Blood Fang: Chapter 11: Lunar Tears

Pudgy’s body felt light, as he opened his eyes to see that he was curled up in a ball and floating in water.  The temperature was warm, almost like bath water.  He was tired, but finally he was warm after so many days being cold and wet.  The current carried him past vibrant white flowers, perhaps they were lilies, but the little hedgehog could not tell.  In the distance, a tall woman of fair complexion stood, with long white hair hanging to the midpoint of her back.  She wore fine linen, white: of ancient Greek design, and began to wave as the little critter floated towards her.  The woman knelt, and reached out with her hands to gently scoop him up out of the water.  “My goodness … Pudgy … I didn’t expect to see you here?”  It was the goddess Hecates, whose eyes glowed with a soft white light.  As she stood up, the goddess turned and started to walk through the forest.  Soon she was joined by her counterparts, and each version took equidistant positions from each other.  The trio forms of the goddess spoke in unison, “I know not how you have managed it, but welcome to the edge of Mt. Olympus.  This garden runs along the edge of our domain.  So … if I might inquire little one … what has occurred since last I met with you?”

The hedgehog whimpered, and started to sob while he told her about all the terrible things that had happened.  The goddess nodded as she listened, and her soft silver eyes started to grown more concerned.  Once the story was over, she sighed and hugged the little critter gently.  The black-haired version of Hecates looked at the white haired one, “it would seem that Hades broke the covenant we had with the Great Spirit.”  The blonde-haired version nodded, “so it would seem.  Sadly, this is a repeat of long ago…”  The white-haired goddess nodded, and sat down on a bench made of white marble.  The little critter wiggled his nose as he was carried in her arms, and looked up at her with tear filled eyes.  “Pudgy, when you spent time with the wolves.  Did Hades say anything strange?”  The critter looked confused, “he told Pudgy and the wolves a story.  He seemed to be sad about a white wolf named Selene.”  The blonde-haired goddess looked up at her counterparts, “there is a name we haven’t heard for a very long time.”  The raven-haired version nodded, “Pudgy, that is the name of the goddess of the moon.  Let us tell you a tale now, from very long ago.”

The goddess versions all took turns telling the tale.  They spoke one at a time and in times in unison as well, of a time long ago, a time before man walked the earth.  The animals lived upon the land, flew through the air, and swam in the waters.  It was a time of peace, a forgotten time from when the gods and goddess were much younger.  They would assume animal forms, and travel the land to interact with its creatures.  Such was the case with Hades and Selene, who assumed the form of wolves.  They travelled the land, and met with the animals.  Selene was soft spoken, and calmed spirits.  It was often that Hades upon his return from Mt. Olympus, to find her surrounded by all manner of animals.  The bunnies would snuggle up against her, which made her very happy.  Hades inspired the male wolves, with heroic tales, and wonderous feats.  All was well, until Zeus decided to create man, and placed his new creation onto the world.  It was then, everything began to change. 

Zeus bestowed many gifts upon the race of mortal men, and lavished attention on his new creation.  With his attention diverted, the gods and goddess began to scheme against one another.  They sought to curry favor with Zeus, as well as the new mortal race in his image.  It was not long before they found their powers to be magnified based on the number of mortals who worshipped them.  Wars began to be fought for followers, wars of pride, wars of vanity, and wars of hatred.  The animals suffered, and the land began to die.  Selene’s heart ached, and she tried her best to keep them safe.  Hades having grown to hate Zeus, schemed constantly against him, and thus his actions drew the attention of not only Zeus … but of the Great Spirit Unetlanvhi.  The immortal beings had thought themselves to be the chief rulers, that is until the creator of the universe and all life within it revealed himself.  Thus, the gods and goddesses were educated about the true nature of the universe. 

The little hedgehog wiggled his nose and listened to the tale.  He was also passed to the raven haired, and the blonde-haired version of the goddess when they would tell their portion.  This was to ensure each got their own time to hug Pudgy.   Their soothing embraced quieted him, and the critter felt peaceful.  There was a faint scent of lilies that hung around the goddess, which made him slightly sleepy.  The story continued, as the blonde-haired version spoke next.  The mortals mistook a command from their gods, thinking that they commanded animals to be sacrificed.  As the numbers of deaths increased amongst the animals of the world, the Great Spirit’s attention was drawn towards Mt. Olympus and the surrounding lands.  Unetlanvhi was against the creation of mortal men, and Zeus had promised much to ensure his creations life.  The sacrifices were against his edict, and thus the Great Spirit began to take action against us.  The greatest weapon devised was introduced to the mortal men: doubt.  The attention and fantasies of the mortals dwindled, and the gods began to lose power. 

