Lunar Phases: Golden Eyes

Chapter 4: Pins and Needles

My heart was racing and my breathing was coming out in short bursts.

The windows squeaked as a result of the intense wind. I could hear wolves stomping and howling in agony as they raced from house to house in a quest of a mate. Hundreds of females with distinct odors mix together and disperse over the limits of each pack. The odors couldn't escape from the pack's boundaries. That is what makes the search more complicated and difficult. A male wolf must search each pack land for their mate's scent. This is even more challenging since each female's smell is intermingled with that of her pack mates, like hair braided together in harmony. I gasped for air as the temperature seemed to  increase despite the chilly night. I clenched my eyes close and concentrated on trying to get my breathing back to normal.

I flexed my right leg and noticed that it was still in a weird angle to the silver preventing me to heal back to normal.  I slid my fingers through the mattress to see whether my arm had also healed, and it had. I blinked open my eyes and looked about. I had the impression that the walls were creeping closer and closer, making the space much smaller than it was. Wolves' howls could be heard outside. My own wolf reappeared, as did wailing screams that echoed throughout my chamber. She's pleading for assistance, for her partner.

I trashed around the bed, trying to get as much friction on my flesh as possible. The silver forming a bracelet on my left wrist scorched ankles from the pulling I did over the last several hours. My throat made a scratchy, weird sound that evolved into a high-pitched whine. My bedsheets were soaked in perspiration and blood. I was smothered and powerless.

The searing feeling returned, this time creeping upwards from the tips of my toes. "No," I said angrily.

"No, no, no!" I screamed. The anguish is indescribable. The prickle of hundreds of needles punctured my skin deeply towards the bone on a regular basis. Reoccurring every three to five minutes over a period of twenty to thirty minutes.

I began counting in time with the clock's arm. It's the only thing that keeps me sane.

It came to a halt after thirty minutes.

I arose from my bed and looked at the time. The clock appears to be ticking slowly. I wanted the time to fly by as it did while I was exercising in the cellar. However, the clock is taunting me every passing moment. It wasn't even two o'clock in the morning. I sobbed in agony.

I cursed as I repeatedly smashed my head on the soft mattress, hoping it would knock me asleep.

I'm not going to make it. It's still day one, and there are six days left.

The seven days of heat will provide seven phases. There are seven penalties. Today is the first day.

I craned my neck and peered out the window, waiting for the first trace of sunlight to appear on the horizon. Only then will I be granted rest before the second stage begins.

The moon captivates every werewolf. We could stare at it all night and not move, but only on these days would all werewolves bend their heads and avoid staring at the moon. It is uncomfortable and terrible to stare at the moon because of the sins committed by our forefathers. You will never be able to escape the moon goddess' gaze. She is continually keeping an eye on things, but why does it feel like she's turned a blind eye every full moon?

'I'm not going to be able to accomplish this. Is this the end for me? Is it possible that I will perish?' I thought.

I beg the moon Goddess to have compassion on me.

My wolf muttered reassuringly, 'Yes, we can get through this. He'll be there.'

I screamed in agony and moaned in anguish. Remembering what Aunt Talina went through till stage four gave me courage. I have to be brave for this stage since I know there's a good probability I'll be experiencing the second and subsequent stages.

Then I was enveloped in darkness.

Flashback:

A year ago...

"What took you so long?" Talina said as I entered the kitchen and handed her  the herbs she needed, which could only grow near the lake in the forest.

"I'm sorry, I was admiring the sunset," I apologized. The image of the lake flashed across my head.

I was appreciating the colors which seemed to blend well with the hues of purple and orange. It was stunning. The sky mirrored like a mirror on the motionless lake's surface.

Talina looked at me kindly and asked, "You miss them?"

I just smiled and recalled the memories the lake holds.  I used to come there with my childhood friends to play. Unfortunately, my two best buddies have found their own pack and moved in. Cody met his soulmate at the age of 18, who happened to be Melissa, my other closest friend.

It was unexpected because it's unusual to locate your mate in the same pack. They had to attend the "Selection" a week after the mating. The selection will indicate which pack a coupling is most suited to. This was implemented to make sure that all packs were equal. This prevents a stronger pack from attacking a weaker pack. The werewolf race has been decreasing in the last decade. We feel like it was due to the punishment of the moon goddess.

 Melissa recalled how she felt as the clock struck twelve. Melissa indicated that you'd rather die than go through the agony that was going to befall you. Fortunately, due to her mates proximity, he was able to locate Melissa an hour after midnight. Ending her agony with a claiming mark on her biceps, where a werewolf's mark is.

It's been three years. Melissa and Cody would phone from time to time to see how I was doing. We last chatted around a month ago. She walked me through their new pack's daily routine. She informed me that after two years of training, Cody was eventually able to secure a position as a pack fighter, while Melissa landed a post as the pack's chief cook. That chick can make anything delicious.

I glanced as Aunt Talina as she held the wooden pestle and crushed various plants in the wooden mortar.

Auntie," I began.

I hauled myself up and sat next to her on the Island while she concentrated on the medication. "How far along were you able to progress?"

This is a subject that my Aunt avoided. She didn't want to frighten me. She has been training me nonstop to keep me physically and psychologically strong.

She came to a halt in her stirring and stared at the notebook, which was covered in scribbles and illustrations of flora. I couldn't read it since it was written in Latin. As a healer, the moon goddess has bestowed the ability to write and read Latin on all healers. "Get me the olive oil in the cubby, please," she said, pointing to the large cubbyhole beside the fridge which is lined up with countless of vials and bottles in different sizes.

