Werewolf Rites
Inside a small village hidden inside a forest far away from the rampant industrialization of the closest city, Elaria, a woman was throwing a tantrum that isn't well suited for her age.
"I can hunt, I can fight, just let me take the rite already!"
Shatter sound's mother, a middle aged woman with short obsidian hair, simply responded to her daughter's tirade with a comely smile, her hands weaving what appeared to be a brown shawl.
"Ask your Adi, although we both know how that's going to turn out."
"That's why I'm asking you, Ami! You can rite me by yourself!" Shatter sound insisted, her desperation made apparent seeing how she was willing to exclude her father from such a momentous occasion in a werewolf's life.
The door into their home suddenly burst open, an imposing man wearing nothing but a loincloth. His body lean despite being of considerable age. Slung over his shoulder was deer. It had no discernable wounds but its neck was snapped cleanly, a testament to how flawless its hunt had been.
"What's all this ruckus? I can hear you shouting from outside."
The stare that the man gave her daughter was nothing less than intimidating. Shatter sound remained her usual irksome self, however. If anything, it only made her more pissed off.
"Adi! I'm two years past the age of riting! I demand for you to rite me this instant!" Shatter sound raised her voice. She was aware how disrespectful it was, but his own father treating her like a child was even more so.
Instead of anger, the man chortled. Perhaps he was aware of his own shortcomings?
"I will rite you once you let go of that silly notion of becoming an adventurer inside your head. We are Gaia's guardians. We have no business mingling with those trying to destroy and encroach our forests."
Once rited, a werewolf is truly on their own. They have the option to join their clan's pack, or travel, bringing back knowledge that will benefit their clan as a whole. Knowing his daughter, it's obvious what choice she was going to make.
Shatter sound began trembling. Reaching the limits of her patience, tremendous anger swirled beyond her now slit pupils.
"Must I fight for my own freedom!?" Her voice shaked while considering the terrible possibility.
"Look at yourself, you want me to rite you and yet you can't even control your guardian form."
The mocking words her father imparted made Shatter sound's anger explode, and with it, her clothes.
Her emotions getting the better of her triggered her transformation. Her thin limbs became thrice as thick. Her hind was now that of a lupine while the nails on her hands sprouted sharp claws able to tear through steel armor. And if that wasn't enough, a single bite from her vicious wolf jaws would chunk it right off. In accordance to her skin color, the fur that covered parts of her body was a majestic caramel.
If the druids were the keeper of nature's secrets, the werewolves are its protectors. The now 8 foot tall Shatter sound was more than fit for the job. Hell, she might even be overqualified.
Shatter sound snarled. With fury, she gazed at her father whom she now dwarfed.
His father remained resolute, unflinching even with the threat of being torn to shreds with Shatter sound's powerful claws that were poised to strike. But those claws remained just that. Shatter sound loved both of her parents, and now matter how unreasonable his father was, she wouldn't dare bring him harm.
Shatter sound ran past her father, and just to let her father know how ticked off she was, she rammed the door on her way out.
The man sighed heavily at the huge hole on what had been their front door only moments ago. He proceeded into their kitchen sink and began skinning their dinner.
"You can't delay her riting forever."
The mellow voice of her wife prompted the man to drop his knife.
"I know, but we both know how that child is. The moment I rite her, she's gone from this forest."
"She's not a child anymore. You know it's only a matter of time before she runs away, I don't want our daughter to be an outcast."
Under the protection of Gaia, their village cannot be penetrated by outsiders. It wasn't a mere mirage, it is arcane perpetrated by the earth goddess herself, continually stretching the distance of their little village for the unworthy. Once an outcast leaves the forest, an unrited will forever be separated from their clan.
"She will always be a child in my eyes. I will talk to her once she's back. And gather the rest of the clan so they can witness her rite tomorrow." With his mind made up, the man continued to skin so her wife can start cooking. He reckoned her daughter would come home hungry soon.
+++
As the crescent moon hung above the sky, a sorrowful howl resonated at the edge of the valley.
The serenity given by the moonlight was what she needed to calm herself down.
Shatter sound contemplated jumping onto the other side. To the forest's end. To freedom. Yet the price of doing so would be to never see her parents.
She still remembers the fond memories of her first transformation, of her first hunt. It absolutely terrified her to morph into such a fearsome creature, but her father and mother were right there beside her. They transformed along with her, showing her that Gaia's blessing was not to be feared.
After an hour of contemplation, Shatter sound heard her stomach grumble. She could hunt and devour live animals while in her guardian form, but live flesh was hardly a substitute for her mother's delicious cooking. Just thinking about the deer his father caught made her salivate.
Heading back, Shatter sound decided that she would stay in the village for a while, convince her father some more before resorting to the extreme.
Her wolf eyes narrowed in confusion, a huge smoke started to rise where their village should be.
+++
Utter chaos. Shatter sound could only describe the scene unfolding before her as such.
Houses burned, while the werewolves of their clan fought off other werewolves from another clan whose name she was unaware of.
Why? There was an unspoken bond of camaraderie between werewolf clans, the fact that a large-scale battle consisting solely of their kind was a concept so alien that it glued her to her feet.
Then, a werewolf with grey fur bared its fangs towards Shatter sound. She was taken aback, her heart wracked with fear. It was the first time in her life that someone glared at her with such overwhelming malice. With an intent to kill.
It began charging.
Before it could come close however, a member of their clan's pack side tackled it. The two werewolves wrestled, their claws were more deadly than spinning blades as they inflicted wounds all over each other's bodies. Their struggle ended as the brown wolf's jaws got ahold of the grey's neck. With pressure exceeding that of a clamp, its jaws of death snapped shut, cleaving through flesh.
