lost and found

You could smell the many types of sweet treats and savory meats every time you turned your head in a different direction. Many pack members used the festival to show off their skills. There was no doubt that wolves, with their heightened sense of smell, could cook like no other! Tables were set up in the middle of the streets, filled with food, desserts, candies, and many different types of drinks. There were tables set up just for kids, full of junk food and sugary sweets, chocolate milk, and juices. There were tables set up for wolves who preferred to eat healthily, filled with fruits and veggies, both raw and cooked. Tables of all sorts of meats, cooked in every possible way. The tables of desserts alone seemed endless! After everyone had filled their bellies with all of the delicious foods and treats, they headed over to the park. The park was built to honor the birth of their Alpha and Luna's secondborn child. A beautiful baby girl. The pack thought it only fair that since the firstborn, a son, would inherit the whole pack someday, then the secondborn should at least have a park to call her own. The park was huge! It had walking paths that weaved in and out of the woods on the pack lands, where you could find benches for bird watching or enjoy watching the many small creatures who lived there. In a shallow but large man-made pond, swam brightly colored koi fish, that you could watch from a low wooden bridge that crossed its center. Water lilies and lily pads were scattered throughout the pond while beautiful flowers and small shrubs surrounded it. A few small fountains danced on either side of the walking bridge. At night, light glowed from under the water, making it seem as though the pond itself was glowing. A large gazebo was built near the pond, equipped with 50 picnic tables for parties and gatherings. The playground area was every kid's dream! From straight slides to curly slides, from baby slides to slides that only the brave would go down. There were seesaws in sizes for kids and adults, merry-go-rounds, walls and ropes for climbing. Different styles of bridges for crossing from one tower to another. Different-sized towers for different-sized kids. A few different-sized trampolines were set up here and there. There were even a few mini-ziplines that ran from one end of the playground to the other. The swing sets were made for children of all ages as well as different styles. Swings for babies that were attached to larger swings, so parents or older siblings could swing together with the pups. Swings were made low to the ground for the little ones new to swinging on their own, and swings were set up higher for the bigger kids and even adults. There were bench swings for the elderly or those out on a romantic date. There were even tire swings for the wild ones. The park had everything! As it was a special occasion, homemade carnival-type games were set up for entertainment. There were ring toss, duck shooting, a knock over the bottles game, a hammer and bell strength test game, even a dunk tank could be found. Prizes of all sorts, crafted by pack members, were given out to those who took a chance and won. A few tables with board games like checkers and chess were set up for the elderly. Horseshoe pits were made for the older kids and adults while bean bag toss was set up for the younger children. Young children's faces were decorated at face-painting stands, while some of the older kids stopped at stands to have colorful strings and beads decorated into their hair. Bubble stations and craft tables were scattered about. A stage was set up at the far end of the park where pack members took turns showing off their musical talent. Speakers were set up not only in the park but all over the town as well. Children ran free throughout the park and streets, as all of the pack members kept watch over them. Couples strolled together holding hands. Young and old alike danced all around, while smiles could be seen on every face. It was the night of the Moonstone Festival. After a hot, humid day, the evening with its warm air but a cool breeze was the start of a perfect night! Or so they thought... The Moonstone festival was a young tradition. It was held annually on the anniversary of the day that Alpha Henry Stone found his fated mate. This was the sixth year that the Moonstone festival was held, and each year it seemed that it just got better and better. Alpha Henry Stone was an amazing leader. He worked very hard to take care of his pack. He was a fair man with a big heart. He loved his pack and took pride in it, and his pack returned those feelings towards him as their Alpha and leader. Though he wasn't the type of man who was cocky about his looks, he very well could have been! To those who didn't know him personally, he was very intimidating. Standing at 6'5" with a build that clearly stated that he worked out often. His dark-brown hair he kept in Viking-style braids that ended mid back. His eyes were a glowing cerulean blue that turned into an icy blue-gray when he was angry or overtired. Before he found his