Shadow of the Eclipse

Screams. The smell of smoke mixed with blood filled the air. Chaos surrounded her. She fell to her knees and placed her head on her father's bloodied chest. Her mother and brother lay nearby. Unmoving. Tears poured down her cheeks. Sobs heaved from her chest. She couldn't move. The walls seemed to creep towards her as if they planned to envelop her entirely. Thick, black smoke hung in the air as if it were beckoning in the grim reaper himself. This couldn't be happening. Her family, her home, and her people-gone in an instant. Suddenly, a large hand grabbed her by her hair and lifted her off the ground. She let out a small cry as she thrashed around, trying to break free from her captor's grasp. "Hey, boss!" The man's voice echoed loudly. "Here she is." He roughly grabbed her face with his other hand and made her look at him. "I'll take care of her." His eyes glowed red, betraying the bloodlust swelling inside of him. A sinister smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "No." a figure emerged from the smoke. "I have plans for this one." His eyes narrowed, and his lips curled. The look of him sent chills down her spine. He had a massive scar that ran over his right eye. The eye itself was misted over, appearing to be blind. He had short black hair that was matted in what she could only assume was blood. He was tall, his shoulders broad, and in his clenched fist he held the head of a vanquished foe. She struggled violently to escape. Slowly, menacingly he made his way towards her. Then her world went dark... Van woke up abruptly. Beads of sweat trickled down her brow. Her head was pounding and her heart was racing. Just a dream. She thought as she tried to slow her breathing. Could she call it that? The memory of her family's murder. The capture of her people. No. Nightmare was more accurate. She heard a knock at the door. Before she could answer, it creaked slightly ajar. "Hey. You good? You were screaming." River's voice was full of concern as he scanned the dark room for any sign of potential threats. He stood a good six feet tall and was well built. Years of intense training had sculpted and toned every muscle. He stood there in only his pajama bottoms. His dirty blond hair was a tussled mess, and his crystal blue eyes were heavy with sleep. "I'm fine. It's nothing." She gave him a half-hearted smile. "Go back to sleep." His whole body visibly relaxed at her words. He let out a yawn and did some overexaggerated stretching. "The dream again?" He asked, a somber note to his words. She nodded. He was her closest friend. She could hide nothing from him. He closed the door behind him. "OK. Scoot." He said and plopped down on the bed beside her. She rolled her eyes and gave him some space. River wrapped himself in the blankets and turned to face the opposite direction of her. He always did this whenever the nightmare reared its ugly head to torment her, citing a scientific study he claimed to have read. Apparently, it said co-sleeping improved hormone levels that allowed better sleep. Or something like that. She never believed him, but also didn't mind his company. And she hated to admit it, but she did sleep better with him beside her. "Sleep well." He murmured, already drifting back to sleep. She smiled slightly and laid back down. Hopefully, he wouldn't steal the covers this time. "Rise and shine!" Van heard River's all too chipper voice, and suddenly a blinding blast of light hit her full force. She blinked against the sunlight, pouring in from her window. River stood beside it, already dressed for the day. "Up and at 'em. You know what time it is." He said as he tossed clothes at her. Black shorts and a tank top. He wore a matching outfit. In fact, everyone would be wearing the same outfit. It was time for morning training. She gave him a warning look. He returned it with a mocking face and left the room. She threw her clothes on quickly and tied her long black hair up into a high ponytail. She slid her sneakers on and closed the door behind her as she hurried after him. The Moonstone pack was one of very few packs that allowed females and lower ranking wolves to become warriors . If you could prove yourself worthy, you could be among the elite. But proving to be worthy was no easy task as warriors had to be the fiercest and strongest amongst the pack in order to ensure everyone's safety. Still, everyone was given an equal chance, and those who rose to the challenge and succeeded were accepted into the ranks. Alpha Tobias and Luna Jade Larson were big advocates for fair and equal treatment. Not every pack felt the same. Though the omegas in the Moonstone pack were still mostly given roles in the kitchen, housekeeping and such, they were not treated as slaves or lesser beings. That could not be said for many other packs. Van knew she was lucky to have been accepted. Not only because she was female but also because... she was not a werewolf. No, she was a werecat. A panther, to be exact. The physical training wasn't a problem. Her feline prowess made her a formidable opponent to anyone who dared to challenge her. She had become a highly skilled assassin and was nearly undefeated in the one on one combat drills. Nearly, because she would never be able to test her skills against the ones who refused to spar with her being that she was not a wolf. Though she had been taken in many moons ago by the gracious alpha and luna of this pack, some of the pack members would never accept her. While the pack boasted of its fair and equal treatment of all, she was left on the outskirts. Not treated poor but not welcomed by all either. She was in limbo between the two where some members preferred to ignore her existence altogether and others tiptoed around her. Luckily, the pack's Beta was not one of those. Silas Marrock was the right-hand man of Alpha Larson. As such, he held many responsibilities. One of the most imporant being to lead the training drills. Van made her way across the field to where River and a few other warriors were gathered. She walked right up to him and punched his shoulder. "Thanks for waiting." She said sarcastically. He was about to retort but was cut off . "Still showing up to play pretend, cat?" She heard a taunting voice say. Van rolled her eyes dramatically and turned to the culprit. Jax Helmer stood with his arms crossed. Disgust was plastered on his admittedly handsome face. Hatred glimmered in his emerald green eyes. "Jax. Always a pleasure." disdain seeped from her words." How about you stop being afraid to fight me, and then we'll see who the pretender is." She c****d an eyebrow at him. "Afraid?" Jax spat, his voice full of venom. He began laughing hysterically. "Listen, cat. You better watch your tone with me, or I'll have you sent to work the border." He sneered. She knew his threat was empty, just a show for those who had gathered around. He was the son of the pack's Gamma, who unfortunately shared the same beliefs when it came to her kind. Werecats were vile, unworthy creatures. The enemy. Fit only to serve in the most repulsive ways.That was all they saw when they looked at her. Van clenched her fists and narrowed her eyes. She knew the threat was just that, a threat. But it didn't make her want to beat the tar out of him any less. Everyone knew the borders were dangerous. Rogue attacks were on the rise. And there had been whispers of a looming war. She heard River let out a warning growl beside her and wished inwardly that he had let her handle this on her own. This pretentious second-rate Gamma pup would never take her seriously if he intervened . She put her hand up, telling him to back down. Just as she was about to respond to Jax's pathetic attempt at scaring her into submission, a loud roar resounded through the training grounds. Everyone turned to see their beta glaring at them. "Enough!" Silas was clearly displeased to find his warriors bickering like children instead of preparing to train. "Fall in!" He commanded. Everyone immediately found their place. "Am I teaching preschool or training warriors?" he snarled. "This is unacceptable...Partner up." He ordered. " Not you two, Van and Jax. You will be partnered with each other." The look he gave them was...unpleasant. Van gritted her teeth. This was not going to be good. She glanced at Jax and tried not to laugh. He looked like he would be physically ill. When everyone else was done pairing up and given their instructions, Silas turned his attention to them. Yeah, this was definitely not going to be good...