Rise Of The New Alpha: moonfall

-- Land of the Valkeryn --

The King and Alpha of the Vargheim clan drew in a deep shuddering breath and exhaled slowly as he peered across the bloody plain that stretched for miles below him. His dark fur shimmering in the midday sun. Broken bodies, gore and armour were strewn over the entire field, and the coppery smell of congealing blood caused him to bare his teeth and growl deep in his barrel chest. He turned towards the direction of one of his rapidly approaching warrior who was sent to scout the bloody scene before him. The warrior approached the king and knelt on one knee.

The king nodded for him to speak.

"There are no survivors, my king"

The king shook his head sadly and said gloomily.

"I know it is so. I could already sense it."

He snorted as if to expel the sickening odour of death, and shook his head in disbelief.

"But how could this have happened? Three hundred of our mightiest warriors cut down and slain. How could they have been able to do that? They wouldn't dare to attack us in broad daylight –they're nothing but assassins, cutters of throats in the dark"

He turned to the warrior once again.

"But if not them, then who – who would dare it...who could dare it?"

"My king, look!"

The king spurred the horse to where another figure crouched down looking intently at something in the mud. He pointed and moved his gauntleted hand over the shape, and then looked up to the king.

"A foot-print – it is a were's footprint, but different and unlike anything I've ever seen. The size..... Impossible"

The king stared at the shape in huge print with its knife-like claws, then looked away towards the horizon.

"I have heard legends of a colony of giant werewolves from the dark lands"

He looked around at the carnage.

"Whoever did this did not just want to win the day, but wanted to grind us to dust. This was nothing but bloody savagery"

He looked up at the sky, noting the position of the sun – mid morning and the heat was rising. They needed to get their fallen below ground before the scavengers of the sky would come. He felt exhaustion and weariness weighing heavily on his shoulders. It was not his age or his armour, but the feeling of impending danger that seemed to drag the strength from his frame. He had fought many wars, but none had caused the sense of disquiet that he now felt deep inside his chest.

Another warrior plodded through the mud and stopped to look up at the king, his mouth working, but no words came. The king frowned at him.

"What is it?"

"My king, some . . ."

The king waited for a few more seconds.

"Speak, Ulf. Fear nothing."

The warrior drew in a breath and replied raspily.

"Some of the bodies...have been...partially eaten, my king."

The king lowered his head and shut his eyes. He nodded slowly.

"May odin give us strength and wisdom, for I fear a war like no other comes to Valkeryn"

He dropped the horse's reins and reached up to lift the silver helmet from his head. He ran one hand up through his hair, and looked around, scanning the ridge.

The breath caught in his throat – a silhouette on the rise. It could not be. He blinked and tried to speak, but no words came. All he could do was lift his arm to point. At last he found his voice.

"Have I gone mad? Ulf? do you see this that I see?"

The tall warrior followed his gaze and then frowned in bewilderment.

"Then I am also mad, sire. I see, but it is impossible – they are a myth."

The sun dropped a little lower and the silhouette disappeared. The king dropped his hand, and nodded.

"All things are possible in these darkening days."

"Shall we go after it, my king?"

"No. Events will unfold as they are meant to." The king said ominously as he watched the sun set over the horizon.

"Ulf, when did vadarr propose the next moonfall is due to occur?"

"Three months and a week away from today, my king. When the veil between the two worlds would be at it's thinnest. The full moon would align with a specified configuration of stars and planets called the lunar cycle"

The king sighed.

"The prophecy would come, I only hope it wouldn't be too late before then"

The King spoke without turning.

"Not too long now. I would wish for more time for us, but there will be none given."

He raised one large fist and pounded it against his thighs.

"We need hold them for only a few months until the moonfall! Only then, may I dare to believe that we can defeat them. We are the Vargheim.The strength of the kingdom is not in her stone, but in her blood and flesh. We will face them in battle, eye to eye – our courage, our skill and Odin's will, will define our victory, not our ability to cower behind brick and mortar. The walls will be our last refuge, not the first, great warrior ulf"

Ulf shifted uneasily on his feet.

