Moon's shadow

The Alphas gathering

The day broke early, with little snippets of golden rays, casting a warm glow on the sleepy forest to life, the early riser, Lumina Greywolf in her wolf form, was perched on a branch of one of the tallest trees. She scanned the territory keenly, her eyes randomly glancing through various flags that fluttered gently in the morning breeze. Alphas from different packs had come to the Greywolf territory to acknowledge their pact. They brought their own members. Lumina's gaze moved slowly from one group of wolves to the next, watching them mingle and interact with one another. Wolves in their true nature, in all sizes and ranging from basic colors to some of the most beautiful colors ever witnessed, were spread across the clearing, skipping about in pleasure, others lay lazily around the huge bonfire, drowning in the intoxicating smell of roasting meat. It was not common to find packs of wolves coming together in celebration and not war. Brought together by a mission and a vision. Alpha Lumina might have been a young Alpha, but she showed huge potential.

Slight movement disrupted Lumina's peace. Her nose shot into the air at once, and she sniffed the air sharply, propping herself on her hind legs. Once she was satisfied, she went back to her original position, lying comfortably on the branch. Just beside her, a big wolf, with black shining fur bounced lightly beside her. Carden was a beautiful wolf, majestic and yet fierce. He placed his nose on Lumina's neck affectionately, sucking in her scent. Lumina's wolf whimpered in pleasure, enjoying the company.

“Looks like it's going to be a good day.” Carden said, his focus diverted to the wolves working in the clearing, “I can't remember the last time we had a gathering like this.” he reminisced nostalgically. Lumina nodded in agreement, her mind racing to the main reason why the gathering was held, to discuss what was to be done to the ruthless Shadowclaw clan and the relentless alpha.

“I hope it all works out,” Lumina sighed. Her mind was restless, she hoped things would work out well.

“Everything will be okay, Lumina. I promise.” Carden comforted her. “It looks like everyone is getting ready.” He pointed his head towards the gathered Alphas.

“Yeah. Let's go down?” Lumina suggested, jumping off the branch. Carden joined her, they shifted to their human forms and made their way towards the gathering. She took a sharp breath as they got closer to the pack of Alphas.

Alpha Morrok stood tall, he was chatting with Alpha Vaste, whose expression was very somber, five warriors stood fiercely behind him on alert.

There was a low murmur of chatter as Lumina, Elias and Carden walked into the clearing. Lumina's heart pumped in her chest, everyone in that clearing out their trust in her plan and vision. She cleared her throat, gradually moving her eyes from each alpha to the other. “Alphas, I want to thank you for coming to the Greywolf territory. I can assure you, this is not a wasted journey. Kieran Shadowclaw has ruined us in one way or the other. He has killed our children, our mothers and fathers, he has denied us a future, hope, but we won't let him do that to us anymore. We are going to take it all back! Together, and united, he doesn't stand a chance.” Lumina paused, letting her words sink into the hearts of the great Alphas.

Low chatter erupted among the Alphas as they spoke to themselves. Alpha Ironfang, of the Draven pack, stepped forward, clearing his throat. He spoke with a confident voice. “I support you. It is time we took over, it's time we stood up for our values, so nobody, and I mean nobody, will stop us. Let us go for him in his territory. More personnel, easy access.”

Alpha Morrok sized Alpha Ironfang with a sidelong glance, then spoke, “You are right. We need to do something, but I don't think serving ourselves on a silver platter to a psychotic killer is the best way to go. He is not stupid, he's probably waiting for us to try that.” Alpha Ironfang stated as a matter of fact. It took a moment for his insight to sink in.

“Hmm. You have a point there.” Alpha Derek concurred with a nod, he stroked his chin, brows contorted in deep thoughts, he added in a somber tone. “Why don't we send him a message, summoning him here. He does not expect it, give him a chance to justify his actions.” Alpha Morrok added.

People mulled deeply. Different thoughts crossed their minds. Alpha Simon glared viciously at Alpha Derek. His fists balled tightly. “Are you out of your mind? You want to give him a reason to come and finish us off? Do you know what he did to my family? Right. Let's give him a date to come kill us off.” He spoke bitterly with a sarcastic tone.

“Not to mention he could refuse. I think it's a trap. Bringing him here leaves us exposed.” Alpha Vaste agreed with Alpha Simon.

