The Lost Goddess Of The Wolves

Lost Goddess of the Wolves1

In the mountains of Greece there roams a special pack of wolves, these wolves where given the gift of a human child fifteen summers ago. A male hiker made a deal with the wolves that if they would spare but one meal he would give them his child for their own supper. The man was very hungry and could not deal with his eating his own daughter; the wolves agreed and took the child. The hiker said goodbye one last time to his daughter named Celina, whose name comes from the Goddess of the Moon. The wolves left the man to wallow in his own guilt about giving away his daughter, and eventually he starved himself to death on the mountain. But the wolves took a liking to this young girl and decided she was a gift from the Goddess of the Moon herself. 2

As she grew she learned the ways of the wolves, their mysteries, and their language. Her hair was long and fell in a curly mass at her waist. She had hazel eyes that were attuned to the night, and she had trained her senses to be as skillful as a wolves. Celina’s lean body and average height made her quick and agile, to her this life was all she had ever known. So when she was on a hunt with the pack and came across the village she began to wonder. Why did they look like her, yet act so different? She asked the leader of the pack and he told her the fateful story of her life. The alpha male took pity on her and let her leave the pack for the night to explore the village. 3

All the odd machines and ways of man confused, puzzled, and fascinated her. The village slept under the full moon as she made her way down the street. The home she stopped in front of sparked her curiosity; she could hear voices in some odd language inside the small hut. She pushed her way through the door and in to the brightly lit home. A woman stood by a fire and turned instantly when she came in. Celina looked around in wonder at the odd things that were stored around her. She looked at the woman who was half the height of her if she stood on two legs and had red straight hair. 4

“Who might you be?” The woman asked her as she examined Celina more closely. She smelled of the mountains and her hair was tangled. The clothes she had on her, if you would consider them clothes, were ratty and worn out.  Celina said nothing; she rose to her feet and stared the woman in the eyes. “Something wrong child?” The woman paused for an answer, when she didn’t get one she continued. “My name is Agapi. Lets get you cleaned up, eh?” 5

Agapi means love and affection in Greek, and she fit the name all to well. She took pity on the poor girl that could not speak and showed her where she could clean up. After having to explain to the girl how to clean herself, she helped her dress in some old clothes she had from when her daughter lived with them. 6

Celina liked this woman, and began to learn words in the language that she realized was really not so hard to speak. Agapi fed her some broth and meat and then got the courage to ask her what she had been wondering for the past hour, “Where are you from? And what is your name?” 7

Celina knew how to speak her name but not in this new language, but she did know how to show her where she was from. She gripped on to Agapi’s hand and led her outside; from there she pointed to the vast mountain that rose up behind the village. Before Agapi could reply her husband came running towards her from down the street. “Agapi who is your friend?” He bowed politely, the smell of alcohol clearly mark able on his breath.  When Agapi lowered her head, Celina could feel the woman’s despair. She did not understand why such a nice woman, who looked so much like her but yet so different should have to be unhappy. 8

The man that was Agapi’s husband stood there for a moment then looked fiercely into Agapi’s eyes. “You did not bring another stray into our home and dress her with our daughter’s clothes. Tell me you did not.” Agapi said nothing and received a back slap to the face. Celina seeing this jumped in front of the woman and bared her teeth. She howled, and began to warn him in her own language, the language of the wild.9

“Agapi, you stupid fool. She is crazy! You brought a mad person in to our home.” Her husband said as he pulled out his weapon. Agapi told Celina to run and to run fast, fear was to be seen in the older woman’s eyes. Celina did not understand the silver object in the man’s hand but when Agapi pushed her Celina understood it was time to run.  As she ran she could feel the shame of dishonor, she should have stayed and fought the man. That is something the pack had instilled in her since she could remember.10

. . . 11

Standing on a cliff that gave him a clear vision of the village and everything that happened in it. The alpha male turned his head in shame, not just at her running. But at the deal the wolves had ever made with the man that was her father in the first place. They should have helped him, not let him die without his daughter and thinking she too was already dead and waiting for him beyond. He also knew the when she did come back to the pack, he could not let her back in. She had her own fate to follow, sadly they had kept her from it for to long. He let out a bellowing howl to the full moon, to the past, to the present, and to what may become of the future.12

. . . 13

Celina ran as fast as her two legs would carry her. Once she was sure she had lost the man she stopped and rested in a clearing where she could see the full moon in all her radiance. The smell of Jasmine reached her nose and calmed her. The land around her lay still in the silence of the night, but even though it may look still she knew it was busy with as much life as it was during the day. 14

Celina let out a mournful howl to the moon, hoping that the Goddess would answer her plea. A tear fell from her hazel eyes and landed on her wrist. She stared down at the droplet of liquid that lay upon a bright blue vein. The Jasmine flowers around her began to shutter in the light breeze that began to circle around the clearing. When she looked up she no longer could see the moon, a beautiful woman stood in the way of her view. 15