"My king, what if we can't hold them?"

The king turned and looked at him with weary eyes.

"A king may fall, but a kingdom may not. While a single Vargheim lives, then so too will Valkeryn."

He smiled.

"We will hold them." He turned and stared once more at the glowing horizon.

"All Vargheim must fight when the clan and the kingdom is threatened – not just because it is our duty, but because it is in our blood. Male, female, old, young. All who are strong enough to wield a sword, axe or pike will heed the call. The very young, the sick and very old have already been spirited away to somewhere safe, but there is one who must also be kept safe – one who is the soul and future of this mighty kingdom."

"You mean the girl child, my king?"

The king nodded solemnly.

"Yes. My very own heir, Kaetillin . Ulf, great son of Grinvildar, you have proved your courage, honour and skill – all things that are valued and needed now. You must take along with you a pack of your strongest men and transverse through the dark lands, across the sacred forest and into the land of the humans. Seek for where this my estranged heir is and let her know of her origin. Only she holds the power to save the great kingdom and clan of Vargheim. Go, oh great warrior, may the luck and strength of Odin be with you"

"It shall be done, my king"

Ulf said and bowed slightly, before he turned, unsheathed his sword and ran down the ridge that they stood on.

* * *

--Fremont High School, Fremont, Nebraska--

Caitlyn Wynter closed her physics textbook and put it into her backpack as her concentration was drowned by the ringing of the school bell, announcing that lessons was over for the day. She sauntered out of the classroom, as her fellow students brushed past her in their haste.

She's almost 17, tall, athletically built with long auburn hair and bright green eyes that seem capable of hypnosis. She doesn't just have the gorgeous looks going for her because she's also well acknowledged as possessing a genius level intellect and easily the smartest person in her school.

Caitlyn is a member of the MENSA organization that connects highly intelligent individuals globally. At the age of 16, she scored an outstanding 298 on the mensa test, categorizing her amongst the top highest percentiles. The complex world of science has always fascinated her, ranging from the cosmos down to subatomic particles, everything held secrets that her curiosity always piques her to uncover.

She walked to her locker, opened it up to lock-in a few of her items before she noticed the brown piece of paper that was tucked underneath her locker. She grabbed it and opened it up, her brows creased in confusion and curiosity.

She sighed in irritation after reading it's content. It was her secret admirer again.

She doesn't know who he is yet, but he's clearly been stalking her and she wondered if it would be advisable to report to the school authorities.

What if whoever it was that was making secret passes at her has unholy or malevolent motive towards her?

Reading it again, she thought better of it. Whoever it was seem harmless to her.

Would be better off if he comes out in the open and talk to her directly.

She closed her locker and was about turning away before she was called by two of her closest school friends, Olivia and Jenny.

"Kate, hol'up!"

While Olivia is a beautiful blond with long auburn hair and piercing green-grey eyes Jenny on the other hand is a stunning brunette with thick, dark, curly hair that she always tie up in a ponytail, electrifying light blue eyes and a light spray of freckles on her cheeks. They weren't just her closest friends, but they were like sisters to her.

Jenny peered at her suspiciously.

"And what's that flushed look on your face all about?" She asked Cate, folding her arms.

"Nothing" Cate muttered, then sighed. It was no use hiding it from them anyways.

She showed them the secret letter written on a piece of paper, their eyes widening in thrill.

"Oh my gosh! Cate has a boyfriend!" Olivia almost screamed, making Cate to try covering the blond girl's mouth with her hands.

"Shush it, Olivia! I don't even know who he is

yet. And I don't like stalkers. They give me the creeps. Do you think he might have sinister motive? "

"The write up seem genuine and harmless. He's just a secret admirer, that's all. Dont get yourself worked up, alright?"

"C'mon, we will miss the school bus" Olivia tugged both her friends along.

The three teenage girls climbed up the waiting school bus that was already swarming with loud school kids that were either screaming, throwing light jabs or hurling rumpled piles of paper at each other. The bus driver held his head and grimaced as though he was having a migraine. He then turned to part away the fabric partition wall over his shoulder and bellowed at the horde of high school teenagers.

