Before I Rise
The Elder

Em’s POV

I took a few deep breaths as I walked up the steps towards the wooden gray door. I still was slightly upset over the conversation Marcus and I had before I came here. I felt emotionally and mentally drained. Crazy how a day can start out happy and carefree, then turn into dark and sorrowful.

I took another deep breath and knocked on the front door. A few seconds later, the door was opened by Elder Morgan. There was something calming about being in her presence.

“Hello Luna, can I help you?” She asked, as she opened the door a little bit more.

“Sorry to bug you, but I was wondering if you have a minute to talk? It’s important.”

She took a step back, opening the door all the way and letting me in. As soon as I walked in, the smell of jasmine filled my senses. The house was filled top to bottom with flowers and herbs in every area of the house. It felt like I had stepped into an alternative universe. The air was peaceful and comforting. There was also a certain charge in the air. I was unsure what it was exactly, but it made my whole body erupt in goosebumps.

“Let’s sit here. Can I get you anything to drink Luna?” She asked me, as she directed me to a small sitting area in her living room.

“Oh no thank you.”

“Are you sure?” She asked me again. “I can make you a tea that would help calm your nerves.”

It was then that I realized my leg had been bouncing up and down from the moment I sat down. I immediately stopped as soon as I realized it.

“Yes, I’m fine. Thank you for offering.” She sent me a small smile and sat down on the cushioned chair across from me.

She took out a small purple velvet bag and reached inside. Morgan pulled out a few stones and placed them on the small marble table that was between us. The stones were beautiful. A few were purely white and the other few had different shades of tan on them.

“What are those?” I curiously asked her.

She pointed to one of the white ones. “They are crystals and this one is called Moonstone. They represent compassion, empathy, and help activate feminine energy. They are also directly connected to the Moon Goddess.” She then pointed to the tan ones. “And these are called Spirit Quartz. It helps with protection and spiritual evolution. It’s also used to connect to the spirit realm.”

“That’s amazing.” I was in awe. I had no idea a simple rock could do so much. I had even more questions running through my mind than before I came here. But, I had to focus. I couldn’t let Marcus down, especially since this was the first thing he has asked me to do.

“Yes, it is. Would you like one?” She asked me as she pulled out another Moonstone and handed it to me.

“I would love one! Thank you Morgan.” The second she placed the stone into my hand, I felt a strong warm current go all the way up my arm.

“Interesting.” She said quietly. I looked up at her, wondering what was so interesting. Before I could ask, she changed the subject. “What were those questions that you wanted to ask me?”

“Well, I have a personal question and a not so personal question that I am hoping you can help with.” I placed the moonstone on the table with the others, before getting into a more comfortable position.

“Ok, ask away.” She said, with an encouraging smile.

I took a deep breath, debating on which question I should ask first. I decided that it would probably be wise to start with the more serious question out of the two.

“As you probably already know, we have a bit of a rogue problem. They made an appearance earlier today and from what Alpha Alexis has told us, they aren’t the typical rogues. It seems they may or may not be able to communicate while in wolf form. They also have poisonous blood that apparently burns on contact. We are wondering if you have ever heard of anything like that and if you haven’t, you can maybe replace more information about it. We have no way to fight them without severely injuring ourselves.”

She was quiet for a few minutes, processing everything that I had just said. I was praying hard that she could figure this out. If she did, then a lot of lives could be spared including Marcus’s life. I knew he said this was all worst case scenario, but I had a feeling he was only saying that to calm me down. I knew deep in his heart, he didn’t believe it either. There was actually a chance I would lose Marcus.

“Well,” she began, “I’ve actually never heard of anything like that before. It’s impossible for any wolf to communicate with another unless they are in the same pack. How sure is Alpha Alexis about this?”

“She seemed pretty sure. Is there any way you can replace out?” I asked her. I was slightly disappointed that she didn’t know how to help us. If she didn’t know, who would?

She thought for a few seconds. “I can look through the books I have that are records of this pack’s past and see if there is any mention of non-pack members being able to communicate while shifted. I could possibly try to communicate with the Moon Goddess.”

“Wait, communicate? As in, actually talking to the Moon Goddess?” I asked, making sure I heard her correctly.

Morgan let out a light chuckle. “Yes, pack Elder’s keep the history of the pack and can also communicate with the Moon Goddess when allowed. We also practice medicinal medicine by using herbs and other things connected to the moon.”

“How do you communicate with her?” I was still having a hard time wrapping my head around the information she was sharing with me. I had no idea how important it was to actually have a pack elder.

“I can only really communicate with her during a full moon with a special herb concoction. It’s the only time where the veil between our two worlds is at its thinnest, making it easier to connect with her. Though, even if I reach out I can not guarantee she will respond. The Moon Goddess only talks when she feels it is necessary. She tries not to interfere with her children’s choices.”

“How long till the next full moon?”

She thought for a few moments before answering, “Almost two weeks.”

I felt my heart drop a little. A lot could happen in two weeks. I wasn’t sure if we could wait that long.

