The Moonstone Assembly

The Moonestone Assembly

    “Come on Nero! If you keep dragging your pale vampiric butt like that we’re never gonna get there on time!” exclaimed the spunky, clearly impatient girl as she stood by the entrance of a rickety old wooden bridge while waiting for her companion to catch up. While waiting she tapped her foot impatiently, arms crossed in front of her chest as her braided grey hair swayed behind her. It felt as if situations like these weren’t exactly uncommon for the pair. “And as I’ve said many times already, we have plenty of time,thus,  I see no reason to rush. Especially not when it comes to crossing that bridge, it always makes my stomach turn whenever we have to cross it.” he complained as he finally arrived by his companion’s side before grinning mischievously as he abruptly pushed her towards the bridge, “But if you’re so eager, ladies first.” he replied chuckling as he watched her scramble to regain her balance before casually following her onto the bridge, making a point to hold onto the rope railings tighter than he probably should have been. “If you weren’t so cute I’d toss you off this bridge.” the girl huffed before sticking her tongue out before continuing across the bridge without any hassle. 
    Upon getting off she quickly spun around and grinned over to her companion who was still in the middle of crossing before she grabbed the rope railings and violently began to swing them up and down, left and right, all over the place to make the trek over that much more difficult for Nero. “What were you saying about your stomach turning? I bet it’s doing flips now!” she cooed playfully while the vampire clutched to the rope railings for what looked like his dear life as he shot a glare over to the girl “Blair, I swear if you don’t stop that I will literally buy fleas and watch you suffer!” he called back but before either could do much else one of the bridges ropes snapped turning the bridge sideways. Using his inhuman reflexes Nero quickly dug his nails into the wooden boards of the bridge before grabbing onto the rope that wasn’t broken. “If I fall to my untimely demise I demand a funeral by the sea!” he called as he very, very carefully began to pull himself over to Blair who didn’t seem too concerned but did help him up when he did finally arrive. “Took you long enough and a funeral by the sea? Didn’t know you were such a sucker for the classics.” she replied, wrapping an arm around Nero’s shoulders as he fixed his curly jet black hair a bit as the two continued along the path again. “They are classics for a reason you know. By the way, thanks for the concern. I could tell you were terrified at the prospect of losing me and my beautiful face.” he said feigning hurt while Blair simply chuckled before pecking his cheek lightly. “Poor baby, I knew you’d be fine, you're my boyfriend after all, you gotta be strong to handle me.” And with that they were off once more. 
    Hours later the two found themselves in a forest full of lush green trees, mostly oaks and maples with smaller shrubberies scattered about. Sounds of birds flying, the rustling of squirrels moving from branch to branch and the humming of insect wings served as a familiar orchestra for the girl filling with her a sense of nostalgia of when she used to spend time as a cub adventuring in the forest. Nero on the other hand couldn’t help but to feel a bit awkward since he was a city boy, he and nature never really got along but he knew how much Blair enjoyed it and he loved seeing her happy. However, when the grey haired female suddenly stopped to scent the air he knew something was wrong and went on guard looking around a bit before shifting his green orbs back to her “What’s up?” he questioned only to get his question answered as four figures dropped from the trees surrounding them. What they found was a species called the Tubari, a race of anthropomorphic felines, two resembled that of cheetahs, one a black jaguar whlie the last a tiger. All of them were dressed in a similar fashion, dark blacks and browns, form fitting with various pockets, belts, and bags attached holding who knows what. 
