"You know better then to run off." Alex growls out furiously, pacing the room in his anger. I just roll my eyes, focusing on drying my hair with the towel. After playing in the forest with the mysterious man, I returned to the temple covered in mud. I was lucky that a Temple Acolyte helped me to my room where I was met with a frantic Alex trying to find me. His lecture began then, mud dripping onto the floor below me as he goes on about me sneaking out in the morning without his knowledge until I managed to escape into the washroom where I promptly focused my energy into shifting into human form. I knew he would be waiting for me to exit, so after showering I took my sweet time running a bubble bath and enjoying hot water and endless time to myself for the first time ever.
“Alex, I don’t get why you are mad. You needed sleep and I just had to see what my wolf was like.” I retort with, causing my brother to stop dead in his track and send an incredulous look my way.
“Geminie, your are the future Moon Goddess for crying out loud!” His hands are thrown in the air in frustration as if he is scolding a pup.
“Gee Captain Obvious, I had no clue!” I snap back sarcastically, flinging the towel at him.
“You don’t get it Gem, you need to be safe and guarded as our race’s next Deity.” He argues back. This time I growl in frustration, taking the pillow off the bed and aiming for his head.
“What I need, Alex, is a LIFE! I have been a slave and trapped for years always watching what I do or how I act because I never knew when another beating would come.” Rage washes over me as I retort to his statement. Seeing the guilt in Alex’s eyes calms me down slightly, but I was no longer the same wolf a week ago. I wanted to live my life to the fullest now. Find my birth parents and actually enjoy myself for once.
“Gem-“
“Save it Alex. You know the life I have lived until now. You know I’ve been trained by Lizaria and can fight.” With that, I walk away from my brother, needing to cool off from his words. I understand his concerns and worry, but if his intention are to lock me away then I won’t allow it.
“Miss Geminie?” Walking along the corridors of the Temple, I soon find myself lost until a familiar voice calls out to me and I turn to see Ira coming towards me.
“Miss Ira.” I greet politely, doing my best to supress the anger still swirling inside me.
“You okay little one?” Her enquiring gaze remind me of Lizaria, and without hesitation I explain the fight with Alex I have just had. My feelings on having to be guarded and protected like some damsel in distress and the thought of not being able to free. I hate the thought of not being able to live my life now that I am free from Hidden Claws.
“Well when you start training, I can guarantee the people who needs to be protected will be your enemies. Most Goddesses posses powers beyond that of regular wolves and you definitely will have to find your own soon.” Ira’s words comfort my mind and being able to express my feelings helped to dissipate any anger I have left. The thought of training and becoming stronger excites me.
“When can I start training?” The question comes right away and the she wolf before me chuckles.
“How about right now. I’ll send an Acolyte to Alex letting him know you’re with me and he can go train with someone else.” With her confirmation, Ira leads me down more twisting corridor. I hope that with her guidance, I will become strong enough to protect the life I want to live and those around me that I love.
…
My body hits the ground hard, the wind knocked out of me as the she wolf that Ira has me partnered with today growls in warning, heeding me not to stand. But I ignore her. With a grimace of pain, I stand on my paws, staying low to the ground.
“Remember Geminie, you are not allowed to use your powers.” Ira reminds me as if I could forget. For the last few days she has been helping me connect my powers while training my speed and stamina in wolf form. Each day she would have me sit in a moon pool for hours on end, meditating and focusing on harnessing any sort of magic I could feel in the air. The elements were the ones that quickly came to me. Hours spent practicing controlling them until I could grasp onto them properly without the chance of harming another wolf unintentionally.
Once I was able to grasp the beginning of the powers I was gifted with, she would then take me to the arena to fight an Acolyte either in human or wolf form. Within three days, I knew my wolf form lacked the endurance and training that my human form has achieved. I needed to work on my speed and agility the most.
Speaking of training, the Acolyte before me lets out a threatening growl. Her fur standing up threateningly as I slowly circle her, watching for her next attack. She has a slight limp to the right hind leg where blood from my attack earlier still spills from. The Acolyte is in pain, and maybe I can use this to my advantage. The she wolf makes her move finally, giving another ferocious growl before leaping into the air. Instead of dodging, I run forwards, getting underneath the Acolyte while she is still air bound and sink my teeth into the round on her hind leg. A howl of pain followed by whimpers is my response when I use my momentum and throw her to the ground. Her body rolls once, twice, thrice until hitting the wooden pole that is the barrier to the arena with a sickening thud. Now is my chance.
I race towards her body and grasp her throat in my jaw, my hid paw on the wound. She whimper beneath me and thrust her throat towards my direction as best as possible, knowing her place in defeat. With the match now over, I release the she-wolf from my maw and give her wound a quick lick, helping to speed up the healing process. I had won, there is no need to continue.
“Yeah Gem, that’s my daughter!” Happy for the fur covering my body, I turn in the direction where Maverick Starlite stands with Alex, a proud grin on his face. Yesterday my father arrived after news of me being found and putting the responsibility of his pack in the hands of my Uncle Stephen – his Beta. Rolling my eyes at his antics, I can’t help but feel my heart swell at the parental praise he throws my way. Trotting away from my defeated opponent as Acolytes come to take her away to the infirmary, I head to Ira who smiles at my approach.
“You are a fast learner Little Wolf. I think its time for you to make your own pack. We can talk about this after you’ve cleaned up.” She praises, surprising me with her honest opinion of my progress and the fact this Temple Priestess believes I am ready to be on my own. My tail thumps happily, the prospect of creating a place to call my home. As much as my father would love for me to join Norther Snow, I know that that pack will become my little brother’s when he comes of age. That although I am the eldest and therefore the rightful heir, I could not take away the title that he has been training for. I turn to look at Mavrick, catching Connor gazing at me with the same silver grey eyes inherited from our father looking at me with awe.
[I’m going to go shift and bathe, I’ll see you all in a moment.] I link to my family, seeing Alex nod and say something to Connor while my father turns to talk to Amberle. The spit-fire of a she wolf and her mate Dominic were in the middle of a peace treaty with my father when news of me being found was told. She was curious at what kind of wolf I would be after being missing since the day I was born and the two leaders of Blood Moon agreed to negotiate the terms of the treaty with my father while on the way to see me. It was upon meeting her that we learned we are contærae, wolves who’s spirits recognize each others with a spiritual bond. A contærae helps the Moon Goddess to grow, train and follow the path of good. She soon agreed to be one of my training partners and teach me how to run a pack after I declined my father in joining Northern Snow and stated my intentions of creating my own place to call home. Her mate, Dominic, is out hunting with the Temple Warriors and hence left his wife to her own devices, something I soon realized led to some mischief from the fire furred wolf. With a grin and the vision of my future growing clearer each day, I trot towards the shower room so that the conversation Ira wants to have with me about creating a pack can happen quickly.