Fantasy Lover - First place winner: genesislargin

The Prophecy Challenge - Day 2 from Werewolf Week 2022

Harmony couldn't seem to shake the feeling of unease that had settled in her bones as she looked out toward the forest outside her house, the cold air of autumn not helping with her nerves.

Harmony wasn't your average werewolf; while others of her kind felt at home surrounded by nature, all she felt was unease, not just with the forest but with herself.

Almost like she had been placed in the wrong body at birth or that she was in someone else's skin.

She could chalk up her unease to the fact tonight was the night of the massacre. Standing by the window, she could almost make out the invisible line where the forest stopped; and the massacred lands began in the distance.

"You know, for as much as you claim to not like the forest, you sure are glued to that window."

Harmony's roommate, Jess, commented while shuffling throughout the kitchen to make herself some Hot Chocolate.

Turning away from the window, Harmony moved back to the stove where she'd been preparing her and her roommate's dinner, "Are you going to the memorial service today?"

She asked while dividing the somewhat burnt chicken alfredo equally before plating them.

"You mean, join the pack and head to the edge of that creepy area just beyond the woods so I can give thanks and appreciation to a bunch of dead wolves who may or may not have saved or destroyed our species?" Jess snidely said, pouring her hot chocolate into one of her favorite mugs before turning around and leaning on the countertop.

"Well, honestly. I'd love nothing more than to skip it. But Shane's going, and you know how he feels whenever someone doesn't go. Especially when they don't have a good excuse for not going."

The sound of their Alpha's name being spoken casually made Harmony internally cringe. It was seen as disrespectful to use the Alpha's name without his title in front of it, but she could understand why it didn't bother Jess as it bothered her, with Jess being his younger sister.

Jess let out a content sigh as she sipped her warm drink and looked at her friend. "I'm guessing you don't have an excuse to get out of going this year. Seeing as how last time you tried to come up with an excuse, you almost got caught lying after saying you had a college exam you couldn't miss when you were out for winter break."

"And whose fault was that," Harmony questioned after sitting down at the kitchen table and taking a bite of burnt alfredo, pointedly staring back at her.

Jess threw a hand in the air, "Hey!! How was I supposed to know my brother actually listens to what I say. Usually, all he does is nods his head and mumble.

I'm surprised he was paying attention, especially to the part about you." Jess said as a thoughtful look settled onto her face.

Harmony choked on a piece of her pasta. Whenever it came to Harmony's relationship with her pack and Alpha, things were strained to say the least.

While most members could shift, Harmony was one of the few that couldn't.

Usually, when that happens, an Alpha would step in and call on the person's wolf. Forcing their wolf to shift and making it easier for them to do it in the future.

Most of the time, it works, and the werewolf in question no longer has trouble sifting.

Most of the time. The taste of blood coated the top of Harmony's tongue as she bit down on the inside of her cheek.

Her mind taking her back to the day she was forced to shift. It had been right early in the afternoon when Jess called, telling Harmony how her brother wanted to speak to her.

It turns out that since she and Jess were so close, Shane had wanted Harmony to become his sister's bodyguard. But for that to happen, he wanted to make sure she could shift.

After talking her through what would happen, he called on her wolf; it should have been simple and easy, but it was far from it. Harmony apparently blacked out right after Alpha Shane called on her wolf, though according to others in the pack, her screams could be heard throughout the forest.

Shaking her head, Harmony forced the memory down and looked back at her friend, who'd just gotten done eating. "You ready to leave. If we head out now, we can make it to the site before the moon is up. I'm sure most of the pack is already there or just arriving."

Grabbing her jacket and heading to the door, Harmony waited outside for Jess. The feeling of unease now settling back into her bones, more intense than last time

The air was much colder now the sun had set, making Harmony clutch her jacket closer to her chest.

The moon was high in the sky, dimly illuminating their path; throughout the woods, Harmony could hear the crunching of leaves as others were just now or already headed toward the memorial site.

Jess shivered beside her and moved to wrap her arm around Harmony's, her brunette hair hanging over her shoulders to protect her ears from the cold. "Is it me, or does this part of the forest always get creepier at night, specifically on this night?"

Harmony gave her friend a weary smile as her eyes scanned the darkness, her unease now slowly turning to fear. Sensing this, Jess looked at her friend before bumping shoulders with her, "Me and you would never be able to make it in a horror movie."

Harmony let out a snort; at the unexpected comment, her attention now moving to her friend.

"And why is that?"

Jess looked at her and grinned, "Because we're probably the two biggest scaredy cats in the pack, and we just happen to be best friends. We'd probably get split up and would scare each other to death before the killer could get to us."

The thought of the two of them; specifically Jess in a horror movie, had Harmony giggling; her body now relaxing. "Oh, and how exactly would we end up scaring each other to death?"

"Well..."

The two of them continued to joke and throw around ideas as they walked; it wasn't until Harmony saw torches did she realize they were now at the memorial ground, where a semi-circle formed around their Alpha.

"I want to thank you all for coming out here tonight. I know some couldn't make it out tonight, and I'm sure some of you don't want to be here, but we are all here for a reason. And that's to show respect to those who lost their lives fighting against the Ashen Pack 1,000 years ago."

Harmony's mind drifted as Shane began retelling the story that turned these grounds into sacred or cursed lands.

The Ashen Pack had been like any other pack; small but strong, thanks to their leader, Thomas. Thomas was said to be a good Alpha.

Up until his wife was murdered, presumably by humans.

In the end, Thomas began slowly losing his mind searching for ways to bring his wife back.

It wasn't until a mysterious stranger showed up on pack grounds and spoke to him did things take a dark turn. Apparently, the stranger told him of a demon who could bring his wife back, but only if he did its bidding.

Desperate, he summoned the demon and began doing its bidding, his pack joining him in hopes of getting their luna back. But the more they did the demon's bidding, the more they began losing their souls.

Until they were nothing more than puppets for the demon. Other packs soon noticed what happened to the Ashen pack, but were too late so they called on the moon goddess for help.

The Moon goddess saw what the demon did to her children and didn't stand for it so using her powers sent one of her most loyal knights to help the packs destroy the demon and Ashen pack.

The smell of blood slowly filled Harmony's senses as she tilted her head back and closed her eyes, her mind painting a vivid painting of the battlefield.

The sounds of blades and screams echoed all around her as Harmony could feel herself drifting, the unease and fear she felt earlier now gone. For the first time in a long time, Harmony felt like she was right where she was supposed to be.

It wasn't until a heavy hand jerked Harmony back did she realize she was no longer standing beside Jess but on the cursed grounds. Her eyes darted up to meet Shane's deep green ones.

The moon's blue tint shifted to a blood red as the ground began to shake, causing Harmony to grab Shane to steady herself.

An ungodly chorus of howls then filled the air as Shane gripped her tighter.

"What have you done."