Dragonwitch pt. 11

Jewel had come to the conclusion over her long life that being old was no fun. Not the most brilliant of revelations, but she was not a wolf known for her intelligence. Thank the gods she'd had intelligent mates, or her cubs would've made rocks look smart. 1

Because of her long unusually long life, she knew what the Moon Godess's touch looked like, and because of the Goddess she had lived so long. She'd grown up in the southern woods of Sarata with the Midnight Wolves, her kin. She was born there, had litters there, and fully intended to die there, in the den she was born in. It was said moonless nights were the nights when the Moon Goddess came down to claim her children. When the silver presence came to her cave enterence, she stood, her weary bones protesting, ready to go for a long rest. She was in for something of a shock. Her weary bones ceased protesting and her limp, grey-white fur grew brown again as her den dissolved around her. She suddenly found herself by a pool in woods shadowed by a mountain that reeked of dragon. 2

The Goddess led her to the pool and showed her the image of a girl who clearly had dragon blood in her veins. She bristled as the Goddess spoke of the girl, guessing what was coming. It was not a written rule that Midnight Wolves did not bind with humans, but it was understood that human company was beneath them; they, with their powers of the midnight hour didn't feel the need to associate with such beings, but if a god commanded it, they had little choice. Jewel was not COMMANDED to follow this girl, but the message was understood.3

The other wolves could smell her age on her. This would have been a weakness had her body not been restored and had she not quickly shown her mastery. She had lived a long time, and quickly beat any who opposed her. She ran at the front of the pack, but refused most all advances to mate. In her fifteen years she'd had thirteen mates and twelve sucessful litters; she had lived to see her grandcubs Saro, Ravina and Carlie and many others besides. She had been ready to die when the Moon Goddess came to her, and dying meant an end to any children she might bear. 4

When her pack had found dragon prey, she had been excited.No matter what age she reached, bloodlust had always revitalized her old bones, and the one comfort she took in being cheated out of her eternal rest was that her old bones weren't too old to hunt anymore, especially when such delicious prey was abound.5

The dragon was young and landbound, and that was what really appealed to her pack. Dragons were hard prey, especially since they could fly. Younger ones always made easier prey, for their scales weren't as hard and they didn't have the reflexes needed for a proper fight. And it was the juciest meat you would ever taste.6

She didn't think upon first scenting the dragon the she would see the Goddess's silver touch surrounding the dragon, nor the girl that accompanied her, nor she think that she would have to discipline three of her own pack before they would go off in search of better prey, leaving her behind.