Dakini's Hope

Prologue

Back in the start of werewolves, there once lived a great and powerful pack known only as the Blade Pack. They ruled over a great portion of territory and protected a humans-village in the woods closest to their main den. Their leader was a kind and caring man named Aldan with his mate Tala. Every member of the pack was well respected and looked after by their rulers; prey was only taken to sustain life and no war broke out between the werewolves and the humans for about five generations.

Among the village, lived a young witch with her husband and only child called Roulette. She was a friend of Aldan's and made sure that the werewolves and humans hardly ever resorted to violence whenever they disagreed. Things were perfect for both sides of the forest; both humans and werewolves lived side-by-side with barely any friction. The humans would share their hunts with the werewolves as long as the werewolves provided protection from enemy tribes and predators that wanted to harm them.

But not everyone was happy with the partnership between the Blade pack and the humans.

A young male by the name of (A-KNARL-EE) Anaeli Katana was discontented with the relationship with the weak human beings that Aldan went out of his way to protect. Anaeli felt that the werewolves were a superior race to the humans - having been granted by the Stars the power of stamina for long journeys, speed of the chase and skill of the hunt as well as the ability to change from one species to another with little to no effort or pain. To him, the humans were nothing but weak and pathetic creatures who deserved to be treated as prey since they did not have the powers that the werewolves did. The only power the humans were granted by the Stars was the power to create and build objects such as shelters and weapons; they had no fur, no claws, no sharp teeth and no natural ability to hunt or seek out prey like the werewolves did.

Aldan was growing concerned about Anaeli's continuously rebellious behaviour and growing support. Often, Aldan would visit the witch and her family for support and advice on what to do with Anaeli; but the witch could offer no support since she was not a werewolf herself. She could only suggest getting rid of Anaeli before he grew too arrogant and either challenged Aldan for his authority or put every werewolf life at risk. Little did Aldan know how true both of the witch's fears would end up becoming.

One day, after a hunt where Aldan had allowed the humans to take most of the kill back to their home, Anaeli finally had enough of protecting humans and allowing them such privileges that not even an Omega was granted. Once they got back to their home site, Anaeli challenged the aging Alpha for his place as leader - if he won, he would take control of the Pack and end up taking Tala away from Aldan.

Tala had pups not too long before this, so when she heard Anaeli call Aldan to fight, she immediately feared for her family's life. A new Alpha had every right to kill pups that do not belong to him if he wished; it was werewolf law (although this law has been abolished now and pups that do not belong to the current Alpha are required to be treated by the new Alpha as if they were their own.)

Reluctantly, Aldan agreed to the challenge and a fight broke out between the two males. The pack could only watch as Aldan tried every fighting tactic against the younger opponent, but Anaeli wasn't fighting just to become Alpha - he was fighting to kill. Just when Aldan thought he had defeated the younger male with a brutal blow to the neck; Anaeli leapt to his paws and ripped the older Alpha's throat clean out. Tala could only yelp in horror as her mate was slaughtered in front of her and later, Aldan's pups were also killed in front of her - and there was nothing she could do to stop Anaeli.

With Anaeli in charge, the Blade pack began to change for the worse.

Anaeli's first order as Alpha was for the Pack to drive the humans away from their territory and to kill any who fought back or refused to leave. The witch tried to use her magic to keep the werewolves from rampaging the village, but her spells took too long to create any sort of force field to protect the village.

The witch's efforts were in vain - and she lost both her husband and child to the merciless slaughter of the villagers. Many of the villagers fled, and those that remained were killed by Anaeli's pack. Once the humans were gone, some of the pack turned on Anaeli for his brutality and many threatened to overthrow him; but the new Alpha was not intimidated. He defeated any challenger and he ordered any werewolf that would not follow him to stand in a line - those that did follow him, he ordered them to kill the disloyal.

The once great and powerful Blade Pack, was now a small and fear-filled camp; many werewolves followed Anaeli out of fear - including Aldan's former mate, Tala, who was now also carrying Anaeli's first generation of offspring.

The witch, angered by her losses and by the way of which Anaeli treated his followers, called a meeting one night with the Alpha upon the cliff that oversaw the old human tribe's village and the pack's camp. Anaeli agreed; his feelings towards any human - including the witch - still reigning strong in his mind.

"Anaeli, you must get off this path that you have set yourself." The witch said. "Your greed for blood-lust is destroying yourself and your Pack. You are causing more suffering than you seem to be willing to acknowledge."

Anaeli laughed in the witch's face. "My way of thinking has brought this Pack to greatness. We rule supreme over our territory now, with no dirt-blooded humans tainting our lands and prey with their demonic tools - just as it should have been from the very beginning."

"Anaeli, I will not ask again." replied the witch, her voice holding more than a hint of anger. "You must change your ways, or I will punish you and your kin for as long as they continue to produce offspring."

Again, Anaeli laughed in the witch's face. "You are only a pathetic human with a dull stick and stupid liquids that you claim hold great power to do things no human mind can imagine. I am superior to you and I will NOT be threatened by you!"

With that, Anaeli lifted a hand, changed his nails to his claws and slashed the witch across the face - from the top of her forehead to the bottom of her right cheek - then left to go back to his mate and pack. The witch lifted her now-glowing palm to her face and wiped it across the wound; which vanished as she moved her hand across it. She watched Anaeli's back and her eyes began to glow as light as the moon.

"Black-eyed they shall be,

So that everyone may see,

The monster that lurks within their blood,

And your blood-hungry appetite will never be forgot."

"On this night, the Katanas will suffer

For generations to come.

Their aggression will be insatiable

And will spread to some.

I curse you, Katana blood,

So that your soulless father,

Will never be forgot."

With these words, the witch turned and left the werewolf pack's land for good - leaving the Katana line to be doomed to walk alone for generations upon generations to come. Generation after generation, Anaeli's line continued to produce Black-Eyed offspring; some were unaffected by the Curse for moons - but some were affected from the moment they stepped foot out of the den and immediately began attacking any other offspring that came near them; forcing Anaeli to kill more than one of his own children.

Others were sentenced to living their lives in isolation; but most ended up going insane from the Curse - which drove them to either tear themselves apart or go out on the hunt for other werewolves to pass the Curse to.

As time went on, any pup or adult that was suspected to have Black Eyes, was killed at birth or executed publicly in front of their entire pack.

With all the mass executions over the years, it is unknown whether there are any werewolves that still carry the Katana blood in their veins or, if there are, where they are now.

The werewolf government still has the law that any suspected Katana is to be handed in to them as soon as possible, so that they can be privately executed to keep Witherington and other werewolf towns safe from the Curse.