Chapter 1: Akira

The moon is rising over the horizon as the sun descends behind the lonesome cliffs far away. The leaves crackle underneath my feet as I dash through the woods. My mother is running alongside me in her wolf form. Her fur is white as the moon itself, eyes as dark as the earth on which we stand. My mother is the female Alpha of our pack, and my father is the Alpha.

I myself am just a pup, not yet included in the ranks of the pack. The Alphas are the leaders, and below them is the Beta, the second in command. Beta is followed by the Gammas, my grandparents. The Gamma wolves are the oldest and wisest of the pack. Next are the Deltas, the messengers. Currently, we have two Deltas, twin wolves who are quick and agile. They are followed by the Hunters, who are tasked with taking down the majority of our prey. After the Hunters come the Scouts, who patrol our borders and ward off the intruders. Below everyone else is the Omega, our lowest pack position. They probably have the toughest job, having to do anything a superior pack member asks, as long as Alpha approves.

The very last rank is a pup. A werewolf will stay in that rank until they are fifteen years of age, old enough to become a member of the pack. After a pup turns fifteen, the next full moon is when they are officially initiated into the pack, and with the special ceremony, they receive their wolf form.

I've been waiting for this day since I was two, when I learned about the ranks. Once I am able to transform, Mother and I would be able to run all the way to the cliffs and back, a distance far too difficult to manage on human legs. With a wolf's speed and agility, I would be able to go a farther distance than before. I'd be able to keep up with the pack.

In my daydream, I forgot to pay attention to where I was running. Thunk. I crashed into the tree, my momentum coming to an abrupt stop. I slid off the trunk of the large pine, sap now caught in my hair and streaked onto my cheek.

My mother stops running, and turns back to me. She transforms back into human form, and walks over to me.

"Oh, Akira, my silly child," she says with a tone of laughter in her voice. "You really must watch where you are running."

Her voice is calm and soothing. She is one of the main reasons our pack has held together so long. She acts like a mother to the entire pack, and I couldn't be more proud of her. Everyone loves our Beta.

"Okay, let's get back. We need to get you cleaned up before tonight."

Mother turns away and transforms again, waiting for me to get up to follow. I leap to my feet and sprint ahead of her, taking her by surprise. I run back to the camp as quickly as I can. Mother is right behind me, and I can pick up a slight laugh in her panting breaths.

The clearing approaches, and I put on a burst of speed. My mother does as well, her legs fully extended in front of her. Human bodies aren't so flexible. My mother dashes ahead, her powerful legs carrying her into camp quicker than I can run. She stops as soon as she steps foot in the clearing, changing form once more. I can't stop my momentum as quickly as she can. As I enter the clearing behind her, I crash into her, sending us both tumbling to the ground. We both begin laughing, a sound that echoes across the clearing.

Around the edges of the clearing sit the dens we live in. They are simple rooms, made up of the wood from fallen trees, dried mud filling the cracks. The dens are surprisingly warm, especially when you share one with your packmates. Each den is ordered by rank, so every wolf sleeps with the other members who share the same rank. The Hunter and Scout dens are the largest, each one being able to hold up to twenty of us in wolf form. The only exception to the den arrangement is when a mother gives birth to her pups, in which case she gets a den of her own to care for her pups until they join the ranks. The other dens are smaller, as the other ranks hold less members.

Anyways, My mother and I disentangle ourselves from one another and she helps me up. We walk over to our hut and retrieve a brand new pair of nice clothes. We take a stroll down to the river, where I undress and plunge right in.

The cold water hits me instantly, and the chilling blow makes me shiver. I duck under the water, washing the sap out of my hair the best I can. I use the soft, grainy sand from the bottom of the river to scrub the dirt off my skin. For the ceremony tonight, I need to look my best.

Once I have done the best I could, I climb out of the river. My mother gives me a blanket of badger fur, which I graciously accept. The thick badger hide warms my icy skin and dries off the water droplets. Once all the moisture is absorbed into the pelt, I hand it back to my mother. In exchange for my wet hide, she gives me my clothes. I slowly get dressed, the new clothes stiff from not being worn.