She recognized the Goddess at once, Artemis.  The beautiful but yet deadly Artemis looked down at her with caring eyes. Celina began to wonder if she was dreaming. Had the Goddess of hunting and the moon really come to her? Artemis sat down besides Celina and touched her hand. When Celina opened her mouth, the language she had been learning came out without a problem. “How am I able to speak both this language and the one of the wild?” Celina questioned the Goddess. 16

Artemis smiled and said, “It is the power of the Gods, and the power inside you.” Celina pondered this for a few seconds, but before she could speak Artemis silenced her by placing two fingers on her forehead. Energy sparked from Artemis’s fingers and into the third eye of Celina. “You have been blessed with the power of the Gods, you have a destiny awaiting you Celina. Do not worry, the choices you make will be the right ones.” 17

Celina could feel the power of the Goddess running through her veins, coursing through her very being. Artemis rose to leave but before she disappeared in the moons ethereal beams she gave Celina one last piece of knowledge, “Just know, that you are not immortal. Therefore you must cherish your life just like any one else must.” With that she parted, leaving the shocked Celina to her thoughts.18

“What should I do?” Celina asked herself out loud, she was still not use to hearing the language come out of her mouth but she was working on it. She held out her right hand and gazed upon her palm for some time, why she did not know. After a few seconds she clenched her fist and felt the power once again surge throughout her, “I know that I am now a Priestess of Artemis. But what about my pack?” As if some psychic message was shared between her and the alpha male, she heard his howl echo throughout the forest.  She knew she could not go back just yet, he would understand she knew he would. But what if he did not understand? That would have to be worried about at a later time she told herself. 19

She spent the rest of the night looking up at the moon, until at last sleep took hold of her. 20

. . . 21

Little did Celina know, Erasmus, Agapi’s husband had followed her the whole way throughout the mountainside. He had caught up just in time to see Artemis give the gift of the Gods upon the stray he had met earlier. He was infuriated, and he knew just what to do about it. Erasmus told his tale to everyone in the village and made them all feel the jealousy he too felt. The village stormed together, all except for Agapi, to go after and kill the girl. 22

Agapi told her husband that it was the will of the Gods that she received their gifts and to kill her would mean sure havoc on their people. But he shoved her off and said, “Our people agree we are doing the act of the Gods by showing them that they got the wrong girl to gift. We are helping to relieve them of the suffering she will cause.” 23

Once they had left Agapi prayed to Artemis, to Zeus, to any God/dess who would hear her plea. Agapi took her life; she could not deal with being married with someone who would do such an awful thing. Artemis came down before her soul was captured and guided her soul on through limbo to reincarnation and with her she gave her too the gift of the Gods for her selflessness and caring for someone she did not even know. 24

. . . 25

Celina had followed the path, while the village followed her. It was late afternoon when she found them by a stream they usually went to around this time of day. She asked to be forgiven for not coming back the night before, she explained what happened and hoped for the best. The alpha male had already told the pack to not let her in, and he stepped up to her and told her himself. It pained him greatly, but he did not show a trace of the emotion. 26

She was in pure shock, the blood literally ran to ice in her veins. The only life in her was her power, Artemis’s power. Celina turned when she heard the snap of a twig under the foot of someone approaching. The pack was sent into alarm. 27

The villagers swarmed out of their hidden places and killed off six members of the pack. Celina was cornered by three men who tortured her. They poked there swords into her flesh deep enough to cause pain but not death. She withered in agony but she still fought on, until one of the men grabbed her by the hair and cut into her heart. The blood oozed out of the wound, killing her instantly. 28

Her spirit rose up in a flash of brilliant light that shone like the full moon against a sea of dark sky. All the men who had been fighting put their weapons down in awe, the wolves howled at the power that was their Goddess. 29

Celina’s hair flew around her caught in a breeze only known to her spirit, her eyes lit up brighter then ever before. She let them gasp and be fearful for a few more second before she spoke, “You men shall all feel the wrath of the Gods. And I shall be reborn. From this day forth my spirit shall take the name of the lost Goddess of the Wolves. And when I get reborn, I shall fill full my destiny. Artemis, thank you for what you have done.”30

At that, her spirit descended with Artemis and just like Artemis had done with Agapi she gifted Celina so when she was reborn she would still be a Goddess. The lost Goddess of the Wolves. 31

The men saw her go, and took a deep breath of relief at still being alive. But their breath was wasted, for at that moment they were all cut down with heart failure. Dropping dead one by one the stream’s side became their graves.32

~As for Celina, her spirit is out there in the heart of some blessed human, waiting to be awakened.~33