Traditions, Rites, and Rituals

After we finished talking to Alan, Satomi brought us back to her home. I'm sitting on my bed reading my mother's journal, as Monica is on the bed across from me, sound asleep. I have read the abilities and eye color meanings of all the Shifters that my grandfather told my mother about. I flip the page and look at a page detailing what each full moon is called. Along with traditions and rituals the Hale pack knew of.

(January- The Wolf Moon)

Also called the Old Moon or Ice Moon. It's traditionally when members of a pack will be given a small dose of purple wolfsbane and be guided by their alpha or emissary while hallucinating, going through a journey of self-discovery.

(February- The Snow Moon)

also known as the Hunger Moon or Storm Moon. Before the modern age, the Snow Moon was when Shifters would decide the pecking order of the pack. While this tradition isn't followed by most Werebeasts in the modern age, it is still seen as a way for an Omega or a Beta to rise in status of their pack.

(March- The Worm Moon)

Also called the chaste moon, death moon, crust moon, Lenten Moon, or sap moon. It's seen as a time of rebirth and renewal, it is the last full moon before the Spring Equinox. Thanks to that it is also when a werewolf, who was recently killed, can be brought back to life by a resurrection ritual, involving the Telluric Currents and a spark of an Alpha.

(April- The Pink Moon)

Called the Sprouting Grass Moon, Egg Moon, or Fish Moon. Seen as a time of introspection. Before the modern age, during the Pink Moon, a ceremony would take place where an Alpha, with the assistance of their emissary, would use their ability to share memories. Helping a Beta dive into their consciousness. It can be devastating if the alpha doesn't truly understand their Beta.

(May- The Flower Moon)

Also known as the Hare Moon, Corn Planting Moon, Milk Moon, and Budding Moon. Being seen as a reminder of the life and death cycle, some packs will traditionally use this month as a time to honor and Mourn the loss of members, no matter how long ago they were taken.

(June- The Strawberry Moon)

Called the Rose Moon, or Hot Moon. It's a time for all of the pack/ family to come together and deepen the bonds between each other. Traditionally packs will hunt together, or just run together under the Moonlight. It's the last full moon before the Summer Solstice. While druids look at both the Summer and Winter Solstice as sacred recurring events, it is unknown what rituals they practiced having been lost to time.

(July- The Buck Moon)

Also called the Thunder Moon or Hay Moon. Before the formation of organized Werewolf hunters, packs would use the Buck Moon as a time to hone their strength and abilities by hunting or killing anything they came across. This tradition fell out of practice when hunters of the supernatural became common. After a rouge Werewolf went on a killing spree in a small village of France. This tradition has become more of an initiation to the more bloodthirsty packs. Where the Alpha will force new members to kill, cementing themselves as part of the Alpha's pack.

(August- The Sturgeon Moon)

Known as the Grain Moon, Green Corn Moon, and Red Moon. In the past, allied packs would come together days before and after the sturgeon moon to share knowledge with each other. When the modern age came this tradition was scarcely used. Thanks to there being less and less need of it. Now this tradition has stopped being a time to share knowledge, but instead is used as a way for packs to gather and discuss troubling events, or share danger that is coming. Being called a 'meeting between packs' it can take place at any time in the modern age.

(September- The Full Corn Moon)

Also called the Barley Moon, Harvest Moon, or Blood Moon. Being the closest to the Autumn Equinox, the harvest moon is a sacred time for druids and shamans. Before the sacrificial practices of the druids ended, an emissary could channel telluric currents once a year through a sacrifice during the Harvest Moon and again during the Autumn Equinox, to empower the whole pack. Only a Darach would use a power like this anymore.

(October- The Hunter's Moon)

Other names are the Travel Moon or Dying Grass Moon. At one point in time, the association the hunter's moon has with the afterlife could be taken to a literal degree for werewolves. Through a forgotten ritual performed by a druid, werewolves could communicate with the dead. Possibly gaining a form of enlightenment or even empowering themselves. The only surviving part of this ritual that's known is using the claws of the deceased to contact them for a short moment. This can damage the spark of a werewolf that isn't both physically and mentally strong enough to deal with the strain of the process.

(November-The Beaver Moon)

Also called the Frost Moon. In the modern age, the Beaver Moon is seen by some packs as a time to let go of the pain of the past, while preparing for what is to come. Until the luxury of modern times, it was seen as the time for the pack to find safety and prepare themselves for winter.

(December- The Cold Moon)

Known as the Long Night Moon or Oak Moon. It's a time of healing the individuals of the pack and strengthening the pack as a whole. Or reflecting on the past. Like the Harvest Moon and the Autumn Equinox, the Cold Moon and the Winter Solstice used to be times of ritual practices for druid emissaries, though those rituals have been lost to time.

