Blood Moon

Luke woke up in hopes to see his bland room back in his house, but his hopes were crushed when he found himself staring at the wall of the tent that he had previously woken up in the day before. Luke pulled off the same sleeping bag, and stood up still wearing the loose fitting cloths Katie had brought him.

Luke Walked up to the opening to the tent and reluctantly pulling it aside and walked out into the camp. Outside the sun was slowly peeking through the canopy of the Arkansas wood, a fewer amount of people than the last time, milled around. Luke without a clue on what to do, started to walk around looking for anyone who popped out to him, and he soon found himself walking with Eli.

“Oh, Luke how are you, my boy?” He asked leaning on his polished cane.

“I-I’m fine, just a bit shaken from…you know, learning I’m some mythical creature” He stuttered.

“Oh, I know, my boy…there is a fine line between mythology and reality, and sometimes people will cross that line, but you need to listen, my boy…there are many who do not like us, the ones who cross the line” He looked at him sternly.

“W-what do you mean?” Luke was taken aback by the old man’s speech.

“You must understand, my boy, many people are offended by the reality of fiction, and some will react violently towards it” He said taping Luke with his cane.

Luke gave a silent gulp as he looked down at the man.

“Luke!” He was snapped out of his train of thought.

“Hey Luke, over here!” Luke followed the voice.

Felix stood alone, waving over to him.

“Go, but remember what I told you” Eli gave a weak smile before shuffling away.

“Ah Luke, come on, I will keep my promise” Felix patted Luke on his shoulder, as he looked to the sky. “And the hunters will be returning soon” He added as he started to walk with Luke in tow.

As the duo made it through the camp, greeting other clan members Luke notice a tent ripped up, and ruined.

“What happened…” Luke lightly pointed over to the wreck.

“Snap transformation, it’s when a werewolf transforms right out of the blue” He said flatly.

“Can’t you just, control it or something?” Luke asked.

“The spirit can’t be fully controlled, but it can be influenced by emotions or a very determined mind to turn”

“What else is there to know?” Luke asked sarcastically.

“Well you don’t only transform on a full moon, the more moon light the higher the chance, with snap transformations…the silver bullet thing, a myth, also, you have a much higher pain tolerance when you are…one-with-the-wolf…but you are not immortal, Plus when you turn, you don’t  lose control over yourself,  it’s your way of thinking does ” Felix responded with full seriousness.

“No I did…I mean…never mind” Luke sighed.

“I know it’s hard, but with time you will understand” Felix stepped over a fallen tree.

Luke looked over his shoulder; he did not realize how far they traveled.

“Well come on, you wanted to see your parents right…then stop standing there, let’s go” Felix waved at Luke to follow.

The pair started their trek through the woods, after a good distance, Luke started to wonder if they were heading in the right direction, but he held his tongue, and just trusted Felix. Luke remained a few paces behind him, looking over the ragged man. He wore the same clothes as before, his hair was greasy and dirty, Luke could see the large bags under the man’s eyes, but he remained all the same.

They traveled in silence, giving Luke time to look around and retreat into his mind. The forest was swaying back and forth with the wind’s song as it swished around them. Birds chirped and whistled above them, and occasionally a few would flutter by under the canopy. He would watch smaller animals scurry away from them up a tree, or into a bush or shrub.

Luke soon lost his mind in the woods, taking as many details as he could, watching the animals running about, or examining the knots in the trees they past. In a short time Luke started to recognize a few of the trees that he used to walk by on his night hikes.

“Hey, do you smell that?” Felix interrupted his wonders.

“Smell what, I can’t smell anything” Luke said, looking at Felix.

“It…it smells like smoke” Luke stopped and took in a deep breath, and he could faintly smell a very light sent of burnt wood.

His heart dropped.

“Grill, fire pit…” Felix tried to list the reasons for the smell.

Luke started into a hard run… Last time he checked his parent never had a fire-pit, or grilled in the morning. Luke was thundering through the forest leaping over the rocks, and logs sprinting in the direction of his home.

Luke Busted out from behind a large hedge into a clearing, with Felix right behind him, Luke snapped his head from left to right. He stopped cold in his tracks.

Where originally his bland square house used to stand, there was now only a smoldering, chartered husk of his home.

“Luke, I’m so sorry…” Felix said softly

“No…no…t-they might not have been home!” He stated loudly.

He jogged around what he thought to be the back of the house, to the opposite side, but all his hopes were crushed when his father’s and mother’s cars were parked in the gravel drive-way.

Luke dropped onto his knees; he brushed his hands over his hair, as he started to cry uncontrollably, yelling and cursing anything he could think of.

+++(#)+++

Luke had his thighs pressed on his chest with his face buried in his knees; he sat feet from the door-way of his now destroyed home, later on, Felix came walking out with something in his hands that Luke did not bother to look at.

“Here, I found this…and I’m sorry…your parents” Felix sat down next to the teen.

Luke brought his head up, he had no color left in his face, his eyes were puffy and blood shot, his lip was slightly trembling, Luke looked down into Felix’s hand, were his journal sat covered in grime.

“Out of everything that was ruined, destroyed, this…this survived” Luke said taking the journal into his hands.

“Come on…I think you…I need to show you something” Felix stood up extending a hand down to Luke.

Luke accepted his hand and was pulled up onto his feet with a face of dread, Felix walked into the clearing to find a sense of direction, while Luke shuffled past his home.

They soon made their way into the woods once again leaving the home behind, Luke stopped at the tree line, looking back at his home… everything has changed…he is no longer himself on the inside…he is now  a freak of nature, living away in the woods hiding from the world.

This is where he starts a new live, as a different Luke Flowers…

“Found it, come on!” Felix started off into the woods with Luke in tow.

+++(#)+++

The sun was now high above in the sky as they walked along the side of a corn farm into the woods seemingly lost.

“Look, I understand, I lost my mother when I was young…and my father left me to start a pack, alone here” Felix gestured to the whole state.

Luke was silent as they passed the large corn field on their way to…where ever they were going.

+++(#)+++

It was another hour of roaming passed farms, fields, and woodlands, until finally the pair came upon a large pond about fifteen feet in diameter, bushes and flowers littered the bank of the murky water.

“What is that?” Luke said briskly.

“This is ‘The Shimmering Pool’ the birth of the first native werewolf” Felix said with a smile as he walked to the water’s edge dipping his hand inside of it.

Luke followed him and squatted down next him “The first native werewolf?”

“Yup, the story goes that a Shawnee traveled all over the country,going far and wide, searching for a pond like no other ‘The pool that shines’ He said that he was given to him in a vision by the spirit of the beast. It took him over nineteen years before he came here, to this pond. It is said that he sat down on the water’s edge and waited…Until finally a full moon was shinning, and at the stroke of midnight the pond started to glow and hum. Then the beast spirit floated from the waters and pulled him inside of the water. Under the surface the spirit told him ‘For finding my pool, I give you a piece of my soul, may you prosper with my gift' and he was delighted, and on the next full moon he turned becoming the first ever native werewolf...and years when on and the gift was widespread, packs formed, and the werewolf prospered. But a group of men formed a guild called "The Silver Hand" and they killed of hundreds of us in the 1800's, soon we went into hiding and here we are” Felix gave a sigh, his reflection copying him.

“What about the first werewolf?” Luke asked.

“Somewhere in old, old, old England if you believe the stories…” Felix droned of.

At first Luke started to cry silently as he mourned his parents.

The two sat on the bank of the pool, with empty minds, just watching the waters reflection, Luke almost thought the spirit would come from the water and take him.

“Well come on, let’s get back before night fall” Felix said standing back up.