SimLit Legacy Stories by Sharon

Werewolves are easily one of the Supernatural’s most misunderstood and feared beings. Although he or she is greatly feared, a werewolf is a matchless ally and protector for those he/she cares about and loves. On the other hand, he/she will be a formidable enemy to those who cross him/her. Anger a Werewolf and that may be the last thing you ever do.

Werewolves came into being long, long ago during a time of great turmoil in the multiverse. A race of superbeings invaded the world of Sir Drogo von Ekhart, a fierce warrior and high ranking knight of the King. He was not only brave but astute in many areas, including that of mystical forces. Drogo knew that the only way to defeat the enemy and keep them from attacking other worlds was through magic. Unfortunately, magic was either feared or thought to be nonexistent by most people. The King, being a man of science and nature, did not believe Drogo when he explained that they were all doomed unless they turned to mystical forces for help. Because Drogo was a true friend and such a highly ranked knight, the King did not strip Drogo of his post or punish him otherwise for “spouting off such treacherous poppycock.” Drogo was warned never to mention magic to the King thereafter. He was also ordered to prepare the troops for imminent battle.

Filled with trepidation and foreboding, Drogo did as bidden, knowing he was leading the King’s army to certain death. When the battle commenced, it raged on and on for days. True to Drogo’s prediction, the King’s army was slaughtered. The few remaining survivors were grievously wounded and wished they, too, were dead.

Miraculously, Sir Drogo survived but was seemingly mortally wounded.. As he lay dying under the light of a full moon, he received a divine intervention from Ariadne, the Goddess of Witchcraft and Magic. Drogo, being a connoisseur of the mystic and supernatural, immediately knew who she was. Although in shock and delirious with agony, he had enough presence of mind to beseech the goddess for help and begged her for mercy. “I have failed in my duty to the King and failed to protect him and the kingdom. I beseech thy mercy and ask that I be looked upon with some kindness in the Ever After.”

Goddess Ariadne regarded the fallen knight with compassion and with the realization that he was meant for the divine. With a flick of her pinky, she stopped time for everyone but herself and Drogo. There was a lot to get done, and she didn’t want any interruptions. Laying her gentle hands on the wounded knight’s chest, she fully healed him. His body was surrounded by a golden light which felt warm and comforting to Drogo, who simply wanted to bask in it and Ariadne’s presence forever. When the light disappeared, Sir Drogo’s wounds went with it. Gone was the blood from his clothes. His strength returned but was multiplied in droves.

“I do not understand,” said a confused Drogo as he blinked at the stillness of his surroundings. “I am not dead, and the world around me appears to be standing still.”

Ariadne explained that time had stopped because they needed to talk without being disturbed. She explained that in the rarest of rare circumstances, there is someone born who is meant for the divine. He was such a person due to his strength, bravery, loyalty, and willingness to learn and seek understanding in things that went beyond the physical world.  “You have been tested numerous times and have never failed, Sir Drogo. Your last test was in your attempt to sway the King to seek other means to defeat his enemy.”

“Ah, but I have failed, Great One,” Drogo said, hanging his head in sorrow. “I could not persuade the King and have led his men to a senseless death.”

“It is not your fault that the King was not persuaded. He was warned, and it was his disbelief that led to the death of him and his army. You could have risen up against him to prove your point, but you chose to remain loyal and follow his sovereign wishes. The outcome was not what you desired, but you remained steadfast. You did not waiver. For this, you shall be greatly rewarded, and this sorrow shall become a distant memory,” Ariadne replied.

She went on to explain that he would become the Father of Worlds as well as a physical father to children who would also be meant for the divine. This would require him to undergo a mystical transformation. He would have to drink a potion that would transform him into a powerful wolf, a symbol of great protection, honor, and power. However, he would be no ordinary wolf. “The wolf will be a second form needed for feats of strength and to protect what is yours. You will have the ability to transform at will and keep your mind whilst in this form. However, you still will be a wolf and will exhibit wolfish behavior.”