"For chrissake..pipe down, all of you!"

They quietened momentarily, but Cate knew their voices would still rise again into a crescendo soon. She, Olivia and Jenny flopped onto the seats at the rear end of the bus, as the bus's door groaned shut. Then the engine roared to life, completely drowning off the noise of the students within the bus as it lumbered away from the kerb.

Cate watched an over excited Olivia tried to engage Jenny in a discussion about the science excursion class that was scheduled tomorrow, an entire day devoted to visiting the Feynman particle-collider at Lincoln but the teenage brunette didn't seem all that enthusiastic. While Olivia and Cate were avid science geeks, Jenny on the other hand seemed to lean more towards music and stage performance, practicing her guitar and singing with a local band. She also has a flair for the arts, often spending her free time painting and writing poetry. Jenny listened with barely concealed disinterest, while Cate looked distracted.

Cate couldn't help it as her mind drifted towards the event of the previous day. Something about it continued to nag at her memory, making her feel uneasy.

Just the night before, a middle aged man had been attacked and killed deep in the woodland of Valparaiso park where he wandered through in the middle of the night after getting lost.

Forensic analysis had failed to recognize the creature that attacked the man. The creature's footprint was categorized under canis lupus, which is the genus that wolves are classified under.

But the footprint was larger. The area had been sealed off as a "crime scene", but the three adventurous girls had sneaked out of the school premises, hitch a ride to the woodlands where the incident had occured, after wandering around the area for a while, and clearing pine needles and twigs from an area of particular interest in the soil, they were able to make out a rough shape in the dry soil. The small depressions resolved into a pattern, something more than an accident. After pulling a tape measure to scale the length and width of the footprint, Cate had pulled a small battered notebook from her pocket, removing the rubber-band binding it, and scribbled with the pencil stub that rolled free of its pages.

It hadn't taken long before they were done and ran off the scene before they'd get spotted or caught.

Now Cate brought out her small sized PC from her backpack and placed it on her laps.

"Here goes" she said under her breathe as her friends drew closer to her.

The bus slowed to pick up more students, adding to the chatterings within the bus.

Cate keyed in some commands on the PC's keyboard and after a while, a virtual simulated rendering suggested a creature that was almost seven feet tall and upright like a man. Definitely not a wolf, but related. It looked more like a cross between a wolf and a man and could have easily weighed 700 pounds or even more.

Olivia gasped beside her.

"Oh my goodness, Cate. This is getting weirder than I thought. Do you think it's a wrong rendering or something?"

"No, I don't think. This is just as real as you see it" Cate said.

Jenny shook her head and said; "I should have brought a camera. Sorry to doubt you guys earlier, but I thought this was going to be hoax number one million, and so I didn't bother. I'll come back later and take some casts."

"If this is what I really think it is, it could be the greatest discovery of the 21st century. In fact, this could make the Coelacanth and wollemi pine look like sardines and dried flowers" Cate said.

Olivia rolled her eyes at Cate. "Just say it, Cate. Even if it sounds crazy and illogical"

Cate looked at the faces of her two beloved friends. "Do you guys believe in the supernatural or the paranormal?"

"If it inclines on magic, then I don't. Science and magic can never go together. But this could probably be something in between. I think we have a new and undiscovered specie of wolf-like creature wandering in our backyard"

Cate had a quizzical look on her face, and her friends noticed it.

"Say it, Cate" they said almost simultaneously at her.

"Here goes. In 1973, there was a reported sighting of a large, hairy wolf-like being that witnesses described was six to seven feet tall and covered in dark brown or black fur, with glowing eyes. The creature was reported as being highly aggressive and has conducted attacks on humans and livestock in what is present-day Chicago. They call it the Chicago wolfman. The Chicago Police Department and local animal control investigated the sightings, but no concrete evidence was found, so the paranormal case was closed and dubbed a hoax, but there's another interesting one".

She looked at the faces of her friends, jenny looked pale and ashen faced, while Olivia's large eyes seem even larger in genuine interest as she listened to Cate.

