LUNA: REBORN WARRIOR

CHAPTER THREE

It was a desperate act of self-preservation that made Orion make the painful decision to retreat which has never happened to him and his packs before during his reign.

The whole Bloodmoon was battered and demoralised. They howled and wailed mournfully as they retreated into their settlement with their wagging tails and numerous inflicted injuries accompanied by sore pains.

Back in their territory, the Bloodmoon began the prolonged arduous process of healing both their physical and emotional wounds. It was a great time of misfortune and grief for them.

The news of the war spread like wildfire among all different packs of werewolves far and wide. The other neighbouring werewolf packs were pleased and encouraged by the news of what Silverclaw did to the tyrant Orion and his pack. They discreetly had a feast of celebration to celebrate the predicament of their tormentor.

Orion, burdened by guilt and remorse, sought solace within the comforting embrace of his Luna. She tenderly tended to her husband's wound and their wounded packmates, drawing upon the ancient dark god's torch soothing light to aid their recovery.

Meanwhile, Vincent, his once-mighty body weakened, struggled to come to terms with their defeat. Day by day, the thoughts of retaliation, especially the conceived plan against Sapphire, the Luna of the Silverclaw thrived.

He was burdened by the enthusiasm of reclaiming their honour which was shattered by his pack's defeat to the Silverclaw clan.

Days turned into several weeks, and the Bloodmoon gradually regained their strength and renewed their sense of strife, pride, and tyranny. Despite the devastating loss to Silverclaw, Orion found consolation in the vicious and tyrannical rule of his pack and other smaller packs.

Orion, unwilling to see his pack wallow in sorrow, marshalled his Alpha strength and took out his frustrations on the other creatures living in his territory. This was a moment of tremendous ordeals and tribulations for the innocent creatures.

Bloodmoon pack severely dealt with the creatures. Some of them were slaughtered and some were driven out of their territory.

As the moon illuminated the world below, Vincent plotted his dark scheme in the depths of his pack's secret chambers. He planned everything all by himself without involving any member of his pack.

Knowing that Marcus and the Silverclaw treasured and adored their Luna, Sapphire, Vincent planned to strike at the heart of the rival Alpha and the packs, seeking to weaken their spirit and disrupt their harmony. He would use Sapphire's demise as leverage to incite his pack to attack Silverclaw again during their grief and mourning period for the loss of their Luna.

He said to himself, "When I single-handedly kill Sapphire, I will be celebrated and I will be a hero in my clan". These thoughts grew day after day in his heart.

With his silver eyes that glowed like liquid moonlight, Vincent possessed an aura that commanded both respect and fear. After a while, his plan took shape, dark as ink on the page.

Vincent finally decides to involve his close friend, Laolu in his evil plan. "My very good friend", said Vincent to Laolu as he patted his body, "I have something to tell you", concluded Vincent. "Hmmm, what is it?" inquired Laolu.

"Remember I told you I have a plan on how to kill the Silverclaw's Luna?", said Vincent. Laolu, looking confused, replied, "Yes, so what is your plan?".

Vincent cleared his throat and said, "The plan I have is to secretly use my father's ancient dark magic".

"Ancient dark magic?", exclaimed Laolu. "Is that not too extreme?" he said with an astonishing voice. "Silverclaw must pay dearly for humiliating me and our pack, and so, nothing is too much to achieve that," said Vincent angrily

Laolu replied with a soft and appealing voice, "I know you are my friend, but I don't support you ambushing a woman, and worst of all, beheading her".

Vincent got up angrily and walked out for a while. "Okay, I will only kill her, I won't behead her", said Vincent as he walked back inside towards Laolu.

However, being a cunning wolf with an uncanny ability to manipulate others, Vincent only lied to Laolu just to have his support for the wicked plan he had in mind.

Though Laolu was initially reluctant about Vincent's quest for revenge, he eventually agreed to pursue the journey of self-redemption contrived by his friend.

In his quest to find the weak and vulnerable aspect of Sapphire, Vincent sought to enquire from an antique black magic goddess which was described to him by the ancient dark god and was located deep in a neighbouring thick forest.

Accompanied by his friend Laolu, Vincent went to the thick forest in the night without the knowledge of his father.

In the forest, sacrifices were made to the antic black magic goddess. In return, the antic black magic goddess revealed Sapphire's weak point to Vincent. It was revealed that Sapphire is greatly fascinated and intrigued by a sweet scent.

Vincent planned to use his new knowledge to make his ambition come to pass. He made necessary preparations with Laolu ahead of his evil task.

The planned night of the attack came swiftly. "Hide here," said Vincent to Laolu as he showed him a secluded big tree branch. Vincent used the antic black magic goddess' ancient voodoo to cast an eerie glow on the Silverclaw's forest. The aftermath of the glow was a distinctive sweet scent.

The sweet aroma was perceived by Sapphire. "Hmmm, I perceive a lovely and good smell", said Sapphire. "It must be from the sacrifice a neighbouring pack is offering to their god", replied Marcus with an uninteresting tone.

"I will go out and look for the origin of the smell,'' said Sapphire as she wanted to savour the sweet scent more. Marcus tried convincing her not to go. "The smell might be from a very far distance. It's dangerous to walk alone to an unknown area", said Marcus.

"Don't worry my love", said Sapphire with a soothing and reassuring voice. "I will be back home soon", she concluded. Catching a glimpse that he could not convince Luna about going after the scent, he gave up and said to her, "Be cautious and be vigilant".

Seraphina, unaware of the brewing storm, strolled out from the protective embrace of the pack shelter as she was lured by the enchanting sweet scent that saturated the air. She was intrigued by the sweet scent and was determined to know the origin.

Unbeknownst to Seraphina, Vincent had set up a trap, utilising his knowledge of her curious nature. He masked his scent, leaving behind a trail leading her deeper into the woods.

The more she moved towards the scent, the more the sweet scent grew stronger, captivating her senses until all reason dissolved into an irresistible impulse.

Sapphire followed the scent, throwing caution to the wind as she thought nothing bad could happen to her. Vincent stealthily prowled behind her, docking at a secluded clearing cloaked in shadows. The moon bore witness to his malevolent scheme, as the howls of distant wolves echoed from the forest.

The moment Sapphire stepped foot into the clearing, Vincent struck. His savage claws tore through the silence, seeking to extinguish the life that stood before him. A desperate struggle ensued, the moon's gentle glow casting an ethereal light on the brutality unfolding beneath its watchful eye.

The struggle and fight was very intense. Sapphire was badly injured by the first claw attack of Vincent. In his wicked nature, Vincent exploited the not-so-good fighting skill of Sapphire.

Nevertheless, she fought courageously despite her deep wounds and weakness. As a last resort, Sapphire decided to invoke ancient magical powers and thereby harness her hidden reserves of strength.

But as the odds grew against her, she realised the true extent of Vincent's ruthlessness and power. The wicked son of Orion revelled in Sapphire's suffering, relishing the power he derived from inflicting pain.

His nail-like claws further went deep into Sapphire's body, piercing it as blood gushed out uncontrollably.

In the struggle, her life force faded. And as the moon's bright glow engulfed her, her final breath carried a whispered plea. With a heavy heart and pain, she looked at the moon and beseeched the moon goddess to grant her two wishes…