The Path of the Protector

Creatures in the woods

They walked out of the small village along the trail he had indicated, and within an hour came to a fork in the road. They were amazed at how well the map was drawn, and glad that the man had marked the teail that they should take. Emily had decided to trust his word, and was coming to the realization that these wolves were nothing compared to what they had been taught.

Did she think they would have been dead had they actually managed to enter the Lycan territory, Yes. However once they were let in, she did not feel that they were a threat. In fact she was fairly certain that if she revealed who she was they would have honored her for what she was. She did not know what had her at ease, but every time they attempted to follow the path the old man had marked, she got the worst feeling of foreboding there was.

"Brian, can we make a path that would get us to our destination by taking this route?" Emily asked curiously as she would not take the route that the Shaman had marked.

Brian took some time studying the map, and nodded several times as he finally got his bearings in the weird style it aas written.

"We can, however it could add as much as a week to the journey." he said knowing they did not have the supplies for that long.

Emily nodded as she looked at Ashley. "I will eat my leg before I take a step down that path. I do not know what it is, but that path leads to death and destruction." she replied firmly to the unasked qusstion. Brian shook his head, and was struggling with the new faith his daughter had.

He was religious himself, and had raised his children to be. Ashley had always struggled with it the most, and had challenged every concept he had tried to teach her. Now her faith seemed unshakable, and her voice full of conviction that she was correct. "What about supplies?" Brian asked and both girls looked at him.

"Faith father, that is our mission. Despite what the map says, we will follow the Moon Goddess first and foremost. As soon as my foot touches this path," Ashley said pointing to the path where the map said was the quickest way. "My gut gets so twisted I can barely see through the paranoia."

Emily laid her hand on Ashley's shoulder, and he watched as she began regulating her breathing. He had no clue what aas happening, he only knew that he was protecting his daughter after the entire world turned upside down.

"Brian, we both are aware that you do not have a clue what is going on. Truth js we do not either, but we both know one thing. The Moon Goddess has called us to Ahnkara, and we shall both go. If you have faith that the Moon Goddess can and will deliver us there in person, I welcome you to venture forth with us. If however there is a doubt in your mind about whether or not we make it, I advise you turn back. I will go where the goddess commands, and listen when she tells me not to go a certain way." Emily told him.

Brian looked at the ground, and knew she was right to challenge him the way she did. He was allowing his fear of this place control him, instead of him controlling the fear. "Why did you tell that old Lycan about a meadow?" Brian asked her as he turned away from the path the man had marked.

Ashley went to say something before Emily held her hand up to silence her. "You have seen the meadow before as well?" Emily asked him. She had done a lot of research on the moon goddess since her encounter, and not one story had mentioned the meadow.

"I have, once." Brian said as he lowered his head and crossed his heart slightly as he offered a silent prayer. "The day Ashley was born she told me Ashley would be my only child. But that her place in this world could be completed by no other wolf." he said proudly of his daughter.

"But all my brothers-" Ashley said as he shook his head.

"Not my children. Your mother had 4 when she and I met, and they were all young enough they would not remember their father. We decided I would raise them with her, and we had you later." Brian answered her.

"Than you know we speak the truth when we say we were there. Whatever happens while we are in these woods, the one thing we will cling to is our faith. She will not lead us astray, as I ensure you there is much the two of us must accomplish if we are to survive." Emily told him with such conviction he knew he would follow her to the ends of the world now.

"Than as one of the few believers in our world, I swear my life to your cause. Whatever may be required of me, I will perform my duty as required. I will have faith that she will not lead us astray, and we shall survive whatever may come should we have faith in the Moon Goddess!" he exclaimed as he kneeled before her and crossed his arms over his chest in front of Emily. "I swear my life and loyalty to you, Queen Emily!" he yelled for all of the woods to hear.

"And I accept your oath, and hold you to it. Now rise so we can get out of here. I fear if we linger much longer whatever danger we were meant to face will find us." Emily said as the all grabbed their packs and followed the new trail. They referenced the map occassionally, and it became apparent that it was not accurate.

Before even the first night was through they discovered trails leading off of this one, and several times they would begin down one, only to turn back when the sense of foreboding washed over them again.

For four days they followed this path when they finally found the one indicated on the map, and Emily smiled as she felt the welcoming scent of the meadow wash kver her. She knew they were on the correct path than, and she allowed herself a rare smile these days. They made their way along the path, and after an hour Emily swore she could smell cooking food.

She did not say anything however, as she believed she had imagined it when neither of the others smelt anything. It would be another hour before they did, and there were other signs of life before they had. Emily kept following the path, the feeling of peace from the meadow intensifying as they continued following it.

Half an hour later the trees thinned, and all 3 of them gasped as they entered a meadow. It looked just as the one from the Moon Goddess realm, and Emily felt Selene's satisfaction as they entered it. 'We are definitely on the correct path.' she said to Emily just as she caught a scent she had not anticipated.

Brian let out a warning growl, just before 2 children came rushing through the bushes onto the road. Before any of them could say a word, they both ran in the same direction down the path. They followed along at their leisurely pace, and within half an hour they reached the other edge of the meadow.