Cate took a glance through the bus's window, they were now at south broad street, soon the bus would arrive at South main street where she lives. While Olivia and Jenny both live at S. Hwy 77 street.

"They call it the Beast of Gévaudan. It was a legendary creature that was reputed to have terrorized the countryside of south-central France, particularly in the province of Gévaudan from 1764 to 1767. The creature was described as large and wolf-like with sharp teeth and claws, A strong, unpleasant rank odor, Glowing eyes and a very distinctive howl. It was also said to be around 6 feet long and weighed around 200 pounds. The creature was alleged to have attacked and killed numerous people, mostly women and children, often targeting their head and neck"

Jenny looked stricken, Olivia still stared wide eyed. The look on her face almost made Cate to laugh.

"What happened to it? Did they kill it?"

"The French government and local authorities launched several hunts for the creature, involving professional hunters, soldiers, and even a special task force. However, despite numerous reported sightings and attacks, the creature was never captured or killed...and yet again it was dubbed as a legendary hoax. Some argued that it was just a large wolf or a wolf hybrid or a misidentified known animal like a bear or a hyena. While others argued that a serial killer clowning under the legend of the creature as a cover up or just a mythical creature that was exaggerated over time. So yeah. that's it, guys" Cate said finally.

"There has been similar reported sightings, but again, no concrete evidence" Cate said and shrugged.

"Now that is one hell of a tale. But like Friedrich Nietzsche once said; falsehood is a coin which, once stamped, retains its value even if the metal is base. Something's definitely in it. I feel this is like an undercover ripple effect that will soon bloom open" Olivia said philosophically.

"Ohh damn" jenny cooed, still visibly shaken by the abnormal story Cate just told them both.

The bus screeched to a halt on an embarkment and some students started pouring out of the bus.

Cate turned to her two friends.

"There's my stop, babes. See you two tomorrow. And never forget the science excursion trip"

"Not for anything" Olivia replied.

She lightly hugged her two friends, slung her backpack on her shoulder and jumped out of the bus, as it continued on its journey down south of Fremont.

She turned towards the large grandiose victorian mansion, where she lives, with it's patterned brown colored brick work, intricately carved ornate singles and trims, steeply pitched roof with multiple overlapping gables. There was a small fountain with a statue of a long haired cupid girl wielding a stretched bow and arrow on the front lawn of the large and old building. A well trimmed manicured garden of rose and tulips surrounds the main building.

She opened the gate latch of the wooden picket fence surrounding the building and walked in. She smiled as she knew what was coming.

The front door exploded outward as Jess, the huge female German shepherd sprinted towards her like a black-and-brown-furred missile. Cate acted quickly, dropping her backpack beside her and braced her legs as the dog accelerated towards her and then leapt at Cate, knocking Cate backward to sprawl on the lawn. She laughed as the dog kept wagging its tail furiously, it's tongue flicking madly for her chin and cheeks.

"Heyy, Jessy. I see you've missed me too much for the few hours I've gone. But you must be careful not to give me a concussion someday, seeing as you've grown so big already"

It was like a tradition between Cate and her huge dog, Jess everyday she comes back from school. There was a strong bond and connection between her and the canine that borders on telepathic and psychological empathy.

She got up and picked up her backpack after she managed to calm the huge over-excited dog and they both walked up to the steps on the porch of the mansion that haven't lost its charm and beauty after so many decades.

She entered through the open front door, with Jess walking beside her.

The interior of the large building features a curved grand staircase that dominated the entrance hall. High ceiling with intricate plaster-work on which ornate crystal chandeliers hung. The wood paneling on the walls, floors and ceilings were dark and rich and exude a sense of opulence.

Cate couldn't shake off the feeling that the huge house always look haunted and ominous at nights like a witch's castle.

"Cate?" Someone called out.

Footsteps was heard from up the stairs as Martha Wynter, Caitlyn's foster mom walked down the stairs to check who the intruder was. She had earlier heard Jess, barking maniacally, pushing the front door open by rearing up on her hind legs and then sprinted outside to meet whoever it was that just entered the gate of their estate.

