I was told as a child, the stories of legend. The ones your parents say as a night time story, those sweet endless magical stories that give you hope. However like all good stories, they have to come to an end sometime. Don’t they?

I was nineteen when we were having our, annually bon fire. It was a passed on tradition threw Werewolves. When the packs youngsters, reach an ripe age of between eighteen and twenty they elders would come out. Out of a hundred and thirty five members, twelve of us were of age. Me included. As the moon hung in all its glory, we sat around chatting about random events.

Like most teens were went to school, or were just about to finish. Live as a younger Were wasn’t anything special, we still had the same problems human teens had. It was all loud and crazy, till someone spotted a lantern coming our way. With silence settling in, like the nip in the air we waited. Six elders approached, moving in a line. The long tree that had been made into a bench, sat open for them.

One by one they sat, the first setting the lantern down. We had perfect vision, so I suspected it was more for show. Part of the reason we held this timely event, was so we could be granted our wolves. See we could hear our wolves, and feel them brewing inside ourselves. But we couldn’t shift, so when we finally reached the right age we were all but chewing our nails off.

With everyone settled, the elder who sat in the middle spoke.

“You are all here, to receive your wolfs form. And to hear of the oldest legend known to our kind.” His voice was gruff and old like a grandfathers. The older woman who sat next to him, seemed to have laughter wrinkles around her lips. She was the best looking out of the bunch, as most were older men. The twelve teens who sat around, were a mixture of females and males. Some from low ranking wolves, all the way up to the Alpha’s son. It was also known to the teens that when you received your wolf form, you would be able to smell your mate. It was like Christmas on crack for us, not only did we get our wolves but the chance to get a mate was just as promising.

The whispers as everything grew more and more excited, about the promise of so much. The elder coughed making us hush, before going on.

“Lets begin, well start with this side and go down the line. Say your name and rank.” I mentally frowned, nothing wrong with being the Enforces daughter, but it wasn’t anything to brag about either. The Alpha’s son went first of course.

“Jex Alpha’s son.” Bursting with pride and arrogance. He was good looking, but nothing I drooled over. Next was a small female.

“Missa, Pack Doctors Daughter” She was cute, and had a squeak to her voice. Sighing I stood up next.

“Fina, Enforcers Daughter” Quickly sitting back down. This went on, till we reached the last person. With a nod the elder spoke again.

“I will begin the legend of our four fathers” With a deep breath the woods themselves, fell hushed.

“In an age long ago, an Alpha of the king became one with his mate. She bore him a son, one with the greatest strengths known throughout the wolves. Swift on his feet, both in wolf and human form. Power to command any creature around, strength un-compared in his time. He was so powerful, the king himself feared him. Due to the man’s unruly temper, the king sent out fleets of Wolves to catch or destroy the man.”

“To no fail did the kings fleet, bring the man back dead or alive. Try as the king might, he soon gave up. Fearing that if he were to send anymore men, the beast himself would come knocking on his door. Soon word died down of the incredible man, he seemed to vanish without a trace. Some way he take refuge in the deeps of the dark forest, from this day forward we forbid anyone to enter that same forest.” The elder looked over his shoulder, towards the forest I was told never to go into.

“If you should see a dark figure, flee from him. Unlike you or I, he can move with the silence of no other.” If this story was suppose to scare us into not, entering the woods he was doing a shitty job. Or at least I thought so. A few of the females were pushed up against, some of the males…who by the way were grinning like devils. Of course the Jex couldn’t wait to ask a question.

“Wait a minute, if he’s been around for as long as our fore-fathers, shouldn’t he be like old and cripple by now?” Laughing as he made his stupid comment.

“Aww, there’s where the mystery is. Some say he made a deal with the devil, giving him his youth forever. Others claim he was a witches pet for a while, and before she passed she granted him luster.” I huffed, causing a few elders to look my way. The youngest female out of the group, squeaked as she tried to form words.

“Wh….what did they…call him?” Biting her lip, while tucking herself under Ash, the local sweetheart. Looking from one elder to the next, he stair us straight in the face.

“Hadar”

With everyone talking amongst themselves, I opt to sit close to the fire and watch as it flickered around. The friends I did have, were older then me and already been through this. So I sat quietly waiting for the elders to finish up, with the ceremony.

