One

OCTAVIUS 10 YEARS OLD

  The grass tickles my feet lightly as I run through the peaceful field that reminds me of my mother's home. But while it reminds me of my mother's safe place, I know it isn't hers. There is a hidden tension here, almost like a sinister secret. Plus, I can't contact with Beerus here.

  My wolf is always with me. In my mother's realm, he runs beside me instead of being inside me.

   "Hello," I call, trying to locate whoever made this new dreamland.

  I usually travel to my mother's when I sleep, not here. I have never been here before. Father says I should never go anywhere new without him. I hope he doesn't get onto me. I didn't choose to come here. Plus, I am strong. I don't know why he doesn't think I can protect myself.

   "Well, hello," a calm female voice replies from just behind me.

   I spin around, feeling scared, but when I see a kind-looking girl around my age, I relax.

   "Hi, who are you," I ask after a second.

  I pull a smile onto my face, so she knows I am friendly. Her brown eyes sparkle, and she smiles back.

  "My name is Melanie. I am surprised you can talk to me. What's your name," she replies while slowly moving away from me?

  Her eyes stay on me, and her smile never leaves her face, so I follow. She seems nice. A little weird but nice. I like her pretty brown hair and bright smile.

  "My name is Octavius Bishop. I am Lucian Bishop's son, but don't worry. My father isn't as mean as other people say. He will let me play with you. You didn't have to call me into a dream with you," I say, breaking the ice entirely between us.

  Melanie freezes in her tracks and looks at me weirdly. Her head tilts, and her smile slips from her face.

  "You know about dream pulling and sharing. How," she asks quickly, and I nod.

  "Oh yes. I go to my mother's every night. But it isn't her dreamland or anything like that. It is her realm. She made it. So what do you want to play? I can't shift right now because I can't feel Beerus, but I am still fast on two legs, don't worry," I explain while smiling.

   Melanie doesn't smile back. Instead, she approaches me quickly. She lifts her hand and tries to touch me, but her hand finds nothing. It's as if my body turns to smoke when her fingers come into contact with me.

  "Weird. That doesn't happen at my mom's," I whisper, and a hissing sound erupts from Melanie's mouth.

  I jump back on instinct alone, and Melanie roars. The scenery around me simultaneously changes, and I gasp. The green field and gentle breeze are nowhere in sight. Instead, all I can see for miles is scorched earth and grey skies.

  "What is this place," I whisper in a terrified voice.

  "This is my home, you stupid beast," a harsh voice from beside me snaps, and I jump away.

   My eyes lock onto a demon-like creature with black wings, and my blood runs cold. Fairies!

My mother and father have described them to me a hundred times now. I know a fairy when I see one, and this shape-shifting monster is definitely a fairy.

   "How can I not touch you? How do you know about dream-sharing?... Who is your mother," the pissed-off-looking creature demands as she begins to circle me?

  My instincts are telling me to run, but I stand firm. I straighten my back as my father taught me, and open my senses like I do when hunting.

  "My mother is Goddess to all Werewolves. Second only to the Moon Goddess herself. I am immune to your magic, hag. The Goddess of Night made it so. My mother has been preparing me every night for the past four years. I will end you and free the enslaved people you keep here," I say proudly, reciting everything my mother has told me over the years.

  Her all-black eyes widen like a Saturday morning cartoon.

  "Immune to Magic," she snarls, and I nod.

    She continues to circle me as a predator does, but my fear is slowly evaporating. I feel empowered by my mother's words. I know her magic can't hurt me, so what else does she have? I might only be ten, but I am stronger than grown males. I could crush her skull if I wanted to.

  "How did I pull you here if you are immune to magic," she suddenly hisses, and it's my turn to tilt my head in confusion.

  Does she really not know? I thought the fairies were smart.

  "Because I came willingly. I like dream sharing. I have never had anything to fear from it. You made the connection, and my brain followed it. I imagine all the pups will. But you won't be able to hurt them either. All the pups born after me are like me. We are immune to magic. My mother met you once. She saw how powerful you were. She was happy when Anniki cursed us with immunity. No magic can touch us, good or bad," I declare smugly, and Melanie's eyes narrow.

  She gets right in my face and growls.

  "I met your mother," she asks with her pointy little black teeth bared.

  Her spit hits my face, but I try to act unaffected. I nod and growl at her instead of wiping my face. I step away from her and fold my arms.

  "Yes. If you are "Queen" Melanie of the fairies, then my mother has met you. I will not explain how because I don't think your tiny brain could handle it. (Ha, take that)  But know this, my people are aware that you have been stealing pups. You dream shared with me because you need replacements and you are getting desperate. I might be young, but I am not stupid. I am ten, so it has been ten years since your last haul of slaves. You haven't been able to get any more for your realm since I was born. The ones you had before I was born have all shifted long ago. But what you didn't know was my mother was the curse breaker. I am the first pup of my kind. We don't spend the first ten years of our lives in wolf form anymore. You can see our human form without entering our dreams, stupid monster. I am the first of the New Age. The answer to your monstrous ways. I am Octavius Bishop. Son to Alpha Bishop and Goddess Amber. I will be the one to ensure you stay behind your wall. I am the protector of Werewolves and Humans alike," I shout with pride dripping from every one of my words.

