Academy Blue Moon

There’s a brisk chill in the air as winter is drawing to a close, me and twelve other young women and men sit around the training area looking at all the fighting equipment there was an array of training mats, boxing gloves and wooden swords of all sizes. At the age of eighteen you were allowed to train to be a pack warrior and today is our first day of training for The Blue moon pack.

Our pack was widely known to be strong both in number and strength and that was because we had opportunities like this... to train with the best and those who pass all of the tests in six months will become an official warrior that patrols and guards our pack village and city which is surrounded by the forest boarders, the deep forest is widely known for its unmerciful rogues that like to attempt to capture and kill pack wolves.

If we pass, we also have the chance to take on extensive training and move up to be Palace guards, which is an honorable and very respected position, they guard the Alpha and Luna, their daughter Florence and future Alpha Layton which was my best friend Dakota’s dream, mine was just to be a skilled warrior like my dad. I've been waiting for this moment ever since I was little when I first saw him in his armor ready to go out on patrol, I remember the light glistening across his long silver sword as he slid it into his sheath held at his side.

He looked so strong, intimidating and... brave! I looked at him in so much awe that night as he picked me up and let me see and feel his armor, he told me all about warriors and their responsibility to keep the Alpha family and the community safe. "We are their protectors, we become warriors to keep everyone safe all day and night, there are many of us and we love the Blue moon pack THAT MUCH we want to keep everyone safe" he told me with such pride.

"I want to be a warrior" I squealed wide eyed as I bopped excitedly in his arms which earned a warm chuckle from father "oh my sweetheart, you can be when your eighteen and I'll bet you'll make a fierce warrior"… he eskimo kissed my nose to make me giggle before handing me to mother as he left for his nightly shift.

My brother Sam was two years older than me, and he wanted to be a warrior just as much as I did. The joy that shone on my father’s face when he took me to watch Sam's first day at training was so moving to me that it stirred me with eagerness to have him look at me just the same.

He had taken me at least once a week to watch Sam train, so I knew a lot of what to expect, but even with that and the fact that my dad had been doing light training with me twice a week since I turned sixteen which gave me a little head start but I was still nervous.

I looked beside me and gave Dakota a little smile, she was one of three of my best friends, but she was also the only one out of our group that wanted to be a warrior and it gave me courage having her here with me, knowing we were both nervous together as we clutched each other’s hands tightly in support.

My eyes moved up to my dad and Sam who were both standing at the back of the benches smiling from ear to ear giving me a thumbs up and as I smiled it quickly faltered… damn.... I looked next to Sam to see Layton had come with them and was smiling at me "You'll be great" he mouthed from afar and I plastered on a smile of pretense to mask the fact that his presence had just made me feel even more nervous.

Layton was the Alpha Nicholas's twenty year old son but also best friends with my brother…yes that's right… They had been best friends, like partners in crime pretty much through their whole childhood and it didn't take long for him to become my friend as I became close with his younger sister Florence.

The amount of hide and seek we'd all played, pretend battles or nighttime stakeouts in our tree house. We'd been to the Palace a few times when we'd all been invited over for dinner, But Alpha Nicholas and Luna Mila would always say they preferred Layton spending time at our house as it was more homely and humble compared to the Palace but they would always take Sam away to their holiday lodge twice a year and always come home with gifts for us all.

But for the last two maybe three years I had foolishly developed such a huge crush on Layton. I used to be able to treat him like a brother, a best friend but somehow out of nowhere that changed and now I feel butterflies every time he's near and especially when he’s looking at me the way he is now, casually leaning against the flagpole smiling charmingly at me and giving me a wink! ahh DAMN YOU LAYTON... NO BUTTERFLIES TODAY PLEASE!!!

I was taken out of my distraction by a booming voice walking onto the training mats… "GOOD MORNING TRAINEES".

It was Gabel our training instructor and head guard of the Palace, he was my dad’s age, and a close friend of his, but he was still strong, fit and able and had been teaching trainees for years.

We all smiled and clapped as he took his stance on the mats looking at us all sternly "Today is the first day of the most important and selfless responsibility you have all decided to take.... so let me begin by saying how proud I am at each and every one of you for choosing to be here today".... he slowly started walking past our benches making eye contact with us individually as if he was trying to gauge our confidence and self-control..

.

"Today we will begin your first level of training... there are three levels altogether... You have until the end of level one of training to hand in your trainee badge if you decide this Isn’t for you" He looked at us all with a pause… "Now...every training session will be 8.00am sharp three mornings a week. You will attend every session and the only excuses of absence I'll accept is Your dying or a family member is!!! I want dedication and 100% effort in every session... IS THAT UNDERSTOOD??"

"YES CAPTAIN" we all called out in reply.

"Right, everyone into pairs and take a place on the mats facing each other, today we will go over the basics of self-defense".

Me and Dakota got up and took our places together and waited for Gable's instructions...and my heart was pumping, and the nerves were gone... I was so happy to finally be here, to train and be just like the feared and respected warriors, this is what we were all about, it is what we are known for, and I wanted a piece of that achievement.

Little did I know that the skills I was about to acquire would serve me sooner and in ways than I could have ever expected.

