~173 Years Ago~
Nathan was having fun stumbling around the yard while getting used to walking on four legs instead of two.
"Nate, honey! It's time for lunch. You can keep practicing later," Nathan's mother, Abigail, called from the back door.
Nathan ran over to his mom as fast as he could manage. Once he was closer he shifted and promptly tripped over his own feet.
"Ow!"
"Honey, are you okay?!" Abigail asked as she rushed to Nathan to check for injuries.
"I'm okay!" Nathan said cheerfully. "Look!" He showed his mom a cut on his arm that was already starting to heal. "Axel's healing me already."
"That's great, Honey, but you still need to be careful. Your bond with Axel is still stabilizing and if he tries to do too much right away, it can damage your bond."
Nathan lowered his arm while his smile slowly dimmed. "Oh. But it's been two weeks since my birthday. How long does it take before we can do everything you and papa can?"
Abigail gave him a gentle smile. "You're only five. Bond stabilization can take months if not years. You've got time. For now, just focus on being able to shift and not trip over your own feet. Okay?"
"…Okay."
"Come on. You can help me set the table while we wait for papa," Abigail as she stood and held her hand out to her son.
The two headed inside while on the other side of the pack, Peter, Nathan's father, was fighting for his life.
Vampires had infiltrated the pack's borders and were slaughtering every werewolf they came across.
"How did they get so far past the borders? Where are the sentries?" The Alpha of the Dark Moon Pack was livid. Vampires had entered his pack and were killing his people. "Where is the elder? They have our sunstone!"
Sunstones. A vampire's greatest weakness, they form from the lava of a volcanic explosion during a solar eclipse. Giving off intense heat and light, vampires can't be near one without feeling like they're dying.
"Alpha!" A young warrior's voice came across the pack link. "The elder is dead and the sunstone has been shattered to pieces!"
"Damn! Beta Peter! What's going on?"
"I don't know how they got in but they're using wolfsbane powder! No one can get close and they're using it to mask their scent. We can't tell how many there are or where they're coming from! Half of the warriors are already dead and every house they've come across has been ransacked."
The Alpha couldn't believe it. "Goddess help us. I thought the rumors were false. They're trying to wipe out the entire werewolf race."
Whispers had said that multiple packs had been decimated across Nerda. The Alpha thought that they were safe on their mountain. Even if some of the packs had been wiped out there shouldn't have been a way for vampires to sneak up on them. But they had and now his pack was paying the price.
"Beta! Go home and get our families somewhere safe!" The Alpha called across their private link. "I will take over the front line! Just make it out of here in one piece!"
"But, Alpha…"
"NOW!"
Peter, not wanting to disobey a direct order, turned and ran towards the peak of the mountain where the higher ranked families lived. In doing so, he failed to realize that a black raven with red eyes was following him.
"Abigail! You and Nathan need to get to the woods! Vampires are here and they've already wiped out over half the pack!"
"What?! How?!"
"Powdered wolfsbane! Go! I'll meet you there with the Alphas girls!"
Abigail didn't waste any time. "Nate! We need to go! Now!"
Nathan looked up at his mom from where he'd been coloring on the floor. "What's going on, mommy?"
Without hesitation, Abigail scooped Nathan up and bolted out the back door heading straight for the woods behind their house. Once they were several feel into the treeline she put him down. "Nate, honey, you need to shift. I know it's hard but it's very important that we get away from here as fast as possible."
Nathan glanced at Abigail, his eyes filling with tears as the fear his mother was leaking began to affect him. He tried to shift but the fear was overwhelming his ability to do so. "I can't! Mommy, what's going on?"
Abigail scanned their surroundings before kneeling before her son. "Axel," she spoke directly to Nathan's wolf, "I know it'll be hard on you but I need you to protect Nate. Force the shift and get him away from here."
Nathan could feel Axel stirring in the back of his mind, forcing his way to the front and taking over. Before he knew it, he was shoved to the back of his mind, Axel taking over, already on four legs and shaking out his coat.
"Honey, I need you to listen to Axel. He'll protect you. I love you so much Nathan."
With just those brief words, Abigail shifted and raced back towards the pack.
When Axel started running deeper into the woods, Nathan was struggling, trying to regain control and follow his mother. "Where are you going? We need to go back!"
[Something is obviously happening. I'm not taking you back when I was told to keep you safe.]
"But my mom…"
[Can take care of herself. For now we need to mask our scent and find somewhere to hide.] Axel took off even faster trying to reach the river he knew was nearby.
Upon reaching the river's edge, Axel immediately started rolling around in the mud. [That should mask our scent enough. Unless we're trying to hide from a dragon. Nothing can fool their nose.]
Nathan was miserable. He worried about his mom and dad and just wanted to go home. "How will mommy and papa find us if we mask our scent?"
[We don't want to be found. That's the whole point. You probably didn't notice but there was blood in the air back home. I think the pack was under attack. We'll lay low until nightfall before making our way home.]
"Okay… But what do we do now?"
[Now, we head deeper into the woods where the true wolves live. Hopefully we can blend in until dark.]