6 d..γοΌ… #MY_BLACK_KNIGHT d..γοΌ…6
As Produced By SheriffSquinty
Happen 1 (L)
Theme: Wanna-Be
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The moon shone bright and nearly full in the sky, its radiance giving the forest an ethereal glow. These woods were normally dark but the silvery light brought
definition to everything, making the winding path through the undergrowth clearly visible.
Truthfully I didn’t need the light of the moon to see. Not only had this path been
worn down by the paws of many wolves before me, I also had extremely enhanced senses in my wolf state. My paws thudded against the ground in time with my
beating heart as I shot through the forest. To a human observer I would just be an large silver blur shooting by, but there were no humans in these parts. Their natural
instincts and fear of predators kept them away. Not that I had a particular
inclination to feed on human flesh. It was forbidden by werewolf law, after all…or it was supposed to be. But a predator? Indeed, I was at the top of the food chain.
The odd stillness of the surrounding forest, devoid of animal life as they crawled away in their holes to hide, was evidence of that.
Grinning a wolf grin, I finally slowed my pace to a quick walk. Now that I moved more slowly, my large paws made almost no noise on the thick bed of leaves
below me. Although we looked like wolves, my kind was much larger and moved with an abnormal grace that natural wolves did not possess. All animals in the
forest feared us, even the bears. A wolf even bigger than a lion could strike fear into almost anyone.
I stopped my walk as I entered a clearing, sitting back on my haunches and gazing up at the moon. It would be full tomorrow, I could feel it. Everyone in my pack
could. The full moon did something to us; it made us stronger, faster, wilder as the blood burned through our veins. Most full moons we ran free in the woods, my
entire pack, yipping and chasing each other like pups. Tomorrow, however, was the Meeting.
Thinking about it brought a strange mix of nervousness, fear, and determination. I had never been allowed to go to a Meeting before but I had been needling my
father and the Beta for weeks, begging them to let me accompany them. I was
pretty sure they were about to cave in at last. I was nineteen years old, after all, and my wolf was getting pretty strong. I should be allowed to go. Almost everyone else had had a chance.
Within my consciousness and my soul, I felt my Wolf’s agreement. She was even braver than I and far more stubborn, and she’d been wanting to go for years. I
mentally reassured her that we’d find away this time. The curiosity was nearly killing me.
“SKYLAR!” I heard the voice through my mental link, cringing at my father’s
tone. He wasn’t the Alpha of the pack, but he was well respected, being the Pack
Doctor and all. He really could adapt the authoritative tone when he needed to.
“Coming,” I replied irritably. “My Wolf and I wanted to run,” I sounded a bit
petulant, and wrinkled my snout, knowing he wouldn’t like that. My father just sent an irritated noise through our mental link before closing it off, and I stood up,
shaking out my thick silver coat before turning to head back to the pack.
*
Hall Of Supernatural Stories
*
All of us could communicate telepathically when we were in our wolf forms but
direct family members (and the Alpha, of course) could willingly communicate
mentally whenever we wanted to, even in human form. Came in quite handy when one of my parents needed to shout at me. Of course, our communication abilities took more effort at a greater distance, and I could always raise my mental barriers to block my parents out…if I wanted to get an even worse lecture once I lowered
them again.
Sighing, I trotted again through the undergrowth, mentally apologizing to my
Wolf. I knew she liked to stay in this form as long as she could, as she was more
constrained when I was in my more “human” state. She grumbled a bit but
subsided as we exited the thickest part of the woods and made our way to the set of houses sprawled across the large valley. At this distance, the pack village looked
quiet and peaceful, lights winking in the otherwise impenetrable darkness. Every muscle in my body relaxed just looking at the tranquil scene. I was home.
—
“You shouldn’t take off like that when you know I might need your help,” my
father scolded, though his eyes were fixated on the patient he was currently tending to. He was pressing a damp cloth against the small girl’s forehead as she tossed and turned in her bed. Meanwhile, I stoodin the corner, watching. I loved to watch my father work and I often helped out with the more menial tasks. I narrowed my eyes as I carefully observed. This seemed like a normal healing that my father had no
need to use his Affinity for.
