The light at the end of the tunnel is near. The entrance to the cave shakes the earth. The staircase shifts as we travel pass the Great Grizzly. Although all living beings are frozen in time for us to escape, the inorganic materials like rocks are still moving about freely. The rocks drop on the staircase chipping away at the ground little by little. The stairs fall into a deep chasm within the Luna mountain. Rosemary spots us toward the entrance of the cave, she reaches her hands out toward us as if she is ready to consume our souls as we run. I chant in elder speech and raise up my hands toward the cave entrance. Chief Wolfpaw zips past me in time, as I collapse the entrance to the cavern. The force of the cave in pushes Chief Wolfpaw and I toward the ground, knocking us over. The Ghost smiles at our dramatic entrance, and takes on her human form. "Won't you join me, Chief Wolfpaw? I want to look into the eyes of the man who is the son of my former lover." Chief Wolfpaw returns
The sight of Lucia and my father, Chief Wolfpaw, is a strange one indeed. My father looks like he's been in a bar fight with a young drunk human man. I can tell they have been through a lot of turmoil and obstacles just to find me again. I was starting to think that Lucia had given up on me, and that perhaps she really did believe me to be dead. The touch of my father's hand on my shoulder is enough reassurance to let me know he is both happy to see me and is exhausted. His walking stick is proof enough that he is getting older, a lot faster than I anticipated. It means I will become Chieftain soon. It's a role I was born to play, but was never asked if I wanted to play it. I suppose they never ask. They just keep going until the bloodline ceases to exist. If I don't produce an heir with Lucia after we wed, then my bloodline dies with me. I can think of worse things to happen than a bloodline ending, due to a lack of child rearing. Does Lucia even want children, it's a question we h
The sun rises through the trees with a pink and orange tint. The dew sparkles against the bushes and twinkles when it does. Morning doves coo as Chief Wolfpaw continues to snore, and Cody rolls over. The Ghost reveals her eyes to me through the covering of the trees. I walk toward her, and know that I am being summoned again. I dare not disobey this inner voice that is pulling me toward her. "Hello, Lucia. I see you have been reunited with Cody. Is it true has he found the Luna lily flowers," Rosemary, the Ghost asks? The twist in her voice and deception in her eyes makes me question her motives. But if I don't obey I fear I will have to surrender the soul of my first born child, despite being successful on our mission to retrieve a soul for the Ghost. We held up our end of the bargain, but I no longer believe the Ghost will keep her word. My first born might be in trouble after all, if I don't find and surrender the luna lily flowers to Rosemary. "I don't know what he's found, Ro
I haven't been to my grandmother's house since she passed away. The day of her funeral, was the day I was taken in by the Wolf People Clan. Their generosity in my time of need will never be forgotten by me. Returning to my grandma's house after a year will be hard to do. No one came looking for me to settle her debts, because I was seventeen. My name disappeared from the town, and the only mention of my name was when I was blamed for the death of Cody. It was never true of course, I didn't kill him. If I returned to the human world with Cody at my side it would create a rabbit hole of interview questions. The Perez house was left alone until I would become of age. I am of age now, but I not ready to inherit the house or any of my grandmother's property. Despite growing up there the stuff within the walls never felt like mine. It always felt like it was grandma's, and to take it would feel wrong. I don't have room for a house full of stuff as the future wife of the next chieftain. T
Spiders the size of dogs scurry around the house and are heard on the inside and outside of the walls. The voice of the elders touches my tongue, as the two werewolves of the Wolf People Clan prepare to defend me and the luna lily flowers.The giant spiders chatter amongst themselves and chant to themselves in lowered tones. The spiders look like giant tarantulas as they creep up the stairs. A voice controls them faintly in the distance. Chief Wolfpaw and Cody bend their ears in the direction of the voice. A puppet master is pulling the strings behind the chattering of this giant spider horde. The spiders come in various colors. Some are light grey and others are white. The dark brown ones have large orange eyes and the black ones have red eyes. But all the spiders have one thing in common, they are here to destroy the Perez household and mean to kill us all. My reflection in the mirror is fierce and strong. My eyes continue to glow as the horde chews through the attic door. "Get
The Wolf People Clan stop bowing at me. Their heads are picked up by their strength. Werewolf culture is more loyal than the world of men. Their bonds last forever and they keep their word, or they pay the price with their skin. I return the luna lily flower to the bag under my cloak. With the knowledge of the luna lily flowers returning to the world, it is only a matter of time before other mythical creatures come in search of it. The Ghost will use any creature to do her bidding, even a humble field mouse could return to it's family and come after us with a swarm. A great battle is on the horizon and I can feel it's presence before it's revealed. Battles are predictable but the outcome is not. With the power to stop time and summon sunlight on our side, I am certain the Wolf People Clan will be celebrating a victory for many moons to come. But if the Moon Goddess should ever not favor the Wolf People Clan and abandon them, their numbers could fall along with their warrior cries.
