1Long ago, there was a beautiful, gray lone wolf named Omni, that desperately wanted a family. Every night, she wished for pups to love and raise. One special night on a full moon, as she was hunting at the edge of the forest, she saw a very bright light float down over an open meadow. As the light landed on the soft grass, it formed into a giant, glowing white wolf with shimmering gold wings. Omni cowered at the edge of the trees, unsure of whether to be afraid of the giant wolf.
The white wolf slowly walked to where Omni was hiding and said, “Do not fear me, I am here to grant your wish. My name is Moonstone, I am the goddess of the moon.”
Omni stared at Moonstone, in awe of her beauty and size.
“You are a very special wolf, Omni. You are brave and loving. You were never meant to live alone,” explained Moonstone. “I am going to bestow a very special gift. By the second full moon, you will be mother to a pack of extraordinary pups.”
Omni radiated with happiness.
Moonstone continued, “They will need your love and guidance to grow into the protectors of this land. You see, there is an evil that is coming. One that wants to take over this world and cover it in darkness. When the time comes, I will need you and the pups to fight against this wickedness.”
“This will not be easy so it is your choice if you want to accept this gift.”
Omni could not imagine rejecting such a blessing. She desperately wanted these pups, she wanted a family of her own and was ready to do whatever was necessary to earn this gift.
“I don’t know how to thank you. I whole-heartedly accept this blessing and all that comes with it,” Omni eagerly exclaimed.
With that, Moonstone began glowing brighter and brighter, then disappeared.
Omni wasn’t sure if this was a dream. She slowly headed back to her den, thinking about everything the Moon Goddess had told her. Once home, Omni curled up and fell fast asleep.
Omni woke late the next evening, before the sun had set for the night. She felt different. She felt warm and fluttery. She knew the Moon Goddess had blessed her. She was so excited, it was going to be very hard to wait before she got to meet her new pups, but she knew she could be patient.
2Two months later…
She had waited patiently for this night. It has been two months and tonight would be the second full moon. Moonstone had promised that Omni’s wish would come true tonight. She was anxious and excited, unsure of what exactly to expect. Omni felt a pull inside her to go back to the meadow where she first saw the Moon Goddess. She didn’t know why she felt the need to go back, but she didn’t question it. She made her way through the forest. As she reached the edge of the trees, she could see the shine of the moon across the meadow. She found a soft tuft of grass a laid down, watching the wind gently blow across the field. It wasn’t long before a bright glowing light floated down from the sky. Omni knew this was Moonstone, the Goddess of the Wolf Moon. Moonstone gracefully walked to Omni. Without saying a word, a bright light encompassed Omni. She could feel the magic all around her. As the light dissipated, six beautiful wolf pups were cuddled to her. But wait, she couldn’t believe her eyes. These were not just normal wolf pups, but each of them was a different color: red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple. She looked down at herself and she had changed colors! Her coat was a beautiful rainbow of colors. Her pelt had all the same colors as each of her pups. She looked inquisitively at Moonstone, hoping for an explanation. Moonstone just smiled lovingly at her and the pups.
“Omni, I told you that you were special,” Moonstone said. “I have another gift. Each of your pups has a magical gemstone that gives them powers. They will need these powers, and learn to use them as a pack, if they are going to complete their destiny.” “But first, do you have names for them,” Moonstone asks Omni. Omni replied quickly, “Yes, I believe I do,” as she smiled.
“My little red girl, I will call you Ruby,” Omni gleamed. At the announcement of her name, Ruby looked to Moonstone. Moonstone smiled, “Ruby, with this gemstone, I bestow the power of fire.” A shiny red stone floated down to Ruby and became a necklace around her neck. Ruby beamed with pride.
Omni continued, “My handsome little orange boy, I will call you Spessartite.” With that, Moonstone declared, “Spessartite, with this gemstone, I bestow the power to stop time.” As with Ruby, a smooth orange stone floated down to Spess and became a necklace around his neck. Spess howled with joy.
“For my sweet little yellow girl, you are named Citrine,” Omni gushed. Moonstone looked at Citrine, “Citrine, with this gemstone, I bestow the power to control the wind.” A bright yellow gemstone drifted down to Citrine. Citrine yipped with excitement.
A large green pup looked up at Omni, “My hefty boy, I will call you Peridot.” Moonstone declared, “Peridot, with this gemstone, I bestow the power of the earth.” A mottled green stone hovered down to Peridot. Peridot let out a deep grumble of acceptance.
“My sleek blue boy, I will call you Kyanite,” said Omni. “Kyanite, with this gemstone, I bestow the power of water,” Moonstone announced. A streaked blue stone floated down to Ky. Ky barked happily.
