Solar Moon

By Brentney Cason

When their world is shrouded and darkness, Toru and Fortuna must meet the challange.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Aug 3, 2015
• ISBN: 9781329440258

Book preview

Solar Moon

Solar Moon

Solar Moon

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Solar Moon Full Moon

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Afterward

Chapter One

Beast of the Moonlight

Toru made his way through the thorn-covered Wild Vine Woods, on a dark, cold, lonely night. His black-streaked blonde hair matted with leaves and twigs, his black t-shirt and blue jeans torn all over. The light of the full moon pierced through the thick canopy of trees, lighting his path.

Suddenly, something darted through a beam of light, and then vanished as quickly as it appeared. It zoomed by again, this time even closer, before pouncing on him.

He managed to fight off whatever had tackled him, before he heard a gentle, feminine voice say, Is that you, Toru?

Fortuna? he said, recognizing her voice. Hard to believe I haven’t seen you since we were nine years old.

Taking a closer look at her, he noticed that her blonde-streaked brown hair had grown wild in the past seven years. Her dazzling golden eyes were shining brightly. The white T-shirt and dark blue jeans she wore were torn as well. It was not until she got back up and helped Toru to his feet, that he noticed that she was almost as tall as he was.

You seem to be doing well. He commented.

Thanks, you don’t look too shabby yourself. She replied. But you really shouldn’t be here. This is the werewolf King’s territory and if he found you, he’d kill you.

What’s there to worry about? Retorted Tour, shrugging. I’ve had to fight off hunters every day back in the city.

I know you can handle some measly hunters on your own, so why are you here? She said, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

Night Fright is becoming too strong for me to deal with alone, I need your help to stop him before our race is destroyed, He plead.

Sorry, I’m afraid I have my own struggles to take care of, She said, turning to leave. Please, get away from here before it’s too late.

Toru placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder, saying, Fortuna, you and I maybe complete opposites, but need me the same way I need you. We need to work together.

It’s not that I don’t want to help, She sighed. It’s just the only way I can get away from here is to be sent away, and I have to get into quite a bit of trouble to do that.

What will get you into the most trouble? Toru asked. Placing his other hand on her other shoulder, bringing her closer. The shine of her golden eyes revealed a silver crescent moon in each eye.

There’s one sure way to get banished but… She hesitated, turning away from him as her face became pale.

Please, Fortuna, I need to know, he whispered, pleadingly.

I have to protect a human from the king, she finished, her voice seeming weaker than before.

Then I’ll show up in front of him and you can help me out, He concluded, squeezing her shoulders.

If it were that easy I would have let you enter the village by now, she replied, her voice cracking slightly. What if I’m not strong enough? What if I can’t protect you? What if-What if…? she began to plead but the thought caught in her throat, as she fought back the tears. We’ve been separated for so long; please don’t ask me to let you risk your life like this. She whispered her body seemed more fragile than before.

Fortuna, Toru sighed, sensing the pain his request was causing her. He let his arms slide down to her waist and pulled her close to his own body, causing her to tense. I wouldn’t ask this of you if I didn’t think you could. He breathed into her ear.

Suddenly he felt her relax in his arms. She laid her head against his chest and breathed, I’ll do what I can.

"These soft human emotions make me sick, a rough, rumbling voice growled in the shadows.

Fortuna pulled herself away from Toru and leaned into a defensive crouch, a sharp hiss escaping through her bared teeth. For the first time, Toru saw the fangs that he had barely noticed before for what they really were.

So you plan on protecting this boy, don’t you? The voice asked in the same harsh tone. A giant grizzly-looking black werewolf slowly stalked forward its own fangs bared at her with saliva trickling from his lips.

She hissed again in response to the larger wolf’s question. Shaking nervously, she held her ground for her friend’s sake.

I’ve never seen such disrespect for the king, young mongrel, the wolf snarled, getting ready to strike. You’ll pay for it with your life. He lunged at the girl, toppling when she pushed her friend out of the way and ducked beneath the wolf’s attack.

Get away from here! Fortuna yelled to Toru. Leave before things get out of hands.

He wanted to turn away. He wanted to run, but the sight of his lifelong friend in trouble made him feel as if he needed to stay, to help in any way possible. Instead, he waited for a clear shot at his target, ready to fight if needed.

As the wolf continued on, she did all she could to dodge and defend herself from the much larger beast’s strikes. Before long, the monstrous creature managed to pounce on his prey. Both human and wolf crashed into a bush, just big enough to conceal them, It tore at her flesh, then a sharp pain entered her right shoulder. She gathered power in her jaws, and with a blast of bright, silver light, the giant animal was sent flying in to a thick coniferous free.

Another flash of silver erupted from the bush, and from it a strangely angelic creature rode into the air. Shining like a full moon, she glowed not with scales but with a fine layer of fur. Her head was shaped like a wolf’s with a rectangular snout. She had a muscular, yet delicate body structure, a pair of wide paper thin wings, and a long, slender tail.

When the dragon opened its bright, golden eyes, Toru immediately recognized this majestic creature as his friend.

Need help, Fortuna? Toru asked, upon her landing.

Thanks, Tor, but you have to get away from here, now, she hissed. He cringed at the sound of her angry voice, hiding in the trees for shelter.

The wolf was back on his feet again, his bloodlust had become easy to identify in his yellow-green eyes. Growling, he struck again, though his enemy had dodged him again with a mere flap of her wings.

She quietly landed on the sturdy, branch of one of the nearest trees. Once again, he attacked her, snapping the limb she had stood on, as another quick flap allowed her to climb higher.  She blasted him one more time with the silver light energy that had sent the wolf crashing into a tree the first time.

This time it hurled him to the ground, a cloud of earth surrounding him on impact. Waiting for the dirt to settle they heard the wolf struggle for breath. Afterward, he choked, Leave, dragon. Take the boy and never come back.

A gentle hrrrr sounded in the dragon’s throat. Then she landed next to Toru and growled, I told you to run.

I wanted to make sure you didn’t get hurt too badly, he scowled, but studied the injuries she had sustained in the fight. He saw more cuts than he would attempt to count: the only one he really worried about though was a deep bite on her shoulder that would become fatal if it wasn’t treated soon.

Toru let his expression soften and insisted, Here, let me bandage your shoulder before you lose too much blood.

We need to get out of here first, she said, scanning the area. The others aren’t going take the fall of their king too lightly."  

He still did not feel comfortable leaving her broken flesh exposed, though he knew, they needed to leave at that moment. Agreeing with her, he turned to lead the way.

Fortuna placed one of her small claws on his shoulder, shaking her head. She motioned for him to get on her back, folding her wings to make it easier on him,

Are you sure you can carry me?

We’ll never know if we don’t try.

He was afraid she would not