PACK #5 - THE RISEN
MOTTO: "She might have casted us out....
but we will rise back up with sharp teeth and a new moon."
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CHALLENGE 1
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"Be Careful For What You Wish For..."
I was attending the Exchange like usual with my friends and family. It has been a nice change since the Alpha couple Odin and Charlie changed the law of forbidding anyone from crossing pack lines. With their union the Far North Pack continues to let more of their pack and young come to the exchanges to encourage more good relations. A let out a heavy sigh as I expect the usual disappointment of not finding my mate. It has been 10 years since my first shift, and every year my wolfs howls with sadness of not smelling our mate at these exchanges. I go now, out of repetitive instinct instead of a hope of actually meeting him. I meet up at the usual spot in the clearing next to the old Alpha’s Finian and Victoria dwelling. As I wait for my friends to catch up, I hear the normal rumble of the cars from the Far North bringing their pack, there is considerably more cars this time though. The Alpha Odin steps out and announce another pack from across the seas has asked to come partake in our tradition, and they were granted permission as a branch of friendship and peace for the upcoming war against the other packs. Out of the cars that were last to pull up, several wolves with pale skin and bright red hair stepped out. They were all bruly looking and had tattoos on their bodies like the Far North, no wonder Alpha Odin accepted them as friends. I go to turn back around uninterested as the wind changed direction and I catch a whiff of a scent that sends my heart racing. I stand quickly, sniffing the air for what direction it is going towards, I follow it, my wolf rumbling its pleasure of finally finding its mate. I barely see the Alpha Odin watching us as we start to push our way through the crowd, closer to the newcomers from across the sea. They look strangely as I finally make it their group, some of warriors step towards me. “Please! I have a mate with you! Please I have waited 10 years to finally have him, I need him!” I plead with them before they all look confused back at me.
“None of us feel a pull to you lass.” They say with deep foreign accents.
“There is more of you. I smell him behind you!” I beg for them to move and push past their shoulders, they let me pass, looking between one another as if I was insane. But I could smell him. He was just past these first cars. I keep walking, seeing families of wolves now in these cars and my heart starts to plummet. Had he moved on without me?
Finally coming to a car with a male and female and a pup, I drop to the ground crying. Why didn’t he wait for me? The female from the car gets out and comes over to me, I can smell my mate all over her.
“Are you ok lass? What is wrong with ya?”
I can’t help the growl come from my throat, “How dare you ask what is wrong with me when the stench of my mate leaks from all of your pores!”
The female narrows her eyes and growls back, making the male step out as well. “I dunno what yer talking about lass, but you need to calm down.” I sniff the male, but he doesn’t quite smell right. I stand and go closer to the male, his female growling and grabbing my shoulder. “Now hold on, where do ye think yer going!?”
I shrug off her grip and take another sniff of this male now closer to me, looking confused between me and his female. “Wait, you’re not my mate?” I don’t understand what’s going on!
The pup from the back seat crawls out of the car, “Ma what’s that crazy lady doing to y’all?” My eyes widen as my wolf howls deep within me.
“You are my mate?” This can’t be. This can’t be happening. Why would this happen to me?
“Lass that can’t be yer mate, that’s my son. He hasn’t even shifted yet.” His mother says to me as she scoops him up, he quickly swipes her hand to have her drop him.
“He is my mate.” I whisper.
The older male shakes his head, “Are ye sure?” My wolf answers all their question as she lets a loud rumble out from my chest. The pup’s eyes widen. “I’m sorry.” He says. I can’t deal with this. This isn’t fair.
“No. No this can’t be happening. I’ve waited 10 years to find a pup as my mate?! No! This isn’t my mate!” Behind me I feel the steps of the Alpha Odin.
“Is he your mate?” He asks me as I start to step back shaking my head.
“No, he can’t be. I have waited 10 years, being a good mate. Waiting for my mate. This pup will NOT be my mate!” I can feel the bite of my wolf, she tears into my bones but I don’t care.
“If your wolf calls him yours, then he is your mate. It will do you well to accept this and learn how to be patient.” Alpha Odin says to me with a knowing look in his eyes, but I can’t wait any longer. All of my friends have already had their first pups, I would have to wait so much longer if this pup was my mate.
“He isn’t a pup. He’s a juvenile. One of our pack’s strongest. He will be a good mate.” The older male argues a case for what would be my mate, but all I see is a small pup as he stands next to the female. His body hasn’t even started to shift to become an adult. He is still short and lanky, no proper meat or muscle on him.