At the edge of the trees however, a group of Lycans stood in the road, and it was clear they had been alerted to the presence of strangers.

"Welcome to the The Meadows, please join us." the one closest to the center and most forward of the group said.

"Peace be unto you, and thank you for your hospitality." Emily replied as she was undoubtedly the leader of their small group.

The 3 Lycans laughed as the group stopped in front on them, and the Lycans assessed them. "We were informed of travelers along the path, but dared not hope you would even make it thus far. Would you care to join us for our evening meal, and a night of peaceful rest?" the older man asked them.

"We would be delighted too, thank you." Emily said as the group reformed.

A sharp whistle sounded, and Emily heard a dozen wolves begin descending the trees around them. Most were armed with crossbows and bows, and somehow she knew they were from the modern world outside this forest.

They followed the large group into the village, and Emily felt at ease as they were lead to one of the few locations available to guests. As soon as they dropped their belongings they were taken to the village center, where a circle of 5 Elders formed around a fire. As soon as they were seen the 5 stood, and waited fornthe guests to be brought to them.

"Merry meet, I am Selwyn of the Kyzer house. Welcome to The Meadows, please have a seat." the oldest among the elders said before he introduced the others.

"Merry meet, I am Emily. This is Ashley and Brian." Emily said introducing themselves as well.

"Ah, I feel you have left out a few important details there Ms. Dickinson." Selwyn reied making the others in the cire laugh. "We will however overlook that as we know what you must be enduring ourside this forest." he added kindly.

"It seems we are at the disadvantage here, how do you know so much about us?" Brian asked curious.

"Information is so easily obtained today. We are isolared from the world here, not cut off. It was her ancestors that actually left us." Selwyn added shocking all 3 of them. "Ah, you have forgotten the Ancient Histories than?" he asked at their shock.

Emily was a little confused, but still the feeling of peace and comfort had not dissipated in even the slightest. "Apparently that assessment would be correct. Would you be willing to share the story with us?" she asked kindly. She was genuinely curious.

Selwyn and the others spoke briefly in a language that was difficult to make out, and Emily would have swore she had heard it before. "We will share the hisory, after the evening meal. Until than I am sure you 3 would like the comforts of a shower amd relaxation. I assure you we will have you join us, but your arrival was unexpected. We have several projects we must finish this day, and than we may join you in rest. Until this evening." Selwyn said as he made it clear that they would talk no more for now.

After her shower, Emily explored a bit, and was as surprised to see the villagers working in a group of fields. It was clearly their crops, and she was surprised they worked so well together.

The men standing guard at the perimeter however were unmistakable, and she wondered what could be so dangerous that they were always required to be so alert. She walked to the fields and helped where she could, the feel of work doing wonders on her mood and the feeling of contentment washed over her.

'I wish we could stay.'Emily said to herself.

'We likely could, however we both know what that would mean for the outside world.' Selene replied. 'Enjoy this feeling, I have my own that we just finisjed the safe part of the journey.'

Emily had no idea how long she had helped the villagers harvest the crops in the field, but she knew Ashley and Brian had joined in to help as well after she had. She looked at the sky, and was surprised to see the sun was ready to begin its descent, and knew it had been several hours atleast.

They had completed the harvesting, and the villagers used brute strength to push the laden carts into the village storehouse for processing later. They arrived to the same circle the Elders had talked with them in earlier, and the villagers all seemed pleasant enough. It was clear as she watched they each had their own tasks, and they meeded no encouragement to complete those tasks.

She was amazed at the efficency of the village working together seemingly on their own projects, until they were all combined and dinner for the entire Lycan Pack was cooked at once and served. The food was as delicious as anything she had ever tasted, and knew that even though they lived simply, it was by no means easy.

They discussed many things with the other villagers as they ate, most of them very curious about the outside world. It was just as dusk set upon them that the gong sounded, and the village gathered in tiers around the fire.

The circle of elders were in the closest ring, and they had ensured that their guests were with them. "Rare is it that we entertain guests in our humble village, rarer still when those guests assist us in our daily rituals without the need to ask. We give thanks to the Moon Goddess for allowing them to safely find The Meadows. Normally we would spend the last portion of our day to give thanks to the Moon for her bounty upon us. However the needs of the gracious guests she has sent us, outweigh what we would normally do.

"So we shall honor the mother, and inform her servants of critical parts of the histories they have forgotten." Selwyn said as he threw a packet of herbs onto the burning fire.

'Long ago the Lycan Nation was the largest, strongest, and most feared of creatures that belonged to the night. Almost none could stand against them, and they flourished and thrived under the watchful protection of Artemis, the Goddess of the Moon.

Your untold years they flourished under her protection, not realizing what it cost her to ensure they had peace and tranquility. However as the Gods were want, the peace was not meant to last. Sehkmet, Goddess of War and Love had grown jealous of the power wielded by the Moon Goddess. She was envious of the children that clung to the hip of their mother, amd increased her power.

With her power she created the first of her children. Into them she poured the strength of her lust for blood, especially the blood of those she had become determined to kill. With her creation, Vampires came into existence. As the Children of Artemis clung to her for strength, so to did the Children of Sehkmet. However as she had created them to be an instrument of destruction, she required that they attack the Wolves with their new found powers.