The world changed once more in drastic fashion; the denizens of Mt. Olympus grew considerably less powerful.  While the world moved forward, the gods and goddesses faded into the background of time.  Some chose to remain in the world, while others locked themselves away behind heavily fortified walls at the top of the mountain.  Selene chose to stay, and resumed her animal form as a wolf.  Realizing that the animals still remembered, the goddess of the moon guided the wolf packs and surrounding animals.  Leading them to lands far away from the mortal men, they lived in peace and harmony upon Gaia.  However, Hades blamed Zeus for the actions of the Great Spirit.  He too chose to remain upon the world, and resumed his wolf form as well.  The male wolves started to leave their packs, leave their mates, to follow the dark god to glory.  All the while, he schemed, until one day in passing he heard the bears speak of the world chain.  Intrigued by their tales, he tormented the bears until they told the full tale.  The world had been created, destroyed, and recreated by the time of our arrival.  They spoke of how the world was created long before our arrival, and the manner of which the ground was suspended from the heavens by chains of pure magic.  The chains allowed the world to be manipulated, changed to suit the animals needs. 

Hades realized there was a way he could become greater than Zeus, while seeking revenge on the Great Spirit for his actions.  The black wolf led his followers, and sought out the chains. At first, it was easy since the animals still held him in good regard.  The gods and goddess were kind, and the various flocks or herds assisted with the search efforts.  Hades gained access to the attachment points where the chains connected to the ground.  The elder animals showed how to summon the chain.  It was then when his terrible plan came into being, and the world began to be reshaped by his will.  The animals suffered as they realized their good intentions had brought harm upon the world due to the betrayal by the god.  The mortal men were also displaced, as violent natural disasters began to occur throughout the world.  Those who revered Unetlanvhi began to resist, and refused to assist the black wolf and his followers.   Hades reacted harshly, slaughtering entire flocks …. entire herds …entire parliaments …  The animals who survived the terrible wars that were being waged upon them gave Hades a new name:  Blood Fang.  It was said that as he spoke, blood dripped out of his mouth.  When the wolf walked, bloody prints would be left behind him as well.  The black wolf was the alpha of alphas, and had slaughtered so many animals, that all began to fear him.  His animal body began to grow with each kill, and the light almost seemed to be sucked deep within him.  The animals scattered in terror, and the land grew unnaturally quiet.  What was once green, turned into deserts, as the life was sucked from the world.  Once more, Unetlanvhi began to notice, and the world began to change. 

Selene heard of the tales, and at first did not think her one-time lover was behind them.  However, as the reports continued, she began to see the terrible after effects of his anger.  The former goddess tried to calm the passions of Hades, and keep the other animals safe.  Her words at first did have an effect, but they did not last, and the slaughter began once more.  She fought a losing battle, as more male wolves became inspired by the actions of Blood Fang, and left their packs behind.  Word spread that wolf were meant to be strong, and the would-be alphas begam to emulate the actions of the god of death.  The animals began to war with one another, while the humans fought amongst themselves.  These actions took place over hundreds of years, and only increased in ferocity and frequency.  As the mortal men travelled westwards, to inhabit the land where the hedgehog’s forest stands, the wolves had almost conquered the entire western lands.  They had amassed control of so many chains, that Hades had the power to sink a continent. 

The white wolf mother pleaded with Blood Fang to stop, but he would not listen to her words.  The animals who aligned themselves with her, knew that there was only one way to defend against the united wolf packs who followed the black wolf.  A parliament of owls, took her to a faraway chain, that Hades did not know about, and showed her the way to summon it.  As the glowing magical chain stretched high into the sky, a plan was devised to connect the chain to her home on the moon.  It had been ages since she visited her home there, and it was a refuge from the politics of Mt. Olympus.  The good animals who wanted to live in peace and harmony would be allowed passage so she could safeguard them.  Word was carried by the owls, and those who wanted peace, flocked to the chain’s location.  The great spirit blessed the course of action, and made storms to block the black wolf and his allies.  However, the best plans always hit a snag, and word spread into the conquered lands where Blood Fang dwelled.  The wolves were attacking the humans along the coast lines.  His attention had been diverted, but when Hades heard about the evacuation led by Selene, it filled him with rage.

