Placksworth
June 24, 1996
It was dark, the sun was gone, and the moon was hidden behind the dense clouds that plagued many large cities. The stars shone bright and the full moon was in its highest peak, between the breaks in the cloud coverage. My few gifts I had been bestowed included heightened senses, I could see it of course; the moon.
In a secluded house in the woods of the suburbs of an American city; five women were giving birth. Not just any birth; this was the prophesied birth. The millennia old prophecy was finally being realized. These women weren't normal humans, they were Guardians.
Briefly Valentine joined me outside and updated me on the progress of the birth. Letting me know that Lena had given birth and was resting with her daughter. As well as of Maryanna’s complications and their timely resolve.
After what felt like eons the sounds of the remaining infant cries replaced the cries of their mothers, marking the time for my entrance. Taking a deep and unsteady breath I opened the door and crossed the threshold to where my charges resided.
In the room where the prophecy was coming true were five babies, a mixture of wolf and human. Some of them were stuck in between the change. The one child, in the Alpha female’s arms, still had her snow-white wolf ears and aquamarine eyes, whilst the others still had tails or paws. Cute in their own way; they will take the form of humans in a couple of hours, then they will forget what they are until they turn sixteen when the prophecy is in true motion.
"What are their names?" I asked them,
“Their names are Snow, Echo, Lycan, Luna, and Accalia." Dianna spoke proudly, gazing fondly at the ones dubbed Snow and Luna. Snow being her niece, and Luna her first daughter.
"They all have to do with the moon or wolves in general?"
"Of course. Snow, the Native American name for the January moon when the wolves are at their strongest." Lena whispered,
"Echo because their howls can be heard for miles." Tiffany said tiredly,
"Lycan because it means wolf or werewolf." Maryanna said, “Plus, I really love that movie.”
"Accalia because she is the one who nursed the originals."
"Fine names for the strongest Guardians to be born in millennia."
"Can we hear the prophecy one more time?" the one named Serena asked.
"Why? It doesn't really say anything useful." I wanted to say 'Not yet' but I refrained from doing so.
"Please?" Lena, one of the twins, and the Alpha, spoke, she phrased it as a question; but I knew it was an order by the way her eyes flashed.
"Alright,
Five shall be born on the full moon
Five shall rise to defeat the most powerful
One shall fail One shall succeed
Five of the Moon will prevail.”
They smiled and fell asleep, their newborn children suckling next to them. I closed the door and left them. I stepped over the sleeping fathers that were guarding the Saviors, and I locked all the doors, as I was leaving, I could see the Unspeakables in the distance biding their time spying for the Most Powerful.
I thought I saw
a flash of a familiar face, a face I had once loved, although mistakenly. I
still loved the beast she was; although she had condemned me to a fate worse
than death. She had stolen my youth, and cursed me with the body, mind, and
soul of a forty-year- old
man. The next sixteen years would be boring as hell, but it was my job; I had
sworn fealty to the Guardians and the League of Protectors. It was my duty to
protect these young Guardians while they were still vulnerable. Until their
sixteenth birthdays; they were just humans. Weak and defenseless if left without
the protection of myself and their parents.
Ana
Spying for a disgraced King wasn’t something I was proud of doing; but I knew that this particular mission was important. This prophecy had been in the works since the first King, Selvatore needed to know who was protecting the new mutts destined to bring him down, and who better to do that, than someone who could control shadows? Who was once, one of them?
The Protector wasn’t someone I recognized, and he was far older than I would’ve imagined someone being for charges so important.
“He looks good.”
“Victoria, what are you even doing here? Selvatore has you on lockdown protecting the First Queen.”
“Beelzebub isn’t going anywhere. Those ancient containment spells around her arms prevent her from doing much of anything.”
“I still can’t believe that she’s the mother of all of the All-Powerful Ones.”
“Shush, someone could overhear you. We can’t divulge all our secrets.”
“Do you think that’s why our Prince is the only survivor? Maybe the Dragon Curse can only be passed on through a demon’s womb.”
“You should stop your gossip and get back to your station, Victoria.”