    “I don’t think we really have to waste time explaining the situation, we have you surrounded and unless you play nice things are going to get messy, for you. Now, we have a simple request: those fangs of your vampire boy. Vampire fangs go for a pretty penny nowadays, so how about it?” questioned the jaguar looking one with a rather condescending tone. Nero didn’t even get a word out before Blair had already begun responding “Like hell, I’d suggest backing off before you make me mad, or else I’ll have a grand time ripping out that throat of yours.” This threat however only caused the Tubari to burst into laughter before the jaguar made a hand motion to the two and soon the two cheetahs had pounced towards Nero while the tiger and jaguar went for Blair. Nero managed to keep out of the reach of the cheetahs thanks to his vampiric speed but wasn’t confident in being able to fight them off. On the other hand, Blair was already on all fours, fangs bared and growling as she scratched and bit at the two attacking her. To onlookers it would resemble a blur of fur, blood and snarls. Even though she was putting up a fight it was becoming painfully clear that she couldn’t win against these two, at least not by herself. It pissed her off that she had talked so big only to struggle like this but she couldn’t help it, they were threatening Nero! While distracted by her thoughts she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her right leg and looked back to see the tiger had sunk its teeth into it and it hurt like hell. In a desperate act she howled, loudly and desperately hoping, praying that there was someone nearby who could help them. It wasn’t a great chance but it was definitely possible, since there was a werewolf ceremonial site at the end of this path, that’s where they were headed so maybe others were too. 
    Things continued on like this for a while longer, Nero starting to get worn down while his concern for Blair continued to grow. While Blair fought tooth and nail despite the pain in her leg to keep the felines off of her. Though it seemed Lady Luck was on their side because out of nowhere two wolves, both with a grey-brown coat color burst from the forest and managed to bite directly into the jaguar and tiger's throat before ruthlessly ripping them out and tossing them to the side. The larger of the two wolves turned to the cheetah Tubari snarling followed by a few barks while the smaller of the wolves stood by Blair protectively. It didn’t take long for the cheetahs to realize the tables had suddenly turned before they fled. Nero didn't care about the wolves and just rushed over to Blair who was by now breathing heavily as she clutched her leg the tiger had bit into earlier, “Are you okay?! Well obviously you aren’t but what can I do? I could carry you? I can wrap your leg up, maybe make a stint-” the vampire was soon interrupted by the now changed wolves into their humanoid forms. “Relax, she’ll be fine. We have some medical supplies on us that we can use to tend to her, you two are just lucky we're nearby to hear her howl.” stated the male, he was tanned, tall and broad, matched with short dark brown hair with grey tips. The girl had a similar look but female, she already was in the process of tending to the bite, she seemed to be the quiet type. 
“You’re right about that, so thanks dude. That’s Nero and I’m Blair, guess you're heading to the Moonstone Assembly?” Blair questioned looking up to the male wincing every now and then as the other werewolf girl tended to her. Nero nodded now standing and offering a hand to shake to the male werewolf. “Right, thank you so much for coming to help I wasn’t sure what we would have done…..can I ask your names?” he asked, trying to be polite to their saviours. “The name’s Luka, and this Anna my sister, it’s a pleasure to meet the both of you. Guess it isn’t that big of a surprise, werewolves from all over are gathering at Mount Fenifer for the assembly. Although I have to admit I’m pretty surprised to see a vampire at an event for werewolves.” he replied resting his hands on his hips casually as Nero flushed a bit, suddenly feeling insecure about being there. He did have a point, this was such an important event for the werewolves, was it really okay for him to be going? “Nero is my boyfriend, of course he’s coming. Only a bad boyfriend would skip out on event this important to his girl over something as stupid as being the only vampire.” Blair replied wanting to make sure Nero knew she wanted him here. Hearing Blair’s words Nero couldn’t help but to smile a bit over to her, all his insecurities just seemed to fade away after hearing that, that’s just the kind of power she had over him.
