New Moon- The Druid and her Lycan

-1-

-Iris 11 years old-

I remember it being cold. I could see my breath and the chill air bit my skin. The wind was even more painful on my face because of the stream of tears down my cheeks. It wasn't dark though, I could see the sun behind the angry, dark clouds just through the tops of the trees. I sat up to look at my surroundings and saw a tall wooden building. There were windows all around and it looked out over the trees trying to hide it. The chimney on top was extinguishing a plume of smoke and my instincts told me that it would be warm so I stood up and staggered stiffly towards it. 

My body was aching with every step and my battle wasn’t over when I reached the building. A staircase that wrapped the supports to the top made me want to give up. I blew hot air in my hands and it was enough to encourage me to start the climb. 

It was soon very clear that it would be impossible for me to make it to the top with how weak and cold I was. At some point I couldn’t make my body move and I lay where I made it on the stairs and waited for darkness to take me. 

Instead of the cold and the wind waking me, I was warm and I heard voices.

"How did she make it this far? The campsites are closed and no cabin owners have been up since the storm. It's truly a miracle she's alive!" a soft and concerned voice was the first that was clear to me.

"She doesn't even have signs of frostbite or hypothermia. Her temperature came back to normal very quickly too." A different but still soft voice replied.

"There aren't any missing children reports for 4 states with her description. It's almost like she appeared out of nowhere." a deeper voice spoke as well. It wasn't soft like the last two but it wasn't gravel like. 

Before more voice's said anything there was a loud knock on the door. Something in me just dropped, my eyes shot open and my heart started pounding. The voices that were talking all looked at me with wide eyes. 

"Shhh it's okay sweetheart, you're safe here. No one will hurt you, I promise." The first woman said and slowly walked over to me in a crouched position with her hands out so I could see them. It did calm me down but as soon as the door opened I flinched and cowered in the far corner of the couch I was on. 

She sat on the floor close to the opposite end as a tall man walked in. He had a concerned look on his face when he saw me shaking like a leaf in the corner. He talked to the other man as the other woman approached me with a few things in her hands.

"Hi hon, I'm a doctor. I'm just going to check your temperature and heart rate. Is that okay?" She asked as she slowly knelt next to the other woman. 

She showed the few things in her hands and they didn't look sharp or like they would hurt so I nodded my head.

"This is the last thing, okay?" She stated as she held out a thick piece of long cloth with a tube attached to it. "Can I see your arm sweetie?" she asked gently and I gave her my left arm which was closer to her. 

She wrapped it around my upper arm and it just stayed. The other thing she had with her looked like a big Y that was made out of a tube. She smiled again and nodded. 

"Are you thirsty sweetie?" she said and stood up. I nodded slightly and she brought back a water bottle. I drank a 1/3 of it and relaxed a bit more. The first woman got the courage to sit on the couch and wrap a blanket around me. She pulled a thin necklace with a beautiful pendant out of her pocket. I felt like I recognized it as she turned it over. There was a small iris engraved on the front of it.

"Is your name Iris hon?" she asked me and handed me the pendant. Both the necklace and the name felt familiar but I didn't know where. I tried to remember anything from before I felt cold, but a pain came to my head when I did. I winced and held my head between my hands. I felt the doctor's gentle hands examining my head.

"I don't remember." I cried softly as the pain wrapped my head.

"Can you look here for a second?" The doctor asked and I opened my eyes to look at her. "Can you follow my finger?" she asked and moved it slowly left to right and back again with a light. 

"No signs of a concussion. Maybe she's gained amnesia from some sort of trauma?" the doctor questioned more to herself. 

"Then we shouldn't push her to remember today." the first woman replied anyway and gently placed her hand on mine to get my attention. "It's okay sweetie, we won't make you try to remember." She smiled warmly at me and I instinctively moved closer to her and she wrapped an arm around me. 

"My name is Rayne. I found you on the stairs and got you here and warmed up. I know it will take time, but you can trust us." Her gentle smile made me more comfortable and I leaned against her and closed my eyes.

-Iris 21 years old-

I didn't move to get up when my dream ended. I stayed exactly how I was and continued to try to remember any hint of who I was before I woke up in that forest. 10 years and I still had no answers and a headache. I wasn't reported missing and they checked with every state's missing persons database. It really is like I appeared out of nowhere. I've gone to therapy to try and figure out why I had amnesia and where I could be from. 

"Iris, you wanted to be up before 9 right?" Rayne's voice echoed in the hallway outside my room. 

