THE MOONSHADOW

Two thousand years ago in the land of Ce‘ran. The moon hung high, as those who earlier had raged terrible warfare on their despised enemies were discussing peace.

A dark, hooded figure rushed across toward the Werewolf camp. The figure kept his face hidden until he was safely in amongst the tents. His hood glided off his silver hair easily as he entered the royal tent. He bowed before the Pack leaders, Soulflame and Moonrunner.

"I have been sent, your majesties, to bring you this message, straight from the hands of the royal highnesses themselves" His voice matched his withered and disfigured face.

"Proceed, read the message," Moonrunner commanded, her silver fur sparkling in the candlelight.

"It reads, ‘we do not wish to end the conflict. We would rather perish than live alongside you in peace and harmony. You will bring shame to the whole of our race! We will kill you the next time we meet!"

A great hush had fallen over the tent and much of the camp for that matter. Soulflame and Moonrunner hung their heads and shook them. Soulflame looked up first.

"Tell them we regret their decision but the Lupes will be victorious in the end!" He said as he stood up with the fury burning in his emerald eyes. Moonrunner pulled him down and calmed him before she spoke.

"No one will be victorious, Many will die on both sides, Tell them who ever lives through this will be the loser" Her blue eyes had tears in them as she turned her back to the withered man. The man turned leaving the heartbroken Werewolves with their fears. He smiled slyly. He was going to get complete power from the dark force. He couldn’t believe how gullible the Werewolves were. How could they have really believed that the message was from the Vampyre royals themselves? He rushed back to the Vampyre camp quickly. He wasn’t spotted. He crept into his tent before the patrolling guards saw him. He let out a deep sigh of relief as he pulled out his set of casting runes. There was no way that they could stop the war now. Time to cast the eternity spell.

"Hurry with the letter, the more time we waste, the less time we have to stop the war!" Said Shadowmyst gravely as she stepped into the tent the sadness set into her unearthly silvery brown eyes. The servant bowed down to her. "Arise, now is not the time!" She smiled as the servant folded the message for the royal seal. Trueflight walked in as Shadowmyst imprinted the royal emblem onto the letter. "Now go quickly," urged Shadowmyst as the servant ran out of the tent. Trueflight walked over to Shadowmyst. They hugged each other.

"If this can stop the fighting, our races need to become one to survive!" Said Trueflight his voice but a whisper. Shadowmyst nodded her head in agreement. This was a grave time. So many good people had perished for a now forgotten cause that had withered and died with the previous Rulers. Both sides were losing in a battle to win. If this message of peace was denied then all hope was lost.

An hour went by in the early hours of the morning. The moon was just sinking as the sun rose. Trueflight looked over the bloody and body covered battlefield. He saw it as a waste of land that could have been used for feeding the hungry or raising cattle. He felt pity and disgust for the people that lay dead on the grass and mud, he felt sadness for their families and felt dread about the future of everyone still left alive. He heard someone approach from behind. He turned around. There before him stood a nervous looking Werewolf page.

"Do you bring news of peace or war?" He asked gravely, his deep brown eyes half closed as he looked to the page.

"Not sure sire"

"Not sure?"

"We seem to have had mixed messages sire"

"Go back to you leaders boy, and tell them to meet my queen and I at the edge of the battle field by the broken rock, there we will sort out this misunderstanding once and for all!"

"Yes your majesty" he said as he ran away

The Sun was just peaking over the mountains as Moonrunner and Soulflame of the Werewolves came face to face with Trueflight and Shadowmyst of the Vampyres. They left a distance between each other. The broken rock cast deep shadows over the gathering.

"We heard you want war, now you ask for peace?" Asked Soulflame

"What is it to be?" Asked Moonrunner seriously

"We want peace!" Replied Shadowmyst "why did you think we want war? After so many have died?"

"The first message you sent made clear your intentions" Stated Soulflame coldly

"What message? We sent only one, one of peace. No more must die. Too many lives have been wasted on both sides," replied Trueflight a look of disbelief on his face.

"He is right. No other message but the message of peace was sent to you. Do you lie to return us to war?" Shadowmyst accused quietly

"Why? Would it be inconvenient for you?" Yelled Soulflame "because I think it can be arranged!" This sudden outburst shocked the other three. "I am sorry," said Soulflame "It is just that when your first messenger came with your declaration of continuing warfare I thought my worst fears had been confirmed about you"

"Which is?" Shadowmyst asked coolly

"That you are heartless bloodsucking demons with no soul, then you sent your second message and I thought that you had reconsidered your earlier wishes. " Continued Soulflame.

"Why you-?" cried Trueflight

"Shh, Do not speak with anger" Shadowmyst said as she calmed him. She turned back to the others "there was only one message, which is the other that you speak of?" Asked Shadowmyst.