Luka simply gave a shrug since he really didn’t have any problem with it, just wasn’t expecting it “Fair enough. Either way I think we should set up camp here for the night. It’s going to be sundown soon and with your leg like that you shouldn’t move too much. Anna and I will go gather some firewood while you two lovebirds stay here and makeout or whatever.” and with that the siblings left leaving behind a blushing vampire and a laughing werewolf girl. “They seem nice and Luka certainly has quite the sense of humor, I like them.” Blair declared grinning in a way that her canine-like teeth could be seen. Nero gave a quick nod as he moved to sit next to her and rested his head on her shoulder. “That’s one way of putting it…..I’m just glad it all worked out…..I’ve never been attacked like that before. I mean I’ve heard our fangs go for a lot but no one’s ever tried to take mine before….” he said trailing off a bit before he suddenly felt a dull pain on his head and rubbed it a bit looking over to Blair “What was that for?” he asked since by now it was clear she ended up punchng the back of his head for some reason. “If you keep thinking about it you're gonna get all anxious and worried. Just don’t worry about it, I’ve got your back and next time I won’t let some stupid cats get the best of me!” she declared before lying down and pulled him down with her and closed her eyes “Now just relax and nap with me. I doubt anyone’s gonna mess with us after that little fiasco and I’m tired.” commented the girl as she hugged the vampire boy's arm who simply sighed a bit but smiled and did as he was told. “Whatever you wish, my lady.”
    The rest of the night went by without a hitch, Luka and Anna came back and got camp all setup while Blair recovered with Nero hanging close by just in case she needed anything. Nero, Luka and Anna took shifts keeping watch while the others slept just in case, however Nero did take more shifts because he was used to night, being a vampire and all. By the next day the four were all packed up and back on their way towards Mount Fenifer. “Ugh do I really have to be carried like this?” Blair complained, who currently found herself in the arms of Nero who despite being a bit more wobbly managed to carry her fairly easily. “Yes you do, just take advantage of being able to look at my handsome face.” The black haired male stated sending her a goofy grin while Anna rolled her eyes and Luka simply shook his head, chuckling. “So Nero, tell me, how much do you know about the Moonstone Assembly?” He questioned as he moved to be walking beside the two as the boy simply shook his head. “Not much, to be honest. I know it’s important to werewolves because it allows them to gain control of their transformations but that’s about it.” Nero explained while Luka gave some nods of understanding “Well, you’ve got the basics down. I’ll give you some more details though, for example the ceremony can only be done on the night of the new moon because the moon’s influence is weakest then. Participants also have to be eighteen or older so they understand if they misuse their transformation they will be punished as an adult, typically people participate between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four but there are always some exceptions. Then there’s some magic stuff that involves glowing blue and green rocks that I can’t really explain.” Luka said as he finished explaining while Nero gave a nod of understanding as they approached a gate that goes about ten feet in the air made of what smelled like pine. 
    Once the group was about three yards away from the gate it opened for them revealing what looked like a simple town. All the buildings were made from the same kind of wood as the gates, the areas off to the side devoted to agriculture and generally things seemed pretty normal. As they continued further in, towards the back of the town, decorations of streamers, flowers, and lanterns all sporting the same blue-green color scheme started to become more frequent and eventually lead to a giant crystal that was far taller than even the gates. None of the werewolves seemed particularly surprised by it but Nero on the other hand, well, he didn’t hide his emotions quite so well. “Impressed? That’s the moonstone, it has magical properties that allow us to control our transformations. Best part is that it’s living so you don't have to worry about ever running out.” Blair explained as they approached some older adults who were standing in front of the crystal. “Welcome to Aweshi, home of the moonstone. I take it you’ve come for the Moonstone Assembly?” asked an elderly man from the group who was sporting a balding head and a rather impressive white beard. “That we are, Anna and I have done this a dozen times so we know what to do, but these guys might need some direction. See ya later, lovebirds.” he said, giving the two a quick wave before walking off to the side with Anna following behind, only giving them a quick nod before turning away. 
