The Legend of The Shifter

Chapter 1: Days of Yore

-CHAPTER ONE-

Days of yore

What's past and what's to come is strew'd with husks and formless ruin of oblivion.-William Shakespeare

One would expect grief to come all at once, a singular heavy emotion that weighs us down. The truth however is that it comes masked as several different emotions, all pushing to the surface to be felt. From the utter shock and disbelief at receiving the news, to the infuriating feeling of the unfairness of it all. From trying to think of all the things that could have been done to avoid it, to falling down the hopeless path of crippling despair upon the realization that nothing can be done to change what transpired. Then eventually to the final step of learning to live with the constant hollow feeling of something amiss.

Stephen Farley felt completely alone for the first time in his life. Harold, the only family friend he knew, had been the one to break the news to him. His only parent, his mother was dead. Cassandra had died in a work accident, at least that was what he was told. She was working underground when the tunnel collapsed on her and by the time they got there it was already too late. Her body lay in the open casket as dozens of people he had never seen in his life came to pay their last respects. They had lived in this house for as long as he could remember. A house surrounded by tall walls and electrified wiring on top and a huge iron gate. All this, in a glade deep in a forest with no other residents for miles around. He always found it curious as to who would build a house in the middle of a forest and live there with his family but his mother's pride at explaining that the house had been in her family for a long time and that she loved the place always quelled down his curiosity.

They traveled a lot due to her line of work but sometimes he was left alone for weeks with only Harold as company. Though an archaeologist of world renown, she was more interested in the myths and folklore surrounding the human history and prehistory than she was in the physical remains themselves. That said, Stephen grew up hearing about the stories of past civilizations; From the Romans and the Greeks to the Aztecs and Norse myths and countless others. Stephen was homeschooled and for all his life had little to no interaction with people his age. At seventeen years old he had no idea what his next step would be and how he would manage now without his mother. A few people spoke at the funeral and when Stephen was asked if he could say a few words, he politely declined and the ceremony continued till her casket was lowered down to the earth. He picked up a handful of dirt and threw it down on the casket. There was no need for words. They would not matter. The only person to whom it may have mattered could not hear them anyway. There was no reception after the funeral. The guests filed in paying their condolences while leaving but it did not matter. It was all a blur to him anyway.

He retired into the house once all the guests had left. Only Harold remained. He was after all the family lawyer. Once inside the house they sat together in silence in the living room. Stephen preferred this over the pitiful looks or the incessant declarations of how his mother was such a good person and how he should remain strong. He always liked Harold's company ever since he was a kid. Stephen did not like to dwell on his emotions and always preferred silent company over talking. But the silence was broken by a sigh from Harold. He looked over and saw that Harold had already withdrawn some papers from a large envelope. "Now's a good time as any to get over with it." Stephen nodded in agreement already guessing the content of the papers. "I Cassandra Alice Farley declare this to be my will, and I revoke any and all wills and codicils I previously made. I appoint as guardian of the person and property of my son Stephen Alexander Farley Leonidas my friend and lawyer Harold Dean. He shall have custody of my son till he reaches legal age..." Stephens ears perked up when he heard his name. He had always assumed his last name was Farley like his mother. They rarely spoke about his father and when they did the only thing he could get was that he had died when he was just a baby in a plane crash while going on a business trip. By the time his thoughts had come back to the present, Harold had already finished reading the will and was silently observing him. Realizing what had happened Harold handed him the papers for him to have a look. He always knew they were wealthy and that his mother came from a rich family so all the properties and shares in several companies did not surprise him. "... and I leave my necklace and family heirloom to my son and to which he should never take off." The last words on the will made him pause for a while but he did not dwell much on it. Harold said that he was staying over and that he would be in the guest room in case he needed him. The housekeeper left after a while and Stephen headed to his mothers study. He found the pendant in a small case on the table. He picked it up and watched as the blue moonstone shimmered reflecting the sunlight. As a kid he loved to see it. He would always ask his mother to show it to him when she was in her study and his mother would tell him about how the beautiful gemstone was always regarded with wonder. The ancient Greeks even believed it was frozen moonlight and on certain full moon nights he could almost imagine the pendant as a tiny version of the moon right there in their house. Tracing his fingers over the arrow shaped clasp and feeling the cool silver in his hands, he put it in his trouser pocket and left the room.