"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
Cody finds us again, as the unicorns follow closely behind him. The unicorns look tired and confused. The critters of Saint Maria chatter, squawk, and sing as loudly as their voices will let them. "It's the Ghost. She's destroyed the remaining luna lilies. She must have followed Cody and the other unicorns to the Luna mountain. The spiders came and destroyed the rest of the flowers. The Ghost has a luna lily, and once she uses it's magic it will be too late for the rest of the Saint Maria valley," Queen Ursa of the unicorns says. Her golden horn bows in my direction as the rest of the unicorns follow their queen's example as bow toward me. I am not sure what I have done to deserve their praise. "Why do you bow at me, Queen Ursa? I have done nothing worthy of honor," I say as I raise the Queen to her feet."That's not true. You have saved a luna lily. The unicorns can hear it calling out to you and thanking you. You saved it. There is hope for the Saint Maria forest after all. All
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
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 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'
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
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
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