My Say

20

I had been living with Elizabeth for several months, she worked with me on Luna tasks as well as educating me on how to be a wolf. One of my best memories will always be my first run. The shift had been a gruesome experience, it took hours as my body broke and snapped, shaped and reshaped until finally I became quadrupedal. I gained so much respect for babies on the Serengeti, they were pushed out onto the cold hard ground and moments later they walked away. Me not so much, I didn't move that first time, it took hours. Just shifted, slept, shifted back then slept for two days, before eating like the entire defensive line of the 1980's Chicago Bears. There had been no more talks dealing in family or the deepest parts of what was going on. Though my wolf and his had taken to slipping off when we slept to be together in the dream realm, it didn't satisfy either of them but it kept them happy enough not to rock the boat. Then the boat sank.

"What do you mean I have to begin living like a Luna?"

Martha was back with several of the other Elders in tow. Elizabeth has gone to the pack on our Western border, an Elder there needed her assistance.

"Martha, I will discuss this with Elizabeth when she returns. Until then go home or at least go away from here." Stalking to the door I hold it open. They stand there, some looking affronted others scared.

"In my day...", an elderly male wolf began.

"Look I don't care about your day. I respect that you have centuries of knowledge and experience stove up in that tiny brain of yours. And if I needed to know about how to put down a person or make a person feel like shit, I'd come see you. But seeing as that isn't on my menu today, you can leave." His face has become a very unbecoming purple color. "Elder Emmanuel, I am surprised to see you with this crowd." Elder Emmanuel had always seemed like a likeable fellow, never pushy or mean.

"Luna, you must understand. Other packs who have heard about your actions are beginning to question whether Alpha Stone is competent to be an Alpha."

"Ah, now this is a problem that needs to be addressed. Thank you Elder Emmanuel for bringing it to my attention. When Elizabeth returns she and I will figure out how to best handle this." I again waved my hand towards the open door, a reminder that they were unwanted guests.

"Elizabeth is too close to this. She's let you slide on your duties for too long. You should already be pregnant or have had one by now. You have been here a year, I will no longer stand by and..."

"You need to be very careful of your next words, Martha. I don't take well to threats." Most of the others had begun to see the error of taking me on in this manner. Only Martha continued the attack.

"You should have died. There is no way you should've been chosen as our Luna. I am so proud that our Alpha was able to discover that band of rogues on the mountain and wipe them out. They deserved a harsh death after all they..."

She rambled on but my ears had stopped listening. They'd found Monica, Nell, Nan? Mark, D? The baby? The kids????? My Family?? Dead??? My legs got weak and I sat down hard. Holding my head in my hands until the buzzing stopped.

"Just look at her, what kind of wolf worries about rabbits?"

I don't remember moving, one moment I was on the floor head buzzing my wolf was howling at my pain. Marthat said something about rabbits and the next moment I was being held back from her. Four elders plus Red and Amelia had me pinned to the floor. Amelia was screaming in my face for me to snap out of it. Looking down my hand had 4 inch claws instead of fingernails. The entire hand was covered in gore and blood. What the fuck happened?