Lykiana cursed silently in her head. The Moon Mother had decided to remove some of her powers so now she had to walk. Like a mortal.

It just didn't make sense. Why had her powers been limited? Surely they would have helped her to get to Lykos faster? Having a mortal body was tricky enough - it would limit her powers further as it couldn't handle what she could wield.

She cursed again in her head. She was well aware of how unbecoming she was looking. Every time she caught fragments of her reflection in passing bodies of water, she winced. The fault, however, did not lie with her but rather with the nature of events. She had been sleeping - exposed - for nearly a decade. And she had a rather messy meal which stained her robes with a rich rusty red along with the mud and the grass.

Up ahead, she could sense a large, warm creek warmed by volcanic activity so she headed there gratefully. It was in a Spirit's inherent nature to be clean so she yearned for that feeling of normality.

Stripping off her robe with abandon, she sighed in pleasure as she lowered her aching body into the soothing waters. She had bathed routinely before but had never felt such sensations and she lifted her arm out of the water, marvelling at the feeling of every refreshing droplet. This, she would never tire off. The mortals didn't realise how lucky they were to have such receptive forms.

Spirits were made of Stars and the Moon Mother's will. There was not a physical body, rather a spiritual form. They had no need for most emotions except ones like compassion, tenderness and a need for justice - emotions needed to be a fair, ruling spirit.

She sighed again, tilting her head back. Her long thick locks of silver tresses tumbled down her arched back. It seemed to glow and shimmer with every movement she made, a stark contrast to her earthy rich skin.

She missed her soul companion dearly. Eros had been by her side for many millennia and was a gift that she could never hope to replace. They had an emotional bond that ran deeper than all her other ties and was a physical comfort throughout her dull immortal life.

No matter how beloved this fated soul Lykos was, she would never be able to forgive him easily. Yes, she would remove her curse - as she had no choice - but she would make it abundantly clear that her heart had no room for mercy.

She would have to spend the rest of her never-ending life in solitude and that thought alone was too much to bear. She would also feel permanently listless and incomplete due to her now-deceased soul companion who held a part of her soul, her very essence.

She hadn't the faintest where Lykos was but she would start somewhere where she would receive answers. Her people.

The Wolf kingdom was vast and resourceful, the most powerful species due to their inherent ability to form a hierarchy and packs. She had not seen her people for over a decade and frowned at the potential trouble.

A Spirits blessing was required to initiate a new Alpha, Beta and Luna. She knew that Lykos had his succession removed so who was the Alpha? It should still be his father then as she had not approved of anyone else.

She dressed, the water evaporating off her skin as she donned her now clean robes. Then she followed the bright constellation of Lupus which would lead her to the pack. Each constellation was a cluster of stars in the shape of the species it represented and rested in the area above its respective territory. If she followed Lupus, it would lead her to the territory of the Wolves - her territory.

Lykiana noticed that the closer she got to Wolf civilisation, the scarcer the prey was. She remembered the little rabbit who had told her about the excessive hunting and grew angry at the fickleness of her subjects. They had a responsibility as stewards on this blessed Earth where Gaia lay and the dirt was now drenched in mindless bloodlust.

The sounds of howling reached her ears and she quickened her pace, her bare feet walking over any obstacles with ease and her robes trialling behind her.

It was blasphemy. Pure Sacrilege. In front of her, looming over her was a carelessly piled mountain of carcasses. The blood was fresh and the meat was mostly untouched meaning that the hunting was done for sports. A red haze covered her vision as a lifeless doe with its neck torn open gazed at her with empty eyes.

She followed the trail of sin closer to the pack home. Was this the doing of Lykos's father?

"How disgraceful", she murmured. She would have no pity, no remorse. Lykiana felt her rage grow the closer she got.

She travelled on until she reached a large clearing and nearly heaved at the sight that awaited.