    Once Luka and Anna left, the elder introduced himself as Mumbo, one of the administrators of the ceremony this year. He said that the ceremony really wasn’t that difficult but they did have to wait for nightfall so he left Blair and Nero to their own devices until then, saying to come back to the crystal after the sun had set. Blair and Nero both gave a nod and replied with “Right!” and on that note Nero found a spot to set Blair down before stretching out a bit “No offense, but I’m glad I don’t have to carry you for a while.” he said chuckling a bit as Blair playfully punched his arm “Uh-huh, like you didn’t enjoy having me in your arms. But don’t worry later you’ll have to carry me again for the ceremony since some black haired vampire says I’m not allowed to put pressure on my leg.” she said with some sarcasm dripping from her voice while Nero merely grinned as he sat beside her as before looking over the place that seemed to be filling up by the second with more and more werewolves. “This really is a popular ceremony isn’t it?” he said while Blair nodded “Of course, it’s kinda like our right of passage sort of like a bat mitzvah. Being able to control your transformation means you're a fully fledged werewolf and have no restrictions, your life is your own.” She explained the excitement at the prospect clear in her voice as she spoke, there was a look in her eye that Nero didn’t recognize but he could tell it was a good one. “Well I’m happy for you, and after this I don’t have to worry about taking you out on dates during full moons anymore.” he said while laughing a bit and soon Blair joined in as well. They continued on like this for a while longer before the sun had finally set, signally for the ceremony to begin. 
    Everything now had a slight blue-green hue to it as the night was illuminated by the gentle glow of the moonstone as everyone began to gather around it. There was a slight chill in the air as fireflies began to flicker in the darkness, while Mumba stood in front of the moonstone motioning for those participating to come forward. So, as instructed Nero once again lifted Blair up into his arms and carried her to where the other participants were gathered. He couldn’t help but to notice some of the looks he was getting, guess it was sort of strange for a vampire to be carrying a werewolf during this ceremony. But Blair had already made up her mind so there was no changing it. Once they had all gathered, Mumba came around and began to draw symbols on each of their foreheads with some kind of white substance. Once he finished with that he stepped back and faced the crystal and began some kind chant, it sounded ancient like latin or babylonian. Nero was kinda surprised when the white stuff he put on their faces began to glow a bit, maybe it had some that crystal mixed in? Either way, next they all began howling and when he said all, he meant all. Honestly, he wanted to cover his ears since it was pretty loud, especially with his sensitive hearing, but he thought that’d be rude so he just sucked it up. Thankfully the howling only lasted a few moments before they all stopped and Mumba began to hand out little pieces of what looked like the moonstone, they couldn’t have been bigger than a pea. “State your lycanthropian name and swallow the shard of the moonstone, then you will have full control over your transformation and will be viewed as a fully-fledged werewolf!” Mumba declared and soon all the participants began to say names that Nero did not register as names but he really only cared about one, Blair’s. Blair had her eyes closed as she mumbled “Mkosha'' before tilting her head back and swallowing the shard of moonstone. Once they all had finished a loud applause erupted from the onlookers and Mumba nodded in approval, signalling what Nero could only assume was the end of the ceremony. 
    Blair couldn’t help but to grin when she heard the cheers. She had done it, she was now officially a werewolf, no longer at the mercy of the moon she could do whatever she wanted! “Yes! Nero, the first thing I wanna do is go for a walk during a full moon!” she declared, excitement basically bursting from her, and everybody else around. They were all full of joy, Nero could tell that easily. “Well, you’ll have to wait a bit for that my dear, I think an entire lunar cycle actually.” he replied, chuckling a bit as she pouted a bit at him but it didn’t last very long she was just too happy. “There’s the happy couple, even happier now I see. Congratulations Blair, I’m sure you’ll enjoy your new freedom.” Luka said as he made his way over Anna by his side and even smiled a bit “Yes, congratulations.” she replied, her voice soft but genuine. Both Nero and Blair were surprised to hear her talk but it did cause them to smile. “Of course! I’m gonna go out every full moon for at least a year, better clear your schedule Nero.” Blair said grinning over to the vampire who simply chuckled a bit but nodded, he was just happy to see her so well, happy. Normally she was pretty happy but this was a new level of happiness that he hoped at some point, he could bring to her in the future, it would be a new goal for him to strive for. “Hey Blair?” he asked, looking down to make eye contact with her shining deep brown eyes “Yeah?” she asked, tilting her head a bit curiously as Nero smiled and rested his forehead against hers “I love you.”  he replied as Blair smiled back at him softly before replying “I love you too.”