I  sought for olive oil among shelves that Aunt Talina had made over the years. Books are stacked on the third rack.

I examined the first shelf and took the bottle of olive oil. I returned to the spot where she was standing. "Hear you go, Talina," I murmured as I uncapped the bottle and offered it to her.

She elbowed my ribs and stared at me, saying, "Don't call me by my name; where did you learn your manners?"

"I'm not sure. You raised me, didn't you?" I questioned as I screwed the cover back on after she had poured a generous amount of olive oil into the mortar.

She mixed the herbs with the olive oil to create a smooth consistency. She took a deep breath and raised her left hand over the mortar, continuing to crush the herbs with her right hand. "Ad numen luna, Réspice in me, et da mihi potentia operativa," she whispered, closing her eyes (Goddess of the moon, Turn thee unto me, and give me your power.)

She turned to face me and spooned a tiny quantity in front of my mouth. I inhaled it and put the spoon in my mouth.

I spit up the unpleasant medication as I circled the island where the sink sat. I dipped my tongue in the water, attempting to get rid of the aftertaste.

I turned back to see Aunt Talina, who was beaming as she began cleaning up the Island. I put both of my hands on the Island and leaned in closer to the medication she was making.

"What was that?" I enquired, disgusted.

"Wound ointment," she explained.

"So why did you let me eat it if it was for wounds?" I queried.

My Aunt is insane. It's probably because she's been utilizing a lot of strange herbs. Last year, she attempted experimenting with m*******a and used Uncle Jerry as her lab rat, which did not go well.

She took out a jar and placed all of the contents inside. "Just for fun," she answered with a smile.

I grabbed the spoons and mortar that needed to be washed and placed them in the drying rack. As Aunt Talina stood behind me, I felt the wind shift. She abruptly grabbed the knife by the sink and dragged it across my right hand.

I screamed in shock as she deeply sliced my right hand with the silver knife. The bloody knife clattered on the sink and I watched the blood slowly spiral down the drain. I shoved her back onto the Island and wrapped my left hand over her neck.

"What are you doing?" I hissed as my wolf took over. My eyes glowed with the rustic gold mirrored in Aunt Talina's gaze.

"Don't be such a baby, it's just a tiny scratch," Aunt Talina said as she flicked my forehead.

"You shouldn't do that to us," I said as I pulled my grip off of her neck.

"But I missed you so much, Ashana; I prefer having you around than Hyacinth," Aunt Talina cooed.

She scooped out a generous amount of the ointment, motioned for my hand, and said, "Give me your hand."

I extended my hand, and she carefully spread the ointment. I stood there watching as the wound healed in two seconds. "See? It works. Everything is better," she said with a smile.

"Thank you," Ashana murmured gratefully. I decided to recover control when Ashana calmed down and realized that they were not in danger.

"I still want to talk to Ashana," Aunt Talina said, frowning.

"Too bad, you'll have me to keep you company," I taunted as she proceeded to clean up the island.

"You haven't addressed my question," I pointed out as she wiped the counter.

"Until Stage 4," she answered finally..

My heart raced a little faster. Fourth stage is The loss of eyesight.

"That is why your training will begin tomorrow, and you will be blindfolded," she said enthusiastically.-End of Flashback

Throughout the night, I slept off for five minutes before feeling the prickling sensation again and waking up. Every time I drifted off, memories rushed across my head. My wolf and I chatted a lot to attempt to distract ourselves from the anguish we were both feeling.

Wolf first appears in your subconscious mind when you are six years old. This would subsequently be referred to be an imagined buddy by some humans. When I was six years old, I was astounded to hear my wolf speak to me for the first time.

Flashback:

"One, two, three......,", I squealed as I sprinted to the left, remembering a little cave where Aunt Talina and I used to go when she looked for herbs and plants for her ointments. I ruffled the bush and squeezed inside the one-meter-by-one-meter-wide cave, laughing as Uncle Jerry counted from one to twenty.

Uncle Jerry was still unable to locate me after ten minutes. I inspected the plants that were concealed from the sun in the cave with me. I noticed that the plants all appeared to be the same. Everything was purple. I was playing with the leaves when I fell asleep.

'Wake up.' , the voice said. It had a sweet, musical voice. I wiped my eyes and sat up after sleeping down with the cave's roof an inch above my head.

'Huh?',  I thought as I peered around the cave for the source of the voice.

"Where are you?" I inquired aloud.

'I'm your wolf,' she remarked joyfully.

"My name is Hyacinth, and you should call me H because it sounds great. What's your name, wolf?" I said excitedly.

'I'm not sure,' she said after a long pause of thinking what her name was.

"That can't be, I'll name you! How about...Melissa? No, my friend's name is Melissa," I reasoned.

'I'm OK with Melissa,' she kindly stated.

"No, you should have a distinctive name! You'll be Ashana! Do you like it?" I said enthusiastically.

'I adore it! 'Thank you, H.,' she said hesitantly.

"You're welcome!" I shouted, laughing.

Outside the cave, I was grabbed from behind and placed on someone's shoulder. "Who are you talking to, Cinth?" Uncle Jerry inquired as he peered up at me.

"To Ashana!" I said joyfully.

"Who?" Uncle Jerry inquired once again.

"Her name is Ashana. My wolf," I yelled into his ear.

-End of Flashback

I attempted to listen to the woodland sounds, but it was unusually silent. There were no howling, footsteps, or anything else.

I checked the time and was happy to see that it was already 5 minutes before 6:00 a.m. My agony will cease to exist as soon as the sun appears on the horizon. I made it through the first stage. I laughed out loud and glanced out the window, soaking in the rays of sunlight.