NAT
After my mother flashed us to her home, I was suprised to see that it was actually a cave. I mean yes, she is the wolf goddess, but I still expected something a little more grand. You know, like a giant palace, tall walls and beautiful gardens. Not that I was complaining though. I lived my whole life with my father in the alaskan wilderness, so the cool air and smell of vegitation around us made me feel at home. I stood and looked around me, taking in the new setting in awe. Bellow me was a steep cliff that overlooked miles of open woodlands. No gardens, walls, or palaces.
The full moon tonight shone brightly and illuminated the vast area bellow us, allowing me to see everything in its luminescent glow. The trees bellow were easily 5 or 6 times my height (6 foot exact), and the vegitation I could see through the trees was lush and covered the ground in what looked like a blanket of green. I could see a broad stream twist its way around the outskirts of the visable woods before disappearing into the distance. The area was mostly flat all around, the only big exception being the cliff we were standing on. As I stopped marveling at the beauty of it all, I noticed a glowing silver pair of eyes staring at me from my right side. I turned to look at my mother, now back in her wolf form as she spoke into my mind, almost making me trip over myself in shock in the process.
"Nature at its finest, dont you agree son?" Lupa asked as I quickly recomposed myself. "I do, it reminds me of home." I answered honestly. "But where exactly are we"? "California, in an untouched forest near Berkeley Hills. The mist here is thick, detering mortals from entering this forest. They have a habit of destroying all things natural, filthy beasts." she replied, growling out the last two words. Humored as I was by the irony of a wolf calling humans beasts, I couldn't help but agree with her. Whenever my father decided for us to make the three day trip by foot into town to get the things we couldn't hunt, trap or grow, I would see the vast ares where forests once stood. They were replaced with small buildings and roads, which seemed like such a loss to my father and I, though I was aware the majority of the world had it much worse. "Lupa, I dont see any mist. And how would mist keep people out anyway?" I asked her. She chuckled in my mind before telling me to follow her inside to talk. As we turned around and entered the cave, she spoke into my mind again.
"The mist is a magical veil created a long time ago by the goddess Hecate. It lays over much of the world, and some areas have it much more thickly than others. Whenever there is something the gods do not wish mortals to become aware of, the mist plays an illusion on the effected party, which is how we have managed to stay separate from, yet still hidden within, the mortal world. Also, refer to me as mother or Lady Lupas". "Erm, yes, mother." As I was trying to take in the new information I felt my head begin to ache. Today has been to much for my mind to fully accept yet, and I was begining to feel the effects of fatigue from my mental overload, not to mention the chase through the woods and battle I had with the hellhounds.
As we reached what I assumed was the end of the cave, a black wolf with a severe scar over his right eye stood up and walked towards me and my mother. He regarded me hesitantly, sniffing me catiously before his remaining eye widened. He looked towards my mother and I had a feeling they were having a mental conversation by the stares they were giving each other. I dont know what was said but the suprise from a moment ago seemed to be washed away as he turned towards me, lowering his head in what seemed like a bow. I didnt know how to respond and stood there awkwarldy until my mother spoke to me. "My second in comand, Milton, has said welcome home, prince of wolves." Lupa explained to me before I bowed in return and the black wolf walked off towards the entrance of the cave. My mother spoke up again with more explanations for me.
"Milton has been with my pack for over 200 years now. Ever since he was a pup, he was a fighter. When I found him, his pack had been murdered by those savage mortals, caring not for the life of a lone pup as they went after his family without remorse, all for the skin on their backs!" she growled out loud before continueing. "I accepted him into my care, where he proved himself in battle and in character as the years went by. He has served in the last two wars with the titans and giants, and we lost many of our members. But despite me disbanding the pack for some well deserved time for themselves to mourn our fallen family, he refused to leave my side. After I met your father and you were born, he was quite saddened that I decided to let you go with Matt to try to live a normal life away from all the fighting and hardship. He wanted to watch the prince of wolves grow up into a warrior like the rest of the pack. And now that you are here, he will show you the same loyalty he has shown me".