Omni glowed as she looked to her last pup, “Last, but not least, my pretty purple girl, you will be named Amethyst.” Moonstone prepared the last stone, “Amethyst, with this gemstone, I bestow the power of speed.” A sparkling purple stone drifted down to Amethyst, causing her to dance around cheerfully.
Moonstone peers down at Omni. “For you, Omni, I bestow a rainbow crystal. You support all the colors, bending and reflecting them back to your pups to make them strong. You are not only their mother, but you are their mentor. They will look to you for guidance. This stone will give you the wisdom to lead your family against the coming evil.”
“Trust in yourself, Omni, and in your pups.” With that, Moonstone disappears.
3Omni is elated as she looks over her sweet pups. All of a sudden, the ground starts to rumble. The pups move closer to their mom. Omni watches, as in the middle of the meadow, a large gleaming castle appears. At the entrance to the castle, there are bright golden wolves standing guard to large wooden doors. Over the doors to the castle was a sign THE PROTECTORS. The young pups bounded toward the castle. Omni ran after them, unsure whether they should go inside, yet the pups knew that the castle was their new home. The golden guards held open the doors for the Protector Pack to enter. Inside the castle, they saw a large staircase leading to many rooms. To the left, there was a large dining room and kitchen. To the right was a cozy sitting room and library. Passed the double staircase, wide glass doors overlooked a beautiful garden and training area. Upstairs, every bedroom door was a different color, with a power symbol for each of the pups etched on the door. The red door showed a flame, orange was a clock, yellow was the whipping wind, the green door was the earth, the blue door showed water, and the purple door had a running wolf. The door at the end of the hall had a circular rainbow of wolves, outlining each wolf pup, with a large radiating heart in the middle for Omni. She was the heart of this pack, leading her pups to grow and learn how to protect as a family.
The Protector Pack settled into their new home. Omni was the happiest she had ever been. Over the next few weeks, the pups spent much of their time in the garden and training area, playing and learning each of their powers. Each night before bed, the family gathered in the library so Omni could read a story to the growing pups. Every story would prepare the pups for what was to come.
One night, Ruby asked her mom why they were training so hard. All the pups were listening intently to what Omni would say. “Our land will need us one day, my pups. They will need us to fight against a strong evil,” Omni explains. “When will this happen?” Ky asks curiously.
“I don’t know,” Omni responds, “so we must be ready for it to happen at any moment.”
“What is the evil, Mom?” Amethyst asks.
“The only thing we know is that a great evil wants cover our land in darkness. We do not know what or when this will start, so all we can do is be as ready as we are able,” Omni explains.
The pups look at each other, wishing they had more information. But the pups trusted their mother, so they trained and waited. They hoped that the evil never comes. Either way, they enjoyed practicing with their powers.
The pup pack practiced every day while Omni watched with pride. Ruby had a special area where she could harness fire, learning how to start a flame, build it, move it and put it out.
Spess would practice stopping a large clock that sat in the middle of the garden. When the clock stopped, it would suspend the motion of each of his siblings. He was able to focus only stopping the action of one or two of his brothers or sisters. He often found this to be fun as they would try to attack him when he would do this and he could just stop them as he ran across the yard.
Citrine harnessed the wind, practicing how hard she could make it blow. She could build tornados that would uproot trees and throw them across the meadow.
Peridot would regrow a new tree in the place of the one Citrine uprooted. He could control the vines and hedges in the garden, to grow and tangle around his siblings. He also practiced moving the dirt and rocks of the earth to change the terrain so it would create an area of protection.
Ky would control the water in the garden fountain. He could shift it into any shape needed. Although he could not create water out of thin air, he could control any water around him.
Although all the pups could run, leap, and fight, Amethyst was the fastest of the pack. She was so fast that she was almost invisible, having movements faster than the speed of light. She would move behind her brothers and sisters and tug on their tails or poke their shoulder, but be gone before they knew she was there. She would laugh as she would hear them say, “Ugh, Amethyst, STOP!” one of her siblings would yell before they could even see her.
This went on day after day, with their powers getting stronger and more controlled.
Although Omni would mostly watch, she would try to focus on a specific pup to help enhance their powers. As she held all of the colors of the rainbow, she could strengthen the powers of the pups. She could also protect them. More as their mother, she could put a protection bubble around her wolves to keep them from harm.