The clothes I am putting on are similar to what the rest of the pack wears. It has a fluffy rabbit hide collar that extends onto the hood. The dress itself consists mainly of deer skin, the skirt portion extending to my knees. On the hemline of the skirt, more rabbit fur is sewn, matching the hood. Rabbit fur is also placed around the sleeves, which cover only my shoulders. Under the dress I wear a pair of deer shorts, flexible and comfortable. Included in the outfit is a pair of deer boots, with soles made of tanned cowhide. Rabbit fur lines the top, holding the whole outfit together.

"The dress looks perfect on you, Dewdrop," my mother says. "Now, let me do your hair."

I sit down on the ground and my mother kneels behind me. She rakes her fingers through my hair, combing out the majority of the knots. She twists my wavy auburn hair up into a bun, wrapping a string of leather around it to keep it in place. A single curl falls by my face, framing my golden eyes.

"Now, go look at your reflection!" my mother says as she finishes.

I walk over to the river and look at myself. I look regal, like an Alpha. But I know that I will not be able to be Alpha until either my father retires to become a Gamma, or I defeat him in a challenge. But a challenge to my father would have to wait until I am Beta, and that could take years.

In our pack, the only way to rise in rank is by challenging a higher-ranking pack member to a fight in wolf form, and the first to surrender loses. If you challenge someone and lose, then you can challenge again the following week. But if you make the challenge and win, then you and the other wolf trade ranks. If that happens, neither wolf is allowed to make a challenge until a full moon cycle is complete. Also, you have to stay in your rank for a full moon cycle, so I can't challenge anyone until the next full moon. If I were to get to beta position to challenge Alpha, It would take at least two years or more to get that high. Not to mention Alpha can demote anyone who disobeys him or the rules of the pack. Basically, I won't get the chance to be alpha for a long time.

"Are you ready, Dewdrop?" my mother calls.

"Yeah. I'm coming, Mother."

I run over to her and grab her hand. She smiles down at me as we walk back to the clearing. The pack is beginning to become more active. Werewolves are bustling about, talking to friends or getting ready. Some are still sleeping in their dens, but they won't be for long.

The Hunters are returning from their hunt. Slung over two wolves's shoulders is a large deer, still and lifeless. Some other Hunters carry smaller prey, such as rabbits or squirrels or badgers. The Hunters deposit their kills in the prey pile, which, as the name suggests, is a pile in the back of the camp composed of all the Hunter's kills.

Once the Hunters are done placing down their prey, my father walks out into the clearing. Everyone quits what they're doing and turns to him, ready for any orders they must carry out.

"Carry on with whatever you were doing," my father says. "Just ignore me for now. We will eat soon."

"Yes Alpha!" the pack choruses.

They continue like before, and my father walks over to my mother and I.

"Good evening, my family," he says.

"Hi Dad!" I say cheerfully.

My father smiles at me. He bends down to be right below my eye level. His long white hair is slicked back behind his head, forming a point. His golden eyes look into mine, pride shimmering through.

"Akira, you are so grown up," he says. "I can't believe you are officially joining the pack!"

I smile back at him. "Me neither. I promise I will be the best packmate I can be!"

"There's a few things you need to know before tonight."

"What is it?" I ask.

"First off, you will get your own den, like the rest of the pack. You'll no longer be staying with your mother and I. Second, you will join the ranks as a Scout."

I roll my eyes at him. "I already know that, Dad."

"I know you do. But as for the third thing…" he pauses for a moment, trying to find the right words.

"What's the third thing, Dad?"

"The third thing is that once you join the pack, you must refer to me as Alpha. I cannot show favoritism over you since you are my daughter. As Alpha, I must be fair to my pack. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Fath- I mean, Alpha."

My father laughs. "You don't need to call me Alpha right now. Only after your ceremony tonight."

"Right."

My father stands up, towering above me. "I must go and get some stuff ready for the ceremony," he says. "I'll see you later." He turns away and leaves, so now my mother and I stand alone.

"Will I have to call you Alpha as well?" I ask my mother.

She looks at me and smiles, her fangs just barely showing.

"No, you do not have to. I am not officially an Alpha. That position is only mine because I am your father's mate. That gives me the position, but the name isn't officially mine."

"But Mom, that's not fair. You're an amazing Alpha. The entire pack loves you!"

She lets out a small chuckle, apparently amused at my judgement.

