THE INDIFFERENT LUNA 1 - Austan wolf

Prologue

The entire village gathered in the square as it was another memorable night, a night when their children who had just turned eighteen would be blessed by the moon with their wolves. The whole village looked at the seven children with pride and expectation as if all their hopes were on them, they were the future generation after all.

Among the excited children dressed in white, lined up in the middle of the square surrounded by the villagers was Silveen, a slender-looking red-headed girl. Her long flaming red hair fell over her white gown to her waist and she could easily be taken as the most beautiful of the children that stood there that cold night.

She looked through the large crowd of villagers that had gathered to witness their shifting until her eyes rested on her parents. Her father, a large hairy man, was standing beside his mate who was the exact opposite, with a tall and slim frame. Her eyes met theirs and what she saw there was not what she had seen in the eyes of other parents when they looked at their children. She didn't see love, all she saw was curiosity.

Why were they more curious than excited? She couldn't help but wonder as she looked through the crowd at the other parents, who were either beaming at their children or whispering encouraging words.

The first scream snatched Silveen from her thoughts and she looked to her left to see the only other girl apart from her screaming in pain and falling to the ground. The ritual hadn't even started and her wolf was eager to come out, she screamed again this time and a hush enveloped the gathering as the other children began to focus on the full moon that had risen over them, as they had seen their predecessors do in the past.

The sound of breaking and cracking of bones caused a soft song to erupt from the mouth of the villagers and soon, all were singing in unison as many generations before they had. The other children began to join in the scream, the sound of solemn singing was now mixed with screams of pain and the breaking of bones. The song grew louder as the children turned, drowning their screams in the words of encouragement embedded in the song.

Soon, young wolves appeared where all the children had once stood, their clothes all torn to shreds on the floor, they let out a loud howl in excitement and the whole village responded as the parents turned into wolves howling with their children in the moonlight.

Something flashed.

And slowly all the others began to take notice, turning in its direction as a deafening silence fell on the assembly once again. They all stared at her wondering why she was still in her human form, they all stared at Silveen standing there in her white gown staring at the moon intently, waiting to be gifted like the others or to disappear from their sight forever.

The silence turned to a whisper as people began to murmur, wondering what could be happening, what could be the delay, and why was she not shifting. Why was she taking longer?

The murmur grew louder as more people wondered but instead of her first scream, a clap of thunder rumbled as thick clouds covered the full moon.

The people now looked up in despair and shock at the ominous sign as the first drop of rainfall hit the face of the waiting teenager. The second drop, and soon a torrential rain caused all the people to run for cover towards their home leaving Silveen standing alone in the rain, sobbing softly as she stared at the sky unable to see the moon that was to bring forth her wolf.

.......

"What on earth happened there?"

The wet and shivering Silveen heard her father, Arnold, ask. His eyes darkened with anger. She looked at him silently oblivious of the answer herself.

"Didn't you hear me? Why didn't you shift? Why are you unable to shift?" He asked as he grabbed her shoulders and shook her vigorously.

"Say something!"

"I don't know!" Silveen screamed, bursting into tears and covering her face with her palm.

Her father looked from her to his mate confused, not knowing what to make of this or how to deal with it. Her mother, Lupe, looked at her intently, sharing in the confusion.

"Silveen," Lupe called softly as she walked to her, got on the balls of her knees, coming face to face with Silveen's seating position.

"Have you asked your wolf? Ask her what went wrong, why you couldn't shift when you are already of age and strong enough."

Silveen looked at her mother who was staring intently at her, pain flashing in her eyes as she knew she couldn't keep her well-guarded secret anymore.

"I never met her."