Autumn Moon

Six days later…

I watch the kids run across the lawn and sigh, "Jack stop chasing Scarlett and put the snails down." Jack stops and looks at me from the yard. "Put the snails down," he looks down at his hands and then quickly turns and throws the snails at Scarlett. She screams and starts running again prompting Jackson to return to the chase. Well at least it wasn't direct physical confrontation this time, but this needs to be handled in some way. I can only imagine what could happen if they fought when they're older. With my genetics he could be a large wolf with attitude problems. Especially with the Alpha blood in him.

I would hate to see them grow up fighting and one day see Jack snap.

Though if that day ever happens I'll smack that kid.

"Scarlett time to go home!" Dad calls for her and she stops in her tracks allowing Jack to tackle her. She's flat on her stomach and he's lying on her back.

"Victory," Jack yells.

Standing up I move from the porch to the lawn, "get off her Jack. She needs to go with grandpa."

Jack puffs his cheeks, "he's not her grandpa. He's my grandpa."

"Jackson. Now." I use my stern voice and Jack rolls off Scarlett, but I don't miss the slight pull on her hair. "March upstairs. You are grounded."

"What?" he says as he jumps to his feet. "Why?"

"You know why," I cross my arms and he stared at me. Challenging me. I growled. "Don't test me." Keeping eye contact he reaches down and grabs Scarlett's hand. Bringing it up he quickly bites down on it, "JACKSON." He releases her and I notice the tiniest of red on his lips. Little pup drew blood. "That's it you are grounded till the end of the month." He huffs as he get up and stomps his way back into the house. Whimpering Scarlett stands up and runs to my dad all the while she cradles her wound.

Holding out her hand he inspects it carefully, "This might scar." He looks to me, "You need to really talk with your son about how he is suppose to treat girls. If he continues to be rough then we are going to have problems as they grow."

"I think he doesn't like me in his territory," Scarlett says and takes her hand back. Silently inspecting it she makes this quizzical expression before licking the blood.

My dad grimaces from the porch, "Scar don't lick the blood. We should properly wash up." She show him her hand and the slightest shift in his stance. "I'm going to borrow your bathroom quickly," he takes her by the hand and leads her inside. If mom saw what Jackie did she would have beaten his bottom red and quite frankly no one would have been able to spot her. Goddess what am I going to do with these children? I have one who is as free as a bird and the other who is constantly on the attack. Clearly Lisa and I will need to have a heart to heart with Jackie if we want the two of them to peacefully co-exist. I look around the yard and let my eyes fall on the tree line.

When is the last time I've gone for a run? I question myself.

It's been awhile, I hear my wolf respond, should probably do a quick run. I'm feeling a little cramped in here. Stretching I walk into the forest line and take a quick peak behind me towards the house. Dad knows where the first aid kit is, he doesn't need me. I start stripping making sure to leave my clothes in a pile behind a tree. We need to talk about the runt.

Well no shit, I think back.

That kid is showing some real territorial aggression. Great if he was Alpha and he was protecting the land, but this is different. Go on. Pups like that tend to grow up with feral personalities and can be the downfall of a pack. My bones crack and pop out of place as I get to my knees feeling the pain of the transformation. Listen to me. I understand pups are unruly but I sense something. You what? Call it our sixth sense but you have to keep a close eye on those two. You like to beat around the bush as always. Never just tell me what I need to know in a point blank sense, I think to myself as I shake my fur out. The sun warms my fur as I stretch my front paws into the dirt, my claws digging into the earth.

Let's run the perimeter I hear and a howl is the response I'm given before I take off in a run. It's an indescribable feeling being able to run through the rich earth after dealing with kids. At first you are happy you have a child and then after a while it gets a little old. Nothing is private anymore. You kiss your wife and somewhere behind you there's an 'ew.' The moment you sit down to watch TV and something shatters in the distance. When you need to work someone is hungry and needs food now. There is no waiting. Had a bad dream? Don't worry mom will let you in the bed, but that's because she's not the one getting kicked in the chest. Oh and the bathroom. Not even the bathroom is private anymore.

