The Puppy and the three alphas

The moon hung low in the sky, illuminating the pine trees, the crisp air bore pine trees and wet soil, the leaves swayed and the birds sang. Sapphire's heart clenched from all stares aimed her way and when her arms grazed with the smooth fibre of others robes. She shifted from one foot. ‘I hope nobody can hear my heartbeat.’ She takes in deep breaths, her eyes momentarily drift to the roll of dead trunks, lined to form a path, where they came in from. She and twelve other young wolves, in white ceremonial robes, gathered in a circle. They stood barefoot, in the middle of a wide, circular clearing, in a forest. Outside their circle were about a hundred other werewolves, chatting amongst themselves. They gathered there to witness their young wolves transform for the first time. ‘I've heard my bones will c***k and twist! And some werewolves go mad because of it! How excruciating is the pain?’ Her gaze shifted to her father, the alpha of the pack, who stood in their center of their formed circle. He nods her way, then turns to her mother, Luna Morgana, standing beside him, a gleam in his eyes. Luna Morgana gave Sapphire a glance. She bit her lip then lowered her gaze. ‘She must have noticed I'm worried!’ Sapphire was the sole heir of the Alpha and Luna of the pack. ‘I don't want to know how painful it'll be but…’ She’s been taught to never show weakness, be a symbol of strength for the pack, just like the Moon Goddess. ‘I can't disappoint everyone…’ ‘The honor of the blue wolf Pack relies on me.’ She looked up at the moon and she prayed, moonlight illuminating her pale face. “All right, little cubs,” Alpha Vrynn started, his voice deep and commanding. His chest thrust out, standing tall as he watched everyone’s reaction. “It’s twelve, and soon you will all start shifting. Do not worry about anything else.” He pointed at the partially transformed, legs spread, werewolves besides him. Two tables in front of them, one stacked with oversized shirts and the other with jeans, “The guards are ready on standby for support, there's spare clothes for all the successful shape shifters today.” “And I'm sure that's all of you!” The forest echoed with claps and cheers, some stomping their feet. “Hush.” Everyone quiets down. “For the past years, our prestige has been declining, lowered to number 50 in the world ranking of packs but all that will soon change,” his hands stretched towards Sapphire, “Today, our little cubs will transform and with them is our sole heir, the symbol of our strength! The one and only who will continue our lineage!” All eyes fell on Sapphire. The cheers and stomps from the crowd vibrated the ground. “With the wave of our claws, we topple buildings, crush cars and anything unfortunate to be on our way.” Her hands went cold. She lowered her gaze and forced a smile. “We will never falter,” Varyn continued, “We will never fall. And we will continue to be the strongest wolves of all time.” “Once you hear the bell, you may attempt your transformation.” The clock struck twelve, the pack's clock tower rang. The air grew colder. Sapphire’s legs trembled, a sharp pain in her chest. One by one, every wolf in front of her, her peers got on all fours. Howls, clothes shredding and screams echoed and birds fluttered away. Her legs rooted to the ground, eyes blinking rapidly. Alpha Vrynn frowned, he gestured for her to begin. Sapphire pressed her lips. ‘Get it together!’ One by one, her peers transformed into glowing, huge, blue, majestic beasts. They stood tall and strong, howling with their chest forward. Sapphire took a deep breath, eyes pressed together and bent down. She allowed the pain in her chest engulf her, and the crispy air fill her nostrils to her lungs. She let out a shrill scream, as her bones cackled. Her knees buckled, she stumbled to the ground. A sharp sting flared from her knees. She sucked in a deep breath and gritted her teeth. Tears rolled down her cheeks. ‘No, Sapphire! Beat it! Bear it, Sapphire! This is not the time to cry! I can't cry…’ A sob escaped her lips. ‘No! I am strong! The proud heir of the Blue wolf pack! And their future Luna of the pack.’ Her white robe ripped, her canines grew. Her breath hitched, her eyes rolled back and she let out another scream. Fur grew out of her skin, her bones contorted and reshaped, her claws grew out. A warmth spread across her body as the grass and trees shrank, the moon moving towards her. A smile appeared on her tear filled face, her lips quivering. The pain stopped, she let out a sigh but everything began growing. The werewolves, trees and rocks around her grew. When everything stopped, grass blocked her vision. ‘Huh? What's going on?’ She bolted through the field, pushing away the grass on her way until her head bumped into a hard surface. She saw paws towering over her. She looked up and saw majestic Blue wolves staring down at her. ‘What happened? Why am I so small?’ Her body trembled, a ringing sound engulfed her ears again. “What is that?” Someone whispered but her ears caught it. A blue wolf transforms back to her human form, her boobs wiggling as she bent down. She cradled into her palms and presented her to everyone. Gasps filled the air. “Is that Sapphire?” “She’s not even blue!” “Is she cursed?” Everyone mummered but it echoed in her ears. Sapphire swirled to her parents but faced Varyn’s cold stare, jaw clenched and hands in fists made. “That’s not our color!” someone from the crowd spat and everyone agreed. “Is that truly you, Sapphire?” Varyn's lips curled up at the sight of her. Sapphire’s heart pounded in her chest. Her mouth dried, lips quivered. ‘I shouldn't have transformed!’ She opened her mouth but only a whimper came out. She looked down at her paws, moonlight shimmered on her silver fur, giving them a ghostly glow. ‘Why Is my fur white?!’ Alpha Varyn swirled to Morgana. “What happened to your daughter? Why is she so small?” he bared his teeth, a snarl escaping from his lips. Sapphire flinched. “I–I don’t know. Are you okay?” Morgana stuttered, she didn't meet Varyn's gaze. Morgana’s eyes shifted to Sapphire. “Why are you so small, sweetie? It’s okay, Sapphire, come over here.” she beckoned Sapphire, she swallowed hard. The murmurs only grew louder, it disturbed her heightened senses. Sapphire bowed her head as tears streamed down her cheeks, She jumped down from the she-wolf’s palm and bolted from the clearing, her paws trampled the damp forest grass. She darts to the horizontal clearing, Her vision blurry, heart thumping as she leaps over puddles, her tears penetrating her fur. ‘If I continue down this path, I'll be back at the pack!’ She took a L turn into the forest, ducking grass blades and leaping over puddles. ‘Why did I transform only to turn out small, and white? What am I going to do now? Wouldn't going mad be better than this? How will I face the pack now? What will mother say? What will father do?’