Traveling with unicorns is the most noble thing I have ever done. Despite becoming the next Chieftain of the Wolf People Clan, it is my duty to learn the inner politics of the forest of Saint Maria. It begins by learning how to respect all life from the tiniest caterpillar to the largest oak tree in the mountains. My father instilled within me a willingness to wait, learn, and listen. I listen to the hooves of the unicorns. I learn their patterns and clicks as they stampede toward the Luna mountain meadow where the luna lilies were found.The unicorn queen, Ursa, has a spark to her that's older than Saint Maria. Her wisdom pours from her like water flowing through a waterfall. "Queen Ursa, why does your people need the luna lilies? The Wolf People Clan needs them to reunite werewolves and humans. We want to end the silent war, and the flowers will help us achieve this peace. What about your kind? What good are a bunch of magical flowers for a herd of unicorns," I ask while begging t
"Maximus, when will your uncle, the Chief, and Prince Cody return? What should we do?"The Wolf People Clan has been abandoned by their leaders. The clan looks to me for guidance and wisdom. My uncle, Chief Wolfpaw, said he wouldn't be long. His endless adventures are gossiped about among the trees. The gossip is carried along the wind and has made its way to my ears. Now that war is on the horizon, the Wolf People Clan needs a Chieftain. "I don't know when he is coming home. Tell the clan to prepare for battle. The humans will be here."When Chief Wolfpaw summoned his warriors to battle a spider horde, I was left behind. That's the role I've been given, and the only one I am allowed to play. Meanwhile the Chief and Prince go off and play find the flowers. My uncle is a fool for leaving the rest of the pack behind. But I have not abandoned them. I have hunted for them in his absence, and have made difficult decisions on how to thrive among the invading humans. When the Great Grizzl
Peace stretches across the Saint Maria Valley. The wind whispers of future generations to come. Our time with the unicorns must come to an end. "Well, the war is over. I am happy the unicorns can live in harmony with the forest again. Where will you go, Lucia," Queen Ursa asks as she prepares to say her good byes?"I have a wedding to prepare for and a clan to rule over with Cody.""So you've decided to stay with them after all? That's a relief. I am happy for you. I'd stay for the wedding but the unicorns have been away from their forest duties long enough. It's been a grand time. If you are ever in trouble, all you need to do is just ask and I will be there. I've grown fond of you, Lucia. Take care of Cody. He needs you now more than ever."I hug Queen Ursa as tightly as I can. Perhaps I've over done it. But it is what it is. We are friends forever now. Her golden horn touches my shoulder as she blesses me with one more gift of unicorn magic. "I will take care of them all, I promi
I've never had a moon goddess take over my body before. I've never had a lot of things happen to me before. If the last year of my life has proven anything to me, it's that unicorns, werewolves, and ghosts are all real. The nightmares that exist in my story books are all true. Those authors knew something about the world that the rest of us could only dream of.Perhaps there is truth in all fairy tales and when the war is won, I wish to find out if mermaids exist in the dark corners of the ocean. Elder magic could help me swim down to Atlantis and let me greet them with a salty kiss. The moon goddess is strong with the tide and her bonds with wolves are eternal. I can hear Lady Luna's thoughts as she leads the Wolf People Clan and unicorns to war. Her thoughts are loud and tell me her story. She fell in love with a sea captain and when he wouldn't marry her, she became heart broken. His name was Duncan McGuire, he was an Irish smuggler. When a ghost came to kill Duncan, Lady Luna, wh
A great chieftain has passed away. The great green dragon along with the werewolf clan members collect logs and firewood. The unicorns collect flowers varying from roses to daisies and line them up in a circle. The Wolf People Clan take the logs and stack them up high. A pyre is made for the chief. The Wolf People clan members howl to the moon goddess and I sing with them. No magic spells, or Elder magic, or unicorn magic could have saved Chief Wolfpaw from his fate. In his final days he was tired and weary and his limp grew ever more so. The hairs on his head are all silver a sign that life is no more. His eyelids are shut and his hands are folded across his chest like an ancient Egyptian mummy. The unicorns use their horns and continue to gather flowers. They place the flowers near the base of the pyre. Queen Little Bird is summoned to attend her husband's funeral. Her tears are large and she distances herself from Cody. I don't know Queen Little Bird at all. In my interactions w
The war has started sooner than any of us have anticipated. I thought it was days away and that I had more time to rest, and more time to prepare. That's the thing about war, no one is ever truly prepared for it. It sneaks up on your restlessness when you least expect it and it pounces on your fatigue with all it's might. The moon is out and the shadow of the great green dragon is at the center of the moon. His wingspan is fully extended. He is the only creature who is not frozen in time by my elder magic spell. "Witch girl, did you pause time," the great green dragon asks? "Yes, Draco. I did. Can you give me a lift? I need to get the luna lilies out of the Ghost's hands before the spell wears off." Without hesitation or answering my request verbally he lifts me with his claws onto his back. I've never touched the scales of a dragon before. They are bumpy like my grandma's old leather alligator purses. The texture of his scales leaves indents in my skin, and his breath forces his