“No. This is no mate of mine.” I turn away from the family and begin my descent back home. There is no reason for me to stay here. My wolf continues to bite and gnaw at my bones to make me turn around, I ignore her and pain she inflicts. She begins to howl her sadness at me, but I continue to ignore her.
“Wait!” I head a small voice behind me, I turn and see the pup running from the female and up to me. “If ye are truly my mate then why won’t ye accept me? Mates accept each other no matter what, that’s we is taught.” He can barely talk correctly he is so young, I shake my head.
“You are not my mate. You are too young. My mate must have died before I found him.” My wolf bites harder into my bone for what I say, I flinch and the pup narrows his eyes at me. They are a pale green.
“Yer wolf fighting ye aint she?”
“She is.”
“Then I will fight for us when I get bigger. I will find ye and make ye mine. Ye won’t escape me twice.” The pup marches back to the car and gets in, his face in a focused stare at the seat in front of him. I shake my head at his antics and walk away. My wolf continues to bite and claw at me but I ignore her and continue my way back home, despair clinging to my heart as I still don’t believe my fate.
It has been 12 years since I had seen my would be mate, and I have grown tired of his parents coming to me every year begging for me to accept their son. They tell me all sorts of things, how much he has grown, how he will make a good mate, how they wish for grandpups. It didn’t matter to me. I tried to move on, but every time I would make a move towards another male my wolf would tear into me. It felt like she was tearing me apart from the inside, I would have to stop but in return I stopped shifting. I tried to find this recipe that would weaken my wolf from the last healer we had in this land, but Lana wouldn’t give it to me.
I remember cursing the Moon that day. She is the one in charge of mates, why would she give me a pup instead of a real man? Why does she partner some of the sweetest females with the grossest of males, as I think of my old Luna Meela and her mate, the twin of Alpha Finian. I cursed the Moon and Lana warned me to be careful with what I say because my path does not involve the Moon, I have heard the whispers. Some are saying the daughter of Alphas Victoria and Finian, Charlie, accuses the Moon of taking away our Wilds. That she will fight for our Wilds. At first, I thought it was strange and nothing to value; but after being the Moon’s own victim even when I revered the Moon all this time as a good Goddess, I was wrong. The Moon needed to be taken down, but I didn’t understand why people are saying it is Charlie’s fight, shouldn’t Nature be the one to take up the mantle? She is the sister, she is a goddess already, and she would be fair. Nature has always gives you what you needed and rewarded those for doing right, or at least she always did for me. As I walked back the long walk to my home after Lana denying my wish I felt a power pulse from behind me, the strength sending me to my knees.
“Look up young one, I have a boon for you. I have heard you curse my sister, do you wish for revenge?” Out of the trees stepped a female with mud and leaves stuck to long dark braids, ancient looking furs covering her body.
“Who are you?” I asked, the pulse of her power could only be an Alpha, but she was more.
“I am Nature, and I need your help with taking down my sister. You want a new mate? A mate worthy of your lifelong wait. I can find a male of your worth, I will mold him out of muscle and sinew. He will have honor and loyalty, and he will care for you until your deathbed.” I cried with the hope of finally being able to move on. “This will take some time though, can you accomplish my boon while I create your male?”
“Yes! Yes thank you so much!” I grovel at her feet, grateful for what she promises me, the answer to all my problems. “What do you need me to do?”
“My sister may be strong but she does have one weakness, she is too sure of her power. This is an ancient blade, sharp enough to cut through even our skin. Use it to show everyone opposing her, that even a God can bleed.”
Confused I ask, “So all I have to do is cut her? And show people her blood? How will they know it's the blood from the Moon?”
“Our blood holds special properties, at the next full moon, hold the bloody knife into the moonlight and the moon shall become blood red. This will be the sign needed for your people to believe.”
“Thank you.” Nature nods her head with a smile of teeth as she walks back into the trees, disappearing into the shadows. “Wait! How do I bring the Moon here?!” I call out realizing my greatest hurdle, when the winds whips in my face and I hear whispers into my ears, Pray and she will hear.
For weeks I prayed up to the Moon, begging her to see how my mate was too young for me and I needed her help. Finally, she came to me one night, again I found myself on my knees in feeling her strength. I started to doubt if I could do this but I felt a small breeze of warmth travel my back, reminding me of how fair Nature is. “Please my Moon, the mate I have is too young for me to have pups with, I’m scared that I won’t have the opportunity to have pups. Please I need another mate. Please I will do anything.” I begged and groveled, hoping she would believe me.