What Omni and the pups did not know is that across the land, overlooking the ocean, stood an enormous black castle. In this castle lived an evil wolf known as Obsidian. Obsidian had fur as black as pitch with a fire red tail and large bat-like wings. All she desired was spread her darkness and anger across the land. She was building an army of shadow wolves, ready to do her bidding. She was preparing to start a war.
4Omni watched as her pups grew rapidly. They were large, fast and strong. She knew they were ready to face the challenge that Moonstone warned. The pups have been practicing so hard that Omni decide to grant the pack a night off from training on every full moon to run, hunt and play in the forest. The time away from practice was the pup’s favorite activity. They loved the freedom to roam the land in the bright moonlight. They have been able to do this on every full moon for the last 6 months. However, on this particular night, they came across a small pack of black wolves. They had never met any other wolves in the forest, so they were cautious. Each of them hid and watched the black wolves, not knowing that these wolves were those of Obsidian. The black wolves stalked through the forest, seeming to look for something. Suddenly, the black wolves turned and ran back to where they came. The pups came out of hiding and looked at each other. They decided to follow the black wolves. The pups ran farther across the land than they had ever ventured before. The came to the edge of the forest where they could smell salt in the air and hear the woosh of something they had never heard. They had come to the ocean. In the distance, they could see the black wolves running toward a castle, similar to the one they lived, but encompassed completely in shadows.
Something was right, each of the pups could feel it, deep in their stomach. They did not go any further, they just watched from where they were at the edge of the trees. Suddenly, a large figure, with wings spreading wide, leaped from one of the castle towers and took flight. It looked like a wolf, but wolves couldn’t fly…..could they? This figure, this creature swooped over the ocean and swirled back toward the forest, plummeting toward the tree line, right where the pups were watching. The pups crouched lower into the bushes. The dark, winged figure did not seem to see them. Once they were sure this creature was gone, they ran back, as fast as they could, toward their home. Since Amethyst could run faster than the others, she went ahead to warn their mother of what they saw. When all the pups returned to the white castle, their mother and Amethyst were waiting in the library. Everyone gathered to talk about the creature. Spess speculated whether this was part of the evil that Moonstone warned their mother about. Omni warned the pups to stay close to home and be on the lookout for anything strange around the meadow or in the forest.
“Mom, there is one more thing…” Citrine hesitates.
Omni asks, “What is it, Citrine?”
“As the creature flew above us, I saw a mark on it. A heart, the same kind that you have, Mom.” Citrine says.
Everyone looks at each other and then over to their mom and the heart-shaped birthmark. Omni’s brow furrowed, wondering why this dark creature would have the same birthmark as her.
5Obsidian was pacing in her large throne room. She growls, “Slate, get in here!” Slate is the General for Obsidian’s Dark Army. He saunters into the throne room and bows to Obsidian.
“Yes, my lord,” Slate mumbles.
“When will our army be ready?” Obsidian snarls.
“They will be ready by the Blood Moon, my Queen.” Slate declares.
“Good, that is when we will start the shadow migration. Make sure they are ready!”
Slate leaves the immense room and heads to find his Dark Army Captains.
Obsidian slithers over to a large cauldron in the middle of the room. She peers into the swirling green liquid, glowing from the large pot.
“Show me the white castle,” she declares to the cauldron.
The liquid in the cauldron swirls until a picture starts to form. Obsidian had seen the glowing white castle on her last flight over the valley. This was the first time Obsidian had travelled completely across the vast land, in preparation for the dark take-over. As she approached the far valley, she saw the glow of the castle over the forest. She flew to the fringe of the meadow and saw the castle. She stalked around the border of meadow and watched the castle, surveying the activity of the golden guards and the protector wolves. Obsidian knew this pack was going to cause her problems. She must focus her attack on these wolves if she is to take over the entire land.
Obsidian surveys the scene in the cauldron, watching the pups, studying their powers. She knew she would need to have her magic ready and prepare an unexpected attack.
Obsidian’s target is not these wolves, or any other animals across the land, but rather, she desires the control of humans. Humans invaded the land long ago and separated her from her family, a family she can barely remember. As a small wolf pup, she was left alone, cold and hungry. She would have died if it hadn’t been for a devious witch, Scoria, that took her in. The witch was not kind, however. She had an insidious plan to use Obsidian to capture the Moon Goddess and steal her power. Scoria used her magic to change Obsidian’s heart coal black. She forced wings to grow from her back and consigned the power of fire to Obsidian’s tail. The witch fueled Obsidian’s anger toward the humans. She promised Obsidian that she could turn the land to darkness and capture all humans. What Scoria did not tell Obsidian was her plan to capture the Moon Goddess. Scoria knew that if she could use Obsidian to spread darkness across the land, the Moon Goddess would appear and Scoria could capture Moonstone. Scoria was hoping that, while Moonstone was killing Obsidian, she could imprison Moonstone.