After that night she brought me home with her. She was a forest ranger in the Willamette national forest in Oregon state. She was in her first 6 months when she found me on the stairs. She was the only one I could trust for days so she filed the paperwork to be my guardian. She has a twin brother, Wayne who is like the season's as he comes and goes. He travels for his job and he seems very content with it. This was one of those rare times he stayed with us. I made my way downstairs and sat at the counter.

“I’ve got another job so I’ll be heading out this afternoon.” he ruffled my hair and sat down.

“Good luck on your next job, Wayne.” I smiled at him.

“Thanks Iris. I’ll see you guys soon.” He smiled back and poured  a cup of coffee.

Rayne met us downstairs and poured her own cup of coffee. She wasn't like a mother to me, more like a big sister.

"Are you nervous?" She asked as we made our way downstairs as well.

"A little, but I'm just hoping something comes to me this time." I gently held onto the pendant she found on me, the one with an Iris engraved on it. It was shaped like a locket but it was impossible to open. There's small filigree designs on it that looked like nature had taken it and wrapped the whole thing in a tight embrace. 

"I know hypnosis can be a bit weird but I've heard a lot of people enjoy the process and they feel like a new person. I just don't know what else we could do anymore to get answers for you." She looked over at me sadly and sat next to Wayne at the counter. 

"Even if I don't get answers I'm not going to be alone. I've got you guys and," I was cut off by the side door opening. In the doorway stood one of my best friends, Danny. She was an inch or so taller than me at 5' 6" and had long honey gold hair that she had in curled pigtails. Her complexion was still a couple shades darker than my porcelain one and her warm green eyes reminded me of the lush green in the summer.

"I hope you were going to say me, cause I'm awesome.'' She walked in and sat on the counter next to me and turned so she could see Rayne. We laughed a bit at her over inflated confidence but that's one of the many reasons I loved her and couldn't imagine my life without her.

"Of course, how could I forget my dear partner in crime." I giggled and we did our handshake that we made up the first time we met each other. It was like a greeting for us and it was odd if we didn't do it. Our third musketeer, Lily, would usually join us but she’s a busy college girl.

"After that I have plans for us." she wiggled her eyebrows at me and I sighed. "I promise it won't end like last time." She held one hand up and the other over her chest like she was making a vow. I nodded my head and rolled my eyes sarcastically. "I swear we will have fun!" She smiled. 

"So no flirting this time? When you flirt you could cause a fire!'' I laughed. She wasn't bad at flirting at all, she just chose the wrong people to flirt with and that's what gets us in trouble. 

The last was this huge, attractive guy at a music festival. Even when a girl walked up and said that he was her boyfriend, she got snarky and said, 'Why doesn't he stop me then?' which ended in the big guy, Lily and I trying to tear them apart from their cat fight.

"Fun sucker." she mumbled under her breath and pouted. I giggled and started to make breakfast. 

By 10:30 I was dressed in acid washed skinny jeans and a vintage Metallica T Shirt that I scored in a thrift store. Rayne and Danny were waiting for me by the garage door and I put on my favorite combat boots. 

Once in the car we started our drive toward Eugene. We lived just above the edge of Springfield with the McKenzie river in our backyard.

Would I finally get answers about who I am and where I came from?

"We're here." Rayne looked over at me and I nodded my head confidently. We all got out and walked into a nice looking waiting area. The receptionist peaked over the top of the desk and smiled warmly at us.

"We're here to see Dr. Cole for Iris." I told her as I stood on my tiptoes to look at her over the top of the desk. She nodded and typed a few things when the door opened. A tall, middle aged man was looking at a clipboard and saw us over the edge of it. He smiled as well and held his hand out, first to Rayne then Danny then me.

"Welcome in, I'm Dr. Cole." he smiled and looked at me. "I presume you're Iris?" he looked at the concerned faces of Rayne and Danny. "You both are more than welcome to sit in and make sure she's comfortable." They both nodded and smiled in appreciation as they followed behind me through the door. 

"So how will this work?" I asked as he led me to a day-bed. Everything about this room was warm and comfortable. We all sat down and he took a calm breath before he started to explain.

"I just want to make sure that you're comfortable and relaxed first. Hypnosis works when you're calm and open to it." He paused and waited for another question. 

"Does it hurt?" I asked.

"I've only helped one other person try to recover memories and there are some things the brain tries to protect us from. I am concerned that what you don't remember is something your brain is trying to protect you from." He paused and clasped his hands together. "Are you sure you want to know, even if you might regret it after?" He asked. 

