Luna of St. Maria

Blood covered the walls the night my best friend, Cody Colfax, was murdered. His body twisted and twitched before my eyes, like a fish out of water splashing around on a boardwalk without anyone to put him back. The possession of his body from the unknown source, the scientists call 'The Ghost,' has haunted the bystanders for weeks now.When we found him, his body was half-naked and covered in ashes. The hairs on his arms were fried by the electrical chords wrapped around his arms. The tattoos on his body were symbolic, otherworldly. The Ghost left them there to make their presence known.The Ghost has never been seen by the eyes of man. But the thing about Cody Colfax, he wasn't a man or a human-not to me. If I had the chance to get to know my best friend better, I would have had the guts to ask him what we all wanted to do.Why is there no food in the kitchen and pantry?Every time Cody would host a party, he would do so by catering food for everyone pr

The PresentThe Officer leans into the table with an angry growl coming from his breath. A fog appears in the interrogation room. The cops think I am a witch or a conjurer for siding with the wolf people clan. But they have little knowledge of their culture and the beauty of how they live.When I was first brought to the wolf clan by the blessing of Chief Wolfpaw, I didn't expect to gain their approval. By day, they walked and talked like my kind. They were timid in their dog-like reflexives. Their ears still twitched when a branch fell in the forest. Chief Wolfpaw ran with the river, and his heartbeat soared with the earth. He was the living legend that my grandmother spoke of in terror. She was wrong about them. She was wrong about every single one of them.  Convincing the Officer that I didn't murder Cody Colfax will be no easy feat. There is nothing amusing about prov

The world went quiet when I disappeared. My body beneath my feet was covered in the red blood of the Ghost. To the Wolf People Clan, the Ghost is a nightmare screaming out into the void of tomorrow. I was severed from my human form; the decoy I created would be called witchcraft by the humans and a rite of passage by my father, Chief Wolfpaw. That's how it is in the mountains, we fly, and we soar, and still, we have no place left to call home. My human form will be returned to me after I have regained enough energy to continue my journey into the Luna Mountains. My best friend Lucia Perez, my gods, I wish she didn't have to find out about me. The night she followed me, I had the yellowing in my eyes, and I almost drifted into hunter mode and ended her: her life force, a timeline in my claws. I always admired Lucia, but I never wanted to drag her into the life of the wolf. The Wolf People Clans corrupt everything they touch, or at least we have the potential. We don't pollute the earth

Chief Wolfpaw leaps onto a nearby cliff. The rocks slide down toward our camp. A rock rolls on the campfire and puts it out. Chief Wolfpaw sniffs the air like a dog. He was once the mighty alpha of the Wolf People Clan. His youth is still visible against the wrinkles in his nose. I bet he was handsome in his youth. It's clear where Cody gets his good looks from. I am surprised a great chief like Wolfpaw didn't choose immortality. Chief Wolfpaw jumps onto a nearby pine tree branch and shakes the ground when he does. Pine needles fall out of the tree like hair dander. The forest floor is blanketed with brown dead pine needles. The earth resembles a damp bird nest in springtime. The dirt beneath me gives off a wet muddy odor that means the waterfalls are nearby. "Hello, Lucia. I've caught breakfast for you," Chief Wolfpaw says as he points at the other fire he built. A cooked rabbit is waiting for me and some blueberries. Not my favorite meal, but these are hard times we are in. We are

Chief Wolfpaw uses magic to make a flame in his claws. He holds it like a tiny heartbeat, precious and guiding us along the green gem pathway. The cave has cave paintings of human and werewolf battles. There are other cave paintings of Wolf Clan hunts, weddings, and other ceremonies in honor of their great people. A living history living among the walls like a timeline of chalk art. I touch the art on the wall. It's chalky and powdery to the touch. It's very primitive and beautiful in its art style. I want to explore each drawing, and know it by name. Who are the names of the people in the wedding? Are they much different than Cody and I? "This is the history of my people. I've never seen it before. My father spoke of a place with our living history painted on the walls. He must have meant this place." Chief Wolfpaw removes my hand from the walls. I do it out of respect for him. I hope I didn't disrespect him by touching the walls in the first place. But it's history pulled me in,