Wolf's Bane

Chapter One

The most deadly weapon - contradicting the most popular belief - to a spirit wolf is not silver. Although I have no idea what idiot thought they could slaughter a spirit wolf with cutlery; what I do know is that they were gravely mistaken and are probably dead. There is only one way to kill one of these tormented wolves. Wolf's Bane

A werewolf ,or occasionally lycanthrope, is a folkloric human with the ability to shape shift into a wolf. Whilst that may be true; we do not posses anything like immortality (naturally anyway)

Spirit wolves are born into one tribe, due the protection of cubs being the main focus of our species, the location is unknown to even those who grow up there until the are of age. They call it the promise land, but I know it as Thistle Grove. The only place I have ever felt I actually belonged; It's shallow brooks whistle a enchanting song as it races up to the river bend. There was a bench, carved out of birch wood, that hides itself away near the end of that brook. There was many a day where I would curl up on the white wood and get lost in a book about far of lands. It is my favourite spot in the whole of Thistle Grove. If you sit down and rest you head up against the old red trees you can hear the pulse of the mystical forest pulsate through the nutrient filled soil; the same soil that brings life to the shrubbery of the Red wood, Blue bells and Fox groves blossom and spout. The winds' tendrils will explore you hair and sculpt. Massaging all your worries and fears away an replacing then with the sweet smell of tulips and rain.

The Red Woods is where I truly long to be, my body aches to be back near the ancient calloused bark of the life-ful fingers of mother nature that peek and lift through the veil that separates us.

But I can't. I will never be allowed to step foot back into that sanctuary of pixies and elves - I have never seen one, but I have never stopped believing - And neither will anyone else my age. We have been cursed with the worst fate known to a teenage reject. Turning eighteen.

The wheels of the black tinted coach rip into action; tearing me and many others from their broody land of the Red Woods, or what they believe to be their sanctuary. My Eyes observe my reflection in the echo of the window. My eyes and unusual Hazel. A earthy dark green swamp drown the outer rim of my pupils; but in inner rim? It is like the sun was broken and crushed in the palm of someone hand and thrown down to Earth into my orbs. The hair that rests atop my head is the darkest shade of brown known to me, It dangles from my crown like roots from a tree. wild and untamed: Completely natural. My skin was not clear, no teenager had escaped the blemishes of puberty but neither was there freckles amid my imperfections, Just a lot of moles, like there where bullet wounds all over my body. A constant reminder that I will never fit it.

I turn my face away suddenly as the feeling of someone watching me strokes my skin.

No eyes are upon me, the other wolves on the coach are preoccupied in conversations about the new land we are approaching. Who will there mate be? will they find each other straight away? or be forever alone like.. like... like me...

I observe the faces of the old pups that sit on the same moving platform as me, familiar faces. People I have grown up with but never exchanged a word with. Tiffanie, she was my combat partner, she was always fast; but never fast enough.

She sits next a boy I can't recall; their hair a shade of dark brown and... their back is to me so I can't exactly see much else. I stare into his back, it is clocked in a grey T-shirt that is tight against his flexed muscles, I could trace everyone of them with my finger, my orbs rise to his neck.

I now notice that it is turned in a different direction. His adams apple tight against his pale throat, my Hazel beads climb over it and meet his own eyes. A shocking lime green hugged by a pale yet complex blue. They had a intense expression to them, searching for something desperately to no avail.

I takes me a blink to figure out they were staring straight into mine.

She looks like a polar bear in the middle of a wildfire; surrounded by the forest critters that only care about breeding and pumping out even more idiotic pups. I could tell her eyes have been upon me for a while now. Her dainty body has shifted it's centre to examine something in more detail, I imagine that it would be the stranger who she had never seen before. But.. her eyes - unlike any others I had ever seen - where painted in an emotion that even I could not place.

It was a mixture between curiosity and... jealousy?

I want to tear my eyes away and go back into my broody state of home, back to my her. Every time I try to dart my eyes away the seem to be drawn back as if they had their own sense of free will. If not her eyes them her rosy lips that fade of to a dark plum colour - surely that can't be natural? she seems unreal. Unlike any other mindless wolf on the coach she seems to have a personality that was not forced upon her by the other robotic simpletons. She was real, I just know it.

"Luca? What are you looking at?" The girl next to me squeaks as she fidgets with her blonde frost hair, rolling the dead ends between her finger and looking at them, dismayed. She was simply the neighbour first open seat that caught my melodic eyes. The first girl who looked easy enough to charm and convince that I have lived here all along. something tells me that little Miss curls over there isn't going to be that easy.

"I'm just staring out the window, if you look hard enough you can catch the blue birds making their nests in the trees as they zoom past" I trail my voice of in a bitter sweet matter. She doesn't pick up on it. Instead her eyes also dark to the window in search for the bundles of twigs. She physical swoons against me as she spots one. From the sheer amount of nagging in my ear I look back over to the mystery girl and her window; even her hazel swirls are outside instead of bouncing of the walls of a temporary prison, on wheels.

A prison that had just reach it's destination of dopey eyes, horny wolves.

"Luca, huh? Weird name for a boy?" Another girl is peering over my seats, that means there are two girls sitting behind me, that means I must talk to them as well. I don't particularly want too.

"None of us will ever know out parents.. In my case it seems it might be for the best" My face lights up and I let a hoarse chuckle ring out whilst I flash her a crooked smile, this draws the attention of the mystery girl who's seems intent of eating me alive with only her glares. I can feels her eyes are on my throat again, like hands caressing my skin. Is she trying to mentally strangle me? I sincerely hope not.

"Tell me about it! who names their kid Sandy Beaches?" I am tugged from my thoughts by what she released from her lips. Is that even a real name?

"Your joking?!" I fake a gasp and tear my eyes away from Hazel eyes, I let my lazy gaze meet the girl behind me as I examine her face. Icy blue eyes and frosty blonde hair, just by looking at her gives me the chills.

"Yes, I'm joking. But wouldn't It have been funny?" Her smile is genuine and never falters, she is either an airhead or a very bad flirt. It soon doesn't matter because her friend whisper something in her freckled ears that make her laugh. They both point as hazel eyes. She is still staring in this direction but lost in thought, at least that is what it looks like.

I don't feel at ease with her eyes exploring me like I didn't fit in; I need to fit in now more then ever, and if that means I have to talk to some air head pups with heavenly faces I don't see what's so wrong with that. As they point and snigger at her I can't help but wanting to protect her, she must know what it is like to be an outcast all to well.

Before I could open my mouth the alpha of the Thistle Grove sanctuary howls; calling all of attention to him.

"We have arrived. From this moment on you will be tasked of finding you mate and future pack.. choose well my children!"