Pack Doctor was something a wolf was born into. As they grew up they would
notice that they had an Affinity, or a particularly strong connection to the life force of the world all around us. In times of need, they could utilize the earth’s energy to help with the healing process. It was a special and magical ability and only one or two wolves in a pack could have the Pack Doctor Affinity at one time, depending on if the Doctor had a child.
The Affinity was usually genetic to the first born child….usually. I winced as I
thought about it. The majority of the time the gift would be inherited, but I had not received it. I was completely and utterly ordinary. It had been a source of great
embarrassment forme for along time and I was sure my dad had been
disappointed but he never said anything. Others in the pack had made some cruel comments when I was younger before the Alpha put a stop to it. Some vestiges of the insecurity still lingered to this day.
Snapping out of my daze, I realized my father expected some sort of apology. “Sorry. I needed to run,” I muttered. Even tome, my apology wasn’t very
convincing. My father turned tome and sighed, running a hand through his thick hair, which was a shade of color identical to my own dark brown curls.
“I didn’t tell your mother,” he admitted, and I smiled slightly. My mom freaked out
over almost anything; she had always been the high-strung type. Which likely explained why we frequently butted heads. I was laid-back and much less
assertive.
“Thanks,” I replied,idly drumming my fingers against each other. “So…I, uh,
wanted to talk about what we were discussing earlier,” I finally said, eyes on the ground. I sounded nervous which I knew he wouldn’t like, but I couldn’t help that this was a sensitive conversation.
Sighing yet again,my father returned his gaze to the sick patient as he pulled out a few instruments to examine her further. “You’ve been bugging me for weeks,
Skylar. I’ve been thinking about it. I discussed it with Jack.”
I couldn’t help my lips from quirking up. Jack was our Beta, one of my father’s best friends, and he had always treated me well. This was a good sign.
“We finally decided to let you come to the Meeting tomorrow, and the Alpha gave the all clear after we told him,” he finally mumbled, a bit begrudgingly. I could tell Jack had helped convince him. I took a deep breath, resisting the urge to jump up and down. “Thank you! I promise I can handle myself, I’m nineteen. I know it’s
dangerous but-”
His green eyes snapped to my face then, his countenance hardening as his jaw clenched. I froze, not liking the expression.
“Dangerous?” He asked softly. “Skylar, I know you’re excited because you haven’t gotten to go yet, but you’re underestimating this. Dangerous is an understatement. The Black Mountains Pack is…” he trailed off, an expression of pure hatred flitting across his features. I could tell that my own expression had soured at the mention of our worst enemies.
Unfortunately, while the Black Mountains Pack was our greatest threat, they were the most powerful pack on this continent. They practically owned us and had for
the last several years. Through threats (and not idle threats, either), bullying, and
fear-instilling tactics, they had already taken over a large amount of our land. We called these twice-a-year reunions with the Black Mountains Pack “Meetings”, but really, they were negotiations. Negotiations in which we attempted to prevent them from infringing upon our territory anymore. Not that we could stop them if they
chose to attack.
We still had miles upon miles of land, of course. It was plenty for our pack, but it was nowhere close to what it used to be. Our territory used to stretch all along the
Rockies in Colorado, but now a huge chunk of that had been forcefully taken.
Werewolf packs were scarce, so each pack was supposed to have a large swath of land, but the Black Mountain Pack’s territory was ridiculously expansive, in my
opinion.
Although, with all of those mouths to feed, I begrudgingly admitted to myself that they needed large hunting grounds.
Our pack, the Silver Woods pack, was powerful. We had about sixty wolves
running with us. But their pack? They had well over a hundred, trained warriors all of them. They were relentless and cruel. They didn’t restrict their hunting grounds to the forest, either. There were many rumors that some of them wandered into
nearby towns and preyed on the humans. Completely helpless humans that should not be prey at all, according to werewolf law! The thought made a low growl
rumble in my chest.
“Skylar!” I was aware that I had spaced out as my father snapped to get my
attention. I shook myself of my dark thoughts and turned back to him, lowering my head. “Sorry. I just got distracted. You’re right, I need to take this more seriously. I was just excited about finally getting to go.” Although, admitting it to myself, I had been nervous all along.
He nodded, understanding in his eyes. “I know. But…” He trailed off, unsure what to say.
“It just isn’t fair,” I responded. “I hate them, for taking half of our land and killing those who opposed them. They make us live in fear, in our own territory.”
“I hate them too. We all do. But we’re no match,” my father said sadly.