Parenthood is a sham.

The greatest scheme the Goddess played on living beings.

Sure when they first come out they are cute, squishy, and have that weirdly awesome new baby smell. Where does that smell even come from? That's the walk in the park part, but then they start growing and suddenly he is tackling girls and dumping snails into the girl's jumper. They become a little monster in a second without you even noticing. Next thing you know you are the mean parent and you don't love them anymore because you are taking her side and not his. Logic does not seem to be something kids know.

RON, I stop running at the sound of my dad's stern voice.

Yes?

Scarlett's gone

What? I look back in the direction of the house. You sure she isn't hiding or that Jack locked her in the closet?

She disappear while I was on the toilet. Jackie said she ran into the tree line, my ears perk up at this. The children aren't allowed to come into the woods.

Before I could say something there was a howl off to the left of me. It didn't sound very far.

Lisa?

Crunch. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a blur of movement dart from behind a bush. That smell... Scarlett?

I follow suit after the scent and wonder how a small girl can run so fast. I can't see her but I can most definitely smell her. She's running towards the sound of the howl. Someone howled again, but it was someone I didn't recognize. Does Scarlett know who it is? Is it a rogue?

I pick up the pace and notice Scarlett's scent gets stronger. She's in front of me, but for some reason I can't see her. Where is she heading to? Dad, she out here.

What?

She's running somewhere.

Where to?

I don't know but I'm about to find out.

The light breaks through the trees and I run into the open area of the rec center. There's a smell of blood in the air and I follow it to the other side of the building. Standing naked was Lisa and at her feet a wolf I've never seen before. It's body torn and fur matted a dark red on several areas of its body. I approach slowly and as I got closer I notice flies buzzing around one of the hind legs. The fur was ripped off, muscle was exposed and to be honest I'm surprised if he ran in here with it.

"Ronnie," Lisa catches my attention and I look to her, then behind her. Some community members have their faces pressed to the windows. Curiosity eating at them since none of them have ever seen a rogue before. Yet here was one now in such a condition one can classify him far from being a threat.

Go back inside and move everyone away from the windows. I will deal with this. I approach the body and bring my nose to the top of his head. Obviously its a male and he's still alive, but just barely. Call the doctor. She treats into the center and I see people begin to move away from the windows. Now who can this be?

A breeze comes by and I lift my head, Scarlett? Suddenly a weight hits the right side of my neck and something sharp digs into my fur. Tiny growling fills my ears as I try to shake the intruder off. I nip and I feel it release me. Growling myself I look down and see this small thing on top of the rogue baring it's fangs at me. A pup so small it could pass for a medium size house dog with brown fur glaring up to me.

Scarlett... No that's impossible. Children... it's impossible for children to be able to shift. Their small bodies can't sustain the pain of transforming.

I take a step closer to her and then quickly back up. The rogue is snarling at me, blood dripping from his muzzle as he stares me down. Scarlett whimpers and licks his bloody muzzle as his snarling turns to wheezing.

Ron, Jarvis pads up to my side and I glance at him from the corner of my eye. What the hell is happening? I watch as the wheezing becomes coughing, but not just any kind of coughing. The wet kind. Blood sprinkles from his mouth to the blades of grass and just like that he falls down. No coughing, no wheezing, silence.

I start to shift back to my human self and as I do I hear the sad whimpering's of a confused child. Standing up I approach her carefully this time and she cowers before me, "let's go Scarlett." She shakes her head and refuses to move from the rogue's side. "Scarlett you have to move if you want us to help him."

She shuffles away from the body and I move to pick her up.

What do you want me to do with this guy? Jarvis asks.

Have the doctor patch him up and throw him into a cell, I feel Scarlett shift in my arms and suddenly I'm looking at a weeping child. How did she change so fast?

