Prologue.
In the 1300s there was a group of people. These were no ordinary people the, for these people had an unusual gift. They were werewolves and I was one of them. I remember finding out from my parents once I was old enough. "You were born to be a pack leader I just know it," said my father. At first I didn't want to because I didn't understand, after all I was only a child. "We should speak with Lilianna and get him started in his training," my father spoke sealing my faith. I remember panicking and so I ran as fast as I could. Seeing all these faces that were ordinary faces moments before was now a nightmare to me. All I could think of was horrible beasts with piercing red eyes and sharp pointed teeth. I had to get out of here. "Nekoli!," my mother called out right behind me. She caught up to me and wrapped me in her arms and carried me away from everyone. When she sat me down we were in the woods under the shade of a huge mimosa tree. She sat down in front of me and stared into my eyes. "Maybe your father did a bad job of explaining this to you," she laughed lightly staring down at her hands. "I remember when my parents told me," she paused, "I did the same as you only I never returned," she frowned. "I was lost in the woods for days before I was ever found by your father, he's the one that brought me back to our village and introduced me to the people we know now." I was silent, I didn't know what to say. "Nekoli, the people you knew before are the same people you remember, the same people who love you, and not all of them have this gift we have but the ones of us who do are no different," she said, "we are not evil, we are not monsters, but there are monsters out there. Creatures unknown that you will one day have to face. That is why you need to train. So you can be a strong and fearless pack leader! Only then will you be able to understand how to control your powers and use them for good." "Good?," I asked. "Of course!," my mother exclaimed with a smile on her face. "We use our powers to protect and help those in need, not harm them." That made me feel a little better. "But before you can do that you must learn how to control and use it," she finished. I nodded. "Shall we go speak with Lilianna?," she asked. I smiled, "Yes!" She took my hand in hers and we walked back into the village.
When we arrived at our home my father was standing outside with a worried look on his face. I ran into his arms and he lifted me off the ground hugging me close. "I'm sorry for running off papa," I said. "No, it's my fault for scaring you. I should've known it would've scared you my child," he said hugging me closer, take all the time you need to decide what you want to do." "I'd like to talk to Lilianna," I said staring at him. He smiled, "We'll all go together," he said. I smiled. My mother took one hand and my father took the other and together we went to Lilianna's. I had never been to this part of the village before and now I knew why. When we got there she was explaining to her pupils how to turn. Lilianna agreed that I needed training but I was too young to fight. "I'll teach you how to turn," she smiled, " go have a seat with the others." I walked over to the other boys and girls. I noticed some of the faces but some of them were older than I. "Our power lies with in our hearts, it's a part of us, almost like a second nature," she paused and stared at us. Her eyes were dark almost black. "So when you're ready, you must call out to it, summon it from with in you but you must never force it or else it won't come." She finished and closed her eyes. Taking deep breaths, meditating. We all watched (some in fear others in bewilderment) as her body contoured and grew much to big for her skin and finally erupting through to expose a beautiful auburn colored wolf. She was at least 7 ft tall when she stood on her hind legs. The older children were amazed but some of the younger children started to cry, including me. She dropped down on all fours and walked over to me licking my cheek with her pink tongue before lowering her head in my lap. I ran my fingers through her thick coat and scratched behind her ear causing her foot to thump like that of a dog. Everyone laughed and we were no longer afraid after that. Two men brought a changing screen and threw a robe over the top and she went behind it. We watched the shadow as patches of her fur started to fall out and her body contoured back to it's human form. She quickly threw on the robe tying it in the middle. She came out once clothed. "I really liked that dress," she said frowning, "what a pity." We all laughed once more. "Now I want all of you to close your eyes," she said. We all closed our eyes as she said. "In order to to turn you must call upon your inner wolf, you must in vision yourself turning and in vision the wolf you will become. Let it come to you naturally before going to it. And above all, want it in your heart." I peeped to see a few were successful, all of them older. Lilianna came and knelt in front of me. "Don't get discouraged," she said, "just relax and close your eyes." I closed my eyes again and did as she instructed but nothing happened. After 15 minutes I gave up and opened my eyes to see that all of the older children had mastered the technique. They wore their dark blue robes with pride, boasting their powers to everyone else. Even some of the younger children had done it. Lilianna spoke up, "everyone settle down," she said. Everyone took a seat. "Those of you who have mastered the technique, I congratulate you on finding your inner wolf, and for those of you who haven't, don't get discouraged because this isn't something that can be learned in a day. It can be very challenging, but you can do it. I want all the ones who have turned to stay and all of the ones who haven't to go home and practice whenever you can. Meet me here tomorrow and we'll try again and we will keep trying until you to have mastered it. " and with that we (the ones who had yet to turn) were dismissed.