“I heard my sister has met with you. What did she say?”
“You’re sister is of Nature, but we all know that it is the Moon that controls our mates. I need your help, you are the only one that can.”
“But what did my sister want?” The Moon growls and I whine as her power flows out like a waterfall.
“She wanted me to help the Alpha Odin, but I do not want to. He would rather me wait until I can no longer have pups than ask for a new mate.”
“Can you follow my rules wolf?” She turns toward me and I brilliant stars woven into her braids, it hurts to continue to look at her.
“Yes I do as you say.”
She lifts my face up to hers, I have to partially close my eyes from the brilliance in her skin, “Then why does the one called Charlie live?”
I start to feel panic in my gut, “Because I couldn’t win against the Alphas.” I stutter. “But Alpha Odin is alone. No one has seen Charlie near him, I can maybe do something to him instead.” I feel the knife Nature had given me weigh heavily in my back, I fought the urge to reach for it and slice into the Moon now, but she would kill me before I could get away. I need to be smart about this.
“How could you harm someone as strong as Odinson?” I try to look away from her but she growls her dislike, “Look at me when speaking to me.” I stammer out an apology.
“I’m sorry. But Alpha Odin believes we all stand with him, he will not expect someone to slip something into his food. Or I could poison Charlie’s parents instead. That would hurt her more.” I plead, which makes the Moon smile with such large sharp teeth.
“You would do anything to get a new mate from me wolf?” She chuckles.
“Yes, my allegiance is with my Moon. I follow her rules when others forbid it.” Her smile does not lower, as she turns her back to me, I can’t take this any longer, I have to do this now. She begins to speak about how she will grant me a new mate only if I can fulfill my promise of hurting Charlie, whether that be from her parents or Odin, as she speaks I slowly move the knife from my back. With her back still turn, she is still within reach as I slowly start to raise, holding the knife tight within my fist. As the knife reflects the glint of the moonlight, she stiffens, petrified I quickly swipe at her then run as fast as I can, not looking to see if I accomplished anything. I feel the ground shake underneath me as a ferocious roar sounds behind me. Sweat drips off my brow as I panic, I call out to Nature for help but only feel the wind push into my back. My wolf tries to shift to get us out of danger but I still do not want her out yet, I just run faster. Pumping my legs as fast as I can, the balls of my feet pushing into the dirt to propel me further away from what is certain death. I can’t believe I am still alive. I run until I fall over exhausted, the burning in my lungs no match for the fire in my calves. I can feel the blood ooze out of the bottoms of my feet as I begin to cry as all the pain crashes down on me. I cannot get up again, I’m about to die I know it. Tears strike down my face when I hear soft footsteps to my right, I hear someone crouch beside me and start to pet my hair.
“You did well young wolf. Though you fled in a hurry to escape my sister’s wrath, you did in fact cut her. Just enough to get enough blood on the knife that you have gripped in your fist. But be wary, my sister will now have her eyes set on you as well. Give me time to create your mate of worth, you will know it is him because you will not fear the beast that will approach you. Rest for now. Then continue your journey home.”
It has been so long since the night I won my boon from Nature, and she has gifted me with many years of fruitful harvest from my garden, but it has been tiring continuously fighting my wolf down, never allowing her out as punishment for not letting me move on. She would constantly remind me of how we already had a mate and I would remind her, I had rejected him. It didn’t help that our would be mate’s parents would hide articles of clothing of his around our house. But it didn’t matter, I was moved on whether with or without a male to call my own yet from Nature. I was expecting another visit from his parents any day now, they usually came every summer; they said in their land it locks up with ice during the winter so they have to wait till late spring for the ice to melt. I expect to hear the rumble of their cars any minute now, his parents had a gift to show up every summer on almost the same day and time, it was strange. I started to hear the familiar rumble, but they stopped and instead I felt vibrations from the ground. I looked around confused as to what was going on when the biggest wolf stepped out of the nearby tree line. He was gorgeous. His fur was long and dense, and white as snow. I had only seen Alpha Odin have a wolf as big as this one. The lone wolf howled loud and long, it’s song was beautiful. He trotted towards me but I oddly wasn’t afraid, I was more engrossed in seeing the hints of muscle flex underneath the long fur. It wasn’t until the wolf was right in front of me that I realized my mistake, why would I allow a strange wolf into our lands?! The wolf growled as I started taking timid steps back, quickly it shifted into a mountain sized man, full of bulging muscles and sinew, his skin a canvas of different animals and patterns I did not understand. The sides of his bright red hair shaved clean, leaving the top of his long with braids mixed in like the Far North. My lips trembled as his pale green eyes bore into mine and tightened his strong jaw. “I promised ye I would find ye.” His voice was deep and gravely, he carried the same accent as the people across the sea. “Breathe lass. Remember who I am.” I couldn’t believe I hadn’t even breathed yet. My lungs burned with the lack of air, as I took in a big breath and recognizing the smell that sent goosebumps up my spine.
