Remnant

"Once upon a time, in a deep, deep and dark forest lived a king. His land filled with sorrow and fear, his heart – black as his eyes. It is said, that everyone, who enters his domain, vanishes from existence, disappears from this world, from hearts of kin, from memories of people they lived with, to never be remembered again nor grieved for. He spends his days in a thick, fog filled woods and waits for his next encounter with his prey or something else.

He waits patiently, as death stands by his side, for someone to come, to wake him up from a long slumber, that he have spent half of his life. He knows, that he will rise again, for those who need him."

"For those who need him." All the kids chanted in a whisper simultaneously.

"RRaaRRRR!" a young teacher, called Silver, growled through the whole room, scaring children and making them scream in fright. ?Scared you all?" she laughed.

"Stop, Silver. They won't sleep at night, because of you. They are too small for such scary stories." I said.

"It is not a scary story, but an old tale." Megan – our oldest nanny stepped in.

"Why do we bother to tell them these 'tales'? What can our little pups learn from them? It is just a bunch of lies elders tell us, while we grow up." Silver could not help, but voice her opinion.

Megan sat in her rocking chair, with a book in her lap, but a tale she told came from her memory. When I was young I heard it too. Everybody knows, since they are little, but it is not written anywhere. It is embedded in our memory like a rule to obey. But none of us know a meaning behind it.

"Every tale has a bit of truth in it, Silver.... Miakoda." Megan's pale blue eyes were set on both of us. ?So do this."

"What is it?" I eagerly watched her and waited for Megan's answer.

?I wish you young wolfs to never know it. To never see that day to come." she eyed all of us in a room – me, Silver, and other 20 children.

"Megan... now you are scaring US." Silver said sarcastically.

"You are right, it is just a tale. You don't need to worry about anything, as we are a part of Clawed Moon pack and our Alpha Kodiak always protect us." Megan changed her mood in seconds and we all got our attention back to kids.

I am working in a kindergarten and look out for young pups of our pack. Just some of them. There are a lot more, as our 'family' is a biggest on this side of the country.

Alpha Kodiak's parents and his grandparents have worked hard to make a Clawed Mood pack the strongest and fiercest over many years. Now days, nobody dares to even look in our way, that is to cause trouble. Everyone is afraid to even come close.

I for myself have never experienced any collision with another aggressive werewolf group. Our generation is so lucky to live in piece. Our territory is very big and I live right in it's center. No one gets near us.

My thoughts are interrupted by Silver: ?Are you excited about a mating ball happening this summer?"

Her name fits her perfectly, as her wolf form is pure silvery gray. She is able to shift from a very early age, unlike me. In 21 year time, I have not shifted even once. I start to question myself, if I am able to do it at all? Am I even a werewolf?

I am.

I experience everything else, of what a wolf would feel or sense, but only just that small thing, which is so important to a young wolf, is denied of me. What need to happen in order for me to shift? A world needs to go upside down? I thought sarcastically.

You would think that Silver is my friend, but it is not. We are only working colleagues, nothing else connects us. She is in a group of popular youngsters, and I am not. I do not have talents to show people and I am unable to join them in our werewolf activities – running through the woods, enjoying freedom, play- fighting. All of their activities involves a shifted werewolf. As I am not, they even hardly notice me.

Sometimes I feel like a failure. And her question about a mating ball makes me depressed even more. Do I even have a point to go? I have been attending it for couple of years now, but I still haven't found my mate. It feels the same, like my problem with shifting. Is he even out there? I would expect to meet him, as everybody from our territory is attending a ball every year. Neighboring packs come too and I have not met anyone, who would spark my interest in a way everyone with a mate is describing it.

"Not really." I feel my mood go down.

"Why? You might finally meet him, your true love, your soulmate, your other half." She made a pose of imagination it, her eyes closed as she dreamed about a mate.

"I don't know. Honestly, I think he does not exist."

"Why so pessimistic? Off course he does. Moon goddess have taken care of it. Everybody has his other half somewhere. Have some faith in her."

"I will try."

"You do!" Silver ordered.

I wish we could be closer. She is a nice girl, but outside of work all her attention is on her mates – packmates. I feel kind of lonely.

I look at Silver and feel little bit jealous, but happy for her at the same time. She have found her mate two years ago, even before attending a mating ball. This year will be her first, but.... she don't have to look for her soulmate, as she is already with him.

He is the same age as me and his name is Derek. Same cheerful guy as Silver. She looks so happy, when I see her with him and when she thinks of Derek.

Such a lucky girl.

In one hour my work shift ends and I will be free to go home. I love to spend time in my little log house. It is near the thick woods, isolated from a hustle of this town. Rarely somebody goes there, so all nature is for me alone. I spend hours just walking through that forest, enjoying and feeling every little detail of this 'magical' world. Birds chirping in a tree tops, bees buzzing near colorful spring flowers, sound of twigs snapping under my feet, a dew and slightly chill air in early mornings. I feel it it all, like my senses are heightened just being there. I feel so different, compared to, what I experience in city. Among the traffic of crowds of people, my senses seem to be dulled. I don't know why is that. I have asked some other werewolfs, but none of them experience things that I do. I am so different, like a black sheep I feel here, totally out of place between these people – werewolfs.

Parents of children are slowly coming to pick them up and take them home. Silver is in a hurry to leave and Megan will surely stay behind, as she always takes her time to finish her job.

I walk in to a bathroom to fix my thick brown hair. For a whole day they have been tied up and I can't wait to let them loose. I look at myself and can't help but imagine how my wolf form would look like. Probably generic grey coat or maybe earthly brown, like my hair. I can't wait for that day to come. It will be special.

As I drag my fingers through my wavy locks, I notice few strands of hair on my left temple have changed color to pure white. What is happening? I am sure that I am not so old to get my first grey's. I examine them closer, feeling little bit disturbed. They are not grey, I see, but pure white through all it's length. Felling uneasiness set, I pull them out, one by one, all five of them, in hopes to never see this sight again.