Summoning his forces, thousands of male wolves marched with Blood Fang.  Upon reaching the site of the evacuation, the wolves surrounded the chain in a huge circle, and howled terribly.  The white and black wolves met and discussed terms of surrender.  Selene pleaded, and Hades argued terribly.  There was no resolution, and battle was called.  Lunging towards her with teeth bared and claws stretched, Hades nearly killed Selene.  She was able to dodge, but her injuries were severe.  That was when the skies grew black, and the stars faded.  The only thing that could be seen was the void of eternal darkness filling the sky.  There was no light from either the sun nor the moon, and soon the great spirit appeared.  He took the form of a gigantic eagle, while thunder rolled in the heavens above.  Blood Fang howled with rage, and the wolves turned their attention to fight the great spirit.  Blood Fang aimed the chains at the thunder eagle, trying to strike him down from the sky.  At first it seemed that Hades and his forces would prevail, but a key piece of information was lacking from the dark god’s understanding.  Unetlanvhi created the chains, and with a motion of his wings, could make them disappear. 

One by one, the chains disappeared, and the land began to violently shake.  The land suddenly began to sink beneath the water, trapping all those who dwelled upon it.  As the male wolves panicked, and tried to escape to safety, the severely injured Selene was able to escape to the moon.  Once the last of the good animals had escaped, the goddess severed the connection to the earth.  Hades could not follow her, and howled in rage at the moon.  The dark god watched as the wolves under his command were picked up and scattered to the farthest edges of the continent.  Without any forces to lead, nor magical chains to command, he was rendered powerless.  Unetlanvhi thew Blood Fang into a mountain, and summoned the fire of the earth to rise up.  The liquid fire within the earth covered the land with a thick layer of rock to seal him away for eternity.  In time, plants grew upon it, and the land healed from the treachery of his actions.  The gods and goddesses were forgotten once more, and the humans spread throughout the land, living their lives. 

The white-haired goddess rolled her eyes, and laughed while she continued the story.  Everything went fine, until the year the humans called 1980, when the mountain which was called Saint Helens erupted once more.  We do not know the reasons why the mountain came alive, but Hades was able to escape.  Pudgy wiggled his nose, and looked up at the blonde-haired goddess who was holding him, “where was the land that sunk?”  She giggled, “I think the humans called it the Gulf of Mexico.”  The raven-haired version laughed, “So it would seem that history has repeated itself once more.  Hades as Blood Fang has summoned a force of wolves, and taken control of chains.”  The raven-haired version nodded, “this time though, he had used the chains to create new wolves to follow him, from the human spirits that once dwelled upon this earth.  The cycle of destruction has begun anew, and once more Hades has started to destroy the land…  He never learns …”  The little hedgehog whimpered, “what will the Great Spirit do?”  The white-haired version sighed, “when Hades took control of the chains the first time, they were all centered throughout one area.  A wonderous forest once stood there, with a vast lake in the center.  Each chain connection point immediately was sunk deep within the earth, and then covered by water.  What was once fresh water quickly became brackish, then salty as it connected to the oceans.   Let us see the nature of the destruction, Pudgy.”

The little hedgehog was carried back to the edge of the creek, and he peeked over the arm of the goddess.  The continent of North America could be seen, but it was changing.  The raven-haired goddess nodded and pointed, “the land is sinking in the land once called Yukon.”  Pudgy watched as a vast swath of land immediately sunk, and was covered by a vast lake.  It spread quickly, making a new river as it followed the natural fault lines that ran within the earth.  The animals were fleeing in terror, trying to make it to safety.  He started to whimper, and watched as the vision recentered on a mountainous terrain.  The white-haired goddess spoke, “Kananaskis Village.  I think Angeliki went there once, to do something called skiing.  She wanted us to come, but Zeus had an affair to attend to, that required our presence.”  Pudgy bounced slightly as he wiggled his nose, “Cobalt took Pudgy to ski place once.  Pudgy got to play in snow, then we had hot chocolate with marshmallows.”  All sighed when they saw that the land was dead, and only was rock.  A huge sinkhole had formed, and a gaping chasm was forming.  The interior was bright red, as magma shot up into the sky.  “Looks like there will be no skiing there again,” the goddesses said in unison. 

