The Change of Seasons

In this moment

The chilled winter air stirred up snowflakes in the mid-winter morning. Creating a lovely display of dancing white flecks throughout the Lunares' territory. An expansive field stretching for miles was their claim, home to a massive clan of werewolves. Newly-made buildings, just a few years old, were littered throughout this space, with more currently in progress. The large expanse was separated into five sections. East and west were servants, errand runners, and house cleaners resided. North and South were where the soldiers, fighters, and officers lived. Finally, there was The Central which was nestled between all four quadrants. Here, the Alpha, his mate, and Beta/ Omega aristocrats lived as well as the shopping district and food stands. It was here that the noise and bustle of the people made their way inside a tall red brick building.

"I believe she is the perfect candidate for this program." A large man's stern voice echoed throughout the halls of the fairly large executive building. In a medium-sized office, stood a decorated soldier and a commanding officer in front of a large desk stacked to the brim with papers. The tall, barrel-chested officer wore a dark forest green uniform with a full moon pin as his rank, a simple silver name tag printed with the name 'Stently', and a crescent-shaped notch in his right ear. "I have selected her to represent my platoon." He motioned over to the soldier. She stood tall, at full attention, seemingly devoid of any emotion in her face. A werewolf in combative form was rarely seen off of the battlefield. Nevertheless, she stood at roughly 6'8", large clawed hands straightened at her side with a lithe body built more for speed than strength. Her dark chocolate eyes were fixated straight ahead, and a thin scar ran across her snout. She donned a muddy brown uniform her rank insignia that of a crescent moon, she too had a crescent-shaped hole in her right ear. "I believe that as blank as this dog is, it would make for the perfect experiment ."

"Well, how does she feel about it?" The smaller man at the desk spoke up. He wore no uniform, only a simple button-up, and a clip-on tie. He wore a look of exhaustion on his face, which was reminiscent of a long day. "Would you like to test the waters with new clanmates?"

The soldier continued to stare straight ahead, almost as if she were in some sort of trance.

" Speak Farune," Boomed the officer, at which the soldier seemed to come to life.

"Sir. I am willing to do what my clan needs, sir." She looked the smaller man in the eyes, her eyes fixated on him as if he were a bird in a cat's gaze. She found herself focused on the man's ears. He had no clip or crescent piercing. In fact, they were perfectly normal human ears. 'That's an issue' she thought to herself as her lip twitched, suppressing a snarl bubbling up to the surface. She felt a heavy hand on her tensed back as Stently leaned in and growled out an order.

"Behave, Farune. He's an ally, NOT a chew toy. Speak." At his order, Farune took a deep breath and relaxed. She closed her eyes for a moment, "Good dog." He said reassuring her quietly, as his hand lifted from her back. "I've got things to do, dogs to train. Good luck, with her Rusty!" Stently chuckled as he closed the lightweight office door behind him leaving the somewhat preturbed office man with Farune.

He cleared his throat and decided to bowl a series of questions her way. "I understand it you refused his position."

"Yes, I am more attuned to the battlefield." Farune turned her gaze onto Rusty, opting to sit in the office chair by his desk. "I apologize for my behavior." She adjusted herself in the small chair, her large size awkwardly fitting in the seat. "What do you need to know?" Rusty was, to say the least, a tad confused. Just a moment ago she was slightly hostile, as if she were hiding back an urge to attack him. Now she was polite and well-mannered.

"What was that about? Was that normal behavior from you?" He pulled out her personnel file reading it over as she answered.

"Unfortunately, yes. We are a warrior clan, fighting those who are from other clans is how we've been trained from a very young age." She was blunt and straight to the point. Rusty looked into her eyes allowing her to finish speaking before realizing that her voice was just about as monotonous as her face was. There was no change or emotional expression.

Rusty nodded, "Your personnel file says you have a clean record, and you're a good soldier who takes orders well. Unfortunately, that means you'll have to unravel that training and routine here in normal society. I understand you've been through the two-year trial period and were one of the more well-adjusted soldiers from your unit." He looked up with a furrowed brow. If she was one of the well-adjusted ones, he feared for how psychotic the rest of the platoon may have been. "Are you incapable of feeling?" Farune paused for a moment, not expecting something so straightforward.

"No, but I am incapable of showing emotion. The platoon doctor believes it is the result of my training." She broke eye contact and stared at the floor, a familiar shame creeping up on her. "Commanding Officer Stently believes if I can emote better after this program the platoon will have more hope for themselves. In truth, I believe any one of them is better suited to this role." Rusty marveled at her words. In the context of words alone, it seems she's very proud of her platoon, but her disposition didn't communicate that at all.

"You must have had a great deal of misunderstandings. How do you get along with the men in your platoon?"

"There was a great deal at first. But I have known the same soldiers and fought alongside them for ten years, the misunderstandings eventually dwindled out."

Intrigued by the contradiction this woman seemed to be he asked his final question. "Why aren't you in your human form?"

Farune paused to think about her answer, "I..am not fully certain myself. On the battlefield, I never changed forms to always be ready for enemy attacks. I suppose I've just gotten used to it." She seemed to struggle with the answer embarrassed by the context of it, she felt silly. In truth, she hadn't changed forms in so long that she wasn't sure if she could change back.

"I see." Rusty said with some finality, having made his decision. "Sargent Amelia Farune," She stood instinctively at attention. "I leave you with this one order. The wolves who reside here are your allies. You aren't allowed to attack unless physically threatened. Welcome to Lunares' Werewolf Warrior Rehabilitation Program. I'm sure you'll do well."