Once The Moon Rises

[Solo]

Chapter 1
Every Story Starts Somewhere…

Out in the woods stood a boy who was about six foot tall, and had golden blond hair that framed his face. A few tufts of it would stick up, but he could wear it like that was how his hair was supposed to be. His eyes were a deep watery blue that made it seem like his eyes were pools of crystal, and they were his most noticeable feature. Overall he wasn’t anything extraordinary, instead he was built very average being around one-hundred sixty pounds in weight. All in all he was a very ordinary looking 18 year old boy with no distinguishing marks. He was very handsome, and the features on his face were very soft almost like a piece of silk. Looking at his face you would think that it was a pillow from how peaceful that he always seemed to look.

Solo was a very kind, and benevolent man who would do anything to help someone out no matter the cost to himself. That was after all how he had risen to the top to become village leader. A feat that was easily accomplished by someone who was still in his teens. Well that is how he looked to everyone else, and that is how he wanted to keep it. It was early morning, and the sun had barely kissed the sky yet, with streaks of random light coming out here, and there. It was a good morning for hunting, and the hunting was good. Being the leader of his village on this secluded island came with it’s own set of rules, and regulations, and he did his best to keep up with them.

He had to provide food for the village, keep the finances in order so that he wouldn’t squander their wealth, and to top it all off he also had to protect it. As the youngest village leader in the history of this island he did his best to fulfill his duties. However sometimes he felt like it wasn’t enough, and that he wasn’t good enough for them, to be their leader. This only increased with the fact that he was practically lying to them all on a daily basis about who he was. He told himself that it was for their own protection though, and that was the best that he could do. Sighing he continued to look for the food that he had gone out to hunt for the morning.

He had been leader for a year now, and he enjoyed being able to help the villagers whenever they needed someone. Solo was the one person in the village that no matter who, or what someone had done they could come to him for help. He would help them to the best of his ability no questions asked which made him a very unique individual. In his village he was revered as the kindest one on all of the island. It was a feat that he was very proud of, and he made it true by continuing to help random strangers, and those who washed up on his island. None of it mattered to him he was just a simple guy with few cares in the world. Beyond helping his village, and his villagers he didn’t really do much because everything else took care of itself in his eyes. However now he had to hunt.

Around the village there was a large forest that covered most of the island, and it was a good place to go hunting for deer, and other game. It was actually this forest that kept the village going because without it’s wildlife, and it’s wood they would have all perished early on. However he was careful on how much he hunted, and what he hunted so that way they could keep their stock of game up, and not run out of any animals. The few farmers that they had also helped in this regard as the islands soil was very fertile, and could grow much food. His people would never go hungry as long as he was around, and he would be around for a long time.

Strapped to his back was a simple wooden bow, and a quiver of arrows that he took out of the village every time he went hunting. Though he never used the tools, he never needed to use them. Solo had his own unique talents that set him apart from the rest of the village. He could do many things that a normal man could not do, and at times it baffled the villagers at the feats he accomplished. When asked how he was able to do such things he just brushed it off as luck. Though he knew better than that. Right now he was a hunter, and he needed to find more food so that they could prepare for the feast that they were to have that night.

Sniffing the air he could smell fresh meat, and he picked up the pace. Soon enough he came to a group of tree’s that had grown inwards together to form a gnarled, and twisted monument. Around the other side of the tree the smell of meat got stronger, and he knew without a doubt that this was what he had been searching for. Standing in the clearing not to far from his current location he could see the beautiful white tailed deer. It’s antlers were as large as his arms, and he just smiled at the creature though it couldn’t see him. Taking his bow, and quiver off he set it down on the ground, and kept his eyes on the deer that he was now stalking. He was the hunter, and this was his prey.

All of a sudden his eyes did something that normal eyes were not suppose to do. Turning from their usual blue color they became a solid gold color. Seemingly glowing in the dark morning sky as he looked at his prey. He could see the heat radiating off the deer, and the heat that was in his body. It was like he had thermal vision, and he could see the rabbit that was hiding in the brush not to far off, the various birds in the tree’s above him. It was quiet a sight to be able to see with such great clarity, and he couldn’t help, but be grateful for it. His gifts were something that he didn’t abuse, but he used them enough that he stayed in practice. Now he just had to take the deer down quietly, and his entire body loosened as age old muscles awakened.

