The Moon and The Earth

Chapter 1 - Eyes Locked …

Luna

It had been an interesting couple of weeks. I hadn’t noticed that I had changed but clearly others around me had noticed a shift. I wasn’t intentionally radiating an aura so to speak but according to my best friend Bea I was glowing. The attention made me particularly uncomfortable and I really wasn’t keen on having heads turn and eyes on me but that is just how it was. I was a witch and I turned 18 yesterday. The entrance to adulthood as a witch was one to appreciate and the power that came with it was not one to disregard. So, despite the run up to my 18th birthday the feeling I now carried was one I had been waiting for - I always knew I would make a great witch. How little did I know how great I would be….

Let’s go back to the run up to my birthday. It was Sunday morning and I had woken abruptly from another restless night. Sleep was becoming a challenge and I had started to feel irritable with it which wasn’t ideal. I decided I needed to get out. I dragged on my running shorts and vest. Tied up the laces on my trainers. Dragged my short bob into a tiny ponytail to keep it at bay and stretched my body. As I jogged down the stairs the smell of pancakes radiated from the kitchen.

“Lu, the pancakes are nearly ready” called my Mum with her head buried in the fridge. As she turned around cream in her hand she took in my outfit.

“Oh you are going for a run, I will keep them on the stove for when you get back okay”

“Thanks Mum, that will be great, see ya”

“Bye darling”

I closed the door behind me and started down the path. Our house was on a quiet street that backed onto trees. It was a beautiful sight come Autumn but that season had long passed and we were in the optimism of Spring. The forest was coming alive, the bulbs were erupting, the trees were becoming greener and the sun danced through the branches. It was my mum’s favourite time of year. As a Green Witch she was at one with nature and her surroundings she drew her power from the earth itself. She mastered in herbs and was a natural healer so for her Spring offered a wide range of opportunities that may not benefit other types of witches. I felt the forest’s power as I entered the pathway. The sun on my body was like a tonic, I felt it penetrate my skin and work deep into my bones. I jogged along the main path originally as I always had. I ignored anyone I saw, just focused on the tunes in my ears and the pounding of my feet on the ground. I deviated at some point unconsciously probably and headed further into the forest. I looked up and the sky was more obstructed here, the leaves created a roof and the ground felt softer under my feet. I checked my watch and I was really pleased with my pace, as it had been something I could control and improve and then I tripped. It all happened so quickly, the ground came up to me fast and I didn’t have time to save myself with my hands. I hit something on the way down and everything just disappeared. When I came to, the ground felt soft somehow and I was looking up at the canopy of green leaves above me. How was I on my back, I must have flipped over. What had happened. I moved a little and it became apparent quickly that I wasn’t alone, my instincts told me to get up but my body couldn’t follow their lead, there was a specific scent that penetrated my nostrils, it was cedarwood. I looked up again and noticed that I was in someone’s arms, someone was carrying me. I dragged myself into the present willing myself to acknowledge my situation. I knew I wasn’t in danger that I could sense but I also wasn’t in control. The person noticed my alertness returning and carefully laid me on the ground and stepped away. I still wasn’t quite with it so rubbed at my eyes and shook some sense into my being when I looked up again I was alone the whole thing almost felt surreal I checked my body over, rubbed at my head but nothing. I got up slowly, I had no clue on my bearings but heard the stream nearby and headed in that direction. The stream would always take me home. I started to feel steadier on my feet as I took each step yet I was still quite dazed from the whole episode. What had happened to me I thought. I must have hit my head at some point because the whole thing still felt quite misty and I had a feeling that I just couldn’t clear. I found the stream quickly and walked along the edge knowing that I would see the houses in the distance soon and that was when I heard it. It clearly had heard me first. My instincts had returned and I knew I was being watched. He was in the distance sipping at the stream. His dark fur glistened in the sun and his eyes when they rose to mine were the deepest of brown. Wolves or werewolves to those not in the know were common in these parts but I hadn’t seen one this close before. I went to school with wolves but I had rarely seen one in wolf form. They were very private creatures as were witches I suppose so the chance of interacting with one was rare. He clearly wasn’t scared as he would have heard me coming in this direction well before I had headed this way. He bent down again taking another sip and I cautiously continued on my path. As I passed on the opposite side of the stream he looked up one last time. He stared straight at me and our eyes locked, a feeling of familiarity pricked at my subconscious but I looked straight back down and went on my way, eye contact was not the done thing. I knew he wouldn’t hurt me. Wolves and witches didn’t bother one another. They carried on their lives in harmony keeping to their own territories and their own kind. To him I was nothing. I soon saw the back of the houses in the distance and was thankfully home quite shortly afterwards. I felt exhausted and collapsed on the sofa as soon as I got through the door.

“You’ve overdone it there haven’t you Luna” my Mum called from the table. I didn’t even have the energy to tell her what had happened.

“All that thinking of running makes me exhausted” laughed River my little brother as he brushed his dark hair back off his forehead wiping at his brow dramatically.

“Very funny Riv” I called from the sofa. “You better have not eaten all the pancakes!”

“Yours are on the stove” said Mum, “come and grab them.”

And just like that the early morning drama had disappeared and normality had resumed.

However, out in the depths of the forest a pair of big brown eyes were fixated on the house on the edge of the woods.

Connell

I had been out for a few hours now and had started to head back into town through the forest. I had needed a long run. Sleep seemed to be elusive at the moment and I was struggling to concentrate during the day. I knew going further and faster was what I needed and I felt great. Strong and alert. It made everything in me feel at its best. My head and my body were in sync and running made all the noise disappear. I had entered the clearing at the county line when I scented her well before I saw her. That aroma was so distinguishable to me yet I hoped none of the others had picked up her scent also. I knew some of the pack had run out last night too as I could feel them close by. No doubt checking up on me but I had managed to keep clear of any company which was my very intention. I ran to check as I knew she could be in danger being out here alone if any of the others had been on their way back. They would have been tired and not in their best minds. It didn’t take me long to check the paths were clear and stopping and listening meant I could hear them if they were hiding. I think they probably headed back a lot earlier than I had. I ran back as gently as I could to where I sensed her originally, keeping my distance just in case. Her instincts would be sharp but I could hear the music playing in her ears so knew she would be less alert compared with normal. She was running at a decent pace that meant I could jog alongside, hidden by the trees. I wasn’t even sure why I was wanting to be near her but I felt this urge to get closer. As she turned the corner I saw the rock before she did. My instinct was to howl in warning but knew that would be foolish and too late. So I did all I could do and that was to catch her before she hit the ground. I leaped changing as I landed, wrapping my arms around her body and bringing her close to me as we fell to the ground. I had broken so many rules in this one moment. I knew I must have released the fog before I changed as she was quite out of it at first. I looked down at her with mere moments before the fog would lift and her senses would come back. She was so incredibly beautiful. Dark hair pinned back from her petite face. Her plush lips were murmuring and her eyes were closed. She had small star and moon stud earrings in her ears and a strip of hair was tangled in one. I carefully unwrapped it, gently stroked the skin on her cheek as that would probably be the first and last time I would touch her again and then placed her down gently and stepped away. She was starting to come around and the last thing I wanted her to see was my naked body standing next to her. We definitely would have more problems to deal with then. As she rubbed her eyes I backed into the treeline and quietly shifted back. I kept my distance as she slowly made her way along the stream but as she came around the bend I decided to break all of the rules and show myself. I knew it was risky and to be honest I knew I was going to be in deep shit but it was like I needed to do it. She looked up at me as I drank from the river, our eyes locked and I knew she recognised me in some way. What I didn’t know then was over the coming weeks how determined she would be to find me.