"My child, pack titles do not simply work like that. Being a good leader, as you say, doesn't guarantee me a title that is not rightfully mine."

"But-"

"There is nothing else to it, no matter how unfair you think it is."

We stand in silence for a few minutes, the only sounds coming from the bustling pack across the clearing. Mother just dismissed all of my questions, meaning she wouldn't answer any of them. After a while, my mother breaks the silence.

"I should go help your father with preparations. Why don't you go along and play with the other pups?"

"Okay, Mom."

Mother leaves me standing there as she dashes off towards my father. When she is out of my sight, I head over to Fang Rock to play with the other pups.

Fang Rock is a large boulder shaped like a wolf's canine tooth. It's the main place where the pups play together. All the other pups except me are already there. I run over to the large boulder. The other pups call my name when they see me coming.

"Akira! You guys, Akira is coming to play with us!"

The pup tumbles off the side of the rock, sliding down the curved surface until she falls by my feet. I help her up to her feet.

"Akira, do you wanna play tag with us?" she asks. It takes me a second before I recognize her soft eyes. It's Emika, a five-year-old pup. Her hair is a dark chocolate color, her eyes an even deeper brown.

The other pups join her at the bottom of the rock, crowding around me. "Please Akira?" they ask in unison.

"Of course I'll play tag!" I say.

Emika tags my arm, and they all run off. "You're it!" she says as she dashes away.

The unexpected tag caught me off guard, but I quickly recover from the surprise attack. I dart after the other pups as fast as I can. I am the oldest pup in the pack. All of the other pups are younger than twelve, but I have just turned fifteen. After I join the pack, I probably won't play with the pups anymore. This may be the last time I humor them with a game.

They all scatter through the trees, running in all different directions. As I run after them, I scan the group, looking for the slowest and weakest prey. I know that the other pups will protect the youngest cubs, so I target Abner, the youngest of the pups.

Like I thought, as soon as I go for Abner the other pups swarm over to him, preventing him from being tagged. They fell right into my trap. While they are protecting Abner, they are also exposing themselves to me.

I tag the pup closest to me and dash away. The pup just stands there for a moment in shock, before they turn on the others. Everyone dashes away, and I just laugh. They fall for the trick every time.

The pup I tagged must have gotten someone else, because one of the older pups came running after me, her eyes gleaming like she was hunting prey. I run farther away, keeping a steady pace so as not to lose my breath. The pup gives up, knowing that I am too difficult to catch on their own.

I feel a hard tap on my arm. I whip around, and see another pup dashing away. "You're it!" he calls.

I chuckle to myself. They teamed up to take down a larger prey than they can manage on their own. They outsmarted me. I'll give them this, they will be great Hunters one day.

As I begin to chase after them, a howl pierces through the air. We all stop dead in our tracks. The howl is long and low, the sound of my father. It's a summoning howl. The ceremony is about to begin.

The other pups and I abandon our game. We race each other back to the clearing. I shoot out of the underbrush before any of the others. Seeing as I have the longest legs out of all the pups, it only makes sense that I made it back first.

I make my way over to the cliff face near the back of the clearing. My father is standing atop the overhang in wolf form, looking down at the pack as they arrive. His white coat shimmers in the moonlight, standing out like a beacon in the clearing.

The full moon is shining its blinding light down on the clearing. Our camp is illuminated in its soft blue light. A cool breeze blows by, kissing my cheek. The clearing is silent, save for the leaves rustling in the trees. When the entirety of the pack is assembled in the clearing, my father changes back to human form and clears his throat.

"Tonight we will hold a ceremony," my father says, "but before that, we must have something to eat! Our Hunters have brought back quite the feast. It'd be a shame for all that hard work to go to waste."

He walks down from the overhang and over to the prey pile. He transforms back to wolf form and tears a chunk off the deer. The rest of the pack ascends to the pile by rank. Once Omega takes a turn, I walk up to the pile and pick up a small rabbit.

I head back to where I was standing before. I tear the fur off the rabbit and eat the raw meat, cool against my throat. Unlike humans, werewolves in human form can eat any type of raw meat without getting sick. Our digestive systems are just like a wolf's, so we can eat any meat we want.