Scoria knew she needed to keep Obsidian motivated, so she gave her the dark castle and enough power to create a shadow army. Once she fueled Obsidian’s anger, Scoria fell back into the shadows and waited, working on her heinous plan.
With the blood moon only a few days away, the Protector Wolves have no idea what is about to hit them.
6A full moon holds special energy, but throughout the year, some moons are more powerful than others. For the wolf packs, the wolf moon, the harvest moon, and the blood moon are times to celebrate and strengthen their power. With the blood moon being tomorrow night, the pack is preparing a huge celebration.
Ruby and Spess are setting out tables in the garden. Amethyst is running around, hanging decorations. Omni is in the kitchen, preparing a large cake for the party. Citrine and Ky are setting up a music list for dancing. After everyone has finished their part of the preparations, they meet in the library for family time. They are full of chatter and excitement about the upcoming party. Omni is trying to settle the pups before they turn in for bed. Her children are hardly pups any more. They have each grown into strong wolves. Of course, they will always be her pups, but she looks at them with pride in how capable and fierce they have become. Omni knows that Moonstone only sent these pups to her because the land needed protectors from the evil that is coming, but she dreads what her poor babes will have to face. Life can be hard without battles and war. Training is one thing; it is safe in the garden. It is another when you have to use it on the enemies of this land. Omni hopes that the darkness to come can hold off as long as possible. Unfortunately, her wish will not come true, this time.
7The night of the celebration is here and the pups are beside themselves with anticipation. They love to dance, sing, and eat cake! The pups spent the whole night having a blast under the full blood moon. They howled and danced until time for the sun to rise. Omni even joined into the fun. But, on the horizon, toward the ocean, Obsidian was lurking with her army of dark wolves.
With the morning approaching, the pups were winding down, ready to rest after a lively night. As the sunrise began to illuminate the sky, Spess noticed a strange darkness rising above the trees.
“Pack, do you see that? That storm looks strange,” Spess exclaimed.
Omni’s eyes got big, she knew exactly what was coming. This was the darkness; this was what they had been preparing for since the pups were born.
Omni marched down the steps toward the incoming darkness.
“To your places!” Omni yelled, “It’s time!”
Ruby stepped up to her mom’s side. The rest of the wolves fell into a “V” behind their mom.
“Remember your training! Use your powers together, we are The Protectors. All creatures in this land are counting on us.” As Omni spoke, the darkness grew closer and closer.
It wasn’t long before the pack realized that it was more than just a wave of darkness heading toward them, but there was a winged wolf leading an army of shadowy creatures.
Obsidian flew high above the army until she hovered over the white castle and the Protectors.
Omni called out, “Who are you and what do you want?”
“I am Obsidian, the Commander of Darkness. This land will be mine!”
Omni crouched down, readying for the battle. The protectors following her lead.
Obsidian darted toward Omni, whipping her tail toward the pups sparking a large flame at the Protectors. The Protectors scatter as Obsidian initiated an immense fire circling the castle.
Ky and Peridot spring to action. Ky bid the water from the fountain to extinguish the fire, while Peridot commanded the dirt to help smother the blaze.
The shadow wolves had reached the lawn of the white castle, snarling and leaping toward the Protectors.
Citrine summoned a strong wind to take away the first wave of the shadow wolves. She flew them far beyond the trees.
Amethyst converged another group of shadow wolves, dashing around them until they were congregated in a tight circle. Spess, Peridot and Ruby attacked the ring of wolves until they ran back to the trees.
As the Protectors continued to fight the dark wolves, Omni went after Obsidian. Obsidian landed in front of Omni, snapping and snarling. Omni pounced forward, grabbing Obsidian by the neck and dragging her to the ground. Obsidian’s tail whipped around and struck Omni on the back, lighting her fur on fire. Omni rolled with Obsidian across the meadow, both snapping and growling.
It was then that Scoria slinked from tree-line, a sickly green glow radiating from her. More and more of the shadow wolves gathered behind her, ready to wipe out the Protectors.
“Where is your Moon Goddess? Has she forsaken you?” Scoria cackled.
“I am here, Scoria!” the Moon Goddess appears, “Leave this land and never return!”
Scoria scowls at Moonstone, then with a long crooked finger she points at the Moon Goddess, “Obsidian, ATTACK!!!” she screams.
Obsidian and the army of shadow wolves barrel toward the Moon Goddess.
