A cool, gentle breeze blew over the meadow and through the trees at the edge of the forest. The changing leaves danced magically in the wind. A shower of orange, red, yellow, and brown cascaded whimsically to the ground below. A hawk cried out over head as it flew over the meadow. It's sharp eye catching sight of a mouse as it scurried all around looking for a tidbit of food, caused it to turn and to coast upon the breeze. Suddenly, without any warning, it brought it's wings close to its side and dove at a seemingly impossible speed. Head first it hurdled towards the ground. Just before impact it suddenly spread it's wings and threw it's talons forward. The mouse never stood a chance. The poor thing never knew what hit it. It was dead before it could ever even begin to comprehend that it was in any danger. Picking up it's prey, the raptor flew effortlessly away, calling out to it's mate as it reached the tree line. There joined by it's partner they soared high into the evening sky calling out to one another as they disappeared into the distance.
Wren smiled to herself as she sat on the tall brown grass and took it all in. She loved sitting for hours on end in her special place. She enjoyed it in every season. But there was something about the autumn in the meadow. This time of year was her favorite. She had come here to decompress and clear her mind. It was ever so peaceful here. The meadow was her sanctuary. A place that allowed her an escape from all the stress in her life.
Wren was turning 18 the next day. Being a werewolf that ment that she was finally going to be able to find her mate. She wasn't sure she was ready and was feeling very apprehensive of what the coming day might mean for her. Like other females she longed to be loved, to be cherished by her mate. But she feared not finding him. Or worse being rejected by him.
She wasn't like the other young females in the Long Mountain Pack. She didn't wear the latest fashions. Choosing more often to sport jeans and a comfy t-shirt. Wren had no interest in popularity. She didn't waste energy competing with other females for attention from the young males. She didn't care to be just another pretty little thing on the arm of someone tall, dark, and handsome. She had no interest in wasting her time dating. Choosing instead to save all of her firsts for her mate. Wren was different. In addition to being a werewolf she was also empathic. She could feel what other's felt. She took on their emotions. Upon meeting someone new, she was able to read them like a book. Quickly being able to tell what kind of character they were. She new immediately if they were inherently good or not. Quite often she was quickly overwhelmed by meeting them. Finding herself submursed in large crowds was the worst for her. So because of this she wasn't very social. Choosing instead to keep more to herself. She had a few friendsof course. But found that even with them she quickly became over whelmed and emotionally drained at times, needing to be on her own more and more.
This irritated her mother to no end. Luna Freya didn't understand her daughter. She had tried to groom Wren for the life of a Luna. For some reason Freya had always assumed her daughter was destined to be mated with an Alpha. But hard as she tried, Wren just wasn't interested in the lime light or the social activities of pack leaders. But her mother refused to give up. She regularly planned parties or forced her daughter to accept invitations to gatherings. Never missing an opportunity to parade Wren before the sons of Alphas. Luna Freya loved her daughter and meant well. She just really didn't understand her.
Wren was better understood by her grandmother. Her father's mother came from a blood line of wolves that were all blessed with a gift. An old lineage of werewolves that were all but gone. Wren's father, Alpha Mixon, had taken after his father's family and hadn't inherited a gift. So her grandmother had been delighted to learn of Wren's abilities. She didn't see her as strange or unusual. She understood. Grandmother Lorna always said that Wren's gift wouldn't hold her back. Instead, she swore that it was a strength, not a weakness at all. She often told Wren that she was destined for great things.
Wren held her face up towards the sky and closed her eyes. Thoroughly enjoying the smells that flew to her on the breeze. As she breathed in deeply she allowed herself to fall back onto the tall thick grass. She loved how soft it was and the way it felt as though the meadow was hugging her close. She laid there with her eyes closed for sometime. Relishing the moment of blissful solitude. It wasn't long until she had drifted off to sleep.
Sometime later Wren opened her eyes to the night sky filled with an infinite number of bright stars and constilations. She laid there enjoying the view, listening to the songs of the night time creatures. She knew she had to get home. It was late and she had stayed far longer than she should have. Her mother would be angry that she missed the evening meal. And she needed to get to bed. She would need all the rest she could get because her parents had planned a spectacular birthday gathering for her the following day to celebrate her coming of age birthday and possibly her finding her mate. They had spared no expense and made sure to invite every eligible Alpha from all of the surrounding packs. They had even sent invitations to far off lands in the hope that their daughter's mate would attend.
Standing up, Wren stretched out her stiff joints and took one last long look around her sanctuary before shaking the dead grass from her long auburn locks and allowing her wolf Sage to come forward. After shifting, Sage stood there for a moment enjoying the feeling of the gentle breeze blowing through her red fur. Her ice blue eyes looked to the stars and then to the moon that hung above her. Her ears pricked, turning, taking in the noises of the night.. There was chirping made by the crickets and from somewhere near the brook a frog croaked out across the meadow. She heard a large owl hoot in the trees behind her at the edge of the meadow and turned to watch him take flight. She watched him fly over her head and in the direction of the pack house before sprinting off in the the same direction. Sage and Wren were to focused on enjoying the freedom of their run and getting home to notice the large black wolf with emerald eyes that stepped out of the trees where the owl had flown from. He stood silently watching as they raced away into the night.