“Why do they follow him?” I whispered quietly, not clarifying further, but he knew who I meant. The Alpha of Black Mountains Pack. He was as relentless and
horrible as they came, according to my fellow pack members that had been around him. His name was Gabriel, but I knew nobody called him that. He had followed in his father’s footsteps as Alpha four years ago when he turned twenty-one, and he
was just as big of a tyrant as his father was…although, fortunately, it had been a
couple years since the Black Mountains Pack had outright killed anyone in my
pack. They seem to have eased up a bit on that tactic since Gabriel became the new Alpha.
There was a moment of silence before my father spoke again. “They’re scared of him, but it’s more than that. He’s powerful. Intelligent. Ruthless. To us, he maybe cruel, but to them? He’s loyal to his pack and he leads them to victory, so I can
only imagine he’s like a visionary to them.” My father said finally, and I could tell he’d thought about this before.
I looked away, my eyes burning in disgust. “Well I despise him. I wish we could run them out of our territory, and soon,” I muttered spitefully, a manner in which I didn’t normally speak.
*
As Produced By SheriffSquinty
*
When it came to the Black Mountains Pack, though, hatred coursed through the veins of my family and my pack. They had ruined our lives for the last fifteen
years. I couldn’t remember the time before they started taking over, I was too
young. Some of the wolves that had been killed as punishment for ‘territory
infringement’ had been family friends. My heart clenched as I remembered Dan,
another of my father’s best friends, whose neck had been snapped a few years back when he was found half a mile into the Black Mountains territory. And Ana, a
rebellious young she-wolf who had shown disrespect at a Meeting and……I couldn’t even think about it.
I turned back to my father, who had a half-smile gracing his angular features. “I
don’t blame you. You’ve got pride running through your veins. You’re a werewolf.” I blushed slightly at histone, which seemed to be leaning towards complimentary. My father wasn’t exactly full of compliments nowadays.
There were a few more minutes of silence as he measured the girl’s heart rate,
pulse, and temperature again, a light frown on his face. I examined the girl for a
moment. It was rare that any adults were in the infirmary; as werewolves matured, we developed immunity against nearly every disease and sickness in existence. As children, however, we were still somewhat vulnerable, like the pale girl trembling in the bed. My father began to put a few instruments away and pulled out a couple more. “You’re good to go Skylar, I have work to do, and I don’t think I’ll need your help after all.”
I looked at him a moment, then nodded, exiting the small room with the sick patient and leaving the building that housed the pack infirmary.
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“There you are, Skylar!” My mom’s relieved voice emanated from the hallway as I opened the door to our house. Closing the door behind me I forced a smile as she strode over and gave me a quick peck on the cheek. Because she was tall, curvy,
and blonde, I didn’t look too much like my mom. Our eyes were the exact same
shade of blue, but the similarities ended there. I was average height and skinny
with almost no curves to speak of. My angular features and brown, curly (often
frizzy) hair came straight from my dad. I wasn’t bad looking; I knew that much at least, but I was no supermodel like my mother with her heart-shaped face and
perfect hair. She was stunning.
She began to make her way up to the second story of our sizeable house,
beckoning gracefully forme to follow. I grimaced but did so, wondering what this was all about as she led me down the hall into my room.
“So, I was out shopping in that human town today…” I proceeded to make a face behind her when she wasn’t looking, “…and I just came upon this beautiful blue dress that will match your eyes perfectly!” As we entered my cozy room, she
indicated the bed, and I walked over there warily.
‘Just came upon,’ I thought to myself with amusement. Right. As if it wasn’t just as likely that she planned the trip specifically to find a dress forme.
The dress was knee length and silky, with a dip in the front. Skinny straps studded with gems would help hold it up on my shoulders. It was quite a pretty dress,
really, but I didn’t get the chance to wear them often.
I turned to my mother, raising an eyebrow. “It’s beautiful, mom, but…when will I have the occasion to wear this?” I regretted my question immediately as my mom
beamed a bright smile, eagerness plain in her expression.
“Well, honey…you’re nineteen now.”
I could see where this was going. “Mom…”
“And there are plenty of other packs around us with men you haven’t met!”
“Mom…..” I repeated, and I couldn’t help but give her awry expression. Other than the Black Mountains Pack, we were quite far from any other werewolves. My
mother just wanted an excuse to dress me up like a doll. Not that I minded dresses, but she was relentless about it.