Is that Scarlett? Jarvis sounded surprised. How did she-

You won't say anything about this, I snap at him as I begin my walk to the trees. Tell Lisa I'll meet her at home. As I walk through the woods my mind is swirling with thoughts on what the hell just happened.

"Ronald," I spin around and see my mother standing not too far from me on one of the paths that lead to the center. She looks from my face to Scarlett's, "My goodness child." She pulls off her shawl as she comes towards us, "a young lady shouldn't be out so poorly dressed." Mom drapes the shawl over Scarlett's back and then proceeds to take her from me.

"Mom I-"

I shut my mouth as she shoots me a look. The look all moms have that say 'shut up before I hurt you.' "I'm taking her home Ronald."

"I should really be the one taking her."

"You need to go home and get cleaned up. Then come over later to have a talk with your father," she moves to walk away. "Don't bring Lisa, but don't forget Jarvis. He knows now anyway." Just like that she starts walking away.

What the hell is this cryptic shit?



I walk into my parents' house with Jarvis and I can't help but feel a little uneasy. Today was a day of firsts that I never thought I'd experience. I found a half dead rogue on my land and saw a child morph into her wolf side, this isn't some everyday occurrences.

"Why do we have to be here?" Jarvis whispers as he closes the front door. "I feel like I'm about to be scolded like in your dad's Alpha days."

"Well at least this time it isn't for peeping into girls' rooms," I say as I head for my dad's study on the second floor.

Jarvis follows close behind, "but it was worth it." He sounded like he was remembering something fond. Probably remembering the day he peeped in on his wife and she punched him through the window causing him to fall out of the tree he was hiding in.

I let out a breath and knock on my dad's door, "come in."

I open the door at my mother's voice and see her standing beside my dad's desk as he stares at a rock on his desk. My eyes fall to the paperweight on his desk and I stop walking. A strong chill ran down my back, all the hairs on my arms stood up and deep inside I felt my wolf pace and paw wanting out. He howled inside and suddenly my skin felt like it was being scolded causing my wolf to whimpering into submission. Submission? How could he go into submission? My body can't move.

What is that?

"Meredith can you help them. It's clear they are still a little wet behind the ears," Mom picks up a small velvet bag and walks to me.

Her hand goes into the bag and she pulls out a small pill, "Don't worry it's sweet." She pushes the pill into my mouth and I feel it begin to dissolve.

A sour taste shocked my system and I start coughing, "eh, ew, oh goddess, what is that?"

"It's better if you don't know," I hear from behind me as she puts a pill into Jarvis' mouth. I hear him make a disgusted noise, "Don't make faces and take it like a grown man. You two aren't pups anymore." Mom walks back to dad's side and he's just humming to myself, "have I ever told you boys about a pack called the Black Moon?"

"Not that I remember?" I look at Jarvis and he gives me a confused look.

"Doesn't sound familiar to me," Jarvis says and dad lets out a breath.

Dad motions to the chairs in front of his desk and the two of us take a seat, "The Black Moon pack is said to be a myth of a pack whose territory lies on top of the U.S. and Canadian border. It's rumored they are gifted and practice old ways in regards to the Harvest Moon." He laces his fingers together, "My father told me a story about this pack. They are a rough bunch of wolves and are very devote to the Goddess as there is a bloodline within the pack is considered blessed by the moon." He chuckles, "Well that depends on who considers their fate blessed. There is a line of mainly women who is kissed by the moon upon the days leading up to the death of their mother. This kiss is the mark of the Earth Spirit and as the mother slowly slips away the Earth Spirit that was within the mother's body moves into her child."

"Wait, wait, wait. Are you telling me that this particular pack supposedly has the fairytale Earth Spirit?" My voice came out sarcastically, "how's that?"

