How do you fight the Moon?
The King has fallen to a God.
The world is gathering, surrounding the Northern hemisphere on all side, crushing, strangling the land in a tight noose.
All they demand is Charlie's head. The female Alpha born from two alp...
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The distant howls of the pack echo my summons.
They come.
This is my mother's favorite spot, the East Cottage, which is a private sanctuary. I've always felt some invisible embrace here. When I asked why she liked it more here than all the other places in our pack, my mother once said it felt like something was holding her hand. This place witnessed my conception, and it will witness my fight with the Moon. I know I will pay tribute to this spot in the marrow of my bones. I will fight the Moon for the souls of the long-lost Wilds on this ground.
Odin looks upwards, and so do I.
A giant spotlight from the Sun is cast downward, burning the ground down to the roots. Nothing lives in the circular spot—no trace of grass, no trace of life, just crumbling dirt stripped of all traces of water. Pillaged of all nutrients that sustain life.
The Moon stands shy of the light.
Everything will stay the same if I don't try. There's no sense in waiting. I step forward and show teeth. The light from the Sun shines brightly on my skin to the point of burning heat, but also in comfort.
"Not yet, little one." The Moon speaks as if my mother told me to wait for dessert.
"Why not, or are you afraid?"
"Don't be silly. There is a difference between beating you and beating you." She is all teeth and spine.
"We can settle this now," I yell out.
All around in the shadows, the Wilds watch. Their dim bodies and bright eyes hold ground around the Moon. They watch her half-starved.
There is a shake of the Moon's head, "No, not yet."
It's a deliberate game the Moon plays — some form of humiliation.
"Shhh," the Moon puts a finger to her lips. Her ear tilts to the side. "Can you hear them?" She cannot hide her glee.
I listen, and in the distance, I hear ships on the water, warriors stepping foot on the sand, and armies coming from all directions. This is the center point that they are hunting towards.
"You called to your pack. I called to my armies," she taunts, smiling with her long teeth.
"A long time ago, I left with my warriors. Now, they will all come home to me. They are stronger than your weak warriors. They have been bred for their fiercest traits, while this land has bred the weakest traits. It has taken centuries for this to be realized." There is profound satisfaction in her body, displayed with a smirk that I want to bite into.
"I kept my warriors thin and hungry. I kept them fighting each other. While my sister let her warriors become peaceful and full. You have no idea what is coming to your land, but I do. Wolves that are hungry for a feast will eat everything in their path." Her horrible voice echoes around the sun-circle. It doesn't penetrate through the Sun's rays.
