THE REBIRTH OF THE LUNA

AERYS “Your father is dead, Aerys,” Eva, my father’s assistant, announced that late afternoon as I sat under a tree shade, reveling in the cool breeze. My body tightened with tension as I turned to Eva. “What?” I questioned, begging for her to repeat it but with completely different words. She had to be joking. I knew my father had been sick this whole time, but I didn’t want to believe it was something he couldn’t heal from. It had started as mild coughs and occasional rises in his temperature, but I thought nothing of it until he could barely stand up or do the bare minimum with his body without feeling an alarming amount of pain. “He can’t be dead, Eva. Are you sure you know what you’re talking about?” I stood up, dusting the skirt of my dress as I hurriedly followed her towards the house and into my father’s room, where he lay on the bed, looking as lifeless as he had ever looked. I crashed to the floor before I could reach the bed, and Eva struggled to pick me up as she muttered words of apology to me. “I’m sorry. I went in to give him his drugs and some food, but I found him like this. I’m really sorry,” she said, over and over, reminding me of how many times my father had apologized to me when he had first announced my mother’s death to me just two years ago. I stared at my father’s pale body, shaking my head and refusing to accept the fact that he was dead. “It’s not possible. Have you called a doctor?” I asked, turning towards Eva. “I did.” She nodded. “The doctor pronounced him dead.” I crept towards my father, taking his cold hand in mine as tears rolled down my cheeks. I heard the door slam softly as Eva left the room, giving me enough privacy to express myself. “I told you not to die,” I cried. “You said you wouldn’t die. You said you would live long enough to find another person you could trust to rule the pack if you ever died. Why did you do this to me? I’m not ready to be the Luna. Why are you leaving me all alone?” I placed my head against the bed, sobbing. I should have listened to him when he advised me to go for pack training just in case a day like this would come. I should have trained ahead to be the Luna of the pack, but I had refused. I refused to take his words seriously, thinking that he still had a long life to live. I was now left here to mourn his death in private as a heavy responsibility awaited me. The door creaked open, and in walked my father’s Beta, followed by the pack Delta. They stood in the corner of the room in silence, staring at my father’s body. I hated when I made eye contact with them; they looked at me with so much pity. “You have to step up as the Luna of the pack as soon as possible. We need someone to be in control of the trade to keep it running smoothly.” Delta Melvin was the one to break the silence. I nodded in understanding, sniffling and finally letting go of my father’s hand. “Break the news to the pack. Tell them the coronation will take place tomorrow night with the moon to bear me witness,” I ordered, not fully knowing what I was doing, but grasping that if I was ever going to earn my respect as the leader, I had to start now, as I had been unserious about it since. Beta Andrew bowed as he took my orders and left the room to go break the news of Alpha’s death to the pack members. “Your father and I go way back, Aerys,” Melvin told me, stepping forward and going close to the bed. He took a chair from the side of the window and took it to sit by the bed, where my father lay. “I understand that you’re his daughter, but it would be very much appreciated if you could give me some time alone with my childhood friend. I wouldn’t want to turn into an emotional wreck in front of you.” “Take your time,” I told him, leaving the room and walking out of the room and the house entirely. It felt like my chest was being pressed down by unseen forces, preventing me from breathing normally. I placed my hand above my chest and walked down the path which led into town, where Andrew was loudly announcing the death of the Alpha and my coronation as the Luna by nightfall tomorrow. “Are you okay, Aerys?” I flinched as Eva showed up from behind me and soothed my shoulder. “No,” I answered truthfully. We both stood there in silence, watching as people went into shock at the announcement. By tomorrow, I would be the Luna of these people, and I had no idea what I was doing. ~~ “Werewolves of Moon Cove Pack, here is your new leader – Luna Aerys, who will lead and take us anywhere for our own good. Bow down!” Melvin announced the next evening as the process of the coronation began. Everyone bowed, and I watched as a soldier went around, taking everyone’s hands and making cuts in them, making sure that drops of their blood went into the bowl, getting mixed with everyone else’s blood. When everyone’s blood was taken into the bowl, it was brought to me by Andrew, who handed me a knife. “Taking a deep breath, I took the knife and dug it deep into my palm to draw blood. I turned my hand to the side, balling it into a fist for the blood drops to mix with those of my pack members. When the process was done, I was given a cloth which was soaked in flammable liquid. “Put the cloth inside the bowl and light it on fire,” Melvin said, handing me a lit candle. I did as he said, watching the cloth go up in flames, drying up the blood in the bowl. Cheers erupted from everyone in the pack after the fire died down. “And there you have it!” Melvin announced. “The new Luna of Moon Cove Pack, Luna Aerys! Leader of the pack as witnessed and approved by the Moon Goddess and the blood of the pack members!” The celebration kicked off, and everyone started to eat, drink, and dance to their fill while I went around and greeted them, making small talk and asking for whatever complaints they had about the pack that needed to be changed for the better. “Luna Aerys, a word please,” Delta Melvin requested, pulling me away from a group of people who were just telling me about the problems with the trade between our pack and the Dark Moon Pack. “What is it? Why are you in such a hurry, Melvin?” I inquired as he pulled me as far away from the crowd as possible, possibly to prevent them from overhearing what he was about to tell me. “Luna Aerys, have you been trained on your Luna duties yet?” he questioned. I shook my head in response. “I’ll start tomorrow.” Melvin looked around for good measure, lowering his voice as he said his next words. “You need to prepare for war.”