"The Black Moon is said to originate from the ashes of fallen wolves. Legend has it many years ago the Goddess came to the earth and as she wandered the grounds she felt lonely. So she plucked a star and buried it into a soft pile of dirt. She sang to it for three nights till a brown wolf with white markings dug its way out. This pleased the Goddess and the two of them wandered the earth together enjoying each other's company. The Sun God was a jealous man and was infatuated with the Moon Goddess. No matter what he did he couldn't gain the Moon Goddess' attention as it was always on her wolf and the wolves she created after him. So one day when the Moon Goddess left her wolves the Sun God came to the grounds and set her wolves ablaze. Their howls gained the attention of the first and he came running to help and attacked the Sun God. Yet he was no match and he too was burnt."

I nodded as I listened, "His body crumpled into the earth and when the Goddess returned she only found a star surrounded in a field of ash. Heartbroken she gathered the star and buried it once again into a soft plot of earth. Her tears soaked the earth and for many nights she bathed her star in her light praying he'd crawl out like before. After months of praying the wolf crawled to the surface. This time it's brown fur had flecks of black, red, and gold in it. Its eyes a grey that was reminiscent of the Goddess' moonlight and wherever it frolicked trees sprouted covering it's path from the Sun God. The wolf ran to the pile of ash of its fellow wolves and let out a sorrowful howl that shifted the ashes on the ground, and by some miracle wolves formed from the ashes, their coats pitch black. Though they didn't end simply there as the black wolves shaped the ground into a rough terrain that would become their home as the Goddess traveled the earth with her star wolf covering the ground with trees as she created more wolves."

Dad touched the stone, "Still as she traveled she felt the Sun's watchful gaze and worried for her precious ones. So after they covered the earth and returned to her black wolves she decided it was too dangerous to remain on the earth. So before deciding to leave her wolves she granted them a second skin to hide from the Sun God when she couldn't protect them." He picks up the rock, "My grandfather was obsessed with the legend of the Black Moon pack and in his youth he left the pack to try to find it. Of course his father thought he was stupid and after five years of wandering around the border mountains it's said he rescued a girl and as a thank you she gave him this rock. Before he could say anything else in what could be said as a flash of smoke she turned into a black wolf and ran away. This rock is apparently a piece of the mountain the Black Moon lives on."

"And what does this have to do with a line of women being possessed?" Jarvis asks.

"Well when the earth spirit's flesh grew old he decided to discard his male second skin and continue to live on with a woman's body. So if the Moon Goddess ever returned to him the Sun God wouldn't feel jealous of another male. To accomplish this feat a woman who was in love with the star wolf offered her body for him to live in. Though this came at a price as the wolf is such a large entity the woman had to make a sacrifice. Upon letting the star wolf enter her body she sacrificed her own wolf. In a brutal ritual the star wolf devoured her wolf and whenever she changed forms the star wolf form emerged. This is the birth of what we know today as the Earth Spirit."

"That interesting but I don't see how this fairy tale has anything to do with what happened today."

"I have a feeling that our little Scarlett belongs to the Black Moon." Dad says and I stand up feeling shocked, "I don't have a whole lot to back me up on this theory and I have a feeling that rogue knows more than anyone here. When he comes to I will have a conversation with him, but until then I have only little piece of evidence." He stands up and walks around his desk with the rock in his hand, "Follow me boys."

He leads us out of the room and it's at this point I realize mom is no longer in the room. We follow dad down the hall to my old room and he opens the door. Inside was the soft breathing of a child and I see Scarlett sleeping soundly curled on my old twin bed. "Your mother gave her something so she won't wake," he walks beside the bed. "I've never been one for magic tricks boys," he places the rock on the pillow besides Scarlett's head.

"Shit," Jarvis mumbles under his breath and I agree. The rock emits a glow and all around the bed a black mist floats in the air above the sleeping pup.

"Something tells me you will have a very interesting time as Alpha, Ron. More interesting than I ever had," the mist swirls in the air and for a brief second I could have sworn a wolf was staring right at me.