It was a howl

The air is thick with moisture, and the slight breeze carries the smell of moss and wet wood. Between the scent and the audible noise of twigs and leaf litter breaking under my feet, I realize I am in the woods.

I'm surrounded by darkness, so my other senses are on high alert. I make my way through the forest by using my sense of smell and hearing.

My feet are bare, so I can feel the damp earth beneath my toes. When a small gust of wind brushes past my skin, I realize that it is not just my feet that are bare, but my entire body is naked.

I don't question my lack of clothing, but I continue my trek through the woods. To my left, I can hear what sounds like moving water.

I turn in that direction and blindly stumble through the unfamiliar forest. As I make my way closer, a white light becomes visible in the same direction as the moving water. Once I get close enough, I can see that it is a small stream and on the surface is a reflection from the moonlight.

As I look at the surface of the water, I feel a tug in my center. Something about this feels familiar, as though I have felt this connection before. I decide to take another step, which brings my toes to the edge of the stream. I am surprised to feel warmth shoot up from my toes into my upper body from the warm temperature of the water. I move forward again and wade deeper into the soothing stream.

With the water up to my waist, I look up into the sky, and I see a full moon that looks so large and close that I try to reach out and touch it. The moon is right at my finger tips, so I continue to stretch and reach my way to it. On the tips of my toes now, I can almost feel the moon at my fingertips.

I start to cry out in frustration. Everything in me wants to feel the moon, to be connected to it. The more I try, the more I want it.

Where I used to feel unwavering love and comfort, is filled with anguish and emptiness. I feel a void in me, where a soul used to be. And I will do anything to fill it with something.

With steadfast determination, I stretch the muscles in my back to propel my arm farther, and a loud yell comes from deep inside me. Somewhere I haven't felt before.

But this wasn't a normal yell. It was a howl.

Rather than that giving me pause, my howling drives me on. I can feel warmth radiating from the moon, so I continue to push forward. As my fingers finally hit the surface, a ripple appears on the moon where my fingers pass through the surface.

Without warning, I fall forward through the moon and am submerged in darkness once more. I realize the moon I am looking at was a reflection, and now I am immersed in warm water.

I open my mouth as I gasp in surprise, and water bursts into my lungs. I feel a sharp jolt of panic, but when I try to take another breath, I find myself brimming with energy. I look down and see a glowing silver thread connecting to my heart, and my gaze travels down the thread to look for the other side of the connection.

I can't see what's on the other end, but I can feel it.

I can feel a hum from the woods that I just walked through, and I can feel the essence of the water that gives it life. Through our connection, I can see that the ebb and flow of the water and this life force is influenced by the moon.

I feel my connection to the moon as well. As though it has influence over the water and nature, it infuses me with wildness. With ferociousness and with protectiveness.

As these feelings embed deep inside my soul, I feel transformed.

With one last intake of breath, my eyes fly open and I view the world with eyes of a wolf tied to the moon and essence of life.

...

Alpine Crescent Academy

- Headmistress Office -

*knock knock

"Come in", a beautiful woman with brunette hair wearing a sky blue pencil skirt and matching blazer sits at her desk. When the door opens, her assistant walks in, and she motions for her to close the door behind her. As the assistant moves swiftly to do so, the headmistress lifts her legs and crosses her feet adorned in high heels on top of her desk.

The assistant walks in and hands the headmistress a file. "I just received information on another nipper. It seems the one changed by a Nestati that we processed paperwork on just three weeks ago was her boyfriend, and he bit her this afternoon. Since the semester starts next week, I pulled her background information and past school records to compile the information necessary for her enrollment at the academy."

The headmistress nods in approval and picks up the file. When she flips to the second page, she pulls her legs off the desk and places her feet on the floor. With her back straight and her muscles tightened with tension, she asks in a low voice, "It was her boyfriend, you said?"

"Yes, miss. The male nipper lacks impulse control and bit her without her consent. She was not aware what the bite would mean."

The headmistress closes her eyes tightly, and lets out a sigh. When she opens her eyes, she hands the file back to the assistant.

"Thank you, Nelle. Expedite the paperwork and have her come to orientation in three days," the headmistress instructs her employee as she turns around in her chair and looks out the window.

When she hears the door click behind her assistant, the headmistress stands and walks over to the bookcase.

"Divljina" she whispers solemnly as she runs a finger along the spine of a large book with a green hardcover.

"Život" She says as she pulls a smaller, blue book out a few inches from the back of the shelf.

"Mesec", she utters with more conviction as she reaches to the top of the bookcase and pulls a silver book off the shelf.

A rush of air brushes past her as each row of the bookshelf pulls away in different directions to present a stone passageway. Suddenly, the lights in her office turn off and she stands in pitch darkness. With renewed strength, she declares "Noć".

During a moment of silence, the silver book in her hand reads her intentions. She knows the magic accepts her when the silver book in her hands starts to glow and lights her way. At the end of the passageway, she enters a room and places the glowing book on the table located in the middle of the space. Her eyes follow it as the silver glow from the book spreads through the cracks in the table, the stones on the floor, walls, and then travels to a lamp hanging from the ceiling.

The glowing light recedes from everywhere but the ceiling lamp, which lights the room to reveal what looks like silver veins on the table, floor and walls. The book on the table opens to a blank page.

When she looks back to the book, one word appears written on the page.

"Welcome" it says.

Without preamble, she places her hand on the page and thinks about what she needs. Colors appear on the page where she touched, and it takes a moment before it shows a man's image.

"Morwenna", the man says.

"Your daughter," she takes a long breath, "was bitten...by a Nestati."

The man's eyes flashed with concern, fury and violence. "How." He demands, more than asks her.

She knows he's talking about more than the bite, so she responds "The Nestati is an unhinged nipper and their emotional attachment allowed him to bypass the insignia."

"Unhinged?" he questions.

She nods her head. "Yes, he bit her without consent."

A spark of electric blue flashes with his murderous intent. "Her transition..." he hesitates to say the rest of his thoughts.

Morwenna looks into his eyes and with vehemence she promises, "I will monitor it closely. Anything that can be done, will be. She is strong, she will get through this," she pauses and a frown forms on her beautiful face. "But I need answers," she says hesitantly, as she wrings her hands in worry.

He nods in agreement. "I will head to see the Bauk. Što možeš danas -" he tells her.

"-Ne ostavljaj za sutra." she answers.