Chapter 10: Past
In front of the altar, Eleanor had waited patiently for the ritual to start. Her eyes were closed as she prayed silently to the god. Geri was the deity the Raynors had instructed her to seek guidance from. She didn't know much about him, only that he was said to be one of Odin's wolves, possessing an unyielding thirst for wisdom, strength, and conquest, much like Odin's endless pursuit of knowledge. Yet, she doubted he was a true god. Still, she prayed nonetheless. Even if Geri couldn't hear her, perhaps some god would.
She silently pleaded for guidance from Raynor's ancestor, Elizabeth Raynor. Suddenly, she felt an overwhelming pressure descend from the sky. Her body involuntarily transformed into her werewolf form. Instinctively, she tried to look around, but the space around her was empty. Pain erupted through her body as her bones shattered and reformed continuously. A surge of raw, animalistic urges overtook her soul... the need to hunt, to fight. Her senses sharpened, her own bone-breaking sounds becoming unbearable. An agonizing cry tore from her throat.
Then, just as suddenly, everything became silent. The pain vanished. The hunger dissipated. The primal urges faded. Slowly, she opened her eyes. A vast white space surrounded her, stretching endlessly. She was alone.
"Okay... They told me to accept what I see or feel. But what am I supposed to accept in this endless white void?" she thought. "Am I meant to feel... loneliness?"
As if in response to her question, her vision blurred. When it cleared, she found herself in the middle of a battlefield. She froze. Before her, houses burned, women and children ran like headless chickens, and warriors clad in tattered armor wielded shabby swords, spears, and shields, slaughtering with impunity. It was a massacre.
Her vision shifted again, pulling her deeper into the burning village. In front of an ancient-style wooden house, two large wolves lay lifeless in pools of blood. A small cub nestled between them, crying pitifully.
Two soldiers viciously shouted and rushed toward the cub; weapons raised. Eleanor's instincts flared. Without thinking, she leaped forward, letting out a battle cry. But something was wrong. Her voice didn't come out as words... only a howl. She found that she was in her wolf form. The soldiers didn't react. They ran past her as if she didn't exist.
She turned back, horror gripping her heart. She had been thinking about her own unborn child so much lately that her maternal instincts surged, urging her to protect the cub.
Just as the soldiers closed in, another wolf lunged from the side, taking them down in swift, savage movements. Eleanor let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. But the sounds of battle... clashing weapons, screams, and death... reminded her that this was far from over.