After I heard all this I took a moment to look back and admire the powerful wolf at the cave entrance where he now stood guard. Now I saw he was also filled with scars, much like my mother was. They were deep and plentyful, standing out against the thick black coat that covered his body. He and my mother were so different from the wolves that I was used too back home. These wolves were not wild and simpleminded animals. They were honorable, intelligent and admirable.
I sat down in the corner of the cave on a large cushion amoungst all the others, ignoring the wet dog smell that came from it, too tired to care. My mother layed down on another one a few feet away, resting her head on top of her paws. "By the way mother, how did you meet my father anyway, I thought you were a maiden goddess." I asked her as I looked to her once again. She showed her teeth in what I thought was a slight smile. "Milton traveled with me for a few months after I disbanded the pack. I decided to head north, where monsters and immortals began to become a rare site do to their powers becoming weaker. I had had enough fighting for the time being. I headed towards the woods you call home, expecting to find solitude and peace. However, as I was out hunting one dawn before a storm, I noticed a man trapped under a fallen tree. After closer inspection, I could tell the tree was long dead before it fell, and it had been swiped by a bear which caused its fall. Your father had avoided the bear by covering up in snow while it recovered from the shock of the trees collapse, I learned this soon after I woke him up, scolding the moronic human for being out without a weapon to defend himself. But soon the storm was begining to reach us and I took him into a cave nearby where I healed his crushed leg and we waited out the storm. Your father is quite a man you know. He loved nature, finding the industrialization of the current world both repulsive and meaningless. I learned he served in a mortal war many years before in a place you call 'vietnam' where he despised the unneccisary violence yet still fought bravely and became an honorable soldier. I fell in love with him in that cave, for the first time seeing a human in a light other than an ego inflated pest". The wolf goddess finished her story, and I sat back and smiled a little.
After all this time I was finally learning a bit about my mom, something my father never spoke of, though I now understand why he couldnt. Not to mention that now im here with her, getting to know her and this new world im being thrust into. Sure its scary, what with all the monsters and gods and the unimaginable atrocities, but its also wonderful. Their are heroes and adventures and so much to discover that I couldnt even imagine back home in my little secluded world. But all that was going to change.
Before I even realized what I was doing, my eyes had shut, heavy from the long day I had just been through. My thoughts were filled with this wonderful new world and all there was to discover and do in it. As my muscles began to relax and I began to settle down into the suprisingly comfortable cushion, I drifted off into a deep sleep, wondering what my new life will be like.
_
Lupa watched as her son drifted of too sleep. She had so much more she wanted to say but she knew he was already past his limits. Today was not an easy day for him. He exhuasted his energy, fought for his life, learned of the impossible, dealt with a great deal of shock, and crammed his brain with as much new information as it could currently take. "Soon, but not right now" the goddess told herself.
"The young prince has a great destiny ahead of him, I can feel it. You can too, cant you? That aura of power hidden deep within". Milton was back in the cave, watched the sleeping boy with soft eyes. He turned and looked Lupa in the eyes. "The fates only gift power like that to demigods when they have plans for them. Harsh and dangerous plans. A new war comes". Lupa stared at her son, worry in her eyes. "Yes, I feel it too. His potential rivals a gods own. His scent is potent and his power, though untapped, is vast and pure. I was hoping to not drag him into this world. From the day he was born, I knew the fates had made my son their own personal plaything! I want to rip their fucking throats out!" the goddess snarled, causing Nat to stir a bit before she calmed herself down.
"As much as I take great displeasure from having to do so, we must prepare him. I do not know what is in store for my son, but I will not have him ill prepared for his destiny. Training starts early in the morning. We dont know how much time we have with him so I plan on making the most of it. Lets get some rest Milton, we all need it." Lupa spoke as she laid her head gently on her makeshift bed. Milton lowered his head in a bow and spoke "Yes, my lady. I look forward to seeing what the young prince is capable of". Milton went and layed down on a cushion of his own and closed his eyes. Lupa took one last glance at her son before allowing herself to drift off to sleep. ~Sleep well my son, your destiny awaits you~.