Suddenly becoming very quiet he was like a ghost, that drifted with the wind blowing at his back. With every step that he took only the whistle of the wind could be heard. A few moments later a crimson flash and the deer was down. The wound it received could easily be mistaken for an arrow wound so he just let it be. He wiped the blood off of his mouth and on to some nearby grass dying the green plant red with malice. The sharp canines that had formed in his mouth quickly disappeared as he looked at his shredded shirt on the ground. He would make up a story as to why he was shirtless all of a sudden, and it would be ok. So grapping the dear by it’s neck he slung it over his shoulder like a potato sack, and walked over to the spot where his bow, and quiver lay. Picking up the two he began his walk back to the village with his fifteenth kill of the day.

It didn’t take long as the walk was short, and the deer was very light, to him at least, and he was greeted with waves, and smiles from those who called him leader. Being shirtless revealed his chest, and stomach to some of the single women, and they greeted him with whistles, and he blushed a deep red. If one looked closely on his chest they would be able to see markings that resembled three scars in the shape of triangles. No one knew about them, and he didn’t allow many people an up close shot of his chest so he continued on his way to the skinners shop. As he walked he looked up, and realized the sun had finally rose, and was casting it’s beautiful golden rays over his village.

Their village was one that was untouched by the modern age save for few things. Fishing boats were plentiful here, and they had Televisions, and an Inn, but that was the extent of it. No cell phones, or phones of any kind for that matter. No cars, or video games just beautiful country that was on this island. They even had their on ferry for people that wished to leave, but they were far, and few in between as this place was a paradise. The houses were made out of wood, and were all handcrafted by the owner of each house. It was a great society that they lived in here. No crime, or corruption just normal people, and children trying to earn an honest day’s work to put food on the table for their families. Unfortunately the outside world wasn’t like this at all, and he wished that it could be.

Smiling he came up to the skinners shop, and rang the bell that was on the door waiting for the shopkeeper to come out. He knew the man well. Solo, and the shopkeeper were good friends as he taught Solo how to hunt, and track early on in his stay here. It didn’t take long for a dark bronze skinned man to come out of the shop. Laughing a little Solo laid the dear down in front of him.

“How’s it goin Tim? The wife, and kids still doing alright?”

“Oh the same ole, same ole. Wife is still getting on my case about that damned heat stroke I had the other day. Telling me that I need to take care of myself better.” he said in a gruff voice obviously annoyed “The kids are still just as annoying as they were the day they were born.” his tone lighter than before “You know Solo you should think about getting married, and having some kids of your own you know. There are a lot of women who would love to be in your good graces.” Tim laughed as he patted Solo on the shoulder.

“Ah you know me just trying to stay single until the right girl comes along. Plus they probably only like me because of the position I hold.” a blush crept up his face though he tried to fight it down. He knew that the last part wasn’t true, but it allowed him to keep from getting bothered by Tim about the matter. “Anyways once you are done send it down to Bryan so he can cut up the meat if you don’t mind.” he asked so that he could quickly change the subject.

“Whatever you say boss man. Now go get some rest you might be young, but even a young man needs rest. Especially with the feast going on tonight your going to need it.” the man said with a sparkle in his eyes “All those young women are going to be vying for your attention. So you might want to bring your bow, and arrows to fight them off.” he finished with a laugh.

“Gah come on Tim.. Later old man!”
“Hey I am not old you little-!”

But Solo was gone before he could hear the rest of what Tim said though he was sure it wasn’t anything flattering. Thankfully no one questioned him as to why he had no shirt on, and he was able to make it back to his house without a problem. Well unless you call getting doused with a large bucket of water a problem. On his way back some girls thought it would be fun to dump water on him as he ran past, and he was soaking wet now. Grabbing a cotton towel from his closet he quickly dried off, and grabbed a black tank top to wear for the day. At least until the festivities started. Staring out the window he saw many of the villagers rising to begin their jobs, and he just smiled.

