Born Of Fire: The Moonstone Guardian's Mate

“Be not afraid of the dark, for you are the spark needed to bring all to light.” Someone once said that to me, and while I can’t remember who it was, I have always kept these words with me. Especially in times like right now, when I’m engulfed in darkness without a single droplet of light. Here I am, surrounded by damp earthy smells that flood my senses and everything I touch feels sticky with moisture and seems to be made of either rock or clay. I can’t seem to find a door or way out. I have no idea how big this space I'm in is. My senses are failing me no matter how hard they are working, and I have no idea how I got this way. Last thing I remember before waking up here was running through the woods frantically searching for him. Who is he? And who am I, you ask? Well, I'm Kenna, and he’s- well actually, I think maybe the best way to start this is by going back to the very beginning, long before he and I existed. Before any of our kind really did. ******* Centuries ago when the world was still very much untamed, humans and animals roamed the terrain. Each species is trying its best to establish its dominance over nature and thrive along with each other. This world was watched over and cared for by the Gods and Goddesses. They loved their creation and its creatures, and wanted them to thrive. One such Goddess was the Moon Goddess. Along with managing the Moon, she was a Goddess of fertility, she could inspire love, she could mask reality, and had powers over dreams and intuition, as well as many others. She used her powers to bless the creatures of Earth, especially her favorite creatures, the Wolves and the Humans. She knew these two creatures didn’t always live in harmony, but when they found a way to do so, it was the most beautiful thing to her. Legend says there was once a human couple who lived in a small thatch-roofed cottage they had built together in a clearing in the woods. They were very much in love with each other and hoped to live a happy life together some day raising a small family of their own. This made the Goddess smile upon them. She enjoyed being near these two and observing how they interacted with each other and the creatures around them. One day as the Goddess was strolling slowly, enjoying the lush, green woods not far from the home of the couple. She saw a large male wolf nipping and playing happily with a smaller female wolf. His jet black fur was sprayed with leaves and twigs from the forest floor as he rolled around near her feet. She was about a third smaller than him and her fur was as white as the purest snowfall. Her icy blue eyes never left his hazel green ones, and they danced and darted around the trees. The Goddess was joyously watching the beautiful creatures when suddenly the male wolf stopped and stood stiffly in place with his nose raised slightly in the air. The female, who was a few feet from him at the time, closed the distance between them and stood by his side facing the forest where he was focused. Both wolves quickly took a defensive stance, hair-raising on their hackles in anticipation of what was to come out of the trees. The Goddess watched as the human couple, who’d been walking hand in hand through the woods enjoying each other’s company, sauntered around a clump of brush and unknowingly right into the path of the defensive wolves. Their hearts stopped momentarily, and they stared wide-eyed and motionless at the wolves, afraid for their lives. The tall, muscular man very slowly raised his hands in front of himself and stepped in front of the slender woman, putting himself in the line of danger to protect her. The black wolf stepped forward, putting his large body in front of his mate as well while he growled and began baring his teeth. The wolf continued to growl but made no moves to further close the distance in between them. Each of the males was in a protective stance, neither wanting a battle but willing to fight to protect their mate. Realization struck the man. Neither of them wanted to fight, and he didn’t want to hurt this magnificent creature the Gods created, so the man decided to try something else instead. The couple had packed a few things in a small leather satchel he carried across his body. He slowly moved to pull the satchel forward and dug inside with one hand, never moving the second hand, nor losing eye contact with the wolf. He felt around until he found some dried deer meat he’d packed for the day, and he pulled two pieces from his pack. He held the meat up showing the animals, then he moved slowly to put it down on the ground. As he bent, the dark wolf growled louder, snarling and snapping in his direction. The man placed the meat on the ground and he and his mate slowly backed away, never losing sight of the wolves. The Moon Goddess, who’d been watching with bated breath, was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief and smiled, knowing that her favorite creatures had not hurt each other even though they could have. She continued watching, curious as to what the wolves would do now. The wolves waited until they could no longer smell the humans in the air, and then carefully stepped forward to smell the offering left on the ground. The male wolf carefully inspected the curious lumps. When pulled by hunger, he grabbed a piece and left, so his mate could grab the other, each chewing happily on the tough meat until it was gone. They smelled the spot where the meat was left and found nothing, so they moved forward through the nearby brush seeking to find more. The Goddess followed the wolves through the beautiful forest, curious to see what they would do now. The male wolf started following the human scent, his mate in tow behind him. They walked together, followed by the Goddess as the sun started lowering in the sky. Dusk was approaching, and the wolves found themselves walking out of the trees into a clearing near a small spring-fed creek. There in the middle of the clearing sat the small cottage home of the human couple. The man was outside working on a fence surrounding the cozy home when he heard rustling coming from the edge of the clearing. He looked up to see the wolves who were clearly leery, but also curious about him, as they were keeping to the edge of the woods. He continued to work pretending not to see the wolves, and trying not to alarm them. As he worked, they continued to explore the edge of the clearing, weaving in and out of the trees following the tree line closer to the creek where the male wolf allowed the female to drink while he guarded her, keeping his eyes ever shifting across the area surrounding them. Once she’d had her fill, the male took a small drink and then continued smelling the area. The man was impressed with the wolf and his need to protect his mate. He related to him, thinking of his own need to protect his mate. He decided that day he would do his best to learn to live in harmony with the wolves. The man walked carefully to his small home where he grabbed a large chunk of deer meat he’d been preparing to dry the next day and walked back out, his mate just steps behind him. They approached the grassy area near where the wolves were standing and were watching them cautiously.