(Total Lunar Eclipse)

Also called the Blood Moon, the Lunar Eclipse causes shapeshifters to lose their powers for the duration of the Eclipse. Which can be anywhere between ten and twenty minutes. As a result, Werewolves, Werecoyotes, Werejaguars, and Werelions can be targeted by Hunters, or others who mean to do them harm during this time, as they will essentially be human.

(The Supermoon)

A Supermoon makes the Moon's influence even stronger over shapeshifters. Like normal Full Moons, they enhance a shapeshifter's superhuman strength, speed, healing, etc. in addition to their aggression, bloodlust, and violent urges, but to an even more potent degree.

"No, no, no... Please... Please don't do this..."

I am disturbed from reading my mother's journal by Monica whispering in her sleep while whimpering. I close the book before I go next to her and kneel against the side of the bed. I take her hand in one of mine before my other hand wipes her hair out of her face as I whisper.

"It's okay Monica, you're safe now."

Her eyelids fluttered for a moment before she stopped whimpering and her breathing evened out. Though both her hands had a death lock on my hand. Minutes later Monica woke up, shooting into a sitting position as her eyes glowed a fiery red.

__________________________________

The next morning Satomi took Monica to Alan, he will focus on Monica for the most part. Working on her fear of fire... With the help of Tonya, Alan wants to begin hypnosis on Monica. To try and connect with the hellhound in any way they can.

While they have been doing that, I have been working through the memories that have yet to dissipate. Aside from the fact I have watched as Mark and his brother Victor kill other Shifters. I have watched through Mark's eyes, as his brother and himself were taught by Gerard. I am currently trying to mimic what Mark was taught in my dreams. Leading me to where I am now, standing in the middle of the Preserve, an hour or so before sunset. Wearing a black pair of shorts and a black muscle shirt, with two daggers in my hands, which I got from Satomi. I am going through the Knife combat hunters are taught, which surprisingly flows with what my partial transformation fighting style was, to go for disabling attacks of the joints, along with quick kicks or slashes to the stomach or behind the knees. I am slowly going through the movements of the style, while focusing on my body, specifically my footing, along with the swiftness of my hands, trying to dedicate the movements to my body's muscle memory. I spend hours going in between training my body and resting to recover my stamina, while reading my mother's journal. I barely notice when the sun sets and the moon begins to rise high into the sky.

'Snap'

Hearing the snapping of something behind me, I spin around cautiously surveying the surrounding trees, while unconsciously gripping the daggers tightly. I slowly move forward before seeing a man walk out from behind one of the trees. Looking at his face I slightly glare remembering his face from my dreams. Jason Masters, the only hunter to try and stop Kate's plan.

"What do you want, hunter?"

I ask Jason, who looks at me for a long second specifically the daggers in my hands, before raising his hands while asking.

"How did you know I was a Hunter? No matter, my name is-"

"Jason Masters, a Rouge Hunter... I've seen you before, when you tried to stop the argent family's plan... Not that it did any good... Again why are you here hunter?"

I interrupted him, as I began feeling a rage well up inside my chest. My hands subconsciously clutch the daggers even tighter, before I begin trying to keep my breathing even. Jason tilts his head while looking at me with a confused expression. He then drops his head as if he is ashamed of himself saying.

"I didn't have a choice you know... I received a call to come here to Beacon Hills, because of a murderous pack of werewolves... When I arrived here and walked into that abandoned building. I saw you alongside the girl, I tried to convince them not to go through with their plan."

He sighs deeply, but before he can continue I say while slightly quelling my rage.

"And they pulled their guns on you... Gave you two choices, follow the orders given to you or die alongside us."

He slightly nods before whispering.

"I was there before you're home was set aflame. As soon as the fire began I left while the others were distracted... I ran... Then I found out there was a survivor of the fire, inside the hospital. When I went there... I saw the damage I did, that I helped cause. Then I saw both you and the girl, I... I just... I don't know what I meant by following you, but I just had to tell you I'm s-"

The rage I was quelling, exploded as I yelled.

"NO, YOU DON'T GET TO SAY SORRY... NONE OF YOU GET TO SAY TH-"

"GRAAAR"

A roar of something dangerous sounded throughout the Preserve, forcing both Jason and me to jump. We then look in the direction it came from. He pulled out a Beretta before glancing at me, then back towards where we heard the roar come from. I do the same while twirling one of my daggers. We both begin slowly walking towards the source of the roar, as quietly as we can. We kept walking for minutes until we came across a clearing with a freshly dug-up hole in the center of the clearing.

"What the hell dug this?"

I ask myself when we get to the edge of the hole. Jason kneels while examining the disturbed dirt and says, while pointing at the dirt.

"See this here? Someone dug themselves out of this hole..."

My first instinct is to not believe him, solely because of the hate I feel towards those who destroyed my pack, my family. Before I see the impressions in the loose dirt of bare feet. I take a breath before quietly asking while staring at the hole.

"What happened to you?"