It was a nice village not to rich but not to poor either they were right in the middle and that was fine with them. They didn’t need fancy cars, or gadgets to stay happy all the needed was each other, and as long as he was around that is the way things would stay. He would be around for a long time, and that is where the problem would come in. Eventually he would tell them the truth, but for now he would let them stay oblivious to what he really was. Sitting down in a wooden chair it was very immaculately carved. The arm rests had little wave designs on them, and at the tip’s they were wolf heads with the mouths open to resemble a wolf howling. It was done in great detail, and he smiled at the craftsmanship.

The sun was peaking in through his window, and the light that it let in was heating the room, but it didn’t bother him. He had an abnormally high body temperature to begin with so he was accustomed to heat. Still rubbing the head of the wolf that adorned his armrest he grinned. He couldn’t help, but admire the work that had to have been done in order to make such a chair, and it didn’t take long for him to start rocking back, and forth on the piece of furniture. It was old, and the fact that it had held together this long impressed him. After all he had made this piece of furniture a century ago.

[Solo]

Chapter 2
Celebrate Good Times!

The feast had finally started, and Solo was walking through the village. Dressed nicely in a black button up shirt with a white undershirt, and gold trimming. The top three buttons were undone so that others could see the shirt underneath. His pants were solid black as well making him blend into the shadows that he passed through save for his golden hair. Looking up at the sky he admired it’s beauty. Night had settled over the island that they called home, and the stars twinkled in the clear night sky. The moon wasn’t full, instead it was sitting at half filled with light, and he marveled at the beauty of the place. Large bonfires had been set up using the excess wood that they had found, and the firelight glimmered off of the different decorations that they had set up. This feast was in honor of a hero of the village, but this hero was not a man, woman, or human for that matter. Instead it was the time of the year where the villagers paid tribute to the crimson wolf who had saved them all from a great beast of the forest.

Walking through the village with only the firelight to light his path he could see that some of the younger women had gone out of their way to try, and impress him. With lavishly decorated dresses, and jewels covering their bodies he had to look away. The way that the firelight was shining made looking at those girls too long a painful experience. Walking through the village he got many greetings from the people from “Hi there Solo!” all the way to “Nice to see you Leader.”. It was a weird experience for him, but he couldn’t help, but wave, and smile back. Then he saw Bryan the Butcher, and decided to ask him if the deer he had caught that morning were cut, and cooked to perfection.

“Hey Bryan how is it going man?”

“Ah you know a little, of this, and a little of that. What about you?”

“Just trying to avoid the throngs of ogling girls that want to take advantage of me.” he said with a laugh.

“Yeah I know what you mean. I can’t keep’em off of me.” the Butcher said with a grin.

“So was it easy cutting all those deer. I hope we have enough for everyone. If we don’t I will just go catch more I guess.”

“Ah it was easy enough, and we have plenty Solo don’t sweat it alright. Now go enjoy yourself, and keep away from the women. I may be a butcher, but they know who to cut a man down to his core, that’s something I can’t even do.” the man said with a smile as he shooed Solo away.

Bryan was a very muscular man, and how he had managed to stay single was probably because he did fight them off. Solo was sure that this guy could lift an entire tree trunk by himself, and not break a sweat. The Butcher was also kind of short, and stubby, unlike Tim the Skinner who was tall. Bryan also had a mustache that curved at the tips, and it gave him an almost comical appearance. He was a good hardworking man though, and a master at his given craft. Bryan was able to get all the meat off a bone without scraping. Some said that he had magical abilities when it came to cutting meat, and that it was magic. Others simply said that he cut meat too much, and that is where his skill came from. Either way Solo could testify to his meat cutting prowess.