Shatter sound had no sympathy for the lifeless werewolf that tried to take her life just earlier, but such brutality shook her to her soul.
The brown wolf stood, with only a single glance, it relayed to Shatter sound that he can't tend to her, he must go and help the others.
Although fear stricken, her legs moved on their own as she suddenly remembered those important to her, her parents!
+++
Shatter sound as fast as she could, amidst the carnage, her eyes caught a glimpse of a werewolf that should not be. Standing at 10 feet tall, far surpassing their limit which is 9. Even her strength was unnatural, even for their kind as three of their clan cannot put him down. The grey oddity instead killed off one while holding his ground against the two. Nature's guardian? A freak of it would be a more apt description.
But Shatter sound has no time to worry about that now. Like a Mantra, her mind chanted, 'Please be okay' over and over as she approached her home.
Her worst fear coming to pass, their house was destroyed, like the fate of all the others as their village was turned into a battlefield.
Overwhelming despair shrouded Shatter sound's heart, it made her transform back to her human form, collapsing on her knees, similar to her father.
A few meters outside of what once used to be their home, his father cradled the corpse of her mother in his arms out in the street.
His eyes ladened with guilt, he looked at his daughter, "I'm sorry. I wasn't able to protect your ami." His words heavy, crushing Shatter sound with them.
Could she fault her father? How could she, when her father was on the verge of passing himself. The deep claw wounds all over his body that he received in his guardian form carried over. A chunk of his left shoulder missing, gushing blood, it was a miracle that he was able to hold on for dear life.
"TELL ME WHO'S RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS!" With a shout, Shatter sound demanded.
The despair was still inside, but something more primal had awoken inside of Shatter sound. Unfettered rage. Her transformation triggered.
His father's eyes trailed, Shatter sound followed them to the freakishly large grey wolf. Who was now on a one on one.
Shatter sound stood, the rage within her made her feel like she could down anyone, the grey wolf was no exception.
"Shatter sound, come close."
Two opposing forces clashed within, the rage to go after the grey wolf or hear dying words of her adi.
Kneeling once more, Shatter sound approached his father.
His father was aware, the tide was turning and it was not in their favor. All because of that large grey wolf. His entire clan would be wiped out soon. Yet, a smile adorned his weary lips. For his daughter would survive.
Usually done by drawing blood from the palm of his hand using a dagger, the man instead poked the huge wound on his left shoulder with his thumb.
Tears flowed like waterfalls into Shatter sound's eyes. Shatter sound hesitated. She wanted to be rited, but not like this. As a matter of fact, she would be fine if she would never be rited if it meant that this would all just be a bad dream. That both of her parents would still be alive as she woke up.
"Hurry, daughter. I don't have much time left." His father pleaded.
Shatter sound leaned in close, so her father can reach her effortlessly.
His father's bloodied thumb pressed on her forehead, sliding down all the way to her snout.
"I, Fang breaker, with my wife, Regal fire as my witness. Accept Shatter sound as a member of the Scarlet talons. May Gaia bless you as you walk the path of its protector." In his final moments, Fang breaker's deathly pallor was instead replaced by pride. Albeit, the last, her daughter was now a full fledged member of their clan. "Now, leave, my daughter. Make sure that the other clans learn of what happened here, warn them just in case."
Unable to speak, Shatter sound opted to carry her father instead.
Fang breaker protested, "No, I am done for. I will not make the journey. Besides, your mother needs company. Go, Shatter sound, take pride in your name. It will carry you out of here. Please, I don't want you to die here. Go!"
Inside shatter sounds chest was a storm of emotions. Fear. Rage. Sadness. Pride. All of them, urging her heavy legs to move.
Shatter sound ran, without looking back. For if she did, she would fight to the death and guard the final moments of her father.
In the distance. Slamming her third and final werewolf opponent to the ground, leaving him open, the grey wolf tore off its jugular.
Her sight caught a wolf running away, he must give chase. None of the scarlet talons would survive this night.
+++
Running through the forest on all fours, Shatter sound's arms worked in conjunction with her hind legs.
Shatter sound sensed several presence after her trail. If they could spare that many to go at her, then her tribe was truly done for. Even so, no matter how many comes after her, none of them will catch her.
All of her pursuers tried, but one by one they are being left in the dust.
Then, the fear in Shatter sound's heart grew, one werewolf was starting to gain distance.
A quick glance made it intensify even more, it was the grey freak. With the illusion of invincibility from earlier was dispelled by terror, she realized that she would soon follow after her parents if the grey's claws latched onto her.
'Take pride in your name. It will carry you out of here.' Her father's words echoed in her mind.
Werewolf names are derived from their attributes. A quality that would tell what you are capable of simply by name.
Among her clan, Shatter sound was the fastest. Her speed continued to increase as she matured, until she became unrivaled. Her parents believed that one day, she might just shatter the speed of sound.
Invoking the pride carried by her name, her arms and legs were given power to go faster. Faster. Faster still, until the brown wolf became nothing but a speeding silhouette.
The distance that the grey freak gained was slowly being lost as Shatter sound moved farther and farther away from her pursuer.
With edge of the forest right ahead, Shatter sound prepared to scale the valley. Its chasm was several feet wide, that ordinary werewolves wouldn't even consider the jump a possibility. But with Shatter sound's momentum, she might just make it. Shatter sound leapt into the air and into the other side.
Shatter sound stared daggers at the grey freak who was ferociously snarling at her from the end she just jumped from. Shatter sound his terrifying visage into the back of her mind.
One day, her death would be at her hands.