Black Light

What was he but a name under the stars? A breath of wind? A flickering flame? Dancing, capering grass blades? Singing, ringing streams? Step after step, a breath for each heart beat. That was him. But through the thoughts that consumed him he was never sure of his title, his calling, his christened name. Echoing softly from the sun, shrieking shrilly from the moon it rung around him. But he never heard it. Rane. Rane of the stars, Rane of the wind. Rane of flame, Rane of the dancing foliage. Rane of the streams melody, Rane of the Wolf.......

"Every beam of light casts shadow. Every golden sunrise is filled with grey."

The alpha's words wrung in his ears. Why was he destined to e the Light's Shadow of his pack. Why him portrayed as lowest of low. Why not a Bright One, or Golden Storm. Heck, he'd take a Dim Glow. But no, he was born to be a Light's Shadow. He reasoned possible answers to his pain-staking question,

"My name is unusual."

Instead of receiving a Double Name as the other pups, he had only been given one.

"My eyes are unnatural."

Instead of the common gold, his ice-blue eyes stood out greatly.

"And my coat..."

He cut off glancing at the shining red-orange fur that covered his skin. He seemed to be cursed with adversity. No glossy coal or pale, moon ivory. No noble name as FleshMauler or StreamHowl.No golden, green flecked eyes. Just red-orange fur, a simple name of Rane, and emotionless ice-blue irises.He stalked onward through the under growth. Coming to a black watered pool he crouched and drank. Cool,lovely water. Cooling his throat and temper.

Behind him the pack's calling him in desperate need. Being easily manipulated he loped towards the echoing sound.Tree branches slapped him roughly, stones bit his paw's pads. On he sprinted. Ahead, the den so familiar to him. Breaking through the brush he wept inside at the sight. Twisted wolf bodies littered the ground. Grotesque forms in the twilight. Pups crushed bones, old wolves matted fur and flesh, sickening to behold. He walked forward meekly and studied the bodies. Friends, siblings, his mother and father who were the alphas; for only alphas are allowed to mate.

And like a rumbling, roar of thunder a great white stallion sprang from behind. It's eyes were livid and inflamed. Foam cascaded from it's mouth. The rabid creature was back for more blood. It lunged at Rane, bone crushing hooves gleaming with scarlet. But from his training as a cub. The training that kept him busy as other cubs played. The training required by a Light's Shadow. Allowed him to nimbly dodge.

He leapt up, clamping his jaws onto the horses face. It shook him off with unmatched strength, but he took both eyes and flesh with him. the rabid horse screamed and blindly lunged, Rane catching it in the flank. Tearing into fat and organ. He sprang onto the horses back and secured his teeth around the vertebrae. Then he pulled up, hard. The horses bone left it's body and the poor beast screamed, then crumpled into a silent heap. The wolf licked the blood from his mouth, and sank into the brush a lone wolf. He would rather have been a Light's Shadow. Rather died lowest of the low. But he had not.

Being the lowly had saved him. His adversity had delivered him. His dead fathers words wrung in his head,

"Every beam of light..."

The End

by Taren a Werewolf Mage


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