tall grass and towering trees. The sky above was a brilliant shade of blue, and the air was filled with the sounds of birds chirping and leaves rustling in the wind.

I looked down at myself and realized that I had changed. My clothes were gone, replaced by a sleek, black suit that seemed to be made of some kind of high-tech material. My hands were covered in sharp, claw-like gloves, and I could feel a strange, new strength coursing through my veins.

“Welcome to your new reality, Alpha Wolf,” a voice echoed in my mind. “Your journey has just begun.”

The weird sensation came upon me again and I was back in the living room. I was still dressed in wolf suit, but when I took off the mask, I was back in my shirt and jeans.

“What the fuck just happened?”, I asked myself, even though I had no answer. I decided to go to my bedroom. The last thing I wanted was the neighbour being nosy and peeking at me from the windows and making this even more confusing.

There was nothing much to see in my bedroom. Just the usual: a bed, wardrobe, desk, a bookshelf, etc. A few superhero posters on the walls and my prized Blackstar 2205 monster truck figurine on my desk. 

I searched through the other contents of the box. There was a hardcover book with the same motifs of the mask on the cover. On page one, there was another letter from my father, written with a typewriter.

Dear Antonio,

Before you panic, let me just explain. During the Nigerian Civil War, a bomb was dropped in the area where your great-great grandfather lived. The effects were minor, and no one got hurt, so historians didn’t bother to record about it. Little did they know that the bomb contained a chemical that gave those exposed superhuman abilities. Since then, our family has scattered around Africa, using their powers to save and protect. Your great=great grandmother who was an eccentric fashion designer and engineer, made the mask. Antonio, the mask does not give you powers, it only unlocked them. It also provides a fire-resistant suit that will protect you during your battles. The book is called the Journal. It was written by you great-great grandfather and includes tips and step-by-step guides on mastering your powers. You will also read a few surprises from me so prepare for that.

With regards,

Kwame Adekeye

P.S please, try not to worry your mother too much

As I finish reading the letter, I sudden feel depressed. I recall the day we were told he died. He had been shot and his body was found in an abandoned car. That same day, 50 criminals had died in an explosion at a warehouse, just minutes before they were about to poison the water supply of Ghana. Had my dad caused that explosion? Maybe one of the criminals shot him, then died in the explosion. Maybe my dad had saved the whole of Ghana and lost his life because of it. Maybe my dad had been a hero!

I flipped through the pages. There are many chapters, all with pictures. Wait– was that a fireball I saw on page nine? Oh boy. I still not sure what’s going on. But one thing is clear.

Life just got a whole lot more interesting.