Pudgy looked up at the raven-haired goddess, “where is Angeliki?  Is she ok?”  She nodded, and pointed back to the water, as the vision centered on the desert lands.  A vast lake had sprung forth from deep within the earth, covering most of the desert lands.  The lake spread far into the lands once known as Mexico and Texas.  The little hedgehog whimpered, “oh no, what about the cacti?”  The vision recentered far away, with Cacti starting to shoot upon out of the desert sands dozens at a time.  Cactikakos and Kekti appeared, confused along with their brethren.  The little critter bounced happily, “oh good … they are safe.”  The lands sped quickly by, until it started to hover over Louisiana.  The white-haired goddess version nodded, “the waters of the Mississippi spread…”  The whole southern tip of the state was sinking underneath the water.  The river was triple in size, and was covering New Orleans and the surrounding area.  Lake Potcherman was breached, and the oceans of the Gulf of Mexico rushed inwards.  The little critter watched as the vision followed the river northwards, as hit spread far past its original banks, and covered the land.  The various little islands that Pudgy docked his steam ship was swallowed up by the river. 

The scenes continued as they started to follow the Ohio river.  The locks and dams were unable to fight the surge of water, nor the land’s sinking.  Entire towns of ruined human structures were covered by the water.  As the former location of the city of Pittsburgh was seen, the entire point was covered with water.  This was the confluence of the Monongahela and Allegheny rivers.  The shores of each side of the river were swallowed up, and the ruins of Heinz field or PNC park were flooded.  “Can you show Pudgy Forest?  Is everyone safe there?”  The white-haired goddess nodded, and moved the vision to the east of the city.  Over many hills, past the gigantic lake that covered the human town that one stood nearby to his forest home, and up the raging river that was now running through the forest.  Mr. Bear’s cabin was surrounded by water on all sides.  His home was safe, but the brown bear and his father were busy trying to shore up their defenses.  Huge rocks were being moved, trying to keep the banks intact.  It was as if the topography changed.  Mr. Bear’s cabin used to be downhill from Pudgy’s home, but the opposite was now true.  The lake was now flowing northwards, and the swiftly moving water was following the new ravine had been cut through the forest. 

From what Pudgy could tell as he shrieked, his home was safe.  He could see Argente and the beavers sitting outside of his front door.  The snows were deep, with thick ice forming along the edges of the riverbanks.  The destruction of the ley line node had resulted in many changes within his forest.  The ravine destroyed the beaver dam, the bunny warren, and threatened the Bobcats’ cabin.  He could see Mr. Waffle Cat and Mrs. Waffle Cat moving rocks into place, trying to make a wall to keep the water from destroying their home.  The river also branched off, and now had formed a cove in the direction of the node.  The tunnel entrance was now at the edge of a huge ice-covered body of water, and blocked safe passage to the former dragon cave where Mary and Drew lived.  He could see the bunnies sliding around on the ice, having fun.  The red panda looked on, while Mary was busy trying figure out a way across the pond.  The vision followed the path of the new river, and it cut through the forest on its way to the north.  Eventually the new river descended a couple small water falls, to reach the Allegheny River.  The goddess spoke in unison, “the ley line’s connection was destroyed.  However, it is still there Pudgy.  You might be able to restore it, with Angeliki’s help.”

Once more the vision drifted northwards at a very fast rate, until it focused on the condition of Lake Erie.  The southern shoreline of the lake was starting to pull back, as the water was pulled away.  “Hmm…” The three goddess versions said in unison, and moved the vision towards the western edge of the lake.  A vision appeared of a small brown bear, hosting a tea party with two other bears.  They had pretty red and pink bows tied to their fur upon their heads.  They were watching as the Detroit River was ripping the land apart on either side.  The bears were outside a cabin, on a high safe from the torrential flood waters.  “Mommy, do you think we are safe?”  The little bear said, while her father nodded nearby, “yes Fuzzy.  We are far enough, and more importantly … high enough away.  What would cause the river to do this?”  The three bears nodded, and nervous sipped tea from dainty white porcelain cups.  Pudgy whimpered a bit, “Pudgy miss tea…”  The goddess versions giggled, and watched as Lake Huron was blasting water through the Saint Clair River.  The various locks, dams, and flood control measures were obliterated, as the water overtook Lake St. Clair, before it joined the Detroit River.    

