The Borderlands

GRWM

Freya felt like she was being sucked into a black hole, time just seemed to be moving extremely slow today. The anticipation of her coming of age ceremony was eating away at her and she could feel the butterflies as if they were caged inside of her and wanted out. Her wolf was helping to reassure her, keep her calm and remind her of what tonight meant for them both. The more she thought about the meaning behind the ceremony, the more anxious she became. Tonight she would be given her place in the pack, her essential purpose in life. Freya's brow furrowed at the thought but she knew to trust the Elder's assessments of her skills.

As the morning had dragged by Freya found herself being greeted and congratulated by each of the pack members she encountered, starting with her parents. Arriving back after her run and subsequent run-in with Callum she had been exuberantly greeted by her parents and a beautifully prepared breakfast.

James and Leah Martin had pulled out all of the stops when preparing a birthday feast for their only daughter. Freya could smell the bacon, sausages and hash browns as she entered the house. Her mouth watered and she had to push down her wolf in order to maintain any semblance of manners. The run this morning had worked up her appetite and she couldn't wait to sink her teeth into the food provided.

"Happy Birthday," Both of her parents chimed as she entered the dining room. The looks of beaming pride on their faces were enough for Freya to know how they felt about her special day. Leah Martin held out her arms and that was the only welcome Freya needed as she sunk into her mother's embrace. Her wolf hummed with happiness at the contact and was even more pleased when her father joined the embrace.

Freya's family was tight and she knew it was her parent's inability to have another child that had forged the closeness. James and Leah had worked hard to build up their standing in the pack so that their only child would have the best possible start when she reached her coming of age. The expectation weighed heavy on Freya's shoulders but she simply shrugged it off and worked harder.

Freya's parents watched with knowing smirks as the birthday breakfast was demolished in moments. Freya smiled guiltily but felt good because she had indulged her wolf's need to feed. Keeping control of her inner wolf took lots of skill. There had never been a time where Freya had lost complete control of herself or her wolf; she had simply never been threatened or angry enough.

The loud clearing of a throat had Freya's wolf quickly seeking the sound out. Recognising that her parents were vying for her attention allowed her to push her wolf down with the promise of a run before the dusk ceremony. Sheepishly, Freya glanced at mess she had made and started stacking dishes and picking up the uneaten yet chewed on pieces of food.

A small square box was delicately placed on the table in front of her. Freya stared at box briefly before reaching out to take the lid off. A small gasp escaped her mouth when she glimpsed the gift nestled inside.

A beautiful antique locket made of gold sat in the box. It was inscribed with symbols that Freya didn't recognize and could only guess were an ancient language of some kind.

"It was my mothers and her mother's before...handed down throughout our family." Leah explained the significance of the locket. Freya knew it was something she would rarely wear but today was an exception. She could sense her mother's anticipation that she should display the locket during the ceremony.

"What does it say?" Freya questioned her mother curiously.

"I don't know." Her mother shrugged, not seeming that interested.

"It's the language of the ancient ones."

Freya spent the remainder of the day with her friends before being shuffled home to get ready for the ceremony. Jessie was her closest friend and had insisted that she 'help' Freya get dressed and that she had famous hair and make-up skills. Freya had simply laughed and told her friend to stop bragging.

Now sitting in front of the mirror having her hair yanked in all directions, Freya may have slightly regretted giving her friend carte blanche. Her hair was dark ebony filled with loose curls that fell halfway down her back and without proper care was a nightmare. Freya usually pulled it into a messy ponytail to get it out of the way but tonight it would be framed around her face. Jessie ran her fingers through the curls in attempts to detangle them and despite the low growls coming from Freya found that she was being quite successful.

Freya's mother had picked out a pretty knee length halter neck dress for her to wear and she knew that the necklace would look stunning.

"I'm done," Jessie sang as she stepped away from her.

'About time,' Freya growled. She hated just sitting around and having no control over the situation.

"Aren't you forgetting this?" Leah questioned from the doorway. The locket hung from between her fingers and Freya beckoned her mother to place it around her neck. No sooner was the locket resting against her chest than she felt the prickle of the pack communication open.

"It is time to gather," Alpha Benedict's voice permeated her head. One of the advantages to being a werewolf was the ability to telepathically communicate with your pack members at will. It was extremely handy for distributing information quickly. The Alpha was able to send out alerts and group messages to all pack members simultaneously. He was also able to give Alpha commands over the link. Freya had never personally been on the receiving end of an Alpha command but heard that they could be brutal in nature. The command was one that you could not disobey.

The ceremony was to take place in the meeting hall which was located next to the pack house. The meeting hall was a large structure built specifically to accommodate all pack members whether for something as important as a ceremony or simply for a weekly pack meeting.

The members were gathering inside but Freya knew her place was to wait at the entrance until called.

"We are gathered here to celebrate the coming of age of Freya," The Alpha's voice boomed through the hall. Taking that as the sign, Freya moved through the open doors and down towards the Alpha. The Alpha stood on a small platform with Callum to his left and Elder Jennings to his right.

Freya pushed her wolf down as she felt the excitement coursing through her. Stopping directly in front of the Alpha, Freya bent her head in respect before kneeling in front of him. Alpha Benedict began chanting, many of the words were ones Freya did not know the meaning of but had heard at other coming of age ceremonies.

Everything continued and she was officially given a place to train as a pack nurse. The pride beaming from her parents and Jessie lifted her spirits. Training in wolf health was a prestigious position to hold within the pack. It was a little intimidating as the training would be intensive and holding someone's life in your hands would be scary. Freya was envious of her male counter parts, they were the only ones allowed to progress to become Doctors and further study herbology. Freya had a vast knowledge of native botanicals that could aid in healing. 

The last part of the ceremony passed quickly and everyone dispersed to attend the celebratory BBQ being cooked in the meadow behind the meeting hall. Needing a moment to take everything in, Freya approached the forests edge and sat herself on the damp grass. Before she could even begin to contemplate the ceremony she was hit with a strong scent, it was musky, earthy and extremely thick.

"The scent from earlier,"  Her  wolf reached the same conclusion. Freya's ears pricked up as she tried to discern any sounds coming from the forest.

Screams pierced the air from behind her and she quickly flipped around, eyes wide with shock.

The village was on fire.