WITCH- WOLVES
Every person is born with an equal, or at least every person in my world. There is more than one world you know, in fact there are 56 that we know of. I've traveled to most of them through the books in our library. It's underground along with the rest of our house, and the rest of the city, and the rest of the world.
Around the year 2670 the surface began to decay. The o-zone was so fucked up that we couldn't survive up there anymore. Why didn't we move to one of the other 55 planets? It's all in those books.
It turns out that each world was created in the same thousand year range and the species all developed around the same time- but they all came out different. Our planet was named Arcana for our race, which doesn't even exist on any of the other planets we know of: we are the 'loup- garu' or "night eyes." We are what most planets would call the Witch-Wolves.
We are not the scary, blood-lusting werewolves or anything, but we are unique. We do have the ability to change whenever we want, as well as with the full moon when we have no choice. We have two moons to our planet but our solar cycle is almost twice as long as one Earth cycle. We have a full moon about every 23 nights. That is the only time we are allowed to visit the Gloran Centers.
Since we, along with every other creature, live below the surface, we only know when the moon is full by the Keepers- the mole-like priests with their fancy charts and whatever skepto- thingies. But I don't like to talk about them. Who would?
The Gloran Centers are these huge underground forests where my kind goes to change and run on the full moon. Near the back of the Valarian Forest (the center closest to my city) there is a set of caves that only me and a few other 'loup- garu' know about.
But why do they call us "Witch-Wolves"? The humans think of us as witches only because of our power over the forest; we can grow plants 5 times faster than the humans. Plus we are all born with the gift of knowledge of the plants: which ones cure sickness and which ones bring luck, etc.
The Valarian Forest is where it all started:
The lights of the underground city and forest are powered by the sun's rays on the surface and that's all I know about that, but the lights seem magical somehow. The stream of lights ended half-way through the forests to give our kind some privacy in the dark. At least the humans aren't that nosey.
I was 16, young for a 'loup- garu' which is known to live over 100, and Mum had finally decided that I was old enough to travel through the acres of lush, green forest on my own. No one listened to the human laws; they said we were only allowed there during the full moon. Like we were gonna listen to them? Bull shit.
I waked on my human legs down my favorite path and smiled deeply when the vines on the trees snaked towards my ankles. I held up a hand and thought to them stop and they agreed, as plants often do.
On either side of me plants grew untamed and untouched by the human gardeners who were not allowed in the centers due to the fact we weren't always in control when we change. The trees were green, violet, and black, and the fur trees changed color depending on their mood. I passed some yellow and blue roses who were so eager to be with me that they plucked themselves from the earth. I giggled and picked up the flailing beauties as their leaves grew in happiness. I had never seen so many flowers so lonely for affection before and soon I had an arm full of daisies, poppies, lavender, thyme, and even some my 'loup- garu' mind couldn't confirm.
Walking down this path, which now seemed more like a line of broken twigs and leaves than a path, with my arm full of flowers was when I heard something that changed my life forever. I heard a scream.
It was a man's scream, but not one of fear, it sounded full of rage and pain. I didn't know what to do so I raced towards the sound and found myself prickling with the change. Racing down the path I tried to relax my muscles and calm down. Why did I all of a sudden feel like I was in danger?
I entered a clearing near the mouth of a cave I had never seen before. In front of the mouth was a group of four boys- older by me by about one or two years. One of them was on the floor on his back, trying to get up with one arm as his other was clutching his side. The three guys standing . One, the alpha, held a knife and was crouched in anticipation of more fighting. As I ran towards them they stopped their fight and watched me as I stopped dead and stared at the scene before me.
The 'loup- garu' boy looked really hurt and I wondered why he didn't change into the beast and shred them for their ignorance. They should never be in the forest! I don't know why I got so angry seeing them coming towards me, the 'loup- garu' still trying to push himself off the ground. The flowers in my arms quivered and slithered their way up my arms and neck to rest in my hair and behind my ears like a crown.
The human boys looked afraid for a moment and I grinned in superior humor. The frightened look on their faces faded and they advanced towards me, leaving the boy behind. I felt as if it were my right to tear them, but something inside told me I couldn't kill. Battling this issue in my mind was not a choice however as my bones began to pop and my organs shifted as I felt fur rippling over my face, arms, and belly. My ears moved to the crop of my head as they pointed; my whole body changing and growing into my second form. This all started relatively fast but the alpha took his shot at me with the knife while I was still shifting. Luckily I dodged the strike and in that instant I was complete.
I looked up at him with my wolf eyes, the same deep green as my human eyes, and pulled my hackles up in a malicious grin; my muzzle sleek and unscathed or scarred. My pelt was white and grey and I was a magnificent sight to behold, taller then most wolves and stronger than two. The alpha slowly backed away and I saw the other two sprinting like bunnies in a chase. I gave them a head start and began my hunt. Jumping over the boy I bounded through the woods easily, catching my first prey, jumping on him to stand on his back as he fell forward, ripping my claws into his back, feeling his warm blood in my claws. He would live. one down I thought to myself.
