*It's been a while since I've written any fan fics, so bear with me. I decided to write this the moment I saw the movie and even saw it a second time to get my facts straight. However, this story is more of an original than a fan fic because it is only loosely based on some points of the story. If you want to read about Michael and Selene, this is not the story you want to read. If you want to read about Lucian and Sonja, Kraven, Kahn, Raze, or any of the characters from the movie, this is not for you.

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Lycans/Vampires or their powers as depicted in Underworld. However, every character in this story (save two that will come up later) are of my own creation. Please do not steal them.*

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Prologue

By now, you may have heard the tale of the war between the Vampires and the Lycans that lasted for almost a thousand years. You may remember that it all started with the killing of a Lycan's Vampire wife pregnant with their hybrid child. You might also recall that Lycans at that time were enslaved by the Vampire race, yet no story has been told of how the Lycans came to be enslaved in the first place. Would you like to know? If you're searching for that tale, you've come to the right place. So take a moment to relax, sit back, grab some hot chocolate, and come with me back to long before the war ever began…

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A Surprise To All

For centuries, Lycans and Vampires had lived among humans, yet kept enough distance to refrain from being noticed. They knew they could never survive if the humans discovered their existence. Humans continued to be blissfully oblivious to the occasional violent deaths of livestock, impoverished people, and even some lesser-known aristocrats. Somehow, both Vampires and Lycans came into money and took refuge in the largest houses on the outermost borders of towns and countries (though Vampires progressively became more accustomed to living in the actual cities because of their social natures). Some would build communities of mansions separate from the rest of civilization and continue to let their families grow and grow. Others built small palaces and let families grow within the same set of walls.

One set of Lycans – the Donovan family in particular and many of their cousins – lived in a huge mansion on the outskirts of a town near Sussex, England. They were still very worried about drawing attention to themselves during the week of the full moon. They had become quite sophisticated over the years and believed that hunting was only necessary during the full moon and other times they would eat like other human beings.

On one particular night at the Donovan's, the Lycan clan had gathered for their monthly feast to celebrate the changing moon. Rigel, the leader of the Donovan clan, had collected everyone into the parlor to await Diarra, Rigel's wife. The pair of them held the greatest feasts, but Rigel had been antsy of late. No one knew why, but there had been rumors of some great surprise they were keeping from the rest of the clan.

Little footsteps pattered on the second floor suddenly. "Master Donovan! Master Donovan!!" cried young Catherine, running through the house. She burst through the large oak doors into the parlor, tripped over the hem of her skirt, and fell at Rigel's feet. He was a tall, broad man with long dark wavy hair tied back tight. "Master Donovan," she squeaked as she looked up.

"What is it, girl?" he boomed, looked expectantly down at her tiny form.

"It's Missus Donovan – she sent me to fetch you. She looked awfully worried and she went straight to your bedchamber. She said you'd know what was happening."

He started to bounce back and forth on his toes in excitement. "It's started," he whispered, a wide grin spreading across his face. "Did you hear? It's started!" He ran out of the room as fast as lightning.

The entire parlor erupted into cacophony of questions. "What's happening?"

"Why is he so excited?"

"Haven't you heard? Diarra's been pregnant."

"Are you sure? Why wouldn't they say anything to the clan?"

"Not sure. I think they wanted to keep it so that it was a surprise."

"Can you believe it? They're just in time for the full moon."

"What were they planning on naming the boy?"

"Mikelos Victor Donovan. I overheard them discussing it the other day," said one man near Catherine.

"But what if it's a girl?" she asked in wonder.

"Excuse me?" said the man, looking down. He started laughing. "There hasn't been a single Lycan born into this clan – or any clan, for that matter – that was female. All females are bitten."

Catherine shrunk back against a wall while conversation continued for about an hour, until a loud howl bellowed from above followed by thundering footsteps. Rigel burst in, face white with shock, but a hint of joy behind his eyes. "It's a girl," he wheezed.

The room quieted, all staring in awe. "A girl?" they began to mutter. "How can it be a girl?" The man glanced over at Catherine as she smiled.

A large smile appeared on Rigel's face as he shouted, "I'm a father! I'm the father of the first female born Lycan!"

Shouts of 'Hurrah!' and 'Congratulations!' emanated from the surrounding crowd.

Catherine looked up at Rigel and asked, "What are you going to name her, sir?"

"What?" said Rigel.

"Now that you have a daughter instead of a son, what are you going to name her?"

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"Arienne Michelina Donovan," said Diarra holding her baby girl in her arms as she lay in bed. "Isn't she beautiful?"

"She's so small," said Rigel, smiling. He touched his finger to her chest, gently tickling her. She giggled into a toothless grin, grabbed tightly onto his fingertip, and opened her eyes. "Lord almighty!" he gasped. "Her eyes are like tiny golden suns."

"She's one of a kind, alright. The only one I've ever known to have yellow eyes. She's gorgeous."

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*So there's my first chapter. Like? Review please so I can continue. And please, no flamers – constructive criticism only.*