Werewolf Academy

The seven elders of the Whitewolf clan's council gathered at an urgent meeting to discuss the message from the Alpha King's messenger that morning. They had heard that he had been busy scouting girls for his harem to expand his royal bloodline. “The Alpha King was adamant about giving him a girl from our clan to serve in his harem or else he'll withdraw his protection from us.” Mariya, the oldest of them all, said sternly, concerned about the future of their clan. The white wolves were pacifists, bound to an oath sworn by their ancestors. From them came the story of The Curse and The Blessing of the Moon. Long ago, there was a savage tribe of humans who hunted with their wolves. The wolves themselves were fiercely loyal, bonded to their hunter. They were known for raiding other villages, killing the innocent, and taking their women. Everyone in the Northern region feared the Wolf Men. Under the watchful eye of the moon, they committed many great violence and her heart broke hearing the cries of their victims, so she cursed them and their lineage. She wanted to reveal the monsters underneath the spirit of violence in men. On the night of the full moon, the transformation began. They endured hours of every bone in their body contorting in more ways than one as they howled in pain, their bodies burning up, desperate to break free from the cages of their own flesh. That night, a strong uncontrollable hunger overcame them. They ripped apart their own wolves and ate them. The morning after left them traumatized at what they had done to their beloved companions. And even after they realized the error of their ways, there was no end to their curse. In a desperate plea, they began offering their beautiful daughters to the moon, drowning them in her reflection, for they once heard stories of her vanity. For generations, it became a sacrificial ritual, in hopes that the curse would end. All that beauty given to the moon gave her their splendour. But the moon was as beautiful as she was cold, and she did not hear their cries. There was no end to the curse, and their bloodline spread far and wide. Luna was from the original tribe, and the chieftain's daughter. No other female could compare to her beauty, but even that paled in comparison to her heart of gold . By the age of sixteen, she was the best healer in the North. She idolized the moon ever since her father told her the story of the moon curse as a little girl. Others feared the moon, but not Luna. She was enchanted by her. Often she would sit under the moon, whispering all her secrets. She spent all her time basking under the moonlight that her eyes. hair and her wolf's fur became one with the moon's light. The moon, in return, enjoyed the girl’s innocence and hated watching her suffer every full moon. Luna was still from the cursed bloodline and the werewolf gene could not be removed. So the moon turned her curse into a blessing. The moon loved the girl as a daughter, and she never wanted their connection to end, so she blessed Luna with the gift of immortality, just as she was eternal. The very first Lycan was created. Lycans had full control over their transformation, while the werewolves were slaves to the full moon. Luna gained a group of loyal followers, worshipping the moon with her. One night, the moon appeared to her in a dream, sharing a secret. It turns out, drinking the blood of a Lycan on the day of a full moon was enough to subdue the curse for as long as it remained in their system. Luna was given the choice of keeping this secret to herself, but as beautiful as she is kind, she hated seeing her people suffer. News of her blood spread throughout the region. And then an even deadlier secret was revealed. Kill a Lycan and devour their flesh, you inherit their blessing. Saddened by the girl's death, as a final parting gift, the moon blessed her followers. To distinguish them among the others, she blessed their wolves and their fur turned white, purified by the moon's light and cleansed from the instinct to kill, but were warned that if one of them ever broke their oath to pacifism, their entire clan would be cursed to die. All the years passed, no one has ever touched the moon's heart as Luna did.The moon was once again lonely. Even after her death, Luna was respected among all the werewolves. Her name became her legacy. As it stands, every Alpha needed a Luna in the pack. "We come from a long line of purists. Our honor, our oath and everything we stand for simply cannot allow a daughter from our clan to be subjected to such an inappropriate request." Syha could not stress this enough. It would be too much of a disgrace for their clan to bear. They had always been highly esteemed by the other clans for their virtues. "The other clans have always respected the white wolves for our connection to the moon. Would we really be in danger without the King's protection?" Dayana asked after careful deliberation. "They may respect us, but that doesn't mean they won't attack us," Vasa replied. "Wolves have always been territorial, always seeking to expand their territories. They'll steal our lands and murder us all the very same