Lola’s pov,
Lola sneaked out of the house and found Fenna waiting for her with a torch. They went deep into the forest and after 30 minutes of walking, they came to a small open space. The trees were planted in a circle and in the middle, a big bonfire was lit. There was a speaker softly playing some Celtic music and there were about 20 people sitting around the fire drinking. Lola did not recognize anyone except Tristan.
Fenna handed her a beer and Lola sat down between her and Tristan. She just wanted to relax when everyone closed their eyes and took each other’s hands. Tristan started singing in some kind of language she did not understand. She looked around confused wondering what the hell was going on. Were the people she thought to be normal also secret nutjobs?
Fenna gave her a reassuring smile and Lola asked, “This is not a normal party, is it?”
Fenna looked a bit guilty when she answered, “No sorry Lola. I needed an excuse to make sure you would come.”
“So, what is this then?”
Tristan stood up, “This is our monthly Fire Wolf honoring ceremony. We honor our actual leaders and tell stories to make sure they are not forgotten.”
Lola frowned, “Sorry what? Fire Wolves?”
Fenna stared into the flames and said, “The Fire Wolf pack was the leading pack until 80 years ago. They were the true leaders. Chosen by the moon goddess and blessed with magic powers.”
Lola chuckled, “Magic powers?”
No one laughed and Tristan responded, “All the wolves from the Fire Wolf pack were born with magical abilities. Like reading minds, hurting people by looking at them, controlling water, teleporting, speaking to animals and so much more. They said that the first Fire Wolf Agnitus was able to set anything on fire where he set his eyes on.”
Lola understood by now that they were all dead serious about this, so she asked, “So what happened to them? “
Fenna balled her fists, “The Fire Wolves were loved by most of the werewolves. Everyone accepted they should be leading because of their powers. They were strict but also fair so there was peace for many centuries. Until the Grey Oak pack led by Noah his grandfather got jealous. He schemed with other packs that were unhappy. They wanted more power, particularly for men. The Fire Wolves did not believe in privilege by rank or gender. Anyway, they tricked the Fire Wolves with the help of the high priestess. They drugged them and burned the whole village with every single wolf in them. Even the babies.”
Lola her blood went cold when she thought about helpless babies being burnt alive.
Tristan gritted his teeth and spoke to the flames, “Since then we have been entrapped by the Grey Oak pack to follow their ruthless regime. Founded by Noah his grandfather, passed to his father, and 6 years ago to Noah. Poisoning all wolves with cruelty and a hunger for power. But we keep remembering the Fire Wolves because we know this is not the path the moon goddess intended for werewolves. I can feel in my bones that one day they will return. We just have to be worthy of them again.”
Lola did not know what to say. Knowing that the werewolves were forced to live in such an unfair way was somehow much worse than them all being cuckoo. It made Noah a bigger monster than she thought he was.
Tristan clapped his hands, “So every month we tell a story about one of the Fire Wolves. I believe it is your turn today Fenna my love.”
Fenna smiled at him and scraped her throat, “Because Lola is here for the first time, I would like to tell the story of Agnitus it is one of my personal favorites.”
The music played with deep bass and Fenna started talking in a deep voice, “Once werewolves lived in packs of thousands. They were superior beings loved by all. But with great beauty comes jealousy. The human race got jealous of the werewolf’s majestic appearance and the unity that lived among them. A war broke out and our numbers rapidly decreased. The moon goddess was determined to not let her creation go extinct, so she made a werewolf greater than the gods themselves. A werewolf mighty and pure of heart. Her revenge rained down on earth in the form of a massive red wolf with eyes like a raging fire. Agnitus was born. Agnitus saved the werewolves, burning anything or anyone who dared to stand in his way. But Agnitus had no desire to dominate all life on earth he simply wanted to protect his own kind. So, he took everyone into the shadows to never return to humankind again. Agnitus found his mate Venus who was loved by all, and they got their daughter Nox. Nox could summon darkness itself and made sure humans never found a sign of werewolves again. It was not long before their stories became legends and legends became forgotten.”
Lola stared into the fire, and she could swear she saw the image of a big red wolf inside the flames. She felt full of adrenaline for some reason this story made her feel alive. She wanted to know more about Agnitus, Venus, Nox, and the other fire wolves.
“How did Agnitus and Venus fall in love? And what happened to them?”
Tristan smiled at Lola, “That is a story for another time. We need to head back now before the sun comes up.”
Lola sighed and helped them clean up. During the walk back she could only think of these amazing Fire Wolves, and she knew she could never look at Noah the same again.