YonderBlue's Artbook/Short Stories

Letter from Mom | OC story pt1

Werewolves always seem to be on topic. What's not to love? They're just big dumb killing machines, but why does no one talk about their ancestors? Some call us faoladh, but our native name is Timbrwolves.

Calmer and smarter creatures. Would say we're kinder than the were-children, but I'd say we can also be worse. Timbrwolves create werewolves. We have venom in our fangs, some of us at least.

Luckily for you, we creatures are calmer and control ourselves and our venom. We will bite, but it's not always promised that you'll be cursed.

Especially if we have curtain eye colors. Red is the most common and 4 of 5 Timbrwolves will have red eyes. Red eyes infect any creature and make them werewolves. Blue is the second most common, but it's mostly found in females, it is a natural antibody that can heal any sickness or wound. Almost. It can't cover serious wounds, but it can cure Werewolfism. Yellow eyes are strange, they cause hallucinations. Green is also strange, just slowly kills the victim unless they have the antidote. Brown is really cool, just a bite can cause you to become, their slave. Forever connected to the Wolf, unless you can control yourself, consider yourself a killing machine. Maybe you'd like it. You'd have to. Wish I had brown eyes, they're much more useful.

What's also useful is the Great Goddess giving us the ability to walk on our hind legs. We're called humanoid, and I think werewolves look the same but they're like 7 feet tall, we can only get up to 6 feet tall.

Timbrwolves are children of the moon. We were just wolves back then. We were created by the moon to be man's companion. Their best friends. Giving food and support. But that was before the sun God interrupted their peaceful life. His sun elves found it fun to hunt Timbrwolves. We of course retaliated and fought back. Our wolf siblings stay away and live in forests. I heard there's another species that is man's pet. Glad I don't have that life. We became Timbrwolves and made villages; for Timbrwolves it became normal to live a life of war. It wasn't just the sun elf's past sins but the new ones. Our king ordered a war because it was too peaceful. Another called war because he saw a sun elf. Their Sun Elf monarchy has done the same over the last hundreds of years.

I hope to stop this cycle by becoming a Preist. A soldier trained from a young age to kill sun elves and get us back to our land. But then again won't killing just keep the cycle go-

"Volk! Wake up!" Someone knocks on my door.

I perk up and get my head out of my blanket. My ears twitch. "I'm already awake, Master Brown!" I call and get out of bed to open the door. I smile wide to see my teacher.

"I hope you're not staying up. You have a busy day tomorrow." Master Brown used to have a white and brown coat but it's turned gray with the many years he's lived.

"No. I plan on finishing my paper on my opinion as a learning Preist!" I calm my voice. My eyes look around Master Brown's hands, trying to see if he had something I was looking for, but he has his hands behind his back.

"Good work, Volk. Oh, and quick thing." Master Brown pulls out an envelope. "From your mother."

I gasp and I take it. "Thank you! Master Brown! I must read this right away!" I rudely shut the door, I regret it, but Master Brown understands.

I ripped open the envelope with my claw and there was my mother's handwriting. She didn't have a formal education like I have, but her letters were neat and all her grammar was good from what I could tell. She told me her father taught her how to read and write before he died when she was a teen. I wish I knew Grandpa Wayment, Mom says I act just like him. I want to stop the war, though he did it through books and speeches, and I do it through physical action.

My red eyes scan the letter so fast I have to reread it.

Dear, Peer.
My son, not a day goes by when I don't think of you. Mom always says that. I know that a big part of your life is coming up. You're almost to the third exam. The exams are when I display that I am physically ready to continue up a grade, they're each every 8 and a half years. Strange to think I'm almost 26, but that's fine, I still have a life ahead of me. Still, 174 years to go! After this one, I'll only have one more exam to go then I am a full-fledged Preist. I wish I could make it, but they won't let me in the Temple to see you. I expected this, I felt a bit sad but they never let her in. Not on my birthday, and not on Winter Solstice. The many holidays alone made me used to it.

But I pray to Selune that you'll make it. I know you will, you told me in your letters that you made every exam on the first try. True. True. I know you'll do great.

Life is simple out with our wolf siblings. Since she's not allowed in the village, she lives on the outskirts and near a pack of wolves that keep her company in her small log cabin. Tibit had another litter of pups, and I enjoy taking care of them, they remind me of you when you still clung to me for safety. Back when your fur coat was absent and all there was was fluff. I remember living with her, back when I was a tommy*. I was alive before Tibit, and her mother. I liked the sun on my face. Now I can only look at the moon. I hope that blanket I sent you last time still works for you, I'd always love to sew you another. Sewing is something that I like, to do nowadays, especially taking scraps and making something out of it. I hope to maybe own a shop one day. Mom's always telling me about her dreams, she wanted to be a dancer but she says she's too old now. Then she wanted to be a nanny. Many other things but that all requires others to accept you. I'd call it Wail and Family. I wonder why Grandpa Wayment called her Wail. Did she cry a lot when she was a baby? I'll ask her next letter. Or maybe Peer Fabrics. Anything with you.

When you graduate, I hope to never write another letter to you, only because I hope you'll be with me again. Mom always says that. I hope her wishes come true. I'll teach you everything my father taught me. Maybe the Temple will let you have my father's name. Annabelle. The Temple wouldn't let me take my mother's last name, so I named myself, Volk. Simply meaning Wolf, I wish I chose a better one, but my young self loved being in my wolf form. At least I could keep my first name, Peer. When we have time together, I'll tell you about your father. I'd like that. I love you always. Tell me how your test goes, and send me more of your drawings and projects, I love to hang them up on my room.

Love, Mom.

I smile and a cloth falls out. It was four patches sewn together and as I sniff it, I could smell Mom. Every letter I send her one so she can think that I'm still with her, she does the same. A Timbrwolf thing. A gift to someone who's far away.

I have many things she's given me. My most precious position is her moonstone ring. I never wear it because of all the physical activity and places I go, I couldn't bare to loose it. So, I store it in my cabnet that has a fake back, I use a plank of wood to hide it. I check to make sure it's there every night.

I pull out paper and take my cloth and set it down. I hope it's taken in enough of my scent for her. I also wrap a feather from a pheasant I caught.

Dear Mom, I miss you.

I pause. I've missed someone that I haven't seen in years.

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More of Peer's story coming soon!