mate, the unmated ladies of the pack followed him around like lost puppies, drooling like the she-wolves they were. And though many broken hearts were made the day he found his mate, all were happy for him, as they all knew he deserved to be with his perfect match. Even if it wasn't them. Most wolves find their mates on their 18th birthday, the day they transform into their wolves for the first time. However, Henry wasn't so lucky. It wasn't until his older brother Harry, Alpha of the Moonshine pack, took him to L.A. for his 21st birthday, that he found her. It was the end of June, his brother booked a week's stay in a fancy hotel he couldn't remember the name of. Most of the trip was a blur as they had partied harder than he had ever partied in his life. But on the second to last day of their vacation, the day before they were to head back home, they went to the beach to watch the sunset over the water. On the way to the beach, Henry had a strange feeling. It wasn't a bad feeling, but he knew in the pit of his stomach, something was about to happen. It made him antsy, but he just didn't know why. When they finally arrived at the beach, he opened his door to step out of the car, and that's when it hit him! The most phantasmagorical scent he never knew could exist! "Do you smell that?" Henry hummed out to his brother, who looked at him in confusion. "I smell salt" Harry replied. "No, it's some kind of berry, but not like strawberry or raspberry or any other berry I know. I have to find it! I need to know what it is! I need to have it!" Henry sputtered out as his brother's eyes widened in understanding. Harry, however, chose to keep what he knew to himself, as he didn't want to get his brother's hopes up in case he was wrong. Luckily for Harry, his brother was in too much of a trance because of the scent that lingered in the air to notice the moment that his brother's face showed his understanding and excitement he had for his younger brother. Harry quickly grabbed the towels from the car to sit on the sand and locked the car up before making his way towards the water and closer to the only other person he saw on the beach. Henry followed his brother while still in a daze. As they walked closer to the woman standing with her feet in the water, slowly sinking into the sand, Henry noticed that the smell of berries was growing even stronger. A breeze found its way through her long chocolate cherry colored hair and landed in Henry's face. His heart began to race while the butterflies in his stomach were swarming like never before. When they reached just a few feet away from her, Harry took his phone out of his pocket and pulled up the video recorder. He then let out a throat-clearing noise to attract her attention, so that they wouldn't startle her, and then turned to watch his brother's reaction as she turned around to face them. Harry was at the perfect distance from his brother and the woman to catch both of their reactions on camera. He knew that he would forever be their mother's favorite son for getting this magical moment on video! Henry froze! His pupils grew in size as his eyes were glued to the woman in front of him! She was small and petite, but curvy in all the right places. her light yellow sundress slightly flowing in the light breeze beautifully accented her honey-tanned skin. Her large jade green eyes had an innocent look to them and her nose was like a perfect button. Her full pouty lips parted as her jaw dropped at seeing the incredibly handsome man in front of her. After what seemed like they had been staring at each other for hours, as time seemed to have stopped around them, both Henry and the young lady growled a word that would forever be the beginning of their ever after. "MATE!" Without a care in the world, with nothing but the clothes on her back, Mistic Thorn, a once Alpha's daughter, turned rouge when her pack was attacked by rouges, found herself on a very long journey. With her newfound mate and her mate's older brother, she took the road trip to her new home on the other side of the country. She spent the car ride getting to know the other half of her soul, as they asked each other hundreds of questions and laughed together over the stories Harry told her about her mate's childhood. On that day she went from being a lonely she-wolf to finding her place in the world, and she couldn't have been happier! When Henry came home with his mate, his pack welcomed her with love and were all so happy for their Alpha. Within a few days, Henry and Mistic marked each other. Just two weeks later, under the full moon, they held her Luna ceremony, making her the official Luna of the Moonstone pack. Being the daughter of an Alpha, she adjusted quickly to her new role in her new pack. She proved herself to be as great a Luna as Henry was an Alpha. A year from the day they had met, Mystic and Henry watched as not one but two blue lines appeared on a pregnancy test she had taken when she woke up feeling tired and sick and realized her cycle was late. Six months later, she gave birth to a healthy baby boy. Jasper Attickis Stone. After