* 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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Fame and History

Word spread like wildfire throughout the various Lycan clans about the girl born with yellow eyes. She was famous even before she could walk or talk. She grew so quickly that before anyone knew it, she was nearing the equivalent of her seventh birthday – the full moon of that birthday was the key point in a Lycan's lifetime when she would transform for the first time. (Lycans aged at a different rate than humans and even Vampires. Children would age ten years in a human five; at adolescence, they would be the look like a seventeen year old about ten human years after that; they would look twenty when a human became twenty-five; and after that, they would age one year for every human twenty-five.)

On the eve of Arienne's birthday, her mother pulled her aside to explain what they were. "Arienne, you know what you are?"

"I'm a girl," she replied.

"Yes, but what else?"

"Uh… I'm a Lycan?"

"Yes, child. You are a Lycan, but do you know what that means?" Arienne shook her head. "It means that we're special. At the full moon next week, you'll change into a wolf and be a true Lycan."

"I'll change like you do?" the young girl asked excitedly.

"Yes, like I do, like your father and our whole family. I warn you, though: the first few times you change will be somewhat painful, and it will only happen during this first week of the full moon. The more you change, though, the less painful and the easier it will get. Are you scared?"

"No," claimed Arienne, clinging happily to her mother's knee. "I can't wait to join you!"

Diarra laughed. "I bet you can't. Now come downstairs with me. Dinner's nearly ready."

"Mother? Why don't the servants change at the full moon like you do?"

"Most of them do, dear."

"No, not the older ones. I mean the ones that are young like Catherine."

"Well, there are several things: one is that they don't have any parents, which is why we take them in. The other being that they're humans."

"Humans?"

"They aren't like us. They don't change, they don't have any powerful abilities, and they have much shorter life spans than we do."

"It sounds like humans are boring."

"But we share a common tie with them. I myself was once a human."

"You were human?" Arienne asked with widened eyes.

"Yes, many, many years ago. Your father turned me so long ago… the young orphan slaves – like the older ones are now – will be turned when they're ready."

"When I get old enough," piped Arienne, "I'm going to find some humans and make them all like us."

"Oh no! Don't do that! We can't let humans know we exist. They are very paranoid when it comes to creatures that are different than they are."

"Why? What do they do?"

"Humans have been known to kill their own kind based on their skin color, their beliefs, and even ones that are not as fortunate as those in power. What do you think they would do to us if we were discovered?"

"But," said Arienne, her brow furrowing, "if they don't have our strength, powers, abilities, and we live longer than they do… why are we afraid of them?"

"Because there are much more of them. We cannot kill them off completely, for they are like our cousins, and without them we would slowly die off. They, on the other hand, would surely not think twice before laying a blade swiftly across our throats."

Arienne looked down at her feet, soaking it in. "You said the young orphans will be turned. Will Catherine?"

"Yes, of course… that is, if she wants to be turned. We do not force anyone to become Lycan here." Diarra ran her hand over her daughter's long raven black hair. "Come. Enough of this. Let's go down to dinner."

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*Be sure to tune in soon for "Rites of Passage".*