“Egads! A shifter of shapes…me?” Drogo said in wonderment.

“Only one shape, dear one, but a powerful one, indeed,” Ariadne smiled. “There is only one caveat.”

“A…caveat?” Drogo asked, feeling his heart sink.

“Yes. You see, I had to use extremely advanced magic to save your life. This magic required the presence of a full moon, and it is under a full moon that this potion I offer you was created. As I said, you will possess the ability to transform at will…except on the night of a full moon. On the night of a full moon, you will be compelled, involuntarily, to transform. It is on this night that full wolfish behavior will be upon you. You will retain cognitive reasoning, but strong urges to spread lycanthropy, to mate, and other primal urges will swamp you.”

Drogo recoiled at this. “I do not wish to harm anyone. If I drink this potion, I will become a danger to myself and others.”

“Yes, unfortunately, that is a possibility if you lose complete control. Fortunately, you have me as an ally and teacher. I will help you to completely master and control your abilities. Do you trust me, brave knight?” Ariadne pinned a searching gaze to his.

“More than anything. I am humbled and honored that you find me worthy to receive such a gift,” Drogo said without hesitation, his gaze unwavering.

Drogo drank Ariadne’s potion and with her help, took to his abilities as if he’d been born to them. When she deemed him ready, Ariadne told him he would now be known as Drogo, the Supreme Alpha Wolf. “It is now up to you to create your own race, make a pack, and train your pack accordingly. Like me, you are now immortal and indestructible. You will also have final say over your wolves in the afterlife.”

“To create a pack, let alone, a race, I am certain I must have a mate. I am afraid that most women would find me…well…beastly and barbaric now that I am what I am. I would not want a woman to be frightened to mate with me,” Drogo replied.

Ariadne smiled and patted his hand kindly. “You will know your true mate the instant your eyes find her.”

“But…how?”

“Just trust me. You will know. A good name for it is Imprinting.”

And with that,, Ariadne bade Drogo goodbye. Because of her compassion and interest in him, Drogo promised to always be a protector for her and her witches and wizards.  To this day, the divine alliance and friendship of Goddess Ariadne and Drogo, the Supreme Alpha remains. This is why wolves and magical people are often highly compatible.

Creation of Werewolves

In time, Drogo did find his true mate and thus, the Werewolf race began. Phaedra, a beautiful maiden from a far away land from where Drogo’s homeland was, fell in love with Drogo soon after meeting him. True to Ariadne’s claim, Phaedra became part of him the instant he saw her. His breath caught in his chest, and the world seemed to stop. Warmth spread from his solar plexus and engulfed his body entirely. He was immediately drawn to her as she became his center of gravity.

Phaedra matched Drogo in bravery and called him her Angel of Strength. At finding out what he was, she asked Drogo to turn her. “I want us to share everything,” she told him in no uncertain terms. Because he had no potion such as what Ariadne gave him, he knew the transfer would have to come through blood. When the next full moon came, he took her to his den where they made passionate love. It was during the lovemaking that he pricked her skin as gently as he could with his fangs. When she cried out in release, Drogo’s own release came, his seed spilling deep within her. Phaedra’s transformation came during the following full moon. Along with that came the knowledge that she was with child.

Phaedra became The Benevolent Alpha Wolf and helped Drogo create a worthy Werewolf race. sadly, not everyone retained pure motives and became renegades, breaking off from the main Pack. These renegades are the ancestors of the wilder wolves who become mindless, vicious creatures during a full moon and go on rampages to bite everyone in sight. These are the ones who have been taken over by the beast and will kill a person as soon as look at them. Phaedra and Drogo always believed in free will and have realized a long time ago that with free will comes the distinct possibility that some will not follow the right path. As deities and kind people by nature, they are saddened that some have strayed. However, they are greatly satisfied when others make desirable choices and follow the honorable ways.

Drogo and Phaedra produced three offspring, each one possessing a specific specialty in terms of Werewolves.