another positive pregnancy test, just a year and a half after their first, they welcomed their baby girl into the world. Jade Serenity Stone. Now, six years from the day they met, after filling all of their bellies with the amazing food that their pack members loaded onto plates for them, and winning a few prizes at the game stands, Henry and Mystic had brought Jasper and Jade to the playground to play, while they sat on a bench swing to take a well-needed rest. As the two slowly rocked on the swing, an elderly couple walked over to wish them a happy anniversary. Henry knew the old couple well, as the old woman, Mrs. Whitemoon, was the caretaker for his father when his father was just a pup. She and her mate, Mr. Whitemoon, had been together for as long as any other wolf in the pack could remember. As not to be rude to the sweet elderly couple, the Alpha and Luna gave them their full attention as they felt safe knowing all of their pack members were there and had all taken a blood oath to keep the ranked pack members safe, including their children. Mystic and Mrs. Whitemoon were in the middle of talking about all of the amazing food and who they thought had the best recipes when they heard Jasper calling out for Jade. When they looked over to where Jasper was, they saw he was standing at the edge of the woods yelling into them for his little sister. Both Henry and Mystic jumped up and ran over to Jasper. Mystic scooped Jasper into her arms as the young boy's tears started to flow from his eyes. Meanwhile, Henry ran straight into the woods looking for his baby girl. The music grew silent, and the crowd of people, who only a moment ago were laughing and loudly chatting happily, quieted to a whisper waiting for a sign that Jade was o.k. For what seemed like forever, the only sounds to be heard were Jade's name being called out by her parents and the whimpers of Jasper as he cried into the crook of his mother's neck for his baby sister. Henry walked out of the woods holding only the sparkly blue ribbon that had been tied to Jade's hair earlier that day, as he and his mate shared a look of fear. Mrs. Whitman approached Mystic and held her arms out to take the crying boy. Without a word exchanged, Mystic handed her son to the old woman and joined her mate near the woods. Henry reached out to his mate to wrap his arm around her, not only comforting her but also to receive the needed comfort from her. While they shared this moment together, Henry called out to his second and third in command through his pack's mind link. Beta, Geo Frost, along with his mate, Alice Fields, rushed out from the crowd within just a few moments, but as the Gamma, Xander Fields, was on the other side of the park it took him only a few moments more to reach his Alpha. Henry took a deep breath, trying not to lose himself in worry before he started filling in his lifelong friends and team members on what was going on and what to do next. "Mystic, my love, head over to the stage and get on the mic, let all of the pack know to keep a lookout, ask for volunteers for a search party." Mystic nodded her head and didn't waste a moment as she ran over to the stage. "Xander, I need u to run and get the maps of our land and make copies as fast as you can, so we can mark off search areas." Xander didn't even wait till his Alpha finished his full sentence before he shifted into his reddish-brown wolf and took off towards the packhouse. "Geo, there are already volunteers headed our way, start setting them into groups to send off into places to search when Xander comes back with..."Here they are Alpha!" Xander panted as he handed Henry the maps. Henry thanked Xander and they all started working together to form a search party to find their missing princess. Mrs. Whitemoon informed Mystic that she would take Jasper to her home for some warm milk and some sleep. Mystic thanked the sweet old woman and then took her place beside her mate in the search for her little girl. Hours had gone by, and all of the pack members who had volunteered had reported back from their designated search areas. They left no cabin unopened, no cabinet was unchecked, and no stone unturned. They searched high and low, inside, under, above, and around every nook and cranny that a 2-year-old could squeeze into. But as the last area crossed off the map, little Jade Stone was nowhere to be found. She was lost... It would sound like it is impossible to feel alone when you are surrounded by hundreds of people. Hundreds of people who are all linked to you mentally as part of your pack. It would sound strange to feel incomplete when you are wrapped up in the arms of your destined mate. A mate gifted to you by the moon goddess. A mate designed just for you, the other half of your soul. Your soul-mate who shares all of the feelings and emotions you have with you, who feels your happiness, struggles through your pain. But that is how the Alpha and Luna of the moonstone pack felt the day they lost their precious baby girl. Alone, incomplete, and lost. And until they find her. If they find her. That is how they will stay!