Felix was exhausted. He'd been hiking up Dark Moon Mountain for several hours and it was getting dark. He didn't think it'd be so far when he'd started up the mountain at mid-morning. Not, he was just tired, hungry and aching for a good long soak.
Taking another break, Felix downed the rest of his water. "Well, I hope there's still a functioning well or river at the village," he said to himself. Felix had been alone for so long, he'd had to talk to himself to keep from going crazy. He didn't like being alone. Usually he was surrounded by people or fish.
Hyping himself up, Felix resumed his upward march, praying he'd reach the village before full dark.
Another hour and two more breaks to catch his breath, Felix finally broke through the tree line into a clearing. Getting his bearings, Felix looked around, studying the space he'd stumbled into by final rays of sunlight. What he saw chilled him to the bone.
A massive graveyard.
"Please, don't let there be ghosts," Felix muttered as he slowly made his way between the grave markers. He was so freaked out it took a while for him to notice that all the graves had fresh flowers on them. Stopping by one, Felix knelt down to examine the flowers. "These aren't growing here. Someone placed them here. Recently," he continued to whisper to himself.
As Felix looked around again, really looking at the graves this time, he noticed that every single one had flowers on them. What really got his attention was the large stone marker in the center with a full wreath of flowers on it. Felix walked closer, examining the unusual marker. Engraved on it, he could just make out the words, 'Here lies the Dark Moon Pack. May they find everlasting love and grace with the Goddess.'
Startled, Felix's head whipped around, taking in the sheer number of gravemarkers. "My Goddess," he whispered. "This is the aftermath of the massacre."
Hearing about it was one thing. Seeing it in person was another. Tears welled up in Felix's eyes as the true impact of that day hit him. Kneeling, he paid his respects as he prayed to the Goddess to watch over this pack and every other that was wiped out.
As he continued to sit there in silence, the sun fully set. As the darkness blanketed him, a bright beam of moonlight pierced him. Startled, Felix cried out at the suddenly blinding light when a quiet voice seemed to whisper in his head. "They'll need your help."
As suddenly as it appeared, the moonlight disappeared, leaving Felix blinking stars out of his eyes, trying to readjust to dark. As his vision cleared, he noticed a faint light coming through his shirt at the shoulder. Shrugging out of the loose fabric, Felix was awed at the beautiful silver Moon Lily that appeared on his skin.
"Thank you for this blessing, my Goddess. I won't let you down."