The great lakes were connected to one another, and what had occurred was that pressure had built up.  The powerful water obliterated the land and soon Lake Huron was soon connected to Lake Erie.  As Pudgy watched, the familiar lands were quickly changing, and the lake waters were moving into places they had never been.  The northern edge of Lake Erie was deteriorating.  The pressure blasted any loose rock or earth into the waters below, resulting in a brand-new set of waterfalls being created.  It stretched for hundreds of miles, connecting Lake Erie to Lake Ontario.   A similar set of events were occurring north, on Lake Huron and Georgian bay, with the water being sucked violently out from the higher elevation lakes, and sent over a new series of water falls that spilled into Lake Ontario.  The vision started to move towards the Niagara River, which had now dried to a trickle of water.  “The new waterfalls of Erie have displaced the waterfalls at Niagara.  As they drew closer to where Blood Fang was standing, the vision faded and the water surface became dull. 

Pudgy looked up at the goddess versions one by one, “what will happen now?”  The blonde-haired version nodded, “Pudgy …wake up …”  The little critter shook his head, “no, Pudgy want to stay, what happens now?”  The raven-haired goddess version began to fade, “Pudgy wake up.”  The little hedgehog immediate was cold, wet, and began to whimper.  “No, Pudgy don’t want Hecates to leave again.”  The white-haired goddess smiled warmly.  “I will be around, and my daughter will return to the forest soon.  Now Pudgy …wake up.”  The little critter desperately hugged her arm, but quickly was plunged back into the bitterly cold arctic air.  He could hear owls hooting, and his body was being shaken hard.  As the little critter opened his eyes, he could see Alabaster the owl looking at him with worried yellow eyes.  “Hello Alabaster, are you dreaming too?”  The little critter said, while being hugged by Cobalt’s brown feathered wings.  The arctic owl hooted softly, “I was worried you were not waking up.  No, I wish this was all a dream, but we had to land.  It was too dangerous to fly.”    

As Pudgy turned and peeked through the feathers, he could see the skies were pitch black.  The thunder eagle had filled the entire sky.  His eyes were narrowed, and burning with an intense white light, stronger than the sun.  His beak was on fire, and huge wings filled the sky to the east and to the west.  The winds were violently howling through the trees, and the eagle clamped his wings down hard around Pudgy and Alabaster.  Digging he sharp talons onto the tree branch, he chirped out, “everyone hold on!”  The other owls were holding each other and desperately clinging to the tree branches they were perched on.  As the hedgehog had slept, Cobalt had followed the owls to the former city of Buffalo.  As the Great Spirit battled, the winds were too violent to fly, so they had landed.  As Pudgy whimpered, and hugged his owl friend, Ice Feather looked at the eagle with pleading eyes. A nearby tree was ripped out of the ground, and flung in the air out towards the lake water.  The owls hooted in terror, and hoped their tree would hold. 

All watched as the Great Spirit cried out in loud tones as the black chains started to flail against his body.  Blood Fang had summoned the full might of his power, and empowered the chains with the full fury of his terrible will.  With a flick of his paw, he pulled stones the size of cars out of the ground and flung them upwards at his foe.  His voice boomed, “I have the power of fifty chains, and millions of mortal humans behind me.  I will have my vengeance once and for all!”  Ice Feather watched as a fire covered set of talons began to descend out of the skies above.  The bitterly cold air started to warm, and the talons appeared.  It was almost as if time started to stand still, and all the animals watched as the claws struck the earth out in the lake and pulled towards Blood Fang.  The deteriorating northern shoreline was obliterated, and the talons gouged the earth beneath them.  The very ground was set ablaze, and the rock liquidized into magma instantly.  The former site of Niagara Falls where the monster stood was obliterated.  As the talons continued to rake across the surface of the land, they gouged deep within Gaia and far into the northern lands all the way to Ottawa. 

The winds continued to howl, and the tree where they were perched started to rock violently back and forth.  Cobalt shouted, “we have to prepare to leave.  Ice Feather, tell the others!”  The female owl hooted, and watched as the branches split off the tree and flew out into the lake.  Pudgy hugged Alabaster, who was hooting in scared tones as well.  All watched in horror as red orbs of light started to blast out of the ground towards the great spirit.  The tree started to catch fire, and splinter off, as red orbs began to fly around the tree.  “GO NOW!” Ice Feather hooted, as the owls took flight once more.   As the birds started to fly, they were caught by the terrible winds, and flung out far into the lake.  Cobalt looked down at Alabaster, “TAKE PUDGY!”  The owl nodded, and with a swift motion took flight with the hedgehog grasped in his talons.  The little critter screamed as he was flung out of the tree with his owl friend towards the land’s interior. 