Mates were a blessing. A gift from Lykiana that was superior to all other gifts. Every male was matched perfectly with their female counterpart to ensure a compatible relationship and offspring. If Lykiana was ever harsh on her subjects, it was about mates.

Millennia ago, there was much despair amongst the Wolves. The birth rate was low and the pack morale was weakening. Pups became a rare beloved sight and were almost worshipped. This all happened because a Wolf was a possessive creature. Their personalities had to match. When they were to mate, they exposed their deepest part of their beings to their partner. And for successful matings to occur, the Wolves had to be compatible in every aspect.

So after much deliberation, she created the idea of a fated mate. An irresistible pull to their perfect partner. There were no worries about ill intentions and miscarriages. She created a system so flawless that it had never made a mistake. Other Spirits also copied her idea when they saw her success and the Moon Mother praised her openly.

Never had she seen such... Debauchery. A male - possibly the Alpha - lounged on the throne where several women perversely tended to him. Men shouted raucously at the females around them, groping and molesting any in their path. She saw bruises and marks mar their figures and heard the males joke openly about forcing themselves on unwilling women.

She felt her humanity be swept out from under her very two feet. What were they doing? How could they violate their own females in such a way? As a female herself, she made sure females had an equal status as she knew that men always strayed and abused their physical advantage. Having a mate meant none of this would happen. Who was that filth who sat on such an honourable throne doing such dishonourable acts?

Lykiana scanned the crowd. Many of the faces she remembered were missing and the raucous crowd here was mostly made up of young men.

There was this thick cloying smell that hung heavy in the air that reminded Lykiana of the pile of corpses she smelt earlier, making her wrinkle her nose.

This... this was not forgivable.

She heard leering behind her and turned to see a drunk man stumble towards her. He stank of intoxication and death and reached for her without any hesitation. His clothes hung loosely from his frame, a frame that looked like it lost its muscle. His hair was greasy and his eyes were dull and clouded.

"You're a beauty, aren't you?" He slurred. "Never seen you around before".

Disgusting. His filthy hands tried to grope her, tainting her robes with his stench.

"Release me at once", she snarled. "If you do not heed my warning then I shall show you no mercy".

He bawled with laughter, seemingly confused by her confidence.

"Hah", he guffawed. "What could you possibly do?"

Lykiana snarled again and backhanded him with enough force that he burst through the tree behind him and came to a stop several metres away, kicking up a cloud of dust. The tree that he broke through fell with a thud, narrowly missing the man.

"How dare you disrespect me?" She growled. "I am your Spirit and you dare to put your mortal filth on your master?"

There was a perceptible taste of fear in the air and the formerly arrogant man was reduced to a whimpering mess.

Lykiana strode over to him and pulled him up by his thick untamed mane of hair roughly.

"I will ask you questions and you will answer them without fail", she threatened. "Where is your mate?"

As a youngling became an adult, they received a premonition on who their fated pair was. This filth in front of her looked to be at least twenty Earth years. He must have a mate.

"There are no more mates", he blubbered. "The mating system was abolished by our Alpha".

"Where is the rest of the pack?"

"They are the anti-Alpha sect. They refuse to join and have separated from us. Who are you?" There was wonder in his voice as he spoke. He shook his head, once gently and the second time much harder and groaned.

"I know you", he whispered. "How?"

She gazed at him with disappointment and confusion. Had those ten years really made him forget who she was? Then there was his state. She could see the warrior he might have been if none of this evil was happening. He had a good build and even more potential. He had a great destiny and it was withering away as he poisoned his mind to the point of no return.

He was one of hers, primarily. Whatever evil was happening, she did have the responsibility to guide and be fair. She remembered that circle of Dark Magic she lay in that kept her in deep sleep for a decade. If it could affect her despite her power, it could also affect her people. Maybe the evil had buried its roots in her people too.

"I am Lykiana, Spirit of the Wolves", Lykiana said.

There was a flash of recognition in his eyes and he gripped the side of his head in pain. "I do know you", he gasped as he shook his head harder as if to clear out the murkiness that held his mind captive. "You are our Spirit Mother".