“YOU!” Why was he here? I need to wait for Nature’s male.
“Yes it is I. Yer mate that ye left abandoned. But through me harsh years of training, I have grown the strongest wolf in me land. Our nature hardened me flesh to be impenetrable to all wolve’s teeth and claw. I have honored ye, me mate. Ye will be mine now.”
I shake my head, confused as to why Nature would allow this wolf to get close to me if she had promised me a male of worth. Did she lie to me? Did I almost die for a lie? “Why are you here? I didn’t want you.” I couldn’t help as my eyes slid down his chest to view his harden stomach that it too hard tattoos of animals. As I peered harder I could see scars of old teeth and claw marks from what to be many battles. He trembled and closed his eyes.
“Ye is me mate and I will have ye. Ye have fought long enough and it has taken long enough for me to find ye. Me parents never told me where ye was, it is tradition that I do that meself. Now ye better run because I will not hold back my wolf any longer. Run fast little wolf because I will catch you.”
Scared he would really mark me without my consent, I panic and run. I try to push my legs deep into the soil to further get away from this wolf, again the ground vibrates as I hear a howl from behind me. I scream as I do not get any further when I’m knocked over to the ground. The white wolf is back and is snarling at me. “Please, please wait! I am promised to another!” I try to reason with them, but I said the worst thing because his wolf jumped on me and bit down deep in my shoulder, marking me as theirs. I could feel my wolf howl with pleasure as I felt the bond weave its magic between us. His wolf dug its teeth deep in us, letting us know how angry he was with us. I cried as blood continued to leak from the deep puncture wounds. I tried to pull away but his wolf would just shake his head preventing me from leaving him, I cried out in pain as his parents exited a car; gasping as they saw our appearance. I tried to call out for help from them but the wolf just increased his bite into my shoulder, showing his displeasure. His parents shook their solemnly and went inside my home. I continued to cry as my arm began to go numb from the loss of blood.
“Please, my arm. I cannot feel my arm anymore.”
His wolf whined before gingerly letting go and licking the deep wound in my shoulder. It will be a large scar, showing how I angered his wolf. He shifts back into his skin, panting from gathering control back from his wolf, blood still smeared on his face, my blood.
“I told ye I would get ye. I am sorry he took a bigger bite on ye, but ye needed to know who was in charge. Now shift so I can see ye wolf.”
“I can’t.” I’m scared of what will happen if I finally let my wolf out. She claws and bite at my bone hard, wanting to meet her mate.
“SHIFT!” He roars at me and I can’t resist his command. It’s so painful as I slowly shift in my wolf. It feels as if it my first shift all over again. My arms pop out of place and my hips begin to protrude out. Finally she bursts out and the sky becomes dark instantly. Lighting and wind tear through the clearing as a cackle is heard in the wind. My wolf whines as my now mate stands protectively in front of me. Looking all around.
You deceived me young wolf, now pay the consequences.
A fire burns down my spine as my wolf yelps and whines and drops to the ground in pain. My mate roars into the sky his challenge of hurting us. As quickly as the day had changed, it changes back to how it was. Sunny and clear with a nice breeze. His parents run out of my home, yelling to see if we were alright.
“We is alright ma. We is coming in now. Come on little wolf it’s time we sat down and talked about what is to happen next.” He starts to walk to the house when I try to shift back to my skin, when I feel that fire again. My wolf yelps making him turn around. “What’s the matter?” Scared, I try again but I feel the familiar fire in my spine and stop. My wolf whines to our mate and crawls over to him on her stomach. I weep as I begin to realize what the Moon has done to me. “Stop playing and shift. We need to speak about ye coming home with me.” He says sternly as his parents make their way over to us, curious to what was taking us so long. My wolf shakes her head and whines, trying to communicate to our mate that we cannot shift. “I said SHIFT!” Fire ignites again down our spine as we curl into a ball, yelping and whining at the pain.
“Stop Costin! She can’t shift!” His mother cries as tears come out of her eyes. My wolf hums at hearing our mate’s name for the first time.
