Realm of the Rogues

Chapter I

I gasp under the weight of him on top of me. His hands are twisted around my neck, slowly squeezing the life out of me. A strained tear runs down my cheek as I try to scream for help. My vision closes in, as I accept my imminent death. But then without warning the pressure is released and my sight returned, as I make out the silhouette of my attacker flying across the room and a tall and ghostly-looking creature standing beside me.

"Wake up!" The sound is coming muffled in through the closed door and barely reaches my ears under the thick duvet and many blankets. I shake my head, with my dream already forgotten. I often suffer from night terrors, so I usually forget them quickly, rather than keep thinking about them. But still, a slight cold feeling engulfs my heart, but I know it will pass within the hour.

"WAKE UP, RIGHT NOW!" This time the sound is so loud, that there is no mistaking it for a dream - and on top of that I hear a loud crash and then a shatter quickly following. I spring up from my bed, still with the remnants of sleep in my eyes. I look around panicked and see - not to my big surprise - my best friend Louise crawling around on the floor, trying to pick up the shattered glass from the vase, that she undoubtedly must have knocked off the shelf storming in here.

"Sorry Athena for destroying your vase, but, well, you know, it was me who bought it for you in the first place, so it's really not that big of a..." Louise begins, but I cut her off.

"Louise, please, what is going on?". I stretch out my body and rub my eyes with a yawn, still trying to gain consciousness.

"Well, if you hadn't noticed, you've slept for eleven hours, and the ceremony begins in two, so I would advise you to get going!" And by that, she turns on her heel and proceeds to march down the hall yelling to someone "Don't worry! Sleeping Beauty finally decided to wake!"

However, I have no time to listen to her leave. How could I have slept in like that? And then on this special day? I frantically search for the clothes that I had laid out yesterday and storm into the bathroom. I just barely manage to squeeze in a quick shower, before I rip on the green velour dress I had decided on. 

As I'm finishing up, I steal a quick look in the mirror, catching my dark green, almost brown eyes for a second, and thank the Gods I did, because I had forgotten all about my makeup and hair. I decide that mascara is all that I have time for, and when that is done, I quickly throw up my hair in a bun, which turns out more messy than intended, but I have no time to fix it.

The reason I'm so pressed is because today is the day of the Super Blood Moon! The super blood moon only appears once every couple of years, and since our pack is called the Blood Moon Pack, this rare event has greater significance to us than Christmas has to Humans. Or at least that's what I've heard, I've never interacted with a human before...

I leave my room to meet up with Louise, who I spot in the doorway to the courtyard frantically waving me over. I jog over to her and almost fall right on my tail as I catch a glimpse of the preparations for tonight's big ceremony.

I look up into the sky while holding on to Louise for support, admiring the large stone sculpture made in honour of the Wolf in the Moon. She is quite the legend here; we believe Her to be our ancestor and controller of the eclipses and full moons. I have been told by my great great grandmother, that they in her time used to sing to Her on every full moon, since its believed that this is when She looks down upon and greets us. They had to stop, however, since the Humans became scared and tried to chase and kill them while mocking their beautiful songs by calling them howls. Stupid Humans... They wouldn't be able to recognize a clean tone, even if it was played right at them.

Now we only sing to Her on very special occasions, and today is exactly that! This would be my first time joining the adults since I turned 20 just four months ago - in March. I am so excited but also nervous! Louise had the luck of joining the adults last year, so at least she can guide me.

Louise and I have been friends since we were pups, her mother and my mother have been best friends forever as well, so we all share a very special bond. I don't really have any strong ties to my dad. I know he and Mum are mates, and that they love each other as all mates do - passionately and unconditionally - but he doesn't have the same affection towards me. Well, he is also part of the Warriors, so whenever he gets a day off, he longs after my mother, and not me. Before I can dwell any longer on my thoughts, Louise pulls on my arm.

"Ena, come on, we can't stand here all day! The ceremony begins in an hour, and we still haven't done our chores yet!" She looks at my confused face with frustration. "Yeah, I bet you slept in with the hopes of me doing the chores for you, didn't you?"

I giggle while giving her a push, "Damn Lou, you know me too well, maybe I should find myself a new friend?" I look around sarcastically and Louise wipes her cheeks, pretending to cry. I jokingly bump into her shoulder with mine and smile at her, then I take a step back.

"But no, for real, what are those chores you are talking about? I thought I just had to show up?" I look around and cringe at my naivety, as I realize that everybody else is doing something productive.

"Ohhh, did I forget to tell you? Damn. Well, I signed us up to dress the tables, and don't you even think about using your I-need-to-pee-excuse!" With that said she grabs my arm and pulls me into the kitchen. I eye Mum standing above some pots and pans preparing something that smells absolutely delicious.

"Hey Mum, Lou said we're supposed to dress the table. Where are all the utensils and so on?" I ask while almost drooling into the formidable dish she is preparing.

"Athena dear, please take a step back, before you ruin anything." She says while throwing a teasing glimpse at me. "The dishes are in the cabinet to your right, and the utensils are in the drawer over here." She nods in the direction of the kitchen island where Louise stands, already rummaging through the top drawer. "Well, I can see that she is more familiar with the kitchen than you, huh?" Mother says with laughter in her voice, to which I roll my eyes with mock exaggeration, happy that she isn't holding anything sharp to poke me with.

I hurry up grabbing the dishes and setting them on the table. It's a task which isn't as easy as it might appear since there are three dishes per person, and our pack contains three hundred individuals - add that up yourself. I might be a werewolf with supernatural strength, but I still only have two arms...

~~~~~~~~

Louise and I are sitting beside each other, fighting for space with our elbows, as our stomachs gradually bloat from the mountains of food, we both have consumed at this point. We don't really care though. Neither of us is trying to find a mate, so the only one we need to dress up for is the Wolf in the Moon, and I don't think She would give a flying crap about our weight, even if we were obese.

As everyone finishes their desserts, Louise and I eagerly await the clock to strike 22, where the real celebrations will begin. It's still half an hour from now, so we decide to get up, hopefully kickstarting our digestion, and just walk around a bit.

As we walk side by side, I suddenly hear a strange sound coming from behind us. Was that a... Growl? Or snarl? I halt listening for the sound, all the while Louise keeps walking and talking, not noticing that I have stopped. She turns around to face me and looks puzzled at my face.

"What the hell are you doing now?" she asks, but I gesture for her to shut up with a raised hand.

"Shh! I think I just heard something," I  whisper, trying to focus my hearing on wherever the sound originated from, but I hear nothing. Louise becomes impatient and calls for me, but as I'm about to turn, I hear a high-pitched yelp coming from the treeline about 100 meters away...