Fall of the Luna (completed)

Victor's History

Werewolf Councilman Jestin’s POV

           I locked the door of my office and checked that all windows were shuttered and locked as well, before heading to the bookshelf facing north. I lifted one of the books to reveal a lever and pulled down on it. The bookshelf moves to the left to reveal a passageway to my fortified chambers where I kept the deepest and darkest secrets of Werewolves hidden away. A Council Guard had presented an anonymous tip left at our doorstep to us during our weekly meeting. Immediately, I smelled the scent of witchcraft and alerted the other Councilmen. After much debate, all four of us agreed to let me take charge of investigating this tip and the person who tipped us off. After all, I was the only original founding Councilman while the rest of them had all inherited the titles from another male wolf in their Pack.

                As one of the original founding Councilmen, I was the only one who still remembered our history and was in possession of our treasures. After the Great War, also known as the Great Betrayal, depending on whether you were a werewolf or a witch, the Alphas of the four allied Packs decided that an independent body was required to protect the power and reputation of their Packs. The Eclipse Pack was the original werewolf Pack, the pack created by the first Alpha and his Luna. Perhaps this was why my Alpha, the great-great-grandson of the first Alpha and Luna, and great-grandson of the White Wolf Luna was so concerned about his legacy, even after having secured a decisive victory against the witches. The other three Packs who allied with us and gained immensely from this victory eventually agreed as small but powerful covens pop up every once in a few decades to try and uncover the truth. Using their influence in their own regions, the Tiger Eye Pack, Moonstone Pack and Blue Topaz Pack were able to garner support for our proposal to establish a Werewolf Council to oversee the well-being and protect Werewolves in North America. The Council was in actual fact an instrument of the Alphas of these four Packs and all of our work was done to further their interest. It was obvious that things would turn out this way, especially because the founding Councilmen were the four Betas of these four Alphas. There was no way for us to go against our Alphas even if we wanted to. Besides, there was no reason for us to want to do that.

                Over the years, we hunted down remaining antagonistic covens and wiped them out while lone witches were held in captivity to further our cause. As my Alpha said, there are no peaceful covens and no good witch. The reason for our actions was always to preserve our way of life and prevent another Great War. As the centuries went by, memories faded and many different versions of the Great War were passed down in Packs across the country but in every version, Werewolves were the champions of peace and warriors of the Moon Goddess, while witches and humans were the instigators of violence. In a way, there was some truth to this version of history. I remember my Alpha telling me that during the time of his great-grandma, the High Priestess came to our Pack to escape her mother, the daughter of the first witch, nicknamed the crazy witch by us. The Moon Goddess had taken pity on the High Priestess, who was just an ordinary witch at that time because her own mother was so focused on amassing power that she had treated all of her gifted daughters as weapons, while ungifted daughters and sons were turned into undead creatures with dark magic to form her vampire army. The High Priestess had escaped the crazy witch after finding her human mate but her happiness was destroyed when the crazy witch found her and murdered her mate in front of her eyes.

                The Moon Goddess took pity on the High Priestess and answered her prayer for help by leading her to the safety of the Eclipse Pack. Our White Wolf Luna was known for her kindness and accepted the young witch into our Pack. Word of the Moon Goddess’s blessings on the young witch spread and she became known as the High Priestess because she was the only known witch who has ever been able to speak with the Moon Goddess. Each generation, only one of her descendants would inherit her gift and title. By the time my Alpha and I took on our title, the granddaughter of the High Priestess had inherited the title and her gift. She also happened to be my Alpha’s fated mate but despite having grown up together, my Alpha didn’t trust witches. However, that didn’t stop him from taking the High Priestess as his mate and Luna. Their union was a great blessing for our Pack and the High Priestess played an important role in helping us to grow and prosper. With the guidance of the High Priestess, we were the only Pack who remained unaffected when more humans arrive on the continent and fought with us for control of land and resources. Soon, the High Priestess gave birth to a pair of twins and I thought that my Alpha would decide to accept the fated mate that the Moon Goddess had destined for him. Little did I know that he had more sinister plans up his sleeves.

                I would never forget that night. It was the night of the new moon and the tides were high, which was normal for a new moon, but this new moon was anything but normal. The tides became higher and more violent late into the night and without warning, almost all coastal areas were devastated. Inland areas were also flooded and we thought on the following day that we had already seen the worst as all traces of some Packs, covens and human settlements were completely gone, not even bodies were to be found. The shortage of food and the violence that broke out after this night was the real nightmare. Brothers turned on one another and families were torn apart as everyone fought to survive. The humans soon started to accuse witches of causing this unnatural disaster and many covens were burned at stake to punish the perpetrators. The crazy witch and her followers also made use of this opportunity to discredit the followers of the High Priestess while increasing their own power as much as possible. In the end, our Alpha handed our Luna to the humans as a sacrifice to appease whatever gods and goddesses that they believed in, accusing her of being the witch who caused the calamity. This act of betrayal sealed our alliance with the humans and with the Tiger Eye Pack, Moonstone Pack and Blue Topaz Pack behind us, we were able to defeat the crazy witch and her followers. Any Packs or covens who were against us were also hunted down until we were able to tell the stories of what happened and our version of the story persisted until today.

                Over the centuries, the Alphas and Betas of the original four Packs all passed to the other side and I was the only one left. Many thought it was because I’ve been blessed by the Moon Goddess but the truth is, when my Alpha had betrayed our Luna, the High Priestess had made a deal with me. She knew that with her gone, her pups were not safe. In exchange for their safety, she had given me a sunstone. It was a rare and enchanted stone that warns me of danger and also acts as a magic compass, leading me to where there were traces of magic. I did not want to betray my Alpha but the lure of such a powerful gemstone was too attractive of an offer. Besides, I only promised to bring them to safety, to the designated coven that she had told me and whatever happens after that is none of my business. Looking at the sunstone in my hand always brought back these memories. I put it down again on my table and opened the envelope containing the tip.

                                Martha may be dead but her followers are now mad.

                                Casting dark spells and using blood magic, sending us all into panic.

                As I read the last work of the tip, the note and envelope lit up and disappeared into dust in my hands. I wasn’t surprised by the tip. After all, the crazy witch had gained a large following during the Great War and until today, we don’t know how many of her followers are still out there. I was definitely surprised when we learned about Martha because she had been able to fly under our radar for so many centuries but after her, I expected to find at least some followers. Picking up the sunstone, I went to a secret garden connected to my fortified chamber and held it up against the dark sky. It was a new moon night again, and the sunstone shone against the dark night sky. Slowly, some stars became brighter, eventually forming a path and pointing me towards the West Coast. “The West Coast,” I mumbled to myself, and suddenly, the Gold Moon Pack sprang into my mind. I was shocked at how much they’ve managed to grow during the past few years. It was too similar to how the Eclipse Pack had grown under the rule of our Alpha and Luna, and I was definitely suspicious that their growth started right after their Alpha had declared his Luna. Yet, at the last quadrennial games, their performance was lackluster and they almost failed to defend their titles, not to mention both Alpha and Luna were unable to attend. Interesting, I thought, I guess it’s time for me to pay the Gold Moon Pack a visit. But before that, I need to send out our spies across the country and also into the border states in Canada to gather intel on this tip and the person who tipped us off.