  I feel twenty years older talking to her now. I didn't understand all of mom's speeches and dad's training until now. I am important. I have to protect the world from this monster and her awful ways. If the world she lives in is any indicator of what she plans to do to my world. I will never stop fighting. It is the reason I was born.

  I drop my arms and step back into her face. I am only slightly shorter than her because she is hunched over, so our faces are close together.

  "Your days are numbered, monster," I growl.

  I have heard my father use that line before, and I have always thought he was so cool when he said it.

  "You think so? You think you can bring down the strongest fairy that has ever lived. You are nothing. You are a tiny child. I have learned how to split my being, dog. And once I have taught the rest of my people how to do it, there will be no protecting anyone. We will not be contained. We will kill every last one of the humans, and when we do, the barrier will fall. The powerful will be free once more, and I will kill the Goddess who kept us imprisoned for so long," Melanie declares with an evil smirk.

  I growl, and my hands ball into fists. My heart fills with hate, and my body feels like it is growing.

  "I will never allow that to happen! I will kill you all," I snarl, and Melanie laughs.

   I feel air rush past my ears, and the scene before my eyes vanishes. It feels like a rope is dragging me away from the fairy Queen, but I don't fight it. I know I am being pulled back to my waiting body.

Beerus- OCTAVIUS!?! TAV! COME BACK. COME BACK. YOU CAN NOT GO THERE. YOU AREN'T STRONG ENOUGH YET.

Octavius- Calm down, Beerus. I am back.

Beerus- Did she hurt you? That was the fairy queen, Tav. You cannot do that.

Octavius- It might have been her dream to control, but she still couldn't hurt me, Beerus. Aunty Anniki's curse held true. We are safe from her magic.

Beerus- Praise the Night! Thank the moon! I thought she got you.

Octavius Nope. But we must tell mother. She told me to let her know if anything like this happens.

Beerus- Alright. At least I get to come with this time.

I smile internally for him to feel before letting my mind go blank. I need to inform my mother of what the evil Queen said, so she and the other Goddesses know Melanie's plan. Then when I wake up, I can tell father.

I feel the pull, and I smell the familiar scent of sunflower seeds before I open my eyes again. Beerus is instantly by my side, so I don't waste another second before dashing towards my mom's usual spot. My feet are heavy on the smooth path to my mother's cottage, but I don't care. Nothing can harm me here. I don't need to be quiet. The new wolves my mother creates daily watch me run with curious eyes. I usually stop to play, but not tonight.

  "Mother," I yell as I approach her door.

  Beerus barks and mom's door bursts open. Her small features look terrified as her eyes search for me, and I immediately feel guilty for frightening her.

  I love my mother so much. The first time I met her, I was six years old. She came to me in a dream and brought me here. She hugged for hours, and I was finally complete.

  At that time in my life, I had already met Beerus, and I had already shifted. I had felt so happy, but still, something was missing. Father and Papa had always loved me, but I could tell when they looked at me, they missed her. When I met her, I realized why. I look just like my mother.

  "Octavius! Are you okay? Are you hurt," Mom asks as she breaks into a run to meet me.

   I shake my head before our bodies collide, and she sighs. Her arms wrap tightly around me, and I take a second to listen to the fast hum that is now her heartbeat.

  "No, momma. I am okay," I whisper after a second, and she pulls back so she can hold me at arm's length.

  She looks me over once before glancing at Beerus to do the same.

  "What's wrong then? Why are you so late, and why we're you yelling like that," mom asks, and my head dips.

  I honestly didn't mean to scare her. I just needed her. My bravado from earlier is gone, and I am a little shaken up. I mean, I met the monster my parents have been warning me about.

  "Queen Melanie came to me in my dream. She attempted to trick me. When she discovered she had no power against me, she asked who I was. Who you were. I told her. I told her I am immune to her, as are all the new werewolves. She told me she has learned to split her being. She is going to teach her people, and then she plans to kill all the humans. She said then the barrier will fall. She wants revenge against Selene after that," I spew out, and my mother's eyebrows lift.

  She looks at me for a few moments as my breathing calms down.

  "She wasn't able to hurt you at all right," Mom finally asks, and I shake my head no.

"When she tried to touch me, my body became mist. She couldn't touch me," I answer, and my mom lets out another relieved sigh.

  "Thank you for telling me, son. I will have to travel to Selene's realm to let her know as well. I,... This will be hard on you, my precious boy. My realm is closer to yours, so I am in the same flow of time you are in, but Selene's is much farther away. For me, my trip will be short. But for you, my trip will take years," my mom whispers brokenly, and I freeze a little.

   "Then don't go. We can handle Melanie. Don't go, mom," I plead after a second, and a single tear slides from my mom's eye before she hugs me to her again.

  "I must, Octavius," mom whispers, and I begin to cry openly.

  I should have never told her.