My mother and father waited for me outside. "Do share the good news my boy!," my father exclaimed, "a fearless pack leader you are indeed!" I frowned feeling terrible. My mother grabbed my hand, "it's ok," she said, " it took your father and I a while to master it aswell." She leaned down and kissed my forehead. "It will come, it's in your blood," she said smiling. My father lifted me up and sat me up on his shoulders. "Your still the meanest wolf I've ever seen," he said tickling me, making me laugh. We walked home as the sun started to go down. We were greeted by a man waiting outside our home. I couldn't see his face because he wore a black robe and had the hood drawn. His hands were solid white and his nails came to sharp points. He had a deep voice as well. "I'll take Nekoli to his room," my mother said taking me from my father. "Who is that man?," I asked my mother. "He's a family friend," she said laying me in bed, "Now, you've had a very busy day! Get some rest love," she said kissing my forehead. She walked out,closing the door behind her. I waited for her to leave before creeping out of bed. I cracked the door open just a tad and peeped out. "Come, sit," my father said, "what brings you to this corner of the world my friend?," he asked taking a seat at the table. He sat across from my father and my mother sat with her back to me so I couldn't see his face. "It's about your son," he started. "Have you explained to him what he is yet?," he asked. My father leaned forward, now interested. "Yes of course," my mother chimed in. "And has the boy turned?," he asked. "He started training today but has yet to turn," my father said, "Why? What's the problem?" "Well," started the man, "for some reason your son isn't like the others." "Not like the others?," my mother asked. "No ma'am, your son has a much more dark and lethal power," he said, "I fear it will draw the Vatican to this village." "But our son is a good boy!," my mother raised her voice. "This is an outrage!," my father said standing up so fast the chair flew backwards and crashed into the ground. His eyes grew an intense black color. My mother placed her hand on his shoulder, "Calm down sweet heart you'll wake him," she said. He picked the chair up and sat back down. Once everything was calm again my mother spoke. "Is there anything that we can do?," she asked. He nodded, "I'm afraid not. That's why I'm here. I can take the boy with me if you'd like. He can stay in my castle with me and the best of protection," he offered. "No, not our son," my mother said. "Well then your only other option would be to leave," he said. My father looked at my mother for a moment, both speechless. "We'll do whatever it takes," my father said. My mother nod in agreement. "So be it, just remember if you or your family needs anything, I'm here," he said before getting up and leaving.
Once he was gone my father looked to my mother. "We leave before the end of the week," he said before walking to his bed room. Soon after my mother followed behind him. I shut my door and laid down. What did he mean dark lethal powers and who was the Vatican? All these questions stayed on my mind until finally I fell asleep. When I opened my eyes I was no longer in my cozy bed. Instead I stood in the middle of the dense forest. I looked up to see a wolf. It was as black as the night sky and had bright yellow eyes, almost as bright as the sun. It stared at me, its eyes gazing deeply into mine. It was a good 10 ft tall. Lilianna's voice played through my mind. 'Find your inner wolf'. I took a step forward and it took a step back. I stopped. 'What do I do?' I thought to myself. 'You must never force it'. I sat down and faced the wolf. My hands rested on my knees, palms facing up. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply. I could hear the soft foot steps of the wolf moving closer. When it got close I could hear it sniff the air around me. I opened my eyes but remained still. It made a circle around me before sitting in front of me. It was only inches away. It lowered its head to the ground and I reached out to pet it. The moment my hand made contact with its fur a shock of electricity coursed through my body causing me to wither in pain. I shot up in bed trying to catch my breath. I stared down at my palms. Smoke rose from the center. Some how I felt different. Like I was whole. I got up to look in the mirror. My eyes that were once light blue were now piercing bright yellow. The eyes that looked back at me were not mine. I looked out the window. It was day light. I could hear mother rushing to get breakfast ready. For me there was no time to waste. I threw on a shirt and bottoms and was out the door.
"Where are you going?," my mother asked. "I need to see Lilianna," I said, rushing out the door. When I reached the training area I was the first one there. Lilianna greeted me with a smile. "Good morning," she said, "something about you is different.." She said. "My wolf, " I started, "it came to me in a dream." "What are we waiting for then?," she asked, "Let's get started!" We both sat down. I closed my eyes and did exactly as she told me. I could feel my bones snapping and growing as my flesh fell away in huge patches. When I opened my eyes she was staring at me with a surprised look on her face. I caught my reflection in the window behind her. I was the same wolf from my dreams only a tinier version. My claws were longer than that of the average wolf however. I whimpered. "Don't worry," Lilianna spoke, "as you grow so does your wolf," she laughed. I went behind the screen and put on my blue robe with pride. "Congratulations on finding your inner wolf," she said once I was covered, "and congratulations on becoming pack leader. Your body has been through a lot so go rest and share the news with you family then meet me here tomorrow and we'll move on to you next phase of training.