The other Alphas were quiet. Carden cleared his throat before speaking. He glanced at Lumina, then his strong voice rang out. “If we don't make a united decision, one way or the other, Alpha Kieran is still going to find a way to wipe us out. We do nothing, we risk our lives, we do something. We still risk our lives but with a better chance of survival. Now, all Keiran knows is violence. If we choose to summon him, it might throw him off balance, and yes, that might push him to act irrationally, but we will be prepared for that. How? Give him conditions, he only comes himself. Failure to, all of our forces combined go for him.”

“I agree.” Lumina moved next to Carden. “Kieran has only gone too far because of our division. As cruel as he is, he cannot stand a chance against us all, take away that power from him, the illusion that he can do whatever he wants whenever he wants. Once we give him a taste of his own medicine, he will get in line.”

Most of the Alphas nodded. Alpha Morrok said, “That may be true. We don't have to be like him, we don't need to be violent to be in control.”

Not everyone was comfortable with the decision. A young Alpha, Kappa, was not at all impressed, he just took over after his father died in the hands of Alpha Kieran. “All of you are weak. You are letting him go out of fear!” He spat bitterly.

The other Alphas laughed and scoffed, they knew all too well what it was like to be young and have hot blood. Lumina looked at him firmly. “I know what it's like to have something to prove, we are not letting him go. The time will come when he will pay for every crime he has ever done. We just have to be patient. Acting irrationally is what led us here in the first place.”

The Alphas remained silent for some time. “Fine, let's do it. Summon the man.” Alpha Ironfang sighed deeply. “But we must be well-prepared with plan B. If things do not work out, he must not take us by surprise. If peace fails, we resort to our natural instincts. We draw blood.”

A soft murmur erupted among the Alphas. They had come to an agreement, all that remained was for it to be executed. Elias gestured for silence. “In my years as an Alpha. This is the first time I have seen all of us come together to do something good. Now that this has been decided, let it be one of the many gatherings-together we will have to preserve our unity and love for one another.”

Murmurs of agreement spread across the council. The previous tension dissipated as the alphas joined the other members to celebrate their coming together. This was one final chance to end the rivalry, petty fights and quarrels. Lumina had managed to bring all the wolves together in the great forest. Her heart swelled with pride, tears of joy stung at her eyes as she watched members of different packs share laughter and foods and stories as if they were one big family. It was true that Kieran's threat loomed over their heads but taking solace in each other's company reduced the fear and unease and attack. Her heart grew content as she observed wolves shifting with ease, making connections with one another.

Her attention was drawn to a pack of spirited young wolves who sat on a huge branch around the fire. They laughed in a carefree manner, trading stories between them. One by one they told tales of wars and battles and how the attacks had led them to live out of fear. One particularly recalled how one of Kieran's attacks caused his pack to be dismantled as the wolves felt safer as rogues rather than living in packs. Her heart clenched in pain, hearing such horrific stories from youngsters. She wished she could provide a peaceful environment from now on. Her eyes slowly traveled from the young stars to a figure that was leaning against a tree. She looked up into his face from across the bonfire and their eyes met. Carden was a handsome man, his lean broad shoulders stood out among the many men who were standing near him. He winked at her and she smiled shyly. Their undeniable attraction towards one another hung heavily in the air. It was obvious to one and all that a love story had been growing between the two.

Lumina's furtive glances towards her man were interrupted by her father's presence. Elias stood beside his daughter, he raised his head up and looked into the heavens, he whistled in content at the night sky, stars shined and glittered brightly, he was the proudest man in that gathering. He wished to the stars that his wife Erica was looking down at them, with love and protection. “I'm sure she's watching over us right now. And she's smiling at us,” Elias said.

Lumina's eyes glazed with unshed tears as she thought of her mother. “You think so?” She asked her father, her voice faltering. “I hope she is. I hope she is happy with us.”

Her father placed a consoling hand on her shoulder. “Of course. What you've done here, has never been done before,pup. She is very proud of you.”

Lumina chuckled happily, she leaned into her father's embrace. As the night grew old, the wolves danced and drank, shared stories and fell in love. It was healing and comforting after years of attacks and unnecessary deaths. They had come up with a solution. In fourteen days they would confirm if it was effective or not. Kieran would be summoned to Greywolf territory, to plead his case. If he didn't show up, nobody would be held responsible for what would happen to him next.