Full Moon Defenders

Alexander’s Pov 12 years ago It’s such a peaceful November night, too peaceful actually. No wind, no cold, no warmth, just a serene night. From where I was standing, the view was ravishing. The moonlight mirrored in the dark, still water of the lake was feeling your soul with peace and harmony. The vast majority of trees from the forest were dying and the problem was that new ones weren't growing instead. But the trees from around the lake were different. They were tall and strong, with different colors but the same shape. I don’t know why but they made me think about soldiers. The Mociar forest was the oldest forest in the land of Thansilvania. For over more than half of the millennium, the forest provided shelter and protection to the small tribes living there lives inside the welcoming branches of the forest. There was not too much to offer, but protection was the most important thing that creatures like me needed. The soil was not fertile, the water undrinkable and seldom you could find something to hunt. But somehow we managed to live in this place for more than fifty years. Each member of the pack knew exactly their role and thanks to that we had every day the bare necessities for a peaceful life. Our pack, the Full Moon pack, was not big. We were barely 250 werewolves but my father once told me that we used to be one of the biggest and greatest packs from Transilvania and everybody knew who and how we were. It wasn’t an easy life. We were more trying to survive rather than to live. The forest was wild, pure, untouched by humans, so far away from other creatures’ settlements and so far, we haven’t met any stranger in our territory, or at least I haven’t…until today. My father, the great Alpha James Asmi , brought home a little girl. She looked so scared but so was I. I haven’t met anyone from outside the pack before. I looked at her curiously. She was younger than me, I could tell by her height. She was covered with a cape way too big for her, with a black fur collar wrapped around her neck as if she was cold. Her long black hair hangs unkempt over his shoulders and back. Judging by the way she looked, I figured she must have gone through a lot. However, her head was bowed, and I couldn't see her face. I couldn't tell if she was ashamed or scared of being among strangers in a new place. “Alex, she is Aurora and starting with today, she will be your sister.” my father told me surprising us both, Aurora and me. Hearing those words, she lifted her gaze, and that's when I saw the most astonishing eyes I had ever witnessed. The blue of her eyes was special. I couldn't even compare it to anything I've seen before. It was deeper than the sea and clearer than the summer sky. But the most impressive thing about her eyes was the way they make you feel just by looking at them. I felt like falling into an endless abyss totally detached from the world around me. My father's voice shattered the spell that had ensnared me, abruptly wrenching me back to reality. “Son, give Aurora a proper welcome. Like I said, she will be your sister and she will be living with us in the castle.” I really didn’t understand what my father meant by “a proper welcome” so I thought that a hug should do it. So, with shaking legs, I walked towards her and hugged her and with a trembling voice I whispered in her ear: “Welcome”. Even though I was deeply touched by the closeness, it didn't seem to bother her one bit. I felt like I did something wrong because I wasn’t used to this kind of thing. Embarrassed to the depths of my bones, I ran away and I kept running without a direction. The forest was my friend and I knew it like the palm of my hand. It has no secrets from me. Since I know myself I was running through these woods, exploring every patch of land, admiring every tree, inhaling every flower that crossed my path. But there was this special spot that I found one day when I was exploring the forest with my father. It was on a small cliff from where you could see it: the Saint Ana Lake. There is a legend behind the name. It says that there was a young woman who didn’t want to marry the rich man that her parents chose for her so she drowned herself into the water of that lake and since then, the lake has her name as a symbol of love. It was a nice story but I wondered from where my father heard that if we are not in contact with the other tribes especially with humans. For sure he is keeping things from me but it must be for my own sake and safety. “Sometimes it is better not to know some things, boy” this is what he always answered to some of my questions that involved truths I would be better off not knowing … yet. Anyway, the place and the legend were amazing. I don’t understand nor know too much about this kind of love but I thought that the name fits perfectly. The big and abundant trees were all around the lake, as if they were there to protect it from anything that might try to harm the pure soul hidden deep by the water. This place was a little bit far from the castle but I knew I was safe. I usually go there alone and my father doesn’t have a problem with that. Many times I go there to admire the wild beauty of the place and to think. The only thoughts that occupy my young mind were my father’s bed time stories of fearless and mighty warriors who could single-handedly vanquish armies. my eyes were filled with wonder and my heart with admiration for those characters that my father portrays in his stories. Naturally, I yearned to become one of them when I grew older. Often, I felt that those stories were something more than ordinary bedtime tales, but my father, being overprotective, perhaps shielded me from the harsh and bloody realities. Who knows? Maybe one day the truth will be revealed. However, lately, weird events happen within the pack. Something bad is going on, I know it, yet everyone assures me that everything is good and I should now worry. My mind was full of thoughts while looking at the moon when suddenly I heard a voice calling me. It was the Beta of the pack. My father, the Alpha, sent him after me. “Come quickly, boy! Your father needs you.” I thought that something bad must have happened to him but he was perfectly fine a few hours ago when I last saw him. I just followed him, hoping and praying that he would be safe. The Beta wasn’t leading me to the castle but to the witches’ chambers. What was I doing there? My father totally forbade me to go any nearer to that place. “ Umm, Beta, I think you brought me to the wrong place.” I told him. But then I spotted my father. There he was, perfectly fine waiting for me just in front of a house door. “Father, what happened?” I asked him, happy that he was OK. He kneeled in front of me and he put his strong hands on my shoulders. I knew then that something serious was about to happen. “ Alex, I want you to go inside and pay attention to what the woman has to say to you, OK? It’s very important, son. Do you understand? “ he told me with a very serious voice that I had never heard before. “Yes, father”, I answered. He stood up and showed me the way to the witches’ room. My legs were trembling. I was so lost, so confused. I had no idea why I was there after my father forbade me so many times to even think about getting close to that place, with whom do I have to talk and about what. There were so many questions in my head, making me dizzy. Heavily, I took my first step inside and then I turned around to see my feather’s face hoping that maybe he would tell me to come back, that he made a mistake, but actually he encouraged me to go forward. And that’s exactly what I did. The room was not as I expected. It was warm and cozy. I thought that what I would find would scare the s…t out of me and I would be hunted for the rest of my life by what I was about to experience in that room. But it wasn’t the case. I wasn’t so afraid anymore. I was looking around and then I heard a voice. “Alex, I was waiting for you. Come closer! the voice told me. I turned my look in the direction of where the voice was coming and I spotted the bed. The voice sounded familiar, so with confidence I went forward. When I saw the woman in bed, I smiled happily and the fear was completely gone. “Hi,nana! Are you feeling OK?” I asked her. She looked much older than I remember but I still recognized her. She grabbed my hand and pulled me closer to her. “Listen to me carefully, my child. One day you will find your mate and you must reject her, understand? If you don’t do that, she will not become the woman she needs to be in order to fulfill her destiny. The future of the supernatural world depends on her. Do you understand? You must never forget that, child. “she told me. Of course, I didn’t understand anything but I lied to her.”Yes, nana, I understand and I will never forget." I was still holding her hand until it became heavy in mine and her eyes were closed. I tried to wake her up but I couldn’t. I felt that something was not right so I went out to my father scared and crying, telling him that something bad had happened to nana. He went inside with his beta to see what happened. Nana was gone. My father gave some orders to his men and then he asked me what nana told me. And I told him that I have to reject my mate so she can fulfill her destiny because the world depends on her. My father looked at me confused. “Are you sure that that is what she told you?” he asked. “Yes, father. I’m sure. But, father, can I ask you something?” I told him. He nodded his head, so I simply asked “ What is a mate?” I had no clue about what was going on and I couldn't understand anything. How could I? I was only 6 years old.