Cobalt leapt from the tree and took flight, but flew towards Niagara Falls.  As the owls were blown around in the violent winds behind him, the eagle navigated the updrafts and downdrafts.  He knew this was bad, and the only way for the world to survive this was to help Gitche Manitou.  Looking up into the skies, he could see the Great Spirit being pelted with the red orbs, causing terrible wounds to appear throughout his chest.  The eagle trained his eyes forward, and extended his claws.  “GLORY TO THE GREAT SPIRIT!” The eagle chirped loudly, and flew in on an attack run.  He was flying behind Blood Fang and quickly raked his talons against the creature’s back.  Drawing blood, black as oil, the eagle took off he could react.  Swooping around, the eagle came in for a direct attack, and cried out.  The wolf howled, with blood red eyes burning brightly.  He lunged forward, ripping out a tail feather, but soon found Cobalt’s claws digging into his eyes.  Letting out a terrible demonic filled howl, Blood Fang cursed loudly.  The eagle pulled back, and ripped out one of the orbs from within his head.  Crushing it within his talon, the blood began to pour out of his eye socket. 

In the distance, the sound of eagles could be heard, as well as the owls.  Having seen the former go on an attack run against the monster had inspired them, and were starting to fly in for an attack run as well.  Cobalt leapt off, and took flight to a safe distance.  Watching as the arctic parliament supported the Aerie of eagles.  Striped Feather cried out, as he swooped in and tore out the other eyeball.  Blood Fang blinded howled in terror, and started to snap his jaws at anything nearby.  The owls pecked and tore at the beast’s hide repeatedly, and would take flight after several attacks.  The white feather eagles started to fly beside Cobalt, chirping at him happily.  The former human nodded, and looked up as the talons were descending once more out of the skies.  Crying out a warning call, Striped Feather ordered a retreat, and the eagles started to lead the owls to the north east.  All flew as hard as they could flap their wings, as they desperately tried to escape the incoming attack. 

Pudgy wailed, watching helplessly under Alabaster, as the talons once more struck the land.  This time, coming in from a different direction.  The great spirit destroyed all the land from Sarnia just opposite of Michigan to Niagara Falls under his claws within seconds.  The earth shuddered, and violently began to explode, with molten rock and water bursting out of the ground.  The talons this time connected with Blood Fang, who could not see the attack coming.  The monster howled in agony, as the purifying fire of the heavens burned away his body.  The little hedgehog watched on, committing to memory the events of this day.  The day eagles and owls put aside their differences, to help the great spirit to defeat evil.  In time the howls subsided, and the winds calmed.  However, the thunder eagle’s claw did not move from its spot upon the earth.  Holy fire continued to burn, ensuring once and for all, Hades would be defeated utterly.  The black chain exploded, and the wolves within started to fall upon the ground around the area. 

Gitche Manitou’s voice boomed, “once again you have chosen death instead of life.  You have broken the covenant, and Zeus has disowned you … Hades.  I have no other choice, than to render you void.”  The gigantic claw, which covered the entire land along the former Niagara River burned with terrible fire, and plunged deep within the earth.  The ground shook once more, and the heavens trembled.  Far away in Mt. Olympus, the walls cracked, and Zeus looked from his throne as the spirit of Hades was obliterated.  The thunder eagle cried out, his voice causing the whole of the world to vibrate.  The wolves who had followed the monster, also caught flame, then exploded.  Coyotes started to flee in terror, but did not make it far, before they too were destroyed utterly.  The wolves howled mournfully, and most accepted their fate, as they began to disintegrate into piles of dust.  Like their ancient animal brethren far to the west, they bodies were spread on the wind, and the memory began to fade.  The thunder eagle lifted his talons, and pulled his claw back up into the heavens above.  His body began to fade, and the night sky started to appear once more. 

As the light of the full moon appeared, Pudgy started to hear someone crying.  As the flying animals looked up, they could see a white wolf’s face in the moon.  She had a sorrowful expression on her face, and the softest of blue eyes that glowed.  Striped Feather chirped, “the wolf mother…”  The little hedgehog whimpered, “Selene …what will you do now?”  As the animals watched, they continued their course.  Cobalt called out, “we need to land.”  The owls hooted in agreement, and started to descend.  The eagles followed the former human’s lead, and started to follow as well.  Landing a safe distance away from the lake, the birds found a forest of pine trees mixed with bare trees.  One by one the birds landed, and started to huddle together.  Cobalt followed Alabaster and his mother to a tall pine, and landed beside them.  Pudgy clung onto the branch, as he was released, but kept his eyes on the moon.  The little critter remembered the story by the goddess Hecates.  The question was: what would the goddess of the moon do now?