The Protectors rush in front of Moonstone, battling each wave of dark wolves that rush toward them.
Omni pounces at Scoria, trying to stop the magic of the dark army, but Scoria waves her hand and flings Omni against a large oak tree at the edge of the forest. Obsidian watches as Omni’s body bashes against the tree and falls to the ground. As Omni lays on the ground, not moving, Obsidian sees Omni’s heart-shaped birthmark.
It was then that Obsidian realized that she had the same birthmark. How? How is the possible? Obsidian wondered. Then it hit her. She knows Omni, from long ago, before the humans separated their pack.
No, it couldn’t be … Could Omni be her sister?
Obsidian ran over to Omni. She nudged her to see if she would move. Omni began to stir. As Omni looked up and saw Obsidian, she pulled away.
“Wait, I am not going to hurt you,” Obsidian said. “Where did you get that birth mark?”
“I don’t know, I have always had it,” Omni responded.
“I think you are my sister,” Obsidian mumbled, hanging her head low.
Omni’s eyes widened in surprise as Obsidian showed her that she had the exact same birthmark.
“I thought all my family was gone,” Omni proclaimed.
“So did I,” said Obsidian. “You were all I ever wanted, my family.”
“Obsidian, please, we can’t let the darkness take over, will you help us?” Omni asked.
“I, I don’t know. Scoria is very powerful; I don’t think I can fight her.” Obsidian said.
Omni stood, nuzzling Obsidian. “You won’t fight alone; you never have to be alone again.”
With that, Obsidian raised her head high and stood beside her sister. Both wolves, side-by-side, stalked behind Scoria. Together, they leaped, each chomping down on Scoria’s arms.
Omni and Obsidian held Scoria, while Moonstone cast a binding spell to lock Scoria’s power. Omni’s pups brought out a special cage to lock up Scoria. The cage was designed with raw iron, which blocks the prisoner from using any dark magic.
Scoria was forced into the cage and Spess slammed the door. At the click of the lock, the entire shadow army disappeared. The darkness faded to show the rising sun across the meadow.
Suddenly, Obsidian cringed.
“What is it?” asked Omni.
“I don’t know!” Obsidian cried. There was a cracking sound and Obsidian recoiled in pain.
“Her wings! Look at her wings!” Citrine screeched.
Obsidians wings twisted and splintered, and then, broke off. Her tail turns from fiery red to a shimmery black.
Omni looked at the Moon Goddess, wondering what had happened.
“Scoria’s spell has been broken,” Moonstone smiled. “You are no longer bound to her. You are free.”
8 “I am sorry for everything.” Obsidian apologized to Omni, the pups and Moonstone. “I have been angry and alone for as long as I can remember. I was just a pup when Scoria took me in.”
“Can you forgive me?” A tear ran from Obsidian’s eye.
Omni laid her head across Obsidian’s neck. “I know how it feels to be alone and long for family. I am glad to have finally found you. We are your family and this is your home, if you want.”
The pups surrounded Obsidian, each nuzzling her with approval to join their pack.
Obsidian wept; she couldn’t have been happier to have finally found her place.
“Obsidian, you showed courage and strength, all the qualities to be a Protector,” proclaimed Moonstone. “Will you join the Protector Pack?”
Obsidian couldn’t say yes fast enough. She danced around her new pack.
Moonstone continued, “Well then, Obsidian, come forward.” Obsidian stood in front of Moonstone and bowed. “Obsidian, with this gemstone, I bestow the power of light.” A beautiful, white stone floated down to Obsidian. Obsidian raised her head in admiration.
“How can I ever thank you, Moon Goddess?” Obsidian said.
“Continue to protect this land and all that live here,” the Moon Goddess instructed.
Obsidian frowned. Although she had finally found her family, she still had anger in her heart for the humans.
“Moon Goddess,” Obsidian began, “How do I protect the humans when they cause unrest in the land?”
The Moon Goddess smiled down at her, “Even the humans are creatures of the land. Sometimes you will need to protect them, other times you will need to protect against them.”
“Don’t worry, you will understand one day.”
“What do we do about Scoria?” Omni asked.
Moonstone replied, “Her magic must forever be contained or it will destroy this land. This is the responsibility you have been charged.”
“As a pack, I know the world is protected.” And with that, Moonstone vanished.
9The pups locked Scoria in the dungeon. Two golden guards were placed outside of her cell at all times.
Omni and the pups were finally able to rest, knowing that the prophesized evil was contained.
Obsidian settled right into the pack. She was happier than she had ever been. She knew she could never be separated from her family again.
The End
Author: GM Bokich
Writer: S Stone