The second was just as easily caught, even slower than the first. I raced on the side until I was in front of him, then sharply turned around. Purposely looking wild and rabid, I watched as he skidded to a halt as I pounced, him on his back and he screamed bloody murder as I bit into his shoulder and felt torn muscle between my fangs. Nirvana played in my head. Two down, one to go. The third held the knife as if it was the only thing keeping him alive as I jogged behind him, the smell of fear so thick in the air I almost couldn't stand it. I came up right behind him and slashed into his calf with my teeth. He collapsed and started crying. Pathetic little fuck ass aren't you? Maybe next time you'll think twice about hurting one of my kind. It was kind of mean, but I dug my back leg into his crotch as a good-bye present and sprinted back to the 'loup- garu'.
I trodded over to him and reformed unto my human legs. The flowers, which lay on my pile of discarded clothing, scurried to me as I reached them and hurridly clothed myself. They climbed again into my hair like scared pups as I knelt by the boy, who actually didn't seem too much like a boy at all. He looked to be at least 17.
He was beautiful, and so untamed in his green eyes that I wondered why he seemed so vulnerable. He looked as if he had given up on trying to get up, and just lay there, on the forest floor, staring at me with something like awe and pain mixed. His breath was ragged and it was then I noticed the blood behind his hand, holding his side. I had only been in the clearing for about 5 minutes, but he should have healed by now. We are not invulnerable, but very quick healers.
I moved his arm away from his side and saw the deep gash oozing blood. "Why can't you change?" I asked. My words didn't seem to reach him at first, and I thought he might pass out, he was shivering pretty bad. But finally his pouty- full lips quivered a response. "Wolves' 't." Now I understood. There was wolves' bane on the knife the hunter had; it's pretty much the only think that really sucks when you are 'loup- garu'. If it enters our body we become weak and cannot change forms, stuck as whatever we are when it hits 's kinda like our Kryptonite. I'm glad my dad had taught me all this while he was still alive. Arcana was not perfect, the humans still had fear of us and this is why we had the Gloran Centers. The Hunters were the band of humans who hated us for God know what reason and now I guess they were willing to trespass in order to "purify" the space. Fricken Nazis.
"Hold on," I whispered and I took the plants into my arms; find this I thought to them, as I sent a picture of the flower Baracada to them; it helps the bane to recede and the wolf to heal. They snaked away again and I was left alone with him.
He was in more pain than normally our kind would have (wolves' bane burns like crazy) and his hurt eyes were killing me, so I lifted his head onto my lap and stroked his short black hair, which seemed to stick out at every which end.
This was the first time I ever got a good look at him: his green eyes were dark and bright at the same time, and his tanned complexion brought out the white of his fangs. We all have the Fangs. His lean body was hard in my lap and I realized that he was probably a bit taller than me. He was still shivering and my hand on his forehead told me that he was damp with sweat and burning up. Where were those god- damned flowers? I slipped my hand in his to comfort him. He was strong. His face seemed so helpless that I didn't mind softly singing the chant my grandmother had taught me. Nothing here to harm or fright, day must follow every night, as she holds you in her charms, know I hold you in my arms, moon is high and hear the song, of our kind whose will is strong, as shedding fur for pelts of skin, take pride in change and all our kin. He seemed to relax a little and he rested his hand on the soil so I softly rubbed his arm and face and hair to keep him so serene.
I heard tiny whispers in my mind and saw my flowers leading a group of yellow Baracada to me. I grew out my claws and slashed them open, lifting his shirt as the flower's sweet life poured to his body. He grimaced and I backed away to give him room to change as my flowers flew up my legs and waist to finally sit like bangles and bracelets on my arms. His change was fast and it was only seconds later I was standing before a massive, green-eyed, black pelted wolf. It smiled, raising his hackles and trotting to me. He brushed up against my leg like a cat would do its owner, and then through my legs. What a friendly wolf. It was a thanks.
He stopped in front of me and shifted so quickly that I blinked and he was on human legs. It was then that I noticed he was naked and I blushed and kept my eyes locked to his gaze. He smiled down at me and I realized he was inches taller than me, and that he was only inches away. wolf.
"You are amazing, thanks for saving me." His voice was so different from the strained whisper he had had earlier. It was smooth and deep and pure. How could someone sound so light hearted and innocent, and sweet and seductive all at the same time? I didn't know what to say, I mean; this completely delicious guy was standing here, naked, telling me I was I thought of to ask was stupid.
"What's your name?" stupid, stupid, stupid. "Zachary," he replied. "Where did you learn to control the flowers like that? All anyone I know can do is help them grow but they are devoted to you. How?" I'm sorry but the nakedness was f-r-e-a-k-i-n-g me out. "Could .put your clothes on?" I asked in a small voice with my gaze directly on his face, despite the blush.
He seemed to have realized for the first time that he wore nothing. His face in shock, he spun around and dressed himself. I turned so I would not see him and heard the rustle of clothes behind me. He cleared his throat and I turned around. He wore black, baggy jeans with some weird design on one side and a dark green shirt that said "I Leave Bite Marks."