"My child", she said tenderly as realised. This evil was almost controlling him. She watched him struggle with invisible demons as panted and writhed in pain. "Would you like to repent for your sin?"

"Yes", he sobbed, wringing his hands together. "Spirit Mother, I am sorry. My mind has been clouded by desire and lust. I truly have sinned. This fog clouds my brain as we speak, taunting me, tempting me into sin. Spirit Mother, please grant me some respite. Kill me if you must but do not let me go back to what I was".

"You will atone for your misdoings", she said. "By becoming a worthy soldier of this pack and a loyal subject. Not by death".

He sobbed in relief and kept his head bowed before her despite his suffering. Lykiana passed a hand over him which sent a wave of silvery light. The light absorbed into his skin and she watched in morbid fascination as he suddenly vomited a dark, black, tar-like liquid. It tried to reach up for him again and hissed in anger. Then just as fast as it came, it disappeared, slinking in the crevices of the ground.

By the Moon Mother, it was Dark Magic. But the form had evolved. When she fought during the Dark Reign, it could not exist outside of a host. The man retched a few times and then fell back heaving and sobbing.

"By the Spirits", he cried helplessly. "What have I done?"

Lykiana left him to cry as she processed her environment. It was strange but she could faintly sense some sort of trance in the air. The air didn't feel clean but intoxicating and heavy. It was less intense than the atmosphere she felt when she watched her pack earlier but it was still strong. There must be someone purposefully twisting the minds of the Wolves. She sniffed deeply and recoiled. There was a perceptible stench in the air of something sluggish and unnatural and it felt much like quicksand, dragging people under before they realised what was happening.

"Who is your Alpha?" Lykiana asked the young man who had finally calmed down.

"He is the ex-Alpha's younger brother, Skia. He overthrew the Alpha after the heir was banished".

"Why does no one take my name anymore?"

"We have been forbidden to. Using your name means execution".

There was indeed something sinister at play. Every Alpha needed her permission to take the role and Skia didn't. He had abolished the mating system and refused to acknowledge her.

"I do not understand", she asked - more to herself. "Why did the people not question him?"

"We have not seen the Spirits for many years. Those who still believe in Spirits live segregated from those who follow the Alpha's orders. We were told they had abandoned us and since we had no sightings, we believed in him".

She sighed in anger and placed a fingertip on his forehead. Working through his memories, she saw how it all unfolded. Skia had suddenly challenged the old Alpha and overthrew him. He started to preach about how the Spirits had abandoned them and many started to believe as several misfortunes occurred. The Wolves that did still believe in her one day just disappeared.

She needed to find those Wolves. They could be of help.

"Where are they?" She questioned.

"They live over those mountains, far enough as to not be easily attacked but close enough to step in".

She sighed. More travelling. But it was necessary. She was about to leave when the man spoke again.

"May I..." He stuttered. "Please, can I come with you?"

She gazed at him thoughtfully. His words proved his sincerity. And she could find out more. And she had a strong feeling that if he were to go back, he would immediately return to the man he used to be.

"Yes, you can", she said. "But first, you must bathe and purify yourself".

He bowed his head in agreement and walked off, presumably to cleanse himself. He appeared a while later, the stench of alcohol gone, wearing fresh clothes, with a large cloth bag.

"I do not intend on returning", he said quietly.

She placed her hand on his forehead and decided to bless him. Light pulsed from her hand as she ensured that the evil was gone and her blessing made its way into his soul. He flashed briefly, a white light encircling his body and he opened his eyes, clear and bright.

"Could you... Could you help more people?" He asked, hesitantly.

"I had thought of it, but I do not think I can. This body limits me far too much and the moment I leave, the darkness can take root again. I must find the source to save my people".

He nodded and glanced once more in the direction where the pack was.

She smiled at him warmly and they set off. 

How was that?

I'm going to try to update weekly from now on :)

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