Azura is the oldest and wisest of the offspring. Her uncanny ability to give sound and sometimes sage advice makes wolfkind and others seek an audience with her during times of great indecision or when feeling at a crossroads. She knows that sometimes the advice she offers isn’t the answer a person is seeking but will deliver it in a kind, yet direct, way She also possesses the ability to construct portals that lead to other worlds and other times.

Caleb, the second eldest, is the one of the three with the softest and gentlest heart. However, he is no pushover. He is a warrior, albeit a quiet one, as his movements are ninja-like in nature. He is fluent in martial arts and can take down an adversary before they even realize they’ve been ambushed. However, it is is kind, compassionate nature that draws a person in. Caleb’s sixth sense is so sharp that he can immediately sense when someone is in danger. He has an uncanny ability to find what he calls “lost ones” (parentless children in need of care, a drowning victim, someone trapped, etc.) and get them somewhere safe. He does this in such a quiet manner that a person often does not know who rescued them. He is an observant wolf, but he blends in with his surroundings in such a way that his presence is often undetected. He will often minister to a sick person, wolf or not, and is often the one who accompanies a deceased wolf’s soul to the afterlife.

Magdalena is the Giver of Talents and is extremely passionate about the arts. She is the mother of Amadeus Mozart Landgraab and was instrumental in the immortality of her son and his mate. She is a firm believer in everyone getting ample opportunity to grow their talents and so, therefore, sees to it that such people as talented, underprivileged children receive proper education to develop their gifts. She often resides in the physical world and oversees a boarding school for the arts to house talented children who have had a bad start in life. A select group of followers operate a home for abandoned and orphaned children, which Magdalena often visits and takes a hand in nurturing the children. She, herself, sometimes finds these children, but more often, it is her brother, Caleb, who finds needy children and brings them to her.

As of now, all three offspring are unmated (Magdalena never imprinted on Deus’s father, who is deceased). This may or may not change in the future.