“Okay, perhaps there aren’t a lot of others around, but still…you’re over eighteen and haven’t met your Mate yet! Don’t you want something nice when you finally meet him?”
“I….” I was getting uncomfortable now, my cheeks burning. I didn’t want to think about the Mate subject.
“Skylar, you know werewolves usually find their Mates within a couple years after turning eighteen! I want you to look presentable when the time comes!” She
finished impatiently as I sank down on my bed, putting my head in my hands. Not this again. Every month or so since I turned eighteen my mom would get on the
whole ‘oh you can find your Mate now’ topic. While my father just stared at me
with a mixture of nervousness and amusement, she would ramble on about how I would find the perfect werewolf, the one that was born to be my other half.
I knew everyone had a Mate, although there was no telling why Fate matched us
up. Our inner Wolves inside of us matured as we did, and as soon as they were old enough, they would recognize their Mate: the ideal specimen with which to breed. Survival of the species was the priority. It was true what my mother was saying,
that most Wolves (although not all) were mature enough at eighteen to recognize their Mate. I was within the prime age range to find mine. It was actually pretty
rare for Mates to find each other after their early twenties. Wolves liked to identify the compatible breeding partner and lifelong companion as soon as possible. Still, there were exceptions, where Mates found each other later in life.
However, I knew it ran deeper than just animal instinct. I had seen the glowing
silver sheen in werewolf eyes as two individuals that were meant to be Mates met for the first time and the magic of the mating bond coursed through their bodies.
The two wolves put together by Fate were destined to fall in love, to perfectly
balance each other out and, of course, create the optimum bloodline. It was a
beautiful thing, and everyone dreamed of finding their other half, for your soul
mate was out there somewhere. I was just…nervous. Not completely ready, despite the fact that I was pretty sure my Wolf had matured enough to recognize her Mate when the time came.
A werewolf learned their most innate qualities and weaknesses when they met their Mate. A Mate could see right down into your soul, and after the two Mates Marked each other, they could telepathically sense one another’s thoughts and feelings. I
didn’t know if I was ready for that experience. Besides, I’d had very little
experience with men, so it was still difficult to believe that someone could think of me as the center of their universe.
“Skylar, at least think about it!” My mom’s chipper voice brought me back to the present.
I sighed, looking at her glowing expression. My parents were so happy together,
and I was glad, but the opposite was true too…someone that lost their Mate never truly recovered. Part of their soul was gone and they were empty shells, only able to communicate with their lost Mate during the First Moon ceremony, which
nobody understood except the wolves who participated. I hoped I was never put in that position.
On top of that, there were a few werewolves that never even found their Mate at all, and they were left half-completed their whole life. This was rare, but what if I
was one of them? Even though a large part of me felt that I was not ready for a
Mate, I couldn’t imagine not having one at all…..ever. It was a depressing notion. I huffed out a breath. “Yeah, I’m thinking about it,” I replied tiredly. This was how the conversation ended everytime.
Her radiant smile returned and I looked away, not even wanting to know (although I could probably guess) what was going through her head. “I think I should goto
bed now,” I muttered, nervousness erupting in the pit of my stomach as I thought
about the next day. I admitted it to my Wolf; I was terrified of meeting the Black
Mountains pack and seeing their Alpha and Beta for the first time. My Wolf shifted inside of me, wondering aloud how she would manage to keep her fangs retracted during the Meeting. I sawher point, as I’m sure my pent-up hatred would rush to
the surface as soon as I met the dreadful pack. I’d have to ask the othershow they controlled themselves while in the presence of my pack’s worst enemy.
I hugged my mom and kissed her cheek as she bid me goodnight and left my room,
closing my door tightly behind her. I quickly hung the dressup in the closet,
wondering when I would ever wear it. Then, returning to my bed, I leaned back,
staring up at my boring, grey ceiling as I tried to find the courage for the next day. What would tomorrow bring?
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#Tobecontinued…..
Get ur seatbelts on for another delicious ride.
Refill your popcorn cans and get a candy in hand.
It’s sure gonna be a very interesting ride…….
You should be warned though, werewolves is not gonna be the only supernatural creature in this one…..
******
Then we’ll meet in the next Happen
See ya then..