Werewolf Lore
They are known by many names in many cultures worldwide. With superhuman strength, the ability to walk in furs, an intrinsic tie to the moon above, and often presented as a foil to their natural enemy – vampyrs – werewolves are a well-known myth that permeates urban legend. Origin unknown and details much debated, the only thing known for sure is that on the night of a full moon, investigating the source of the howls can have negative consequences.
On Bellamy, It started with a handful of nosey scientists and ten corpses in their coffins. Six months later, the full moon sat high in the sky, peering endlessly at the misery that happened beneath its silvery blanket. The quiet night was ripped apart by the sounds of cracking bones, tearing flesh, and terrified screams. The curse claimed twelve humans regardless of their status or previous allegiances. They were united under the mindless hunt for the vampyr, relentlessly pushing towards the lab despite the military’s best efforts. It was a long, sleepless night full of death. Finally, the sun rose, and tired bodies fell naked to the ground, vulnerable, and quickly rounded up and placed within silver cages for observation and experimentation. They had no memories of the previous night, but that didn’t stop the scientists' thirst for knowledge.
Subjected to torture and pushed to their limits, the werewolves dwindled quickly. Those who did not fall victim to silver or wolfsbane poisonings were made to shift over and over so the process could be documented. Some say there were much darker experiments done; however, a tense silence was the only response from those still alive to tell the tale. By the night of the fire, seven individuals remained. One more was claimed by the flames, either by accident or by choice, leaving six scarred and hardened people to fumble through the formation of their new reality, forming the First Pack.
The First Pack was led by a pair of brothers. Jack Burns and Carter Burns were military before the Change took them. Jack, the elder brother, exuded power and control. The Pack gathered around him as naturally as they breathed, listening to his words and following his actions - he was the Alpha before they had a name for the position. Carter, on the other hand, was calm and kind, cool when his brother ran hot. He was the first to fully master his beast and looked after the emotional well-being of the Pack, always ready to lend a comforting word or compassionate ear. Both brothers worked together to protect the Pack while in captivity, and they continued once they’d found their freedom, becoming the first Alpha and Beta.
Creating a community from scratch was rough going at first. The emergence of the fae from the woods became a blessing as the werewolves befriended them. In a deal between the Beta and the High Lady that prevented the trees from being cut down, the fae agreed to craft living houses from the forest in exchange for the wolves swearing to protect the area from the other supernaturals. With roofs over their heads and a small garden supplementing what they couldn’t hunt, the werewolves slowly began flourishing in their new lives on the secluded island paradise.
Twenty years after the fire set them free, the Pack felt tragedy again. On a standard patrol, the Alpha fell victim to the most innate of their urges as the scent of a vampyr on their land lured Jack into a hunt he wouldn’t return from. Bereaved, the pack was without a leader until the next Full Moon when Carter stepped up to a unanimous welcome. The wolf was nearing fifty but still well in his prime and continued to oversee and protect that pack for decades. During that time, without his brother by his side to help run the pack, he established a hierarchy within the growing pack. Once well advanced in his age, the Pack’s second Alpha peacefully handed over control to a successor before joining his brother on the other side.