Facts

• Werewolves live by a strict code of moral conduct centering around protection and keeping order.
• Werewolves are humans who have the ability to shape shift into wolves.
• Both males and females can be werewolves.
• Lycanthropy can be spread to another person either through a bite or by a potion that has been blessed by a witch or wizard. Werewolves can also be born if one parent or both are werewolves.
• Wolves who have control over their abilities can transform at will. However, when the full moon rises, a wolf is compelled to transform. The transformation during a full moon is involuntary.
• A wolf, when extremely angered, may possibly undergo an involuntary transformation. As Tyrone says, “Sometimes the beast must surface, like it or not.”
• Renegade wolves (wilder wolves who do not conduct themselves as honorably as they should) often have less control over their abilities. They are apt to undergo more involuntary transformations and remain in wolf form more often than being in their human form. During the full moon transformation, it is these wolves who are the mindless, ferocious creatures that are often depicted in literature and films. Packs like Tyrone’s consider these wolves to be disgusting and lower class, and they harbor the belief that it is these wolves who give Werewolves, in general, a bad name.
• Wolves, even in human form, have heightened physical strength and prowess.
• A wolf’s senses, even in human form, are more acute.
• Wolves have a sixth sense that allows them to detect and perceive a great number of things. For example, he/she knows when other lone wolves or other Packs of wolves are nearby, he/she can detect if someone is pregnant faster and earlier than a pregnancy test can, and he/she can detect an illness even before the afflicted person realizes they are sick. These are only a few things, and each wolf’s sixth sense is different from another wolf’s.
• Wolves are often telepathic and can communicate this way with other telepathic people even in human form.
• Wolves prefer raw meat or fish, even in human form, rather than cooked or processed food.
• A wolf’s Pack can take on a number of structures. For example, it can consists of a wolf’s werewolf friends who band together on a hunt, or it can simply refer to a wolf’s family. For example, Tyrone’s Pack consist’s of his immediate family of Lenora, their kids, Landon, Crystal, and their kids. Not all of them are wolves, but they are all under his care and protection because he is the Alpha Male Wolf of the family. Before Tyrone was married and had his own family, he belonged to his father, Deus’s, Pack. Although Tyrone’s pack consists of other Supernaturals than wolves, it is only the wolves who accompany Tyrone on hunts.
• Wolves are excellent hunters. During times when survival depended on a successful hunt, it was game that was sought during a Werewolf hunt. Renegade (and evil) wolves sought human victims. Nowadays with food being readily available in most cases, wolves use their hunting abilities to find rare items useful to witches/wizards and/or others. If a wolf is mated to a witch/wizard, it is usually the wolf who collects ingredients for his/her mate’s Alchemy elixirs.
• The leader of a Pack is the Alpha Male Wolf. If he is mated to a wolf, she is the Alpha Female Wolf. The pair rule and protect their Pack together and are in charge of keeping order within their jurisdiction. If an Alpha Wolf (male or female) is mated to someone other than a werewolf, his/her mate is referred to as Alpha (the Alpha pair are on equal terms), but it is the Alpha Wolf who deals with all things wolfish.
• An Alpha can lose his status if weakened or challenged. This happens more often in a pack consisting of unrelated Werewolves. A lower ranking wolf can challenge the Alpha, which culminates in a fight. Sometimes a death challenge is issued (a fight to the death) with the surviving wolf being Alpha. If it is not a death challenge (both wolves survive), the winner is the Alpha. The Alpha, then, decides the fate of the loser (he can become the lowest ranking wolf, he can be banished from the Pack entirely, or he can even be killed outright). If the Pack is more family centered, the change in command is usually done in a more civilized manner. An Alpha can temporarily or permanent volunteer to hand over leadership to another qualified wolf in the family, or a wolf family member can suggest this temporary or permanent change. If a Pack is in immediate danger and the Alpha is unreceptive to a change in leadership, more drastic measures are taken. This is done on a case-by-case basis, and each family centered Pack handles it differently.
• If injured, Werewolves heal faster, even in human form, than others.
• Werewolves are almost indestructible; the only physical thing that (usually) can kill them is silver bullets. Werewolves can die of old age or succumb from the effects of advanced dark magic.
• There is a process by which a wolf finds his/her true mate. This process is called Imprinting (see section below for more info). It is a very personal and intimate process for each wolf.
• A wolf and his/her mate share a very, very powerful bond which starts out with the process of Imprinting. If a wolf loses his/her mate through death, the wolf is in unspeakable pain. Because his/her mate’s soul becomes intertwined with his/hers, the wolf will feel as though he/she has been ripped apart at the moment of the mate’s passing. This goes beyond the pain of normal heatbreak. Not only is it emotionally and mentally painful, but the bereaved wolf is also in agonizing physical pain. Some wolves cannot survive it and quickly follow their mate in death. The ones who do survive are never, ever the same. Many refer to it as simply existing, being that their true living ended when the mate’s life ended. They are merely a shell of their former self.
• Werewolves Imprint only once in a lifetime and therefore have only one true mate. They are irrevocably bonded for all eternity.
• Werewolves have a strong constitution. It isn’t often that they are sick.
• Werewolves do not tire or fatigue as quickly as regular humans.
• Werewolves live longer than regular humans and age much, much slower.