I couldn't help the feeling that something was missing and the answer was found in my lost childhood. I wouldn't be able to live the rest of my life without knowing. I looked up determined and nodded my head.

"I can't live the rest of my life with those years missing. I'm prepared for the worst, I just need to know what happened and where I came from.'' I decided. He gave me an encouraging smile and sat up in his chair. 

"Okay just lay down and close your eyes." I did as he said and evened out my breathing. "Now Iris, I want you to focus on only my voice..." everything drifted away until I was just breathing. My mind goes blank and I feel like I'm floating on my back in a pool. I started to see the all too familiar memory that goes back to the beginning of my life here. The cold hitting my tear stained cheeks. 

An image of people surrounding me popped into my head and I heard them all saying something then it was gone. I felt like a door was slammed in my face and the pain came with it. 

"Iris! Wake up!" I heard Rayne and her hands were gentle on my shoulders. My eyes snapped open and I found her worried warm brown eyes staring back at me. I looked around and saw that I was still in Dr.Coles office.

"I'm sorry my method caused you pain." he apologized. "There is some deep rooted trauma in your lost memories that your brain desperately doesn't want you to remember." He handed me a bottle of water and I smiled when I took it.

"Could you try again?" I asked and sat up straight to face them as Rayne sat next to me on the day-bed. He gave me a concerned look and slightly shook his head. 

"I don't think that would be a good idea, Iris. You didn't react well at all. I think it would cause more harm than good if you tried to dig them out." He answered with a solemn look. I didn't like his answer but I understood. The looks Rayne and Danny were giving me, I knew they felt as disappointed as me. 

"I understand, thank you for trying." I smiled and tried to hide my disappointment. 

After we left and got back to the house, Rayne started some tea for us. I sat at the counter and spun slightly in my chair.

"I'm sorry it didn't work." Danny said next to me and wrapped an arm around me. 

"I didn't think it would. I did see something though.'' I rubbed the side of my head and squinted as a slight pain came from remembering the people who surrounded me. "I was surrounded by people and they were all saying the same thing. I don't know what it was."  

"Maybe that's a start. Let's take a couple days then we can come back to this and try and figure out what they were saying." Danny said hopefully. I smiled over at her, thankful for her encouragement. 

"Thank you both. I don't know what I would do without you." I felt my heart swell and tears on the edges of my eyes. 

I was lucky enough to be taken in by such a caring and warm person. She raised me with love and encouragement and I didn't know what I could do to repay her. I try to help her with bills since I supposedly turned 18. I've worked at a suit and tie restaurant for the last couple years as a hostess. She's done so much for me that this was the best way I could think to help.

Over the next week or so my recurring dream changed. I kept coming to the people who surrounded me, chanting something I couldn't understand.

One night I dreamt about a woman with a kind smile. She looked down at me and she took my hands.

"Nature is one with you, and you are one with nature. The blessings you will receive will show your strength. The gifts placed within you will guide you on your journey." She wiped something cool and smooth across my forehead and I felt my body start to tingle.

A light breeze whipped around me as vines and flowers grew from where I knelt on the ground. There was a warmth in my right hand and a coolness on my left. I heard birds tweeting around me and chittering small animals. In the distance there was a howl that filled me with dread.

I woke up gasping and looked around my room to feel grounded. My eyes found the mirror and I couldn't believe the reflection. I was floating above my bed!

As I gasped I fell flat on my back against the mattress. I sat up and tried to even my frantic breathing. I got up and went to the bathroom. Turning on the water to splash on my face I paused as it arched towards my hand. The water was attracted to my hand like a magnet. My heart rate spiked and the light bulb exploded. I jumped and stepped back, leaving the water on. 

"What's going on?" I whispered to myself, baffled about what I just experienced.

-Dominic-

I finally got to my room and collapsed on my bed. The day flashed by but I was still exhausted. Dealing with angry Lycans is worse than angry werewolves. 

As next in line to be the Lycan Alpha I needed to be seen as a force to be reckoned with. Werewolves and Lycans are similar but Lycans are much stronger, faster and more dominant.

A Lycan wolf is quite a bit bigger as well as having the ability to have 2 forms of shifting. The most common is the Lycan wolf that is bigger then what humans see werewolves as. A man half shifted into a beast. That form is difficult to maintain and most lose their consciousness giving the beast full control. 

Shifting and pack dynamics are similar as well. Since Lycans are more dominant and powerful our job is to monitor other packs and keep the peace. 

*Nic, can you come to my office?* my dad mind-linked me. I sighed but got up and walked upstairs to my dads office. As I opene