Hunter's Moon

Round and Round the Circle Goes

  "Greyson."

  "Was it Greyson that taught you to control your shift during the full moon?"

  "Yes."

  "What else did they teach you?"

  "Ash."

  "Ash? What about ash?"

  "Mountain ash."

  "Greyson taught you about mountain ash?"

  "Yes."

  "What else?"

  "....How to break through it."

  "....How?"

  "Greyson would take Lisa and I....put us into mountain ash traps....made us struggle....we broke out, or we were left there for hours."

  "Lisa could also cross mountain ash?"

  "....No."

  "Why not?"

  "Too weak. Greyson said she was too weak. Not enough spark."

  "What do you mean by 'spark'?"

  "Power."

  "Dakota, what else did Greyson teach you and your sister?" The gentle voice continued to question me as two steadily thumping beats echoed in my ears.

  "How to smell a wolf. Wolves not like us....tainted. More human. How to spot a hunter. Use our senses without turning."

  "Did Greyson teach you how to connect to the Primal?"

  "That's not allowed."

  "Why is that?"

  "It's too dangerous."

  "And why is that, Dakota?"

  "Too much spark." I felt my eyebrows knit together. "Mother could do it.... Father could do it.... Lisa could."

  "Why couldn't you, Dakota?"

  "Greyson forbid it."

  "Why?"

  "I would lose myself....be consumed by the wolf."

  "Why would you be consumed by the wolf?"

  "Why I can break the ash and they couldn't."

  "....Did Greyson teach you about the Primal?"

  "No. Also forbidden."

  "Have you ever met a wolf from the Hale pack?"

  "Yes."

  "As a child?"

  "Yes."

  "Who?"

  "Talia."

  "You've met Talia?"

  "Yes. Many times." My voice droned as memories of the woman flooded my mind. "She had tea with us. Promised we could live here so long as we followed the laws."

  "Pack laws?"

  "Her laws. Didn't mind them, the humans were too boring to bother."

  "Did you ever meet another wolf from the Hale pack?"

  "Yes."

  "Who?"

  "Lisa's friend. He came with Talia sometimes."

  "And who was that, Dakota?"

  "Derek. I would watch them play while having tea with Talia."

  "Lisa and Derek were friends?"

  "Yes. They met in school.... He was why Greyson taught us how to scent the too human wolves."

  "Why did you have tea with Talia rather than play with Lisa and Derek? Was it also something Greyson forbid?"

  "No. I preferred Talia's company. Her stories....they were more interesting than her pup and Lisa rolling in the grass." A gentle chuckle came from the man.

  "I see. Now, what about your parents? Did Lucius and Mary ever say anything about you connecting to the Primal?"

  "They also forbid it. They heeded Greyson's words."

  "How did they train you to protect yourself without the Primal?"

  "I was strong. Stronger than most- I didn't need to worry about not having the Primal. Unlike Lisa, I inherited our father's spark."

  "But power isn't inherited."

  "Different spark."

  "What kind of spark?"

  "I can't tell you. Can't tell anyone."

  "It's okay, you can tell me, Dakota. What kind of spark?" The man asked, and I slowly opened my eyes as they burned a bright silver. "Why was it dangerous for you to connect to the Primal?"

  "~Round and round, the circle goes: Alpha, Beta, Omega, prey. If you're too weak, you're led astray. Alpha, Beta, Omega, prey. The wolves hunt the prey, they die, they rot, they're stuck in the clay. Alpha, Beta, Omega, prey. The strong they rise, the weak they fall. Alpha, Beta, Omega, prey. The wolves that fall, to the Alpha they call. Alpha, Beta, Omega, prey. When the Alpha calls, to the enemy death befalls. Alpha, Beta, Omega, prey.~"

  "I need you to answer the question, not sing an old Fenris rhyme. Why was it dangerous for you to connect to the Primal?"

  "I've given you your answer, Druid. I'm forbidden from telling directly, it is now up to you to decipher my words." One of the heartbeats I heard briefly fluttered while images of Lisa and I running in the woods while singing that rhyme played in my head.

  "Dakota....are you an Alpha?" The burning incense suddenly went out as the smoke cleared away, and a new symbol was burned onto the skull in my hands.