Imprinting

• The process of imprinting is a mystical and unexplained phenomenon that happens to a wolf when he/she meets his/her mate for the first time.
• Only Werewolves can Imprint.
• Imprinting is strictly involuntary; it cannot be forced on someone.
• Imprinting happens only once per lifetime. Therefore, a wolf has only one true mate for all eternity.
• The process of Imprinting is very personal and intimate for each wolf. Most describe it as an irrevocable feeling of being drawn to the person they are Imprinting on. A warmth spreads from the middle of the wolf’s body and travels throughout his/her system. The wolf has the unwavering desire to be near the Imprintee. Their souls become intertwined, and the wolf can sense his/her Iprintee’s moods no matter where each one is physically. The Imprinter can also sense where his/her Imprintee is. For all intents and purposes, the pair becomes part of one unit. It is more than simply love the holds them together. Wolves often describe it as the Imprintee being the gravity that holds them to the world.
• Imprinting can happen at any age. If the Imprinter Imprints on someone much younger (a child or baby), the Imprinter becomes a protector and caregiver of sorts. When the Imprintee is older, he/she and the Imprinter share a deep friendship. When the Imprintee becomes of appropriate age, the relationship sifts to a romantic one. If the Imprinter is much younger than the Imprintee, he/she is like a little brother/sister to the Imprintee. At an older age, the two share a deep friendship. At an appropriate age, the relationships to a romantic one.
• If the Imprintee rejects the imprinter (this is unheard of and has never happened in recorded history), the Imprinter will feel unbearable crippling pain.
• For the wolf, his/her Imprintee and his/her happiness is most important to him/her. The wolf becomes what the Imprintee needs. For example, when Tyrone Imprinted on Lenora, she was still grieving the loss of Lincoln. Although Tyrone had the innate desire to be near her and as much as it hurt him, she needed him to stay away, to not reveal this to her. To do so would have been to Lenora’s detriment, so he kept his distance until the time was right.
• If the Imprintee is familiar with Werewolf behavior, he/she will likely understand the process and come to realize on his/her own that the wolf has Imprinted on them. If not, the wolf will reveal this when the time is right. For example, even though Lenora was somewhat familiar with how the process worked (Deus, having become her friend, explained it to her), Tyrone revealed it to her when he became the last man standing during her appearance on Soulmates. When the Imprintee understands what has happened, he/she will have a feeling of a piece of his/her soul sliding into place. With the proverbial circle being complete, the relationship becomes unbroken.
• Because of this process and the mystic forces behind it, divorce is impossible between the wolf and his/her true mate. When problems arise, they are eventually worked out and the couple becomes even stronger for it.
• As explained above, the loss of  wolf’s mate trough death causes unspeakable agony in all areas. Some can’t survive the feeling of being ripped apart and quickly follow their mate in death. Those who do survive are never the same again.
• Infidelity for a wolf and his/her true mate is unheard of. Because Imprinting is so powerful, the wolf nor his/her mate has no desire whatsoever to be unfaithful.

Author’s Notes: We may, from time to time, see a wolf called Kai, the Great Alpha and his offspring, Black Wolf, Grey Wolf, and White Wolf (Kai isn’t very creative when it comes to names). Pictures of them will not be provided at the time this post is published but may be added later. When Forever in Time was published on Blogger, I was most graciously given permission to use them by their creator, the lovely Shafer249. At the time, I was still assembling the nuts and bolts of my lore, so I gratefully accepted and thanked her for her wonderful generosity in letting me borrow them. I absolutely loved the characters but realized that their origins wouldn’t fit so well within the lore I wanted. However, I still love them and want to give them some screen time. They will appear should there be a situation when some extra divine help is needed. Because my werewolf and witch deities are related to the Landgraabs in some way, some outside assistance may be in order. We will definitely be seeing White Wolf somewhat often, as Aurora and Andrea will be doing some work for him when they are older (I don’t want to give too much away). Shafer tells me that Kai, the Great Alpha has a soft spot for those Landgraabs, so it’s natural that he might want to lend them a divine hand…or paw…when he is needed.

I realize that my werewolf lore section is really long, so I thank you for your patience while reading it. You can probably tell I have a soft spot for werewolves and have been compiling pieces of this lore for a long time. I think one of the most challenging parts was finding appropriate names befitting the station of the werewolf deities. When it came down to it, I used a fantasy name generator to help me pick out names. 😀 For the most part, I picked names I liked that frequently showed up. Caleb was a different story, however. One of my Golden Retrievers is named Caleb and naturally, I love him to bits <3 and wanted to use the name. Yes, Valerie’s ex was named Caleb as well, but he is a character from someone else’s story. Anyway, I wanted to capture some of my Caleb’s essence (sweet, gentle, and quiet) but have that warrior side to him, too. I look forward to developing these divine characters. They will soon appear on my Cast of Characters page as soon as I can.