Under her guidance, the Vampires attacked, killed and drank their fill of the vlood of their enemies. Such was their strength and speed, that the Wolves seemed unable to stand against the onslaught. Turning to their Goddess for help, the first Lycans were blessed with the strength, speed, and healing abilities they would need to gain the upper hand. As such the first Lycan shifters were created, and the tides of war began to change.

Sensing her thirst for blood, these new Lycans tricked the Goddess of the Vampires into feeding her and her children large amounts of blood tainted alcohol. When they found the stockpile that had been formed over many years, they feasted without thought to consequence.

As the Vampires and their creator became so intoxicated they could not stand, the Lycan Nation struck its most devestating blow. Despite the death and destruction of most of her children, Selwyn escaped to the heavens, far from the reach of the Lycans.

It seemed in their victory, that the Lycans would last forever. However that was not to be when just a few days after their victory, the Son of the King renounced the creator, and left her realm forever.

In her agony of losing the faith if her children, Artemis, Goddess of the Moon, left all of her children. Dozens had followed the son of the King, last living heir to the noble blood of Artemis herself. As punishment for his betrayal, Artemis stripped the Kings son of his strength, speed and size, a reminder of what he had once had and would never hold again.'

There was a sigh from thise gathered as they lowered their heads, knowing they had been left by the Goddess.

"May I ask what happened to the king?" Emily asked her.

"That is part of why the Prince was punished, in his grief, King William took the lives of his wife and daughters before killing himself. Prince William knew without him his father would do what he did, and he left his mother and sisters to his fate. As we were powerless to stop it, Artemis refused to be in our presence until we were united as one Nation once again.

"We attempted several times over the thousands of yeads since, and the last time we were labeled Feral Wolves because we refused to aknowledge Marcus as ourKing until he returned as the Goddess commanded. The further your kind has removed themselves from the Moon Goddess, the less hope we have had of ever fulfilling her last command to our Priests." Elder Selwyn said honestly, telling Emily much more than he meant too.

Emily nodded, knowing she was the final hope. "Thank you Elder, for answering truthfully. There is much we have lost, and much we have to regain." she told him.

"Child, the mere fact you arrived here safely is the first testament to the true nature of your task. You may disregard the map that Elder Yang gave you, as I am sure you have discovered already that it will not lead you to your true destination. Nor is it an accurate representation of this forest as it currently sits." Slewyn said as Brian pulled it out.

"Why gicmve it to us than?" Brian asked sourly.

"It was the first test." Emily answered simply knowing the truth of it. "The first test of the Moon Goddess to see if we would trust her above all others." she said sure of the answer.

Selwyn nodded as he took the map offered by Brian. He handed him another map, and this one was significantly more detailed in the trails and dangers they faced on the path. "It was indeed, given to us by Artemis herself. You will find the journey you must make covered with her tests. I will warn you that only the bravest of our people attempt your journey, and far fewer sruvive it. You will however find several villages between here and your destination, and each shall welcome you should they survive. Each will have its own portion of our history to share with you, and our own lessons to teach.

"Which of you is called, and which is the protector?" Selwyn asked looking at the two women.

"I am the one called of Artemis." Emily answered as she stood.

"Than you are the protector?" he asked looking at Ashley who nodded. "Excellent, Emily if you would follow me? Ashley, our greatest warrior Lyle will give you what has been kept safe for you."

With that he stood as Emily and Ashkey did, and the two were lead into seperate buildingd. Brian was nervous until the others looked at him and began talking to him.

Emily walked into the Temple they had here, and knew that these Wolves wanted nothing more than to feel the presence of their goddess again. She knew how they felt, as she knew the Celestial Meadow had been replicated from this beautiful location.

"Your lesson here us two fold. The Meadow represents the first step in the journey, and the lesson you must learn is thus. 'The past is unchangeable, no matter how we wish it were thus. In order to grow we must confront the errors of what those before us have done, and work tirelessly to not repeat those errors.' he said as her eyes clouded over and she was swept to the Celestial Plane again.

She found herself in a clearing at the base of a large peak that rose as if it were the only one. She knew as soon as she saw where she was it had a double meaning for her.

'Welcome daughter, you have done well. You are not the first called to attempt this, you however are the first to lass even this test.' Artemis said in her mind as she looked at the barest sliver of the moon.

'I realize that, and do not begrudge what you have done. However I must ask why me?' she thought in rey knowing she would be heard here.

'You are now the last chance, either you will succeed where no one before you has, or my children and I shall forever be wiped from existence. The only thing I can promise, is if you succeed in this task, you shall know what has been forgotten, and will know nothing but peace and love the rest of your days.' Artemis said with sorrow in her voice.

"I assume to get that, I must essentially walk through hell to get it?" she asked seriously.

'I would probably choose less colorful words, but yes. Despite what has happened in the past, be proud of who you are.' Artemis told her.

'Who am I though?' she asked confused.

'You are the daughter of Andromeda, heir to Prince William and King Kygon.' she replied as the vision faded and she was again facing Selwyn.