“Alright quiet down” The female yelled out. Everyone gathered around, as the elders got us into a line. Which just so happen to be the same order we spoke in. One by one we received a blessing, and a smear of blood down our faces. Then standing in a tight circle, words from an older tongue were spoken. Howling could be heard as we stood silently, one by one we felt our connection to our wolfs grow. It was then, that I smelled something wonderful. Lifting my head, to face Jex eye to eye. His face said it all, he wasn’t pleased.

It was almost unheard of to reject the offer of a mate, but it did happen. A few teens were giggling as they found out their mate had been their the whole time, while others kicked rocks and groaned hoping their mates were back at the house. I on the other hand stood deathly still, as Jex growled at me.

“Hell no…not in a million years. Fina I reject you” The gasps from the females, as the guys stood jaw dropped. A few elders gave me pity, as others bowed their heads. In the back of my soul my wolf cried her heart out, not understanding what we did wrong. Sadly enough we hadn’t done anything, Jex just had his heart and head set on Mari Ann. Raking my hand though my hair, I nodded as turned around.

Like I said it wasn’t common to be rejected, and as the enforcers daughter this wasn’t looking good. My mother was a sweet woman, while my father was a brooding nightmare. Though he treated her like gold, I wasn’t as lucky. Pushing my hands into my jean pockets, I went for a walk. Even as far away as I was, I could still hear them whispering about me. Stupid idiots, can’t wait till I’m completely out of hearing distance.

What seemed like minutes turned into hours, and soon my father was trying to dial my numbers in my head. Groaning I opened the hole for him.

~Fina where are you?~

~Walking~ groaning again. Didn’t he get I wanted to be left alone.

~Your worrying your mother, come home~ Like he’d ever admit he was worried.

~Yea I will in a while~ Closing the hole, before I could hear him protest. I wasn’t ready to hear everyone’s remarks, or hear my father preach that now I could through myself into training. Not like I didn’t train all the time, anyways. He was a stickler for training, and would ground my body till it was screaming with exhaustion.

Picking up a long stick, I swung it back and forth. Breaking a piece here and there. Wolf was still morning, and I couldn’t think of a way to comfort her in my current state. She had every right to be upset, I didn’t really like Jex all that much, but he was still suppose to be our mate. Now she was on the verge of leaving me, and I would go right back into the same mindless state I was in before getting her. It angered me, the pain I was feeling tightened around my ribs.

The stick flung as far as I could toss it, the sound of it shattering made me feel a little better. But not nearly enough, I wanted to kill….no I just wanted to be held. Sadness crept in, as I dropped to my knees and just screamed. The dark dirt filling under my finger nails, as I racked them across over and over again. My hair draped over my shoulders, creating a veil. Cracking made me realize I wasn’t alone, and that scared me. Someone had heard my pitiful cries, and would surly tell my father.

I wouldn’t hear the end of it, an enforcers daughter crying out in the woods like a pup longing for its mother. Raising my head, I realized then that this creature wasn’t going to tell anyone about me. The rich brown war bear, with its blood red eyes was watching me. Our only known threat was a war bear, they were strong and surprisingly quick. I just had to go and leave the safety of the camp, now I was really going to get it. Twice my size, and covered in a thick hide.

Snarling as saliva dripped between clenched teeth, I slowly stood up. Thinking over my options, I could run which wouldn’t get me very far. I could fight back, which would really be something to be hold. A freshly wolf given female, fighting off a war bear. Now there’s a headline for yea. As if reading my thoughts, he snapped a branch that had been under his paw. With my wolf distant, I was on my own. Using what little I had, I was going to fight. Being an Enforcers daughter meant, standing up for yourself. And as the way things are now, I didn’t see any other option.

My lip quivered as I tried to forget about the rejection, and just try to stay alive. The good thing about what I was feeling, was I was already madder then shit. Using that to fuel my fire, I roared out as loud and as deep as I could. It was my threat, my warning that today…was not a day to mess with me. Shaking from both fear and anger, I grabbed a pointed branch and charged. Screaming as I ran at the beast, him echoing my cries.