She saw Cate rubbing Jess's head downstairs and her face immediately brightened.

Cate went onto hug and she smoothed back Cate's hair.

"How was your day at school today?"

"Uneventful and same old. Oh yeah, we'd be going for a science excursion class in Omaha tomorrow"

"Are Olivia and Jenny going along with you too?"

"Yes, mom"

"That's great. Now you go freshen up, lunch is almost ready. I prepared your favorite; BLTs on a toasted bun, grilled turkey burgers and pasta"

"My stomache is grumbling already, I can't wait" Cate squealed in excitement as she bounded up the stairs, the large dog trailing after her.

Cate opened the door to her room and almost screamed in fright.

"What are you doing in here, Alex?"

Her red-haired, troublesome foster brother, Alex, turned to scoff at her.

"Ohh please, was just checking for bugs" He said, holding his palm up and grinning like an idiot.

"What do you mean? You've messed up my room!"

"You will clean it up anyways. Just my usual round of inspection". He replied arrogantly and almost pushed Cate out of the way as he stormed out of her room.

Cate put her right hand on her forehead and groaned in frustration as she looked around her upturned and haphazard room.

Alex was like a thorn under her flesh and he never relinquishes any chance of executing mischief on Cate.

Cate dropped her backpack and fell flat on her bed, closing her eyes. Jess drew closer to her, nuzzling her nostril towards Cate's cheeks and she responded by caressing the dog's head.

* * *

After having a long refreshing shower and lunch, Cate sat cross-legged on her bed, her laptop balanced on her knees. The dim glow of the screen illuminated her face. She had planned to spend just an hour or two preparing for tomorrow's excursion, but the rabbit hole she'd stumbled into had devoured the evening.

The Feynman Particle Accelerator. The name alone was enough to send a thrill of excitement through her. The facility, touted as one of the most advanced in the world, was where humanity danced on the edges of understanding the universe's secrets. The website boasted stunning visuals-massive steel tubes snaking through vast underground chambers, engineers hunched over glowing consoles, and scientists beaming in front of blackboards crammed with equations she could barely comprehend.

She leaned closer, clicking through links and skimming articles. The collider's primary mission was to study subatomic particles, but there were whispers-buried deep in obscure forums and niche science blogs-of anomalies. Minor glitches in the data. Strange patterns no one could explain.

She went deeper in her researches and her search results sprawled across the screen: archived news clippings, obscure blog posts, and fragmented forum discussions. One headline caught her eye: "The Rift Incident: A Science Experiment Gone Wrong?"

She clicked on the link, and her heart skipped as the article loaded. It detailed an accident that had occurred at the Feynman Particle Accelerator over fifty years ago. According to the report, a routine experiment had gone catastrophically awry. Scientists were running a high-energy collision test when, instead of the expected results, something inexplicable happened.

Eyewitness accounts described a tear-a shimmering distortion in the air, as though reality itself had fractured. Some called it a wormhole; others dismissed it as an illusion caused by the intense electromagnetic fields. But the most chilling claims came from the workers who swore they saw... shapes on the other side.

Caitlyn's pulse quickened as she read on. Those who were there reported seeing enormous, wolf-like figures standing in the rippling void, their eyes glowing an unnatural amber. One technician, who had retired shortly after the incident, described hearing guttural growls echo through the facility even after the distortion collapsed.

There was an official explanation, of course. The Feynman team had chalked it up to a containment breach, releasing bursts of plasma and magnetic interference that created the illusion of a "rift." But buried in the comments section of the article, Caitlyn found another story entirely.

She scrolled through posts from self-proclaimed whistleblowers and amateur researchers. They claimed that the incident hadn't just been a freak accident. The particle accelerator had briefly linked to a parallel world-one where creatures, part human and part wolf, thrived. According to one user, who claimed to have accessed leaked documents, the magnetic anomalies in the area weren't a coincidence. The accelerator was built there because of the site's unusual properties, properties that might have been tied to the existence of these beings.