“Richard looks good…I just wanted to see him again.”
The girl frozen forever at sixteen disappeared in a cloud of red leaving me alone. Victoria’s story was no secret amongst us, she had fallen in love with a human, and one night she tried to protect him, and it ended with the death of her lover’s sister. In a fit of rage, Victoria cursed her lover to look and feel like an old man. She had even given him a name, and he was the same Richard I was looking at now.
Even from the distance I was, I could tell that the man known now as Richard Placksworth was a handsome specimen…for a human turned Protector, his chocolate brown hair was speckled with white, he wore spectacles; although I surmised, he didn’t exactly need them. He was looking past the lawn of the ancient home, and into the trees where I sulked and manipulated the shadows. At one point, I thought he was looking straight at me, but he was joined by an unfamiliar male, even from the trees, I could hear them speaking as if I was there beside them.
“How are they doing?” the one named Richard asked the newcomer.
“Dianna is a champ. She’s barely broken a sweat.”
“And the others?”
“Maryanna had some complications but Marcus fixed it.”
“Good, and Lena?”
“Already brought her bundle of joy into the world.”
“Oh?”
“A girl, our next Alpha. She’s being named now.”
I could hear the wails of the newborn Guardians, just out of reach because of a protection charm. It had been a long time since I had been to this dimension, and been so close to Wolf’s Hollow. Hard to imagine a time where I would spend any length of time here.
The two men retreated back indoors where my daughters and their daughters were being protected.
It seemed like a lifetime ago, and in truth, it had been a lifetime since I had seen my first family. But I couldn’t resist seeing the birth of my grandchildren. I could hear them talking, telling their Protector the names of his new charges. I could hear my daughter’s, their beautiful voices so much like my own. I could just picture their adult faces.
Snow Isabella Heathcliff and Luna Magnolia Everett.
My grandchildren, strong names, for such strong, powerful predestined cubs. I knew in my heart of hearts that they would achieve great things.
There were five cubs born this night. The prophecy was now active. Before anyone could see me, I shimmered away, only to reappear in front of the man I had risked it all for.
“Hello my love. What have you found out?”
“The Prophecy Children have been born.”
“I see. And you’re certain your cubs won’t stray from tradition? They’ll return to Wolf’s Hollow in sixteen years to reveal their natures to them?”
“Malcolm wouldn’t allow that. He knows how important Wolf’s Hollow is to me, or was.”
“Then we will station a small nest there…when the time is right of course.”
“Of course,”
“And Alcindor? How is he doing?”
“Rebelling as usual my love.”
“Reign him in.”
Selvatore left the room then, leaving me alone. Bernadette entered sometime later, a harrowed expression on her face.
“Bernadette, what is the matter?”
“Alcindor isn’t in the palace ma’am.”
“You lost my son?”
“I fear he piggybacked your portal.”
“Find him, before Selvatore does.”
“Of course, ma’am.”
I paced the room, nervous for my son. I knew he hated it here, he wished to explore the other dimensions; and I knew he had been dreaming of the birth of one of the five for two decades, and he couldn’t understand why. I knew. The wolf part of him was the true mate of her wolf, and the dreams would continue until they were by one another’s side.
Bernadette reentered the room, my son in tow. He didn’t look the least bit guilty. For over a century here I had avoided my only son; out of guilt for what he was and for what I had done to my other children.
He looked at me, his hatred evident in his bright flame-colored eyes. I noticed Nathaniel just behind the two, and knew that was why Alcindor was so docile;
“Alcindor…why do you insist on angering your father?”
“Why do you insist on being his sex slave?”
“Watch your mouth boy, she is still your mother.” Nathaniel snarled, hand against the young Prince’s throat.
“She is nothing. For all anyone knows Bernadette is my mother. She is the King’s plaything and nothing more.”
“She is the Queen.”
“Only behind closed doors. Let go of me.”
I nodded to Nathaniel, and he released Alcindor, who glared at me before storming from the room. I knew it was only a matter of time before he learned how to shimmer or portal. I prayed he wouldn’t use these abilities to antagonize his father to the point where one of them or both of them die.
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