He blanches at this news, “Is it true? Can ye not shift back? Is that what happened when the sky darkened?” Costin asked. My wolf whined at how after waiting so long for her mate, we encountered another obstacle. Costin grabbed my wolf’s head and hugged her close. “Then I don’t care. Ye is still my mate and ye is still coming home with me. I don’t care if ye have to stay in yer fur.”
“Costin what will the pack say? How will you produce any heirs for our family.” His mother asked.
“If they have anything to say they can say it to me.” The ground vibrated as his chest rumbled with a threat of war to anyone who would say anything about us. My heart broke at seeing the worthy male in front of me that I so foolishly rejected at first. “Me sister will keep our bloodline going. Ye and da can have another child as well. I will take no offense to it. But this is me mate, no matter what.” Tears escaped my wolf’s eyes as she loved this male with all of our being. “I hope ye can swim cause I don’t want ye falling off me boat on the way home and drowning.” My wolf yipped into the air as Costin smiled at her foolery. This was my male of worth and my wolf deserved someone like him after I foolishly wished him away. I laid back letting them interact freely and cried at how sweetly my wolf’s mate patted her head and led her to her new life across the sea.
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CHALLENGE 2
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CHALLENGE 3
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CHALLENGE 4
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Debate: A Comparative Essay of Bessa And Fin
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Bessa and Finian are complex characters that feel love and hate on extreme levels. While Bessa and Fin are both petty, abusive, and hold grudges for very long times, they are also very different. Fin eventually saw Victoria for the wonderful person that she was and realized his mistakes, while Bessa knew Borson was good male, she still refused to acknowledge his apologies. Finian also grows tremendously throughout Fin’s Claim, while Bessa stays the same throughout her book and show very little personal growth. This essay will explore the differences and similarities of both character’s positive and negative virtues.
Bessa and Finian can be linked together in many ways. Their emotional scales ahold very little gray area between Love and Hate. In Fin’s Claim (Chapter-Knowing POV Finian) Fin says, “Her filth is not welcomed where I am.”, and keeps his way of thinking that Victoria is a whore for many years. In Bessa (Chapter-Her) Bessa asks Borson “Who chooses your breeding whore?”, and uses the phrase “breeding whore” multiple times throughout the book. Bessa held her grudge for more than 20 years and used Borson’s shortcomings as a mate to emotionally batter him with her feelings. In Bessa (Chapter-Hard Love) she tells Borson that she wishes his brother was her mate instead of him. Finian also held his grudge with Victoria and Grey for the better part of two decades. In Fin’s Claim (Chapter-Malicious Intent) he goes as far as to wish death upon her. Finian used Victorias memories to belittle and abuse her. He looks at her memories and promises to be worse than her father, who physically abused her all of her life.
While Bessa and Finian are have many similarities, they are vastly different characters who have their own damage and agenda. Finian shows significant growth throughout Fin’s Claim. In his book he goes from a naive juvenile that believes in waiting for his mate, to hating her with a passion, to understanding that it was her choice to give away her virginity, to realizing that he couldn’t live without her. Fin deals with his anger at Victoria by sleeping around until he is forced to confront his demons by his own actions (Chapter-Malicious Intent). He experiences the effects of Victoria’s life, the grim determination and raw will power to succeed that lives within Victoria and it make him appreciate her in ways nobody understands. Fin also redeems himself in Fin’s Claim and changes his view of Victoria to the point of praying to the Moon for her life and fighting for their relationship so Charlie can grow up with parents who love each other. Bessa, on the other hand, does not experience the same amount of growth in Bessa. From the beginning she holds on to her anger of “E” and Borson’s relationship and lets it consume her completely. Bessa uses her grief after marking Borson as a reason to shut down and become a neglectful mother. In the end of her book she still has not forgiven Borson. No significant change is seen in her until the end of Odin’s Prize (Chapter-The Splitting of Halves) when she says “I have loved you, my Savage. I just couldn’t let her go.”. Even knowing Borson loves her is not enough for Bessa. She holds her anger close and refuses to acknowledge Borson’s pleas for forgiveness.
Although Bessa and Fin use similar tactics when dealing with difficult situations, they are also vastly different. Their anger and grief take similar routes but result in different consequences for each of them and their families.
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CH #1 POINTS: 850
CH #2 POINTS: 75
CH #3 POINTS: 250
CH #4 POINTS: 450
TOTAL POINTS: 1625
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[Pack Song: Katy Perry "Rise"]
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