Her breath caught as she clicked on a grainy image attached to a post. It was said to be from the night of the incident: a blurred, black-and-white shot of a towering figure with elongated limbs and sharp, gleaming eyes standing just beyond the distortion's edge. She leaned back, her thoughts spinning. Of course, it could all be conspiracy nonsense. People loved turning scientific accidents into fantastical stories. But the more she read, the harder it was to shake the eerie feeling growing in her chest.

The clock on her screen read 2:13 a.m. She sighed, running a hand through her hair. Tomorrow, she would see the accelerator for herself. Caitlyn closed the laptop, but as she crawled into bed, the image of those glowing amber eyes stayed with her.

She kept turning uneasily in her bed until she eventually fell asleep.

* * *

--- Land of the Valkeryn ---

The huge disc of the moon hung low over the dark forest of Valkeryn, its silver light barely penetrating the dense canopy above. Ulf tightened his grip on the hilt of his blade, his golden eyes scanning the shadows around him. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and something more sinister-a warning carried on the night breeze.

He glanced back at his warriors, a group of hardened men and women clad in dark leather and steel, their sharp features tense. These were Vargheim's best, handpicked by the king himself for the mission. They had one purpose: to find Caitlyn Wynter, the king's lost heir, and bring her back to their realm. Failure was not an option.

"Stay close," Ulf growled, his voice low and gravelly. "The forest does not welcome us, but we must press on."

The group moved silently, their footsteps muffled by the moss-covered ground. Ulf led the way, his every sense attuned to the forest's whispers. He knew they were being watched. The trees seemed alive, their twisted branches clawing at the sky, and the shadows between them shifted unnaturally.

A faint rustle came from the left. Ulf froze, raising a hand to halt his warriors. His sharp gaze darted to the source of the sound, but there was nothing there.

"Ambush!" one of his warriors shouted, and the forest exploded into chaos.

Figures burst from the shadows, their faces hidden by dark hoods, their weapons gleaming in the moonlight. They moved with unnatural speed, striking with precision and ferocity. Ulf roared, swinging his blade in a wide arc, the silver steel catching the light as it cleaved through the first attacker. Blood sprayed across the trees, and the hooded figure crumpled.

The forest was a blur of flashing steel, snarls, and screams. Ulf fought with the strength of ten men, his blade a deadly extension of his will. He moved like a predator, his strikes swift and decisive, cutting down anyone who dared approach. Around him, his warriors battled valiantly, but the assailants were many, too many.

"Hold the line!" Ulf bellowed, his voice echoing through the forest.

He spun, blocking a blow aimed at his side and driving his blade through another attacker. But for every enemy he felled, two more seemed to take their place. He could feel the tide turning. His warriors were being overwhelmed, their numbers dwindling in the onslaught.

A sharp pain lanced through his side, and Ulf snarled, twisting to see a blade embedded in his ribs. He struck down his assailant with a vicious swing, but the damage was done. Blood seeped through his armor, and his strength began to wane.

Another attacker lunged at him, and then another. Ulf fought them off with a feral growl, but his movements were slowing, his vision dimming. Finally, a blow landed-a heavy strike to the back of his skull. He stumbled, falling to his knees.

Around him, his warriors lay motionless, their bodies littering the forest floor. The attackers surrounded him, their weapons raised, their faces still hidden in shadow. Ulf gritted his teeth, his golden eyes blazing defiantly even as his body gave out.

"If you think this ends with me," he growled, his voice low but unwavering, "you are mistaken."

With a final surge of strength, Ulf lashed out, slashing at the nearest attacker before a blade pierced his chest. He gasped, blood bubbling on his lips, and fell forward onto the mossy ground.

The last thing he saw was the pale light of the moon breaking through the canopy, a silent witness to his fall.

He whispered to himself as blood trickled down his shoulder to form a puddle on the twig-covered forest floor.

"I have failed you this day, my king. Long live the Vargheim. Long live the kingdom of valkeryn"

His vision blurred and he lay down.

And then, there was nothing as his consciousness slipped away.