We all sat back on the benches after our first training session, our bodies were pumping with adrenaline and sweat covered our skin. Attempting to dry my face with my towel with Dakota sitting next to me downing her water before she was able to speak "Hey girl you wanna grab some food after this, we'll tell the girls to meet us at Maz's".

" Yea sure, I want to have a quick shower though, I feel disgusting”. I replied with a tired grin.

"Oh, yea me too… we'll meet in an hour...I'll let the girls know".

We got up and made our way home... As soon as I opened the door, I could already hear my dad telling my mum all about my first day " You should have seen her, love… She was so fast, every defense moves, she nailed it!" he said excitedly

My mum’s smile was stretching from ear to ear as I made my way into the kitchen "Ohh there’s our little warrior"…she said beaming." Do you want me to make you some lunch and a cuppa?"

"Ah no mum, its ok I’m having a shower and meeting the girls"

"well ok then...but I want you to be home tonight then to have dinner with us, I want to hear all about your first day"

"Sure mum" I smiled "I'll be knackered later anyway so Dinner and then bed would be great".

I got out of the shower and quickly dried my hair wearing it half up half down letting my natural waves fall down my back, I got dressed and headed to Maz's.

It was still chilly in the air, the feel of winter drawing to an end, although it was cold, I loved the amount of small robins it bought to our town and at certain points in the day you could hear them all singing and chirping away...to me it was a beautiful, therapeutic sound, making my walk to the cafe enjoyable... until a loud shrill voice interrupted my peace.

"WELL LOOK WHO IT IS!”

I looked around to see Zara walking out of a shop with her little posse... I don’t know what this bitch’s problem was but for some reason about a year ago she decided she hated me even though we had never hung out since we were kids or really knew each other.... we'd been to the same school and shared some classes, and we were the same age, but we had completely different sets of friends and never really crossed each other’s paths. It started with just nasty looks, then when to sly comments as I’d walk by… but now it’s just turned into outright confrontation every time she caught sight of me, but I ignored her and carried on walking...

But she caught up to me and sneered "Wow, for a warrior, you sure are quick to walk away" she shouted with a chuckled sneer

I looked back at her with a smile "and for a class A bitch you sure do have lousy insults” I rolled my eyes as I carried on walking

"Did you just call me a bitch?" she looked at her friends and repeated herself as if for confirmation "Did she really just call me a bitch… who the hell does this woMAN think she is"...she exaggerated the MAN part most likely in reference to the fact that I’m a woman training to be a warrior as if it were a manly thing to do, even though tons of women in every pack trained as warriors..

I stopped and turned around and casually walked toward her "Are you taking the piss Zara out of every woman warrior that’s out there? hmm?"

She just stood there with her nose scrunched up as if looking down her nose at me… So, I decided to test her arrogance "If you think Women warriors are men then how about I grab a few of them and you can insult them to their faces".

I got closer so my face was only a few inches away from hers. "Don't you DARE go thinking your better than a woman warrior Zara… EVER"!

I kept my face close to hers for a few more seconds daring her to say something but of course I was right she was a coward and she had nothing good to say back to me...and showing her stupid little friends that she was pathetic. I moved back, looked at them all and smirked, then walked away toward Maz's.

That was just one of many encounters I've had with that girl, I have at least two or three a week...she doesn’t scare me... never has not even in the slightest, she just pisses me off with her stuck up bad attitude. Her parents are good for money, and they have a large family that are quite spread out throughout the town and in other packs. I've met most of them and they all seem snobby.

I've rarely came across anyone in relation to her that have been humble and easy going. But Zara takes after her parents’ snobbery! with her short straight cut blonde hair that’s as rigid and boring as her personality she’s quite skinny but pretty with dainty features, it’s just a shame she doesn’t drop the attitude and smile more it would definitely show that she’s actually prettier than she first appears to be, that scowl of hers only deflects to her nasty side.

I got to Maz's and saw my friends already at the table and Dakota was already telling Maisie and Lola all about our first training session, their eyes wide and ears pinned happily listening to every detail... I grabbed a hot chocolate and joined them.

Lola "ah here’s our other new warrior" she said smiling

Maisie "girls I’m so proud of you both your gonna smash it .and It'll be nice to know when we’re all tucked up in our beds, we have two of our finest girls patrolling the boarders".

Dakota "Uhh, well we still have six months to go girls before we even know if we've passed and get to be official warriors"

Maisie "well I already know you girls will kick ass and pass"

Lola "oh and just think when you do pass...you'll get to use the training camp with all those hot sexy sweaty male warriors" she said her eyes rolling and fanning her face with her hand and we all laughed at her typically turning the conversation to discussing men… well hot men!

Lelanna "yea I suppose that would be a nice perk" I smirked back with a wink making us all chuckle.

Dakota " well I wouldn’t say no if a handsome warrior wanted to show me the ropes… or take me out on a date...ohh how I hope I marry a sexy warrior" she was literally swooning at her imaginary warrior husband.

Lola "hmm I think I'll need to start making excuses to come and watch you in the camp" she laughed "and maybe accidently walking into the males shower room"

Maisie "Ewww Lola, you’re such a perv" she said laughing and raising her eyebrow

Lola "I can’t help it, they’re so rugged and sexy"