Despite having only been indoors for a few minutes, the light of the outside blinded Jinri. She blinked to clear her vision, throwing up a hand to shield her eyes from the glaring light. She could hear her heart beating in her ears and was sure that anyone standing too close could hear it as well.

When her vision cleared, she found herself looking at a sea of faces, solemn and sober. A shiver ran down her spine as she searched the faces for one that was familiar. Her instinct was to run and hide; the fear she felt facing all of these people was beginning to overwhelm her. She knew that it would be over soon, but she still had to face it now.

"It's going to be alright," she thought to herself, trying to remain calm. "Just a little bit more until I can go home to bed and the pack and not worry about all of this." Her mind raced at a million miles a minute, and she was hyperaware of every little movement around her.

She stood on a slightly raised platform made of wood and stone. Around her was a runic circle, unfamiliar symbols carved into the stones around her. Each symbol seemed to be connected to a drawing of a branch of a tree that stretched back to the very spot Jinri stood on. She felt compelled to kneel and brush her fingers against the symbols, and did so. The feeling to be connected to each of these symbols was not one natural to her, she felt as if some otherworldly force was controlling her. Unlike the Hadrian, this force quelled her nervous energy and filled her with a sense of quiet and stability. It was almost as if she were the tree and she was drawing energy from the symbol stones.

"Here we gather strong and true,

Mother of wolves we call to you."

The words were quiet at first, and Jinri wasn't quite sure if she was the only one who could hear it. Her eyes briefly darted to the crowd; in her examination fo the stones, she almost forgot they were there. The pulse of calm energy manifested itself as a buzzing hum that grew louder and louder as the chant continued and she positioned herself back in the middle of the circle.

"Time and blood are running fresh,

Our allegiance to you we do attest.

Moonlight magic source of pride

Life and loyalty never subside."

A shuffling of feet alerted Jinri to her pack appearing before her, each making their way to a stone. At first, she didn't recognize them. They were clothed in dark green robes, hoods pulled up over their heads.  As they found their places, Jinri could feel their energies mixing with her own.

"Ulrica, Ulrica, the binding is near

Seal the bond, our prayers hear.”

Silence once again enveloped the crowd, as Saedemia made her appearance. In one hand she held a small velvet pouch and in the other the held a long staff made of gnarled wood and decorated with runes and inscriptions Jinri couldn't read. She looked regal and proud, beautiful in her ceremonial headdress and clothes.

"This, the time of great war has brought us much tragedy and sadness," the woman began speaking, her voice clear above the silence. "And in our grief we have persevered. We have risen to the challenge of our enemies, the hateful Hadrian." Jinri startled as growls sounded across the crowd, expressing the anger and hatred of all those present. Saedemia raised her hand for silence and continued.

"A prophecy has emerged!" she exclaimed. Confused faces looked towards the platform where Jinri stood. All the eyes on her made her once again want to run; she knew what prophecy Saedemia spoke of, and she was loathe to hear the words again.

"And in the time of Red, Past the gates of death and birth, The evil kept at bay will rise."

The words hung in the air like an invisible cloud of impending doom. Jinri schooled her face into a neutral expression as she felt her stomach turn at the memory of being possessed by a Hadrian. It was what had started this whole mess, and she hoped that nothing like that would ever happen again.

"That is the Prophecy of Red that speaks of the destruction of everything we hold dear," Saedemia continued. "But fear not. The day of our victory against these forces is near. We have in our presence the one who has appeared to bring us out from the darkness and into the light!" Saedemia swept her arm backward and to the side as Jinri lifted her eyes to the crowd. The 12 men standing around her knelt at their stones, the symbols glowing golden. One by one, the boys touched their symbols and Jinri could feel a pulse of energy race to her core, light it on fire. She began trembling, the influx of energy overwhelming. She wanted to scream out; it was like her very soul was ablaze. The buzzing in her mind grew louder and louder as the energy tore through her system.

"Goddess of Two Moons, we bring to you this Howlers Eve this child of Hana and Dominic. This child who will be bound by blood to you and all who came after you."

Saedemia's voice grew louder and more frantic with each word she spoke, and the buzzing in Jinri's mind grew to a haunting scream. She didn’t realize it, but it was her scream - no her howl  - that filled the air as the energy tore through her body. Faces started on as Saedemia walked around the circle, chanting an incantation and casting a blue powder over Jinri and the twelve.

"Fire, Earth, Metal, Air, Water and Blood. By these elements, we bind the circle, and follow in the steps of our ancestors; who pledged themselves to fight against the forces of darkness. When evil assails us, when fear weakens us, when descent threatens us, in the circle we will find our power. We come to this place alone, but leave bound as one. With this oath, our journey begins together." The words came from their mouths as if they were being controlled by a higher power. Jinri's voice overpowered them all, her clear tone amplified over the large space. Saedemia stood at the head of the circle, her sight fixed on Jinri.

"Do you accept the circle?" The witch asked them.

All thirteen faces looked at Saedemia, their resolve evident in their eyes.

"We accept the circle."

Saedemia took a step forward and cast a last handful of orange dust over the circle.

"So it is done."

There was a brief silence as the orange dust was absorbed into the ground. She was going to speak again, to announce the end of the ceremony, when Jinri slumped over, loudly.

"What is the matter child?" Saedemia whispered, intending to hurry over. "The ceremony is done, you can-"

A blinding white light flashed as a dome of golden tendrils burst from Jinri's chest and poured into the stones. The guys startled, severely underprepared for this magical display. Jinri's eyes had clouded completely over with an eerie golden glow and she was babbling unintelligently, her body convulsing.

Lay was the first to act, moving swiftly from his position to directly behind her, holding her steady so she wouldn't snap her neck.

"Let me through!" Saedemia ordered, pushing through the protective ring the guys had formed around her. Meanwhile, the gathered crowd had begun to whisper among themselves, having also never seen anything like this. The council, who had been in the middle of the crowd were moving forward towards the platform. Their calm faces didn't give away their frantic feelings as they pushed through the crowd.

Suddenly, Jinri's babbling stopped and she stood. Her movement caused a tense and heavy silence to fall over everyone. Slowly but surely she walked to the very edge of the platform, and looked over the startled faces staring back. The guys tried to reach her, but it was like an invisible barrier prevented them from coming within more than a few feet.

"Long ago lived a Tree of Life, who was the source of all that existed in this world," Jinri spoke, her voice sounding robotic and hollow. She waved her hand, and golden tendrils drew a picture in the air of the tree she spoke of. "As the world grew, so did the Tree, and so did its power. The Red force with its crippling and greedy ambition, wanted to seize this power, to rule the world and all that lived in it." She waved her hand again and the picture changed, this time depicting a red snake that wrapped itself around the base of the Tree and began to squeeze it.

"And so the Tree divided itself in twelve, sharing its spirit with twelve guardians that wou