We march to the Saint Maria valley. I do my best to learn my elder magic spells while riding on Cody. The great green dragon flies above us and glides with the wind. Anyone who believes in magic can see him. He is out in the open and exposed, but perhaps that doesn't matter. Perhaps his hovering above us will make our enemies cower in fear. We will deal with the Ghost first and set the spider horde ablaze. They will catch fire and we will win. We will defeat the spiders. I suspect that will be the easiest part of the battle. But the worst part of the battle will be when we face the Ghost. She may have consumed the luna lily by now. If she has the dragon, the elder magic I possess, and all the unicorns combined might not be enough to win. Another battle after that waits for us. The one of who will rule over the Saint Maria forest and who will become Chieftain after Chief Wolfpaw. That's the battle I fear the most. It's the battle that determines my fate. The role I will play will be
Queen Ursa of the unicorns pushed me through a magic portal. I told her not to get involved in the political affairs of werewolves. But the truth is she did interfere and paid little attention to the warning I gave her. She sent me back to the Wolf People Clan, which can only mean one thing that my uncle the Chief has no intention of listening to me or taking my requests seriously. The last thing my uncle will ever do is respect anything I ask for. He wears his chief title proudIy and ignores his family members. I sometimes wish I could punish my family for the way they treated me my whole life. I am not a prince, I am not a king, or a chieftain. I am merely related to those who rule by blood. Blood is the only thing that has allowed me to respect them up to this point. But when Chief Wolfpaw joined with the unicorns, I knew he had something else up his sleeve. I wouldn't be surprised if my uncle died within the next fortnight. He's become weak in the last few months of travel while
The unicorns and the werewolves gather together beneath the Luna Mountain. Ursa the queen of the unicorns is ready to take them into the heart of the mountain. I am not ready to enter a cave again. Last time I entered a cave the great Grizzly tried to kill me and Chief Wolfpaw. It was then I discovered my powers, the powers of the Elder. I didn't know I was a witch but I do now and this time I shall use my magic to defeat my enemy within the cave. No one has told me what this supernatural magical weapon is that will defeat the Ghost but I shall soon find out. Perhaps he is a vampire that has made peace with the Wolf People Clan. Perhaps there are fairies or mermaids inside the cave. The Elder magic within me speaks to the magic of the unicorns and it prepares itself to defend itself from the great magic source within the mountain. I've never met cave creatures before perhaps there's a goblin inside the mountain. There could be elves or dwarves for those things might be real too. Who'
The light of the morning sunrise is orange and purple like the paintings from my grandmother's old art museum books. The great painter has done his work again and has stretched his colors across the horizon. I can see my breath this morning, autumn maybe here but winter is coming. Winter is hard on the Wolf People Clan, they spend most of it in their werewolf form. Their fur keeps them warm, and I will spend most of my time by the large fire in the great hall beside Cody and Chief Wolfpaw. But not today, today we are still marching toward the promised magic that will deliver us into victory against the great evil of the Ghost. Nothing frightens me more than Rosemary. No amount of elder magic can calm me in my sleep. I spend the day reading my spell books and practicing magic on top of Cody's back. No matter how much I practice, I will never have a mentor to guide me in the ways of spell making. "Lucia, magic can not be self taught. You have to want it. You have to need it and you ca
The werewolves and unicorns camp together under the stars. The forest hisses and bellows, the mountains toss and turn like the sea. The world is uneasy. The world is unsafe. Even with the world's most powerful unicorn, I still can't sleep. Maximus wants to marry me, the lesser beta male of the Wolf People Clan. His ruthless claws would be my undoing and I would never be happy by his side. The trees continue to rustle and the wind is winning the battle. The trees give in as they sway back and forth, the leaves continue to fall. The seasons are beginning to change and the leaves are showing their color. The colors are red and yellow and blend together in patterns across the various leaves. It's proof that there is a higher powers above us. I am not sure how many gods there are or if it's just one, but as a member of the Wolf People Clan I must learn to have more faith in the goddess of the moon. My tent keeps the wind off my back. The hair on my neck stands up straight. A branch crack