“Is there any way you could do it sooner than that? I’m not sure if we have two weeks to spare.” I asked her, hoping she would be able to come up with something.

She let out a big sigh, almost reluctant to answer my question. “There is another way, but I’m not sure it can work. I’ve heard about it and there’s some writing about it, but it’s never really been confirmed by anyone.”

“What is it?” I asked her, growing a little bit more hopeful than I was a few minutes ago.

“In our history and legends, they say the Moon Goddess created the Luna to embody herself, which is why I brought that up during the Luna ceremony. If one believes this, they also believe that the Luna herself can commune with the Moon Goddess freely and anytime she wants. She doesn’t have to wait for a full moon. Now, I am not sure it will actually work, but we can certainly try if you want.”

My eyes widened in response. “Me?” I asked her, just to make sure I was understanding her correctly. The thought of actually talking to the Moon Goddess made me want to throw up.

“Well you are the Luna,” she said as she chuckled. “I have to take a couple of days to gather everything I would need to do it. I also need to read up on it, just to refresh my memory.”

There were a million thoughts running through my head. Can I really do this? Would the Moon Goddess want to talk to me? Most importantly, would it even work? I wasn’t sure, but we had to try anything and everything. People’s lives were on the line.

“Ok, I’m willing to try. Is there anything that I need to do before we attempt it?”

“No, just show up here when I tell you too. I’ll take care of everything.” She said in a reassuring tone that somehow calmed my nerves down.

“What about the blood?” I asked her.

Elder Morgan’s face instantly became serious. “I’ve read about that in one of the many books that were passed down from Elder to Elder. This particular book was written during a time the Wolves got involved in one of the most horrific wars of our past. One opposing side had managed to alternate the rogues’ blood by using black magic.”

“There are wolves that use magic?” I asked her.

She shook her head, “No. Our kind can’t and don’t use magic. The only way this can happen, is if there is a wolf out there that has found a witch willing to help them. It’s almost unheard of now for a witch practicing black magic these days. After the war, the majority of the witches stopped practicing black magic. For a witch to be able to do this, they would have to be incredibly strong in their craft and would have had to be practicing for a while now.”

I rubbed my head as a headache was beginning to form. Not only were there werewolves, now there were witches too. What else was out there in the world?

“Is there anything we can do to stop them without getting injured ourselves?”

“There is, but to do that I would need a blood sample from one of the rogues. Particularly a rogue that was still alive. Fresh blood would provide us with the most accurate result on how to fight them.” She explained to me. I wasn’t sure how doable that was, but I would let Marcus decide on that.

“Alright, I will talk to Marcus and see if there is a way we can capture a live rogue.” Although, I wasn’t a hundred percent sure I even wanted to tell him. I was half tempted to try and figure out a way myself. I didn’t want him to get hurt in the process.

“Great, in the meantime I will start gathering the things we’ll need for you to commune with the Moon Goddess. Is there anything else I can do for you Luna?” She asked me, reminding me that there was in fact another reason I was here.

“Yes, I have another question for you. Marcus is concerned about my mark and is wondering if you could provide us with any information about it.”

Elder Morgan grew confused as I moved my hair to the side and pulled down the collar of my shirt. The confusion was quickly replaced with utter shock as she looked at my mark.

“How is this possible?” She whispered to herself. She continued to look at it in shock and awe.

“Do you have any idea why it might be this way? Apparently it still works like a regular mark, just a different color. Marcus wants to be sure nothing is wrong.”

She continued to look at it, not saying a word. Finally, she spoke.

“Honestly Luna, I have never read or heard of a mark being another color than black. I’m not sure why it’s that way. If it still works like it’s supposed to, I wouldn’t be too concerned about it. However if I were you, I would ask the Moon Goddess about it if you are able to make contact with her. She’s probably the only one that knows why it’s different.”

I nodded my head in agreement. Hopefully the Moon Goddess would want to talk to me. Not only did I need to talk to her about the rogues and my mark, I wanted to ask her about my memories as well. It would be nice to know what happened to them and how I ended up in the middle of the clearing that day. Hopefully she would be willing to give me some clarification.

I grabbed the moonstone again to look more closely at it. I immediately got the same feeling I did when I first grabbed the stone.

I was just about to ask Elder Morgan why it made me feel the way it did, when I glanced out the window and saw the sun was beginning to set. I knew I needed to leave if I wanted to keep the promise I made to Marcus.

“Thank you Elder Morgan. I appreciate you taking the time and talking to me.” I stood up from the chair and placed the stone in my pocket. She stood up as well and walked me to the door.

“Of course Luna. I am always willing to help the pack and you personally as well. Never hesitate to come to me if you ever need someone to talk to.” She pulled me into a hug, before pulling away and waving goodbye to me.

I hurried to the pack house, wanting to desperately share with Marcus about everything I gathered from Elder Morgan. Hopefully, this would ease some of his nerves now that we have somewhat of a plan forming.

I was certain of one thing though. No matter what, I was going to do everything in my power to make sure everyone that I love makes it through to the end. No matter the cost.