"The first message was a declaration of continuing war; a Vampyre delivered it. He was in his winter years, long grey hair, with a severely disfigured form," described Moonrunner. "Who was he?"

"Raksha!" Replied Trueflight and Shadowmyst simultaneously. "The traitor!"

"Then we must see this Raksha and speak with him, with an armed guard from both sides" said Soulflame

"Agreed," answered Shadowmyst. Trueflight and Moonrunner nodded their agreement.

A messenger was sent to the camp of the Werewolves and an armed guard of ten Werewolves were set to cross the battle land to the Vampyre camp as the dark trees swayed from side to side against a sky of broken dawn.

As the entourage of twenty guards marched towards the grim tent a great dark wind swirled menacingly around them.

"Quickly, we must hurry. He is calling the darkness!" Cried Soulflame realising what the wind signified for he had heard the ancient prophecies and knew what was about to come.

"Why? How? This is impossible. The darkness has been banished. Surely he must realise the evil he will unleash!" Yelled Trueflight through the growling of the wind.

"He does know the danger. Raksha has always voiced his opinions on the idea of a peace treaty between our two races. He does not agree. He despises your people he would rather destroy the whole of the world than see us acquire peace. " Stated Shadowmyst with quiet regret. "We should never have let him become so powerful within our army. "

The swirling black wind moved in and circled the tent. The four watched in terror as it entered. They ran quickly and entered through the flap, breathless from the difficult run over the mud. As they entered, Raksha turned to face them. The black mass whirled quickly around him. He threw his head back and without warning the darkness entered him. Suddenly all was calm. Raksha looked slowly at them.

"Seize him!" Ordered Moonrunner. The guards moved towards him. He held up his hand and it began to glow brightly. Deep imperial purple flames shot from his fingers. They hit the guards who fell to the floor. Unmoving. Dead. Raksha opened his mouth and gave an unearthly laugh. His voice wasn’t normal any more. His voice reeked of souls in eternal agony. The torment made everyone who heard it cringe and tremble. Several hundred screams made up his one voice.

"We are too late," whispered Shadowmyst as she looked from the casting runes to his eyes. To her surprise and horror his eyes glowed as the transformation ended. They were deep blood red. Looking deeply into them she could see sadness. All the lost souls consumed by the dark one. He was free and with his banishment broken, he had formed.

"This!" he spoke with many voices "this is perfect," he looked down at his new body and watched as it began to change. The others watched in horror as he form began to change. The bent and deformed back straightened, the wrinkled skin became stretched and young once again, his white hair became golden. Raksha laughed again. "We have a perfect form and the chosen are here. Wonderful! We will consume you too and then, then we are free to rule forever without any annoying interruptions from puny mages who think they could control us, keep us prisoner in our own darkness. Who did they think they were? Well no matter, it will not happen again!"

He moved towards them, his left hand outstretched a globe of energy formed within it. It glowed with all the colours of a rainbow. Silver sparks flew off into the darkness of the tent; the only other light source was two candles burned to the end of their wicks.

"If we attempt to banish him we have a chance. The entity has not taken true form within him yet" Soulflame confided as Raksha moved unevenly towards them. All four drew their swords and moved towards him, circling around him, he laughed again

"We thought you, the chosen ones, would have another way to fight us. Your pathetic magic passed that has been passed through the ages is not powerful enough to stop us disposing of you this time, once and for all! The family line will end here and now, eternity will be without its protectors, it is only saviours!" Raksha crouched on the floor. He began to glow. The light was blinding and hot. The heat was making the swords burn their hands. They dropped them to the floor as the metal began to burn. Raksha, the now glowing ball, was growing. Larger and larger. The four put there hands up to shield their eyes. They began to shake. It was as if something was exploding inside of them. Lightning was building up. The air was thick with electricity. Suddenly an unearthly cry escaped from Raksha’s mouth.

Moonrunner looked around to see what was happening. From Soulflame’s hand came a gigantic fire bolt, then Shadowmyst came a wave of blue flames that looked like waves. She felt it herself soon after she had witnessed Trueflight’s wave of white lightning. The heat in her hand was great but the power pouring out of her made her scream. It was as if all of her life force was being thrown out at Raksha. She was temporarily blind. She tried to look down at the floor. She could see the grass vaguely. Suddenly a crack appeared beneath her feet. She felt herself falling. She looked around. She could see Shadowmyst, Trueflight and Soulflame. It was as if there had been a crack in reality. She looked up further. Raksha began to dissolve. A wave of Lavender scent hit them making them all gasp as they fell. He disappeared. All Moonrunner could see now was darkness and a tear closing above them. Then within a blink of an eye. It was all over.