day the King withdraws his protection from our borders!" he raised his voice. "Indeed. We would all be powerless to defend ourselves in the event that happens because of our oath," Mariya added. They all nodded in agreement. "I suppose our honor as a clan wouldn't matter if we were all dead," Syha sighed. "So which unlucky girl would it be?" "Selecting a girl from the Daughters of the Moon pack would be a good start," Nasir said. "Their tribe is known for housing the fairest maidens. The King shall surely be pleased." Cala, who was the Elder from the Daughters of the Moon agreed. "Yes, we certainly do not want to offend the King, or he will surely destroy our clan himself," she said. "If you're all of one mind, I will personally choose the candidates myself as soon as I get back and have her delivered to the King tonight." "Yes, that would be much appreciated. Thank you Cala." Malik, the leader of the Council, who had been quiet up until that point concluded. ****** “These are our fairest Daughters of the Moon.” Alina presented. The girls were instructed to stand straight and remain quiet during the selection. The Daughter’s of the Moon were a tribe of females under the Whitewolf clan led by Cala, their elder. The girls themselves had no clue why they were standing there in front of her. “Hmm…” Cala inspected the girls in front of her, careful not to miss a single part of their bodies. They all had stunning faces and varying body shapes of different heights, which made it all the harder to choose, and yet still, she didn’t particularly feel drawn to choosing any of them. “You really did a great job in giving me a wide selection to choose from, Alina…” Cala’s voice trailed off. “You’re most welcome, elder Cala,” Alina replied feeling pleased with herself. Cala was one of seven elders, and she had always looked up to her. Their clan was different from the rest because they didn’t have an Alpha or a Luna, so they had tribes instead of packs. But if they weren’t pacifists, then Cala would definitely have been their pack’s Luna as she possessed all the qualities to lead. It was no wonder why Malik, the leader of the council, trusted her enough to delegate her the task of choosing the girl for the Alpha King. Their clan’s fate rested on her decision. “What do all of these girls have in common, Alina?” she asked, pulling her to the side. “Their beauty and youth, elder,” Alina answered, confused by her question. “Pale luminescent skin, white hair, light grey eyes,” Cala pointed out. “We all look the same to the Alpha King.” “Yes, the moon has blessed us indeed.” Alina paused. “Forgive me elder, but I don’t quite understand what you’re getting at,” she said apologetically. “May I suggest Rafina? Everyone would agree she is the personification of beauty and grace. Not to mention, her wide hips are most suitable to give birth to the King’s line.” “She’s probably by the riverside as usual, talking to herself again,” Alina scoffed, wondering why Cala even brought her up. Cala called for a break on the selection, much to Alina's dismay, and went to go looking for the girl. She found her on the opposite side of the river, lying on the grass, looking up at the moon. Cala stared at the girl, mesmerised by the moon 's light reflecting on her very long hair. She felt as though the moon was showing her, and at that moment she knew that she had found the right girl. "It seems the moon herself has chosen for me," Cala thought to herself, smiling as she felt that the moon had confirmed to her that she was right all along. Ever since she laid eyes on the babe in the birthing tent, she had always known that the moon had special plans for her. "My dear child, what are you doing all the way over there?" Cala asked. “Immersing myself in the night sky,” the girl answered. “Physically I’m here, mentally I’m up there.” Cala raised an eyebrow, “Is that so?” She smiled as she decided to engage her. “What is it like being up there with her?” she asked, referring to the moon. “Lonely.” “Hm.” Cala looked at the girl amused. “You seem to understand her well.” “I think anyone can if they just took the time to really see her,” Sahar replied plainly. “You sound just like your mother.” Cala sat down right next to her. “She used to meditate right here, next to the moon’s reflection in the water every night.” “You knew her?” “Well, It’s my job to know who everyone is in our pack.” Cala chuckled. “But yes, your mother… she was different. People found her odd, but she didn’t care. She never felt like she belonged anyway, so she was always running off to do her own thing.” She sighed. “None of us even realised she was pregnant.” “So you don’t know which tribe my father is from?” Sahar asked, wondering which tribe from the Whitewolf clan her father belonged to. She planned to go see him one day. “Unfortunately not, dear one,” Cala replied sadly, feeling sorry for the girl as she was all alone. She felt bad about choosing her for the King, but she believed that it was only a stepping stone for Sahar to reach her greater destiny. Cala knew that the girl’s mother would have wanted to see her daughter leave, and she smiled at the thought.