By the time I finish my meal, my father is once again standing atop the overhang. On the nights of the ceremonies, dinner is much quicker and less formal than usual.

As the rest of the pack finishes their food, they turn back towards my father. Once he has everyone's attention, he clears his throat once more.

"Tonight, my pack, we hold a special ceremony. One of our pups has just come of age, and she will now be joining our ranks."

The pack cheers loudly. My father holds up a hand, and the cheering stops.

"Will Akira please join me up here?"

This is it. The pack parts for me as I make my way to the overhang. I ascend the boulders arranged as steps until I am standing next to my father atop the overhang. The pack is silent, and all eyes are on me.

My mother is suddenly at my father's side, holding a bowl engraved with the moon phases, containing water from the freshest spring. My father cups his hands and reaches into the bowl. I know what happens now. I bow my head, and he holds his hand over me, slowly trickling the water over my head. The water feels cool against my scalp. It trickles into my face and down my back, tracing curving lines down my body until it hits the floor.

My mother then hands my father a small leather pouch.

"Stand up," my father orders.

I obey, standing upright. My father reaches into the pouch and pulls out a necklace. It has a small white crystal on the end, shimmering with blues and greens. My father places the necklace around my neck.

"Now, recite the pledge."

I take a deep breath. I've gone over the pledge many times before, so I know it by heart.

"I pledge my allegiance to the pack, to forever serve and play by the rules. I will never betray my brethren. I swear this on the moon!"

The necklace glows slightly. This is the part of the ceremony where I receive my wolf form. I concentrate on only one thing, and that is my appearance. I picture myself shifting, becoming a wolf.

I can feel the transformation but it doesn't hurt one bit. I feel like there are butterflies in my stomach as my body changes form. I become smaller, my face stretching outwards, my ears growing upwards, a tail extending from my backbone. The transformation only took a couple seconds.

When I've fully transformed, I look up at my father, who is beaming down at me. I can tell he is trying to hide his smile from the pack. From down below, it would be less obvious, but standing right next to him, I can see his pride showing through his eyes.

"Now, Akira, lead the pack in a howl!"

All of the pack members except the pups transform into wolf form. They look up to me, waiting for a signal.

I swallow, then take a deep breath. I've never really howled before. I mean, I've tried when I was a pup, but the human vocal chords can't create a sound remotely close to a wolf's howl.

I raise my head towards the sky and close my eyes. A soft sound escapes my throat, not quite a howl, but cose nonetheless.

The pack joins in, a chorus of voices added to mine. The sound echoes through the woods, bouncing off the cliff face and extending miles away. I let out a longer howl, slightly stronger than the last. Eventually, I am confident enough in my voice. My final howl is deep and heartfelt. I am certain that that howl carried all the way up to the moon.

The howls of the pack slowly trickle to a stop. My father transforms into human form once again. The pack does the same, so I follow suit.

"Thank you, pack, for honoring our new member tonight! Now, I want three scouts patrolling the perimeter tonight. Damion, please select from your ranks who should go on duty tonight. As for everyone else, you are dismissed."

The majority of the pack turns and leaves, except for the Scouts, who remain in the center of the clearing while Damion decides who will take night watch. The ranks of Hunter and Scout contain the most members. Together they make up about three quarters of the entire pack. In our pack system, one wolf from each of those ranks is in charge of the rest. The Scout leader is Damion.

My father turns to me. I can tell there is much he wants to say, but is unable to. I nod to show my understanding.

"Well, Akira, welcome to the pack. You can choose from any of the open dens. Your duties as a Scout start tomorrow."

"Thank you, Alpha." I turn and descend the boulder stairs until my feet are firmly back on the ground.

I head to the Scout den, located towards the back of the clearing. I pass the other Scouts, who are arguing with Damion on who should be on night watch.

I turn to wolf form as I approach the den. I stubble into the mouth of the den, still not used to walking on all fours. I walk to the back corner of the den and tread a sleep circle before lying down, curling up in a tight ball. My tail brushes against my nose, and I flick it away.

The other Scouts enter the den, finding a spot to sleep and curling up. Now the den is crowded, about sixteen wolves lying down total. I try to ignore them as I close my eyes. I need my rest to be able to go on watch tomorrow. Luckily, sleep takes over my body quickly, and I pass out almost immediately.