Today June 21st, six children, Alexander Harris, Cordelia Chase, Kyle Defours, Rhonda Kelley, Tor Hauer and Heidi Barrie would begin a journey into a new life. One that would hopefully change not just their futures, but everyone else's as well. Today was the first step toward changing those terrifying visions Abigail Morris had had. The horrifying loss of life she'd seen. She was a Medicine Woman, she had dedicated her life to helping people, to preserving life. If she had a chance to save lives than she was going to take it. As Xander Harris would one day tell Rupert Giles, Abigail Morris was a woman who redefined stubborn. Today was the start of proving him right.
Today the children would be taken to a place in the desert that had been carefully prepared for them. It had been used for thousands of years by the Chumash as their place for the Spirit Quest. Simultaneously, the Call of the Ritual would go out, asking if there were any animals willing to give up their current existence and join these children in their quest to become Protectors. For three things were needed to make the Ritual work correctly, humans with the capacity to bind their souls to an animals soul and the willingness of both the human and the animal to be Bonded to each other. Without those three things, the children would become something as bad as what they were setting out to fight. Wendigos. Part human, part animal, cannibalistic creatures. The children were capable of Bonding and were willing, now all they needed was compatible animals, willing to Bond. Would any answer the Call?
Before leaving to begin the Spirit Quest the children were given bottles of water, they would not eat during the quest, but they would need water in the desert. Xander abruptly decided to kiss Cordelia's cheek again. "For luck." He told her cheekily. She giggled. Tor said. "What the heck." And kissed Heidi's cheek as well. Kyle, not wanting to be left out, kissed Rhonda's. They were already establishing themselves as mated pairs and didn't even realize it. The Elders decided it was a good sign, a good beginning. They took the children out to the place prepared for them and Abigail began the Call of the Ritual. Now all they could do was wait.
Three days later, the children came walking out of the desert. Walking beside each child was a wolf. A fully grown wolf. Walking beside the children like they were a pet dog.
It soon became apparent that an entire Pack had answered the Call. It also became apparent that the Alphas had chosen Xander and Cordelia, the Betas, Kyle and Rhonda and the pack members, Tor and Heidi.
Over the next five years, these wolves would be near constant companions for the children. They would lie beside their beds at night. They would play with them in the day. They would sit at their feet while they studied the lessons given to them. Lessons about the monsters they would fight. About Magic. About the true history of the world. The children would learn of wonders and terrors, but they would not falter. They had made their choice. They chose the future and each other.
Five years had past since that day. Five years in which the children learned to fight. Martial arts, weapons, both modern and ancient had been taught to them. They learned their lessons well. In that time, they had also cemented their relationships with each other. And when the final Bonding Ceremony took place in their fifteenth year of life and the Guardian Ritual was completed, each couple truly felt they were Bonded to each as well as their wolves. They were satisfied with their choices.
And Abigail's visions began to change. But those are stories for the future. This one is done.