Still walking through the festivities it was a sight to behold. A giant wooden statue had been carved out for this occasion, and been painted in the likeness of the crimson wolf. Legend told that 100 years ago a terrible beast roamed the island, and it was killing off the settlers who had come here to get away from the modern world. They had no weapons to fight it off, and instead they prayed that someone would come, and save them from the monster. The next night a crimson red wolf appeared, and fought the monster. The battle lasted for days, but in the end the great wolf defeated the monster, and disappeared off in the forest. Thinking of the legend Solo just smiled, and continued to walk.

There was dancing, contests of strength, skill, and speed going on. All in all it was a good night, and nothing could ruin it for him. Sitting down in his chair with the wolf head armrests he looked on at the villagers enjoying their night. It didn’t take long for a girl to spot the leader of the village sitting alone, and she figured that she would set to the task, of getting him for herself. Walking over to him she was dressed not lavishly, but in a simple blue cotton dress.

“So are you going to come dance with the rest of us?” she asked him batting her eyelashes, and tilting her head to the side. She curved her lips in a slight pout, and stared at him “Or are you just going to sit here, and watch everyone else have fun?” she finished, but didn’t give him time to say anything. She was a forceful one, and she grabbed him by the arm, and dragged him out to where everyone was dancing. It was a slow song, and he knew that he was stuck now if he wasn’t before.

“I suppose one dance won’t hurt.” he smiled at her, and wrapped his arms around her waist holding her close to his body. She smelt of lavender, and roses probably from being out in the gardens for a good majority of the day. “So what do I call you miss?”

“My name is Kayla, and I a take care of the roses.” she said to him with those pouty eye’s plastered on her face.

Looking at her he had to admit that she was a very attractive woman. Her skin was a pale olive color that seemed to glow against the light of the fire, and her eyes were a dark blue that reminded him of the ocean. She had dark brown hair that was curled, and up in a bun with a few strands falling down to her cheek. Her body was petite, and compact, and he was afraid that if he squeezed to hard that he would snap her in half. He could do that anyway on accident if he wasn’t careful. Solo did admire her beauty, but she just wasn’t the type for him.

Once the song ended he grabbed her hand, and kissed the back of it meeting her eyes. “Thank you for the dance m’lady.” with that he walked away to go sit back down in his chair to continue to view the feast. He could feel her eyes burning into the back of his head, and he wondered if his hair had caught fire from the death glare that she was more than likely using on him. Either way he didn’t care, and continued to walk until he reached his chair. Sitting down he rested his chin in his hands, and stared out at the serene beauty of it all. Nothing in the world could ruin this moment, or this night because everyone was so happy. That was until he heard it.

Sitting bolt up in his chair he listened again, and he shook his head vigorously. They can’t have found me! I found the most remote place in the world to come live! How could they have found me? It has been 100 years.. His mind was racing with thoughts as he stood up, and listened again. There it was again without fail it was as clear as day, and it made his heart skip a beat. Why are they here! he thought again as it repeated itself, and soon all of the villagers stopped what they were doing to listen. As much as he didn’t want it to be true his ears never lied to him. Listening harder he caught what direction the sound was coming from.

“Listen everyone I am going to go check this out alright. If I don’t return by morning then elect a new successor, and assume the worse has happened to me.” he commanded them, and they all moved out of his way. They knew that this was a serious matter, and it would be foolish to get in his way. He dashed for the woods still listening to the echo from the most recent howl. Still thinking about how he had managed to stay hidden from them for so long he couldn’t possibly understand how they had found this place. Running he was a lot faster than the average human, and to most he would appear to be nothing more than a blur. A few seconds later he came to a small clearing with an abandoned cabin in the middle of it. His eyes went from blue to gold and his pupils dilated. He was looking for any trace of heat that would be around at the moment.

As he looked for any traces of heat he caught a whiff of something in the air, and turned around to see what it was. It was a girl who appeared to be only about 16, or 17. However this girl was not as young as she looked, and he could tell from the air around her. She had dark red hair that seemed almost like a fire pouring from her head down to her lower back, and she was wearing what looked like leather armor. Her skin was as pale as the moonlight that shone down on her body revealing no flaws on her person from what he could see. He knew that armor, and that stance all to well. She was a Lycan..