“A long time ago above the ocean surface there was a sea bird named Sora. He was the fast bird that flew over the wide vast waters below him. His song of victory sang out to the other birds. But not only did his song go to the other birds it was heard from below the watery surface. A dolphin, named Marco, also heard the song the bird sang. Once day Marco poked his head out of the water hearing Sora’s song being sung once again of how fast he was. Marco chattered to the sea bird, ‘Sea bird Sora I believe. You sing your song of being the fastest one above the water. Though, I am the fastest one below the great waters below, even faster than you perhaps.’ Sora sang out, ‘Dolphin, you say you are the faster than me. Yet I am faster than you my finned friend. The strong winds of the sea and my strong powerful wings carry me for ages over the water. How can you possibly be faster than me?’ Marco came out of the water and seems to stand on his strong powerful tail, ‘Feather friend, the wind might carry you but the current of the water and my strong tail pushes me through the water with ease.’ Sora and Marco looked at each other before a small sea bird flew over and chirped in, ‘Instead of saying how strong and fast you are, why you both don’t race to see who is the fastest?’ Both seemed to like the idea. The race was to be held the sun after the full moon. Both training hard, determined to prove that they were the fastest of them all. The day finally came. Many sea birds and dolphins gathered to watch the race. Sora and Marco waited at the starting line. Marco chattered politely, ‘Good luck Sora, may the fastest win.’ Sora chirped a laugh, ‘Luck, I don’t need luck to beat you.’ A humpback whale came over to the side. ‘Are you both ready’ sang out the whale. ‘Yes’, they both cried out. The whale started the count down and when he reached one he blew out water from his blowhole. Both Marco and Sora raced. Sora looked down to see Marco’s powerful tail push him through the water with ease, and Marco looked up to see Sora’s powerful wings beating the air but also he held them out so Sora could catch the wind to push him to the checkpoint. When they finally reached the checkpoint to turn around, both were very tired and now realized that they have to go against the current they used to push them forward but determined to win the race they both speed off back to the finish line. Sora cried out, ‘You will not win this race Marco.’ Marco was too busy trying to focus on going back through the current of the water that he did not hear Sora rude remark. Sora kept crying out to Marco. Suddenly to Sora’s surprised, Marco started to jump out of the water and back in. This trick Marco was doing was jumping over the current. Finally, they both crossed the finish line at the same time. Sora sang out proudly ‘Ha, Marco I won that race. That proves I am the fastest of both air and ocean.’ Marco only shook his head, ‘Sora, how you know that you won the race?’ Before they could argue about it, the whale came over and said, ‘Sora of the Sky and Marco of the Ocean, you both crossed the finish line at the same time. It was a tie.’ Marco nodded in approval. Sora chirped out furiously ‘A Tie! How can that be?’ The whale only said, ‘Sora of the Sky and Marco of the ocean, you are both fast faster than the rest of your kind, but you two will race and race on but the results will always end in a tie.’ Sora knew he how he was acting was wrong and apologized to both of them. Of course they both forgave him. After that day Sora and Marco raced again for many months. As the whale said each one ended in a tie.”

“A long time ago there were two nations at war. This war went on for many years. The citizens of each nation soon gave up hope for the end of the war and for peace to come. One day a mother gave birth to a beautiful girl. She soon feared for her daughter’s safety in the warring state of the nations. She fled in the middle of the night to find a safer place to raise her daughter in peace. She was caught by some guards near the wall of the nation she lived in. The king of that nation thought she was going to sell plans and important war information to the other nation. They took her daughter away from her and had her executed the next day. Years later the girl grew up without a name as a servant to the king. Though her beauty never faded. Her hair was a light brown, similar to the golden wheat that grew in the nation. Her eyes sky blue which sparkled in the sunlight, and the light of the moon. She was slightly taller than most girls in the nation, and she was thin. Her skin was a golden tan from working out in the sun during the day. The king’s son Ryamond, returned from the war for a break, his army was tired and becoming small. As a welcome home present from his father he gave her the girl. One day, the sun was out and shining and for the first time in a long time it seemed peaceful. The girl was looking out a window and watching some troop prepare to head back out for the war once more. Ryamond saw her looking out the window and walked over and wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her close. ‘It’s a beautiful day. Shall we go for a horseback ride?’ Secretly he really cared for the girl, and loved her. Since he was a Prince he had to marry someone of noble birth. She kept looking out the window, ‘It is very dark out today.’ Ryamond was confused, ‘Dark? What do you mean?’ She turned her head to look at him, her eyes dance with sadness and sorrow, ‘There is another battle on this day. More blood is being spilled on the ground as we speak, Dying for their nation. Lord Ryamond, can I ask why the nations at war are?’ Ryamond started to think. After a few minutes of thinking he replied to her question, ‘My honest opinion is it is for land, my father never told me the cause of this war.’ More sadness filled the girl’s eyes, ‘This war has no meaning. People are dying for two men’s greed. The citizens’ coward in their homes, with no hope for the war to end.’ Ryamond held her close and sighed, ‘I will be leaving in a few days to return to war. I do not want to leave you. You are very beautiful and you care for all.’ She looked at him and hugged him tightly, ‘My Lord Ryamond, I will pray for your safe return. Until you return I will stand here waiting for you to come home, hoping for this accursed war to be finally over.’ Ryamond kissed her cheek softly, ‘You are so full of hope, no matter what the situation is,’ Ryamond smiled and had an idea for her, ‘Hope, a beautiful name that will be your name from now on.’ She looked at him in shocked and tears started to fill her eyes, ‘My name is Hope.’ She was happy she finally had a name to call her own. No longer just be called girl or servant. Ryamond only smiled, ‘I promise I will return you, my Hope.’ A few days later Hope stood at the window and watches Ryamond and his army head back into the war. Weeks past and she was at the window before the sun rise to the darkest part of the night waiting for him to return. On a day like the day she and Ryamond talked about the war, her prays had finally been answered. Hope dropped to the ground her eyes full of tears as Ryamond the rest of the army returned. Before Ryamond went to his father to report what had happened on the battle fielded he walked to his room to see Hope on the floor crying joyfully. ‘Hope,’ he said softly. She turned her head to look at him and smiled warmly, ‘Welcome home, Lord Ryamond.’ He walked over and picked her up bridle style and held her close and spoke softly, ‘It’s over Hope. The war is finally over.’ Hope smiled and for the first time her eyes danced with happiness and hope. Not long after the war ended there were rumors got to the servants that Hope had talked to Ryamond about the war. Ryamond then went to the other nation’s king and talked to him about the war and the meaning of it. So a few weeks later they signed a treaty for peace. Ryamond mention a few times it was her that gave him that idea. The treaty was called “Hope Treaty”. She was the true reason that the war was finally over. From that day, when anyone saw Hope in the market getting supplies for the castle with a few other servants, they bowed their heads to her with great respect and honor. Some even gave her the item she needed for free. Hope could not expect these gifts so she gave them the money anyways. Whispers started to grow to say she was the Birth of Hope for everyone in those nations. When the king heard about what was going on in the nation, he called for her. When she arrived before the king she bowed, ‘You have called for me Your Highness?’ He nodded and waves his hand for her to rise from her bow his face wore a frown. She could tell he was not happy with her, ‘Hope, I see my son gave you a name. I have also heard that villagers bow to you as you run your earns for me. Is that not true?’ Since she could not lie she looked down, ‘It is true your highness. I do not understand why they bow. Please forgive me Your Highness.’ Ryamond walked to the door, he had a matter he wished to speak with his father but froze when he heard his lovely Hope’s voice. He listened as his father was thinking to either exile her, or keep her locked in the castle. ‘I have decided what I am going to do with you Hope. Since people treat you like you are a member of the royal family, I have decided that you will go to live with my sister in her kingdom with in the nation. I will send a messenger to her expecting your arrival. You will be her servant from now on.’ She only looked down, ‘Yes Your Highness. I will go get ready to leave right away.’ As she was getting to leave the room, Ryamond slammed the door open, ‘Unacceptable!’ He bellowed outraged by his father decision. Both of them looked at the prince with shocked, and then Ryamond went over to Hope and held her close to his body protectively, ‘Hope belongs to me. I gave her, her name. She helped stopped the pointless war that was going on for years. People bow to her because they see her as a symbol of Hope which they longed for. Hence why I gave her that name. If you make her leave, I will be going with my Hope where ever she is to go. You cannot say anything against it. Also many citizens will rebel against you. They love her, and will protect her.’ The king stared at his son deep in thought, ‘You love your servant don’t you my son?’ Ryamond nodded, ‘Yes I do father, I do not care what you say, and she will be the one that I will marry.’ The king only sighed giving up the argument, ‘Very well Ryamond, I will let you keep her. The marriage will be alright, since she is actually of noble birth.’ Hope stared at the king with shock, ‘N-noble birth?’ Ryamond was just as shocked. The king nodded and decided it was best to explain, ‘When you were born, your mother tried to flee with you. I now know it was to raise you in a peaceful non-warring nation. We believe she was leaving to sell plans to the other nation we were at war with at that time. The reason we thought this is your mother was wedded to one of the Lords of my land. He was also one of the Generals of the army. He was killed in a raid not long ago, I am sorry for the loss of your parents. So from noble birth you can marry my son. I also give you both my blessing.’ Ryamond was thrilled and kissed her deeply, ‘My Hope, my precious Hope.’ Hope’s cheeks flushed a bright red color and nodded, “I have always been your My Lord Ryamond.’ A few weeks later the two was wedded for all to see. No longer was Hope a servant, she was now Princess Hope. The people were thrilled to see the pride of the nation married to the Heir to the Throne. She continues to stay at Ryamond’s side, continuing spreading her hope to others who need some hope. The people of both nations celebrated their wedding. Hope was not only a Princess now; she was the true symbol of hope.”

