A Tail of the Moon

I was running through the snow again. I knew it had to be another dream. In the waking world, it was only September. School had only been in session a week, snow was still months away. So I thought to myself, "Why are you still running?" and my answer was, "I'm trying to find something."

It always starts out like this, I see myself running in the snow, looking completely miserable. That in itself is weird, because winter is my favorite season. I love snow. I'm miserable because I'm always searching for something I can't ever seem to find. I can see that it is starting to take a toll on my dream-self. My paws are raw, my snout is frost bitten, and the top layer of my fur is glazed over with ice. At least I was smart enough to know that if I tried to run in this tundra as a human, I'd be dead (even if it was a dream).

So, I'm still running when I look up into the sky. All I see is more white. But then there is a soft pinprick of light. The moon, my goddess. She's watching me, and I know I'm doing this for her, for my pack, for our ancestors. The only problem is that I still don't know what I'm searching for. Then the inevitable happens. Lune, the moon goddess speaks. She calls to me, "I'm lonely Luna, so very lonely."

Then, of course, I wake up.

"Stupid dream." I mutter as a stare up at my ceiling. The glow and the dark stars have lost most of their vibrance, but I can still see them. I trace the outline of the stick-on crescent moon with my eyes.

Suddenly my alarm beeps, and I know I'll have to get up and go to school. It's my last year in that hell hole, then I am free. It has been increasingly difficult to actually go, and it has only been a week. My mom understands. Creatures like us don't like being cooped up for so long. Most of us make money off our talents. My mom teaches kids how to play instruments. I'm an artist. It's mandatory for the alpha of our pack to peruse a secondary education, but other than that only a handful of us moon children actually attend college. Although, the kids of the pack are allowed part time jobs for extra money.

Moon children are what my pack and I are. We can shift into wolves whenever we want. Some say it is the wolves in us that choose to shift into humans when they want. Either way we walk two worlds. We only have two nights a month we cannot control our gift. On the nights of the full moon, we are to remain as wolves for 24 hours, and on the nights of the new moon we remain human for 24 hours. Our goddess Lune, had given our ancestors this power over 500 years ago. The strange thing is, no one in the pack has a tail when they shift into wolves...except for me. As if I'm not enough of a freak as it is.

My mom says there's a legend that the goddess favored the white wolves, so that is why we got to keep our tails. And whenever I ask Lune about it, she stays silent. That's the other freakish thing about me. I'm the only one in my pack that can speak with the goddess directly. My mom says it's because I'm special.

All parents tell their freaky kids they are special. That is because they don't want their kids crying over the fact that they are a freak.

I look over at my clock again and groan, I really needed to start getting ready for school. I throw the covers off me, place my feet on my warm carpet, and trudge into the bathroom to shower. The water is on full blast, and the chilled temperature makes goosebumps appear on my skin. I wash my hair, my body, brush my teeth, and shave. When I step out of the shower, there is no steam on the mirrors so I can see my body clearly. I wont lie, it's weird seeing myself naked sometimes. It's like I can hear a voice deep within myself asking, "Is that really me?" Then I see myself blink my two-toned eyes, and realize...

"Yeah, that's me."

My mom, the ever present optimism in my life, says most humans would kill for my looks. I usually give looks that could kill. I think the goddess kinda blessed us all with good looks, there isn't a single ugly person in my pack. No matter how pretty a face though, some of us have really ugly insides. Also, we don't have crazy orgies because we all think each other are the sexiest things alive! Wolves mate for life, and so do we. There is someone for each of us. Usually, the wolf spirit inside ourselves chooses and it's hard to fight a decision like that. It takes some couples years before they make that romantic connection. For others it really is love at first sight.

I haven't found a mate yet, and I'm secretly hoping I never will. Besides, who would want to take care of damaged goods? I glare at my reflection: my left eye is icy blue, and my right eye is pale yellow. Both narrow in reaction to my train of thoughts. Twin red scars run down the length of the right side of my face. How in the world am I beautiful?

Lost in my own disgust again, I didn't notice the bathroom door swing open. I sent a tired half glare to my adopted sister Susi. Her mom and dad died in the explosion that killed my own father.

"Hey Luna. Weylyn and his buddies are back from their hunting trip."

"Just what I needed to hear, another reason for me to not go to school today."

"I thought you might feel this way. I just got off the phone with Edon, he's probably telling Tala and Raff right now." She leaned against the door frame already dressed, and ready to go. Her own forest green eyes roll once at the news of his return.

"If I didn't have P.E. and Art 4, I really wouldn't go to school at all." I growled as I finished towel drying my hair. "Susi, does my hair look whiter to you?"

"You really need to get some sun." She sighed

I ran my fingers through my damp locks once. Then I allowed my choppy white blond hair to fall naturally back into place down my lower back.

"So, do I get to pick out your outfit today?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No." I sighed and started walking back to my room.

"But what if-" she was cut off by my bedroom door being shut in her face.

Just to spite Susi, I put as little effort into my outfit as I could. That means a white, short sleeved shirt under my black, long sleeved, hooded shirt. I pulled on a worn pair of black jeans with rips in the knees. Then slid into my black combat boots, I tucked my jeans into my boots so that the steel plated toe could be seen. Susi shoved open my door, and groaned at my clothes.

"That's why your hair is white. The sun gets absorbed into your wardrobe and not you."

"Shut up." I scoffed.

"Bite me." Susi shrugged.

"Don't tempt me."

"Save it for Weylyn."

"He wishes."

"Yeah he does." She snickered.

"Ew." I grimaced.

"Susi, Luna, you guys ready to go!?" Tala's voice rang throughout my house.

"Coming!" Susi and I responded.

As we headed down stairs I watched Susi try to smooth down her dark, woodsy brown hair that fell in gentle curls down the middle of her back, really pretty, but I knew it was so that she could get Tala's twin brother Raff to notice her more. I rolled my eyes.

When the two of us got to the bottom of the stairs, we saw Tala bouncing on her heels. Her soft, grey cloud colored eyes were glancing towards the woods anxiously.

"Raff ran up ahead." She told us.

"You nervous he'll pop out of nowhere?" Susi smirked.

"I hate when he does that..."

"You get spooked too easily." I ruffled her shoulder length hair with a short laugh.

"Stop that." She swatted my hand away, and ran her fingers through her straight, ash brown locks.

"Let's just get going." Susi offered, and walked out the front door with Tala and I following.

"Bye mom!" I shouted once into the house, "Love you." then let the door shut.

We took the short cut through the woods. When we're about half way to school, Tala stopped dead in her tracks, and bared her fangs. Susi and I followed suit, sensing the stillness of the forest. I sniffed the air; something almost familiar blew through the wind. We all whipped around to a twig snapping to our lefts.

Suddenly Tala screamed bloody murder as a grey wolf jumped on her, and tackled her to the floor. Before Susi and I could shift, I noticed the wolf didn't have a tail. The urge to change died, and I merely glared while Susi tried to cover up her laughter.

"RAFF!"