Traversing Worlds

Arc One Ch. 41

Gasping for air Marcus woke up with a fishy taste in his mouth. The quick beat of his heart slowed as he sat up in bed finding himself drenched in a puddle of sweat. Dreams and reality had mixed to the point he could no longer differentiate between memory and nightmare. He could still recall the feeling of his claw like fingertips digging into soft flesh.

Getting up he went to the bathroom and threw up before cleaning himself up. Feeling slightly refreshed he did not head back to his room right away and instead headed outside into the back garden.

His dark gaze became heavier finding himself glancing up towards the black skies and searching out the moon. It stood out in bright contrast, drawing the eye and making it difficult not to see. Rubbing a hand against his chest the memory from being impaled by a beam of light still lingered.

Since the incident it became harder to deny that the Moon Goddess couldn't also be a benevolent entity. There wasn't an explanation for how Kira could've gotten better otherwise since he had found out she was an elder pup. They didn't have the ability to heal like a wolf that'd gone through the change.

Another wave of sickness rolled over him as the lingering dregs within his nightmare revisited him. He glanced up towards the night sky again being slightly afraid of what he might see on his hands. The feeling of blunt nail tips pressing against his palms which reassured him they weren't claw like in shape and covered in blood.

Subconsciously he found his gaze directed towards Kira's window. Even now he couldn't bring himself to speak with her properly as he felt shame for not being able to protect her properly at the time.

His knuckles turned white thinking of how he failed not only himself but her as well. He turned towards the bright round light of the moon desperate to seek guidance from yet disgust by it in the same sense as in his experience the Moon Goddess didn't give life she took it away.

Marcus had turned his thoughts away from Kira to why he was so desperate in gaining power.

The Blue Valley pack suffers regularly from attacks by mutant beast. Bright blue flowers grown around the pack stood as a natural deterrent. Except for certain times of the year when the blooms would die. During his youth a particularly bad year happened that left their numbers devastated. Even his older brother Ben had died during this time.

Alpha Blake had made the decision to use a ritual sacrifice in and attempted to appease the Moon Goddess's anger.

His parents had been one of the many who'd been selected to return to her embrace. Tears formed in his eyes as he remembered them willing offering themselves up. While claiming to be honored to have been one of the few chosen for such an honorable death.

Orphaned and alone without anyone to look after him Marcus learned an invaluable lesson. No one wanted to raise an orphaned male pup and if a family did their intentions weren't pure.

Many males' youths were adopted by powerful families with the hopes of creating more female pups within their ranks. Since the adopted males relied very heavily on the family that adopted them it was easy to force them into signing unfair mating contracts that left the males not only homeless but pack less and without a way for them to survive.

Marcus gritted his teeth thinking of old memories that continued to be a driving force. The family which had adopted him wasn't like some larger more influential families but it still held enough power to use such an awful practice.

As a small pup he'd just lost his whole family he was taken in by the lies, warm smiles and praises. Only their youngest daughter made it so he'd not forget he wasn't welcome. She'd absolutely despised his guts without much reason it seemed till later on when he learned the truth.