Axel's POV:"Oh yeah," I nodded in acknowledgement, not bothering to glance down at my hand, "I must have pricked my hand on some branches. I'm fine, so-""No! Look!' Broddi said urgently, giving my wrist a slight tug, "Look at your blood! It's silver!""What?" I asked, dazed, my heart beat picking up immensely. I lowered my eyes, everything around me moving in slow motion, down to the faintly stinging, shallow marks in my palm. Sure enough, my inner forearm was spattered with scarlet intertwined with a sparkling silver, "W-What does this mean?""I think it means," Broddi gulped, looking from my wrist into my eyes, his eyes reflecting the same emotion I felt; horror, "you have Lunar Blood.""I-I can't!" I stammered, "I've bled before, and I've never seen it silver! This has to be some sort of mistake! It must have been something I ate!""You're shaking," Broddi observed, worriedly, "Let's find the end of this path and settle down. I really don't want you passing out on me just yet."I
The first to reach me and bombard me with questions was Clayton, her face a mask of anxiety, while Matt looked mellow and slightly irritated as per usual. She chewed nervously on the corner of her plush pink lip before approaching me, her eyes darting back and forth restlessly, "H-hey, Ruby. Can we talk? Matt and I have some things we're worried about and I could really use someone other than Matt to console me."I opened my mouth to answer her, a gentle expression spreading across my features, but just as words began to form in my mouth, Iona interrupted me, suddenly having been the second one to reach me, "Ruby, I need some help with something. I have this internal conflict type thing going on, and I could really use your superior knowledge of how to control emotions."Looking at her a light bit impatient, I began to hold up a hand to tell her to wait, but was interrupted yet again by a harsher voice this time. It was Lindsay, "Hey, we need to talk. I need to clarify some things qui
I turned to Lindsay irritably, giving her a sour glare, "Go ahead.""Alright," that was the only time I'd ever heard Lindsay even resemble being hesitant, "Well I'm having trouble.. accepting death.""Why do you have to?" I asked incredulously, surprised by her statement."If I have no hope left, I fight better. The thought of losing everything, not being there makes it easier for me to fight like hell, give it my all like it'll be my last fight," Lindsay shook her head in an almost pitiful despair, "but now, I just can't. I feel like I do have things to lose.""It might help you - we all have our methods of keeping cool in the heat of battle - but not being ready to die isn't necessarily a bad thing," I challenged, "Nobody's ready to die. In fact, you shouldn't be. The will to live should drive you, not the lack thereof.""What should I do now?" Lindsay muttered stubbornly, "How will I be able to control my anxiety without the complete lack of care for my life?""Do you hear yoursel
It actually took Brandy more like ten minutes to get ready, but when she came out of the bathroom, finally finished, she glowed like the Moon Goddess herself - more than usual. Her hair was in a curly bun, strands falling loose and spilling onto her forehead and by her temples. Her makeup was stunning and bold, bringing out her hazel, chocolaty eyes. I honestly didn't mind her estimate was off because she looked absolutely gorgeous in the time given. "You look stunning," I awed as we walked out of my dorm. "Thanks!" Brandy smiled, pushing back a wavy curl, tucking it behind her ear, "I know it won't matter in what - Less than an hour? - but if this is my last chance at looking good, then I wanna rock it!""And you're wearing short enough shorts to be hidden by that dress," I joked. "These are what I call my bar shorts. I wear them when I'm trying to get-" I cut her off before she could finish. "Woah! Woah! Woah!" I stopped her before she could finish, "Let's just get to the cleari
Begrudgingly, I pushed myself into a sitting position, rubbing my eyes. A loose tangle of my red hair fell into my face and I pushed it back impatiently. My jaws stretched in a yawn as I lifted my arms and arched my back. I looked around my scattered room, clothes on the floor in piles, makeup strewn across the vanity, papers sprinkled around my desk and on the chair. I wrinkled my nose at the disaster and rolled my eyes. Sometimes, I could be such a slob!I pushed myself off the bed, wincing as my feet hit the cold hard-wood floor. A leap of nervousness went through my chest when I realized why my room was such a mess. Tonight was the beginning of the mating ceremony.I scrambled into my bathroom and closed the door softly behind me, sighing and walking to the mirror. I reeled back in surprise when I saw my own familiar reflection staring back at me. Yes, I had the same bright green eyes, fair and pale skin and golden red hair, but I looked revolting. My hair was in angry clumps arou
"Ruby? Ruby?" I sat up, expecting the warm comforting room to be surrounding me. Where I was, was a completely different place. I was in a dark forest, trees surrounding me on all sides. I was sitting in a small pool of moonlight , the gloom from the forest nipping at the edges of my light. I was in wolf form, my reddish fur blowing in the slight breeze that pushed its way through the dense forest. My paws that were usually white were stained brown with the dirt. I shook my paws, hoping to rid them of the dirt, but it stayed embedded within my fur. "Hello?" I called out, wondering where the mysterious, male voice had some from.From the edges of the darkness melted a figure of a man, not a wolf, but a man. When I recognized who it was, my eyes stretched wide in utter surprise, "Zy? Zy Reynolds? Is that you?"Zy was an old member of the pack. I'd seen him around, though we were never close. I knew his legacy, though. Zy was an amazing member of the pack, respectful, loyal, strong, bu
I was sitting outside the pack doctor's office, my hands clasped so tightly in my lap that my knuckles grew white with the pressure. I was in a lonely, plastic chair that sat across from the door. There was a stand beside me, filled with pamphlets and human magazines. The front cover of one with a bright pink background held a woman in a trench coat and her hair pulled back in a bun. Big, blocky, yellow letters were strewn all over the page. I rolled my eyes. Humans were so dramatic.It was eleven at night, only two hours after the ceremony ended. Alpha Luis had told me it would be better for me to go back to my room and sleep, but I felt like if I left Dawn now, I would be abandoning her. I wanted to stay. Plus, I needed some time to think about my current situation."How are you doing?" I looked up at a girl my age looming over me. Although she wasn't as tall as Dawn, she was still a bit taller than me. She had hazel eyes, her pupils rimmed with green and the rest darkening with bro
"Ruby?" I pushed myself up from the ground, dirt falling away from my face. I looked down at my paws that were tucked under my chest, the white of my fur stained brown with the dirt. I looked around, wondering who called my name."Hello?" I called out, recognizing the clearing as the one I had met Zy in, "Zy? Is that you?""No," a figure melted away from the shadows that nipped at the corners of my pool of moonlight, "It's me."I instantly recognized the fur of the wolf, white. It was a female, the small stature telling me so. Her familiar eyes glowed bright blue with sadness. It was Dawn.I raced over to her, burying my head in the crook of her neck, "Are you alright? I miss you so much." my voice was muffled by her fur."Ruby, we need to talk, okay?" I pulled away, fearing the stiffness in her voice."What is it? Is something wrong?" I asked her.She chuckled darkly and looked me in the eye, "I wouldn't be here if there wasn't.""What is it?" I asked, heart pounding in my throat."I