Luna’s Fate: The Last Silver Werewolf

The morning light softened Luna's figure and her hair glinted silver beneath the rising sun. It streamed down past her. She gracefully ran, darting between the trees and brushing past their branches. She gasped and leapt over fallen trunks. Nature is attuned to her presence.

The forest air hung heavy with moisture, cool enough to pierce her skin with every humid chill that it could have easily pierced her skin. But she came prepared— bundled up in her favorite hoodie, slung around her shoulder was her weathered goatskin bag, packed with her essentials; a well-thumbed journal, buzzing cellphone, different snacks, and a flask of water to keep her steady in whatever the forest had.

Luna dashed through the woods until she reached a three-way path. She paused mid-run, her boots crunching against the forest floor, then leapt into the air with a squeal of excitement.

"Found it, found it" she wiggled and beat-boxed a triumphant rhythm as Laughter danced in her eyes as she dropped her bag on the ground.

The intersection was where she'd heard herbs could be found—at least, that's what her brothers had said. They mentioned some wild herbs she'd never heard of growing there, though they weren't entirely sure. Still, Luna's curiosity burned. She had to find out for herself.

Luna knew she couldn't keep roaming the wood, hoping for relief- that is if it comes. She needed a purpose. The boys had unknowingly given her one- gathering of herbs

Storming in with questions wasn't an option—the boys would've grown suspicious, and word would have reached her parents. So she played it smart, waited patiently, and struck when the time was right—targeting her most gullible brother, Jayden. He gave everything away, never seeing it coming.

 "He said I wont find it! Ugh!… as if" she pulls out her journal and walked to the center of the three way road.

She scrunched her nose, bit her pen, "Mom will be freaking out by now" she sighed.

Luna's longing for the woods wrestled with the guilt of disobeying her parents. But for as long as she could remember, the forest had held a pull she couldn't shake. What began as a faint curiosity had grown into a deep, aching yearning—an itch beneath her skin that stirred every time she passed or even glimpsed the trees, which was almost daily.

Whatever was calling her, she needed to find out— her family couldn't understand this.

So, she wasn't going to allow her guilt to spoil the experience. She decided to enjoy the now and face whatever punishment comes from this—and get over the yearn she has been nursing

Her heart thundered with anticipation. "We start exploring from over there!.." she points to the North "Yeahh!!!—" she grunted, picked up her bag and charges forward till she get to a fallen trunk with herbs all around it.

She crouched low, inhaling the earthy scent of the plants as she sorted through them. "Yarrow, yarrow, yarrow… oh—a clover!" she exclaimed, plucking the small plant and squinting at it. "Ugh, just a three-leaf," she muttered, pulling a plastic bag from her goatskin satchel and tossing the leaf inside.

Luna kept looking over the plants, hoping to find a four-leaf clover. She was pleased with the three-leaf clover and yarrow, but the disappointment of not seeing a four- leaf was getting to her.

Maybe that rare herb's hiding further north," she giggled to herself. She brushed off the sand that had fallen from the plants she'd plucked, then started walking in that direction.

She hadn't gone far when she saw it—the boundary between her parents' land and someone else's.

Luna gasped, her breath catching as her gaze fell on a line of pale, gleaming stones laid neatly along the edge.They sparkled under the sun, as though calling to her.

She wondered how they might feel to the touch—smooth, maybe... or cool like riverglass.

Before she realized it, her legs were already moving, drawn forward by some quiet pull.

One stone in particular—a sliver-colored one—caught her eye.She picked it up gently, her eyes wide with wonder. A chill slid down her spine as she turned it in her hand.

In its polished surface, she saw her reflection: lips pursed in concentration, eyes lit with curiosity.She ran her fingers over it, slowly turning it over again, lost in its strange beauty.

Hmmm, smooth it is

She dropped the stone and was reaching for another when a voice cut through the air, startling her.

"What do you think you're doing?"

The voice was cold—low and menacing.

Luna jerked back, heart pounding.

"Who are you?" she asked, her voice a mix of fear and caution.

Then her eyes met his—and she froze.

He was... breathtaking. Sharp features, piercing eyes—far too handsome for someone who had just terrified her.

He fixed her with a dark glare. "That's none of your business. Step away from the stones." 

Luna frowned. "Who are you to tell me what to do?" She shifted into a stubborn crouch, daring him to press the issue.

"I already told you—none of your business." His voice hardened. "But you'd do us both a favor if you listened."

"Well, I don't want to," she snapped, annoyance flashing in her eyes.

A slow smirk tugged at his mouth. "How old are you—twelve? Fifteen? Didn't your parents teach you not to wander into the woods and argue with strangers?"

Luna bristled. He could kill me and leave my body here, she thought.

He arched a brow, as if reading her mind. "Let me guess—you've already imagined how I'd hurt you and leave you to die." For the first time he smiled—pure, boyish—and the unexpected warmth disarmed her.

"N‑no… I didn't…" she stammered.

"Don't stutter, darling," he said with a casual shrug. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Luna searched for something—anything—clever to say, remembering all the comebacks her brothers had drilled into her. Before she could speak, a distant howl split the morning air.

The stranger's posture snapped to alert. "How long did you keep that stone off the boundary?" he demanded.

"Only a few minutes," she said. "Why—?"

"Damn it." He scanned the trees. "You've upset everything. Stay behind me. They'll be here any second."

A chill shot through Luna, worse than when he'd first appeared. "What's coming?"

"Rogues," he muttered, settling into a ready stance.