My True Self

Chapter 4

As we all walked through the woods, my mother walked ahead of Vanessa and I. The three men that came with us walked behind us, yet giving distance. I looked at the moon and noticed that it was beginning to turn red. The color shined brightly, letting the light illuminate the snowy forest, leaving hints of red throughout. At that moment, I felt different; like I wasn't my own person anymore. I felt a rush of something powerful fill my body. I stopped in my tracks and everyone around me stopped as well, trying to see if I was alright. My mother came over to me and grabbed my hand. I looked at her and she held a smile on her face, as if she knew what was happening and what I was feeling.

"It seems that the Moon Goddess has chosen a night for a blood moon." My mother talks quietly to me. I looked at her, confused. I wasn't sure what she meant or what was going on. She saw that and decided to explain. "Blood moons are when us werewolves learn about our wolves, our powers, and our destiny. It is time when we get to transform for the first time and see our wolf. They are then there for the rest of our time, guiding us to who we are destined to be. It is also the way that the Moon Goddess allows us to connect with her in spirit and she gives us silver wolves our powers." She looks around at the people she brought with us. They all nodded and kept walking towards the direction we were heading.

"So what are you saying?" I asked her, still confused as to why she sent the others away. She gave a warming smile.

"My darling, tonight is not a normal blood moon night. It was a normal full moon not too long ago. It is the Moon Goddess telling me, telling us, that she chose tonight for your night to transform." My mother came over to me and held my hand in hers. "There is nothing to fear, I am here for you."

As soon as she said that, I began to feel a sharp pain throughout my body. I fell to my knees as the pain grew more, and I could hear my bones cracking, like they were breaking. It was too painful to try and ask what was even happening. I watched as my hands formed into paws, my clothes ripped off as my body transformed. I screamed in pain and agony until it stopped. As I opened my eyes again, I noticed that it felt like I wasn't looking through my own anymore, but through someone else's. My mother still stood where she was, holding my paw still in her hand. I looked around and noticed my body. It wasn't human anymore; black and silver fur covered me, as I noticed that my body was one of a wolf. My tail wagged back and forth behind me as I began to hear a voice.

"Hello, Gwenniver." The voice spoke, but it was a voice coming from inside my head. "My name is Raine. I'm so glad we can finally meet and not just from your dreams." I began to realize that the dreams I was having lately of the wolf in the stream may not have all been just a dream, but a vision of what I am.

"So, it was you throughout all of my dreams?" I asked Raine, and she chuckled.

"Yes, I have been trying to connect with you for a long time now. It's hard, though, when your human doesn't even know that they are a werewolf to begin with." Raine laughed a little. I could tell then that she must be more outgoing and more of the joking type than I am. "Now, I know this is all new news to you, but we have an entire lifetime to be able to connect more. I want to be able to stretch my legs!"With that, Raine looked at my mother again. My mother smiles brightly as she takes the wolf's face in her hands, kissing Raine's snout. She lets go and Raine begins to run around the forest. I could feel the snow beneath our paws, the brisk winter wind ran through Raine's fur. This feeling felt so freeing.

When Raine was done running around until her heart's content, she transformed back into my body, letting me retake control again. I stood in the snow, naked. Like I said before, the snow or cold doesn't bother me much, but I don't like the idea of being naked. My mother came over to me, holding a robe and wrapping it around me.

"Where did the robe come from?" I asked her, still confused about what all had been happening tonight. She gave me a small chuckle.

"Home is right around the corner. While your wolf and you were bonding and running around, I sent the boys home and had Vanessa go grab a couple of things. When we transform back from a wolf, we are naked. Obviously, as you have seen, transforming tends to lead to losing a few clothes along the way." Her tone was calming and relaxing. I feel as if she had been preparing for this night her entire life. She then gestured in the direction that we were heading before. I followed her as she turned and started walking. It was a quiet, short walk the rest of the way.

The first thing I noticed was a huge mansion on the side of a mountain, with ceiling to floor windows across the front. The pillars around the house made it feel more old-fashioned. In front of the house was the clearing of the forest with many other buildings and homes surrounding it. I stopped and took in the view. My mother came up next to me and looked across the valley as well.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" She spoke softly, taking a deep breath in the winter air. I looked over at her. Her eyes glowed with the moonlight and snow. I noticed how her black hair was nearly as long as mine. Her figure stood out in the black and silver dress she wore.

"How did you know that tonight was the night I would be by the stream?" I asked her. She opened her eyes, still looking out at the view.

"A mother always knows." She looked at me and smiled. "Come, it is time you got settled into your home and get to know your family." My mother then took my hand and walked us towards the mansion. When we were nearing the mansion, a group of people came out to greet us.

"Good evening, Luna." They were all saying to my mother as they approached her. My mother held her hand up to them to silence the chatter. Once they were all quiet, she lowered her hand. The front door of the mansion opened and a man came walking down the steps. He was of high power, because as soon as he stepped on the ground in front of the stairs, all of the people lined up and lowered their heads. The man was very muscular and tall. His eyes were bright silver, with hints of gold. His hair was dark brown, the same as his beard and mustache, which were both very well groomed. When he made eye contact with me, his face fell into awe.

"Tisha, is that who I think it is?" He asked my mother. His voice was deep, but it was also soothing like my mother's.

"Yes, my love. Gwenniver," she gestured to me. "This is your father, the alpha of the pack." He looked at me and smiled. As he walked over to us, he placed his hands on my shoulders to get a look at me before pulling me into a hug.

"Gwenniver," he whispered, as if he were holding back tears. "My dear, you are finally home where you belong." When my father let go, he embraced my mother and I both in his arms and turned around to everyone.

"Silverthorne, my daughter has returned!"