There was a dark dense forest that no human would dare step foot within the tree of the dark eerie forest. What really scared these humans are the howls that echo throughout the trees that come from the grey wolves that live in this dark forest. There is one howl that made the bravest and strongest alpha’s tail hide between its shaking legs. This wolf’s fur is black as a star less sky, his eyes are two different colors, the left eye is blood red and the right eye is sky blue. He has been shunned from his own pack and is now a kerl, a lone wolf. No other pack would take him in, for his untrue name he was given, Wolfbane. Wolfbane is the devil among the wolves. Though this was an unwanted nickname that he was giving by the previous alpha of the pack he and his mother were in. The name that he was given at birth is, Black Star. His mother was a grey wolf gave birth to him the night of the black moon. When he was born his fur was black with made some of the other female wolves fear for their own young. His mother was an omega, a low rank wolf. She saw a white star shape in his fur on his hind left foot. As time passed Black Star grew bigger and stronger than the Alpha male of the pack. In fear of his position and the pack the alpha banished him from the pack by calling him Wolfbane was among them. His mother could not save her child from this torment because she has passed away and Black Star is full grown. Many years has passed by since that day and he is now six years old. One day he was out hunting and was walking down the edge of the river near his den. He heard whimper from the middle of the river and saw a grey wolf cub trapped on a boulder. The raging river kept splashing the cub making the stone slippery. There was a storm the previous night which is why the river is in a rage, and by the look of it made the log that was normally connected to the boulder the cub was on washed away. Black Star first instinct was to help the cub, but the thought of the cub hating him for the unwanted name he was given many years ago. The cub yelped again as more water started to push him off the boulder. Its small claws would not hold it for long, Black Star thought to himself and ran to where a nearby log was in the water. When he got to the log a thick mud blanket held it in places as he tried to push it free. Which a few strong tail swipes, the mud fell off and Black Star pushed his weight into the log and it started to drift down the river to the cub, he raced alongside of the log until it locked into place against the boulder. The cub was slipping more and would be seconds before it fell into the raging river. Careful Black Star got on the log and walked across and grabbed the cub by the scruff on its neck as it lost its grip seconds before it fell into the raging water that had it trapped. Walking back to the river bank he put the cub down and turned to walk away before he could hear any of the torment the cub was about to give him, but to his surprise his felt the wet fur of the cub under him and a soft nuzzle against his neck. He froze to the sudden affection he was given by the young cub. “What are you doing, young cub?” Black Star asked, “Don’t you fear me?” The second question choked him up a little, unprepared for that the cub reply will be. “Fear you? Why would I fear the brave wolf that saved me from the river?” The cub said. Black Star stared at the cub then finally the question he did not want to ask came out of his nightshade muzzles, “Don’t you know who I am? I am the wolf that my pack branded Wolfbane.” “My name is Clara. I am so happy I finally get to meet you at long last Mr. Wolfbane sir. What is your real name if Wolfbane is the branded name you were giving?” Black Star looked at Clara, he noticed how small and thin she was. She must be the runt of the littler, Black Star thought to himself. “My real name is Black Star. I have a white star on the back left paw. You should be running along now. It is getting late your mother and pack should be worried about you with that storm and all.” She shook her head, “No, no one cares about me at all. I am the runt, I get picked on and when we feed I barely get anything. I am kind of like you Mr. Black Star.” The last sentence that she said made his ears perk up shocked and curious. Another wolf like him, shunned from the rest of the pack, uncared about. Black Star nuzzled the young she-wolf, “Would you like to stay with me?” He asked her. Her tail started to wag furiously, she also started to jump around him yipping. “Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.” Black Star smiled to himself seeing how happy she was, he was very happy himself. After all this time of being alone, he finally has a member of a soon to be growing pack. Clara and Black Star walked into the forest together. They hunted, played, howled, and slept together. Their calls into the night were less fearful now there were two instead of one lone howl from the thought to be Wolfbane.