Episode0: To The Moon
The year was AD 2050, and the ‘Great Cliff’ loomed tall and proud over the landscape. Among the many wonders of the Great Cliff, there was one that stood out above all the rest: the wolfpack. These majestic creatures had made their home among the crags and crevices of the cliff, and they were known for their fierce loyalty and cunning.
However, due to the endless industrialization and devastation of nature, their territory had grown smaller and smaller. The biggest problem was finding food, as the wolfpack was forced to wander around the Great Cliff in search of sustenance and often had to endure the hardship of starvation. But even in the face of these challenges, the wolfpack remained united, sustained only by their strong bonds of brotherhood.
It was a dark night with the full moon in the sky when the agents from human government came to the Great Cliff and took a group of wolves with them. It was a secret operation, only known as ‘Moon Exploration Operation’. No one knew what exactly the mission entailed, or why the human would need wolves. Rumors circulated among the pack about experiments being conducted on the Moon, but no one had any concrete answer. Only one thing was certain. The wolves who left for the moon on that fateful night never returned.
Wolves of the great cliff had nothing else to do but to howl under the full moon in the hope of receiving a response. But the moon remained silent with only the strong wind whipping through the trees behind.
A miracle arrived unexpectedly. It was another normal day full moon lighted up the entire great cliff as wolves howled at its glow. It was another normal day until wolves witnessed something falling from the sky. The wolves watched in fascination, unsure of what to expect. But two things were certain: it was falling from the moon, and it was huge, casting a shadow over the entire lunar surface for a few seconds. As the object drew closer, the wolves ran towards it, their curiosity piqued.
When they reached the object, they saw that it was a massive, mysterious box with no visible opening. The strongest wolf tried to tear it open, but the box remained intact. Just as the wolves were about to give up, one of them noticed a switch button in the exact center of the box. Without even a bit of hesitation, the wolf pressed the button, and to the surprise of all the others, a door appeared below the button.
As the bravest wolf stepped forward to open the door, the other wolves stepped back, with some of them running away faster than their own shadows. But when the door finally swung open, the remaining wolves were met with a sight that left them absolutely stunned: inside the box was a pile of glittering jewelry and very rare ores, shining brighter than the sun on a clear afternoon.
As the wolves rummaged through the glittering pile of jewelry and ores, they came across a crumpled piece of paper. It was partly torn and the handwriting was crooked, but it clearly wrote ‘the moon!!’. The wolves then immediately realized that the box must have come from their kin on the moon. They had no idea what happened on the moon, or why their brothers and sisters had been brought up there, but they could know one thing. The box was the gift that was sent from the moon.
The wolves let out joyful howls toward the bright full moon, assuring that their kin on the moon were alive and well, and appreciating the gift sent from the moon. Their howls echoed across the Great Cliff with more enthusiasm and joy than ever before.
It was not long after that the wolves became billionaires. They sold off a portion of the jewelry and ores, and in return, got enough food for the entire pack. They were also able to build fancy houses and live a life of leisure, spending their days playing and relaxing. On every full moon night, the wolves gathered under the Great Cliff and threw parties all night, howling at the night sky to honor the blessing of the moon.
And so, 100 years passed. Thanks to their ancestors, the wolfpack had enjoyed a peaceful and prosperous lives for the past 100 years. As a result, their teeth had grown dull from lack of hunting, and their bodies had adapted to their sedentary lifestyle. They no longer had the necessity to run with all fours and instead walked upright on two feet. The wolves also become laid-back and easy-going , with their days filled with leisure and abundance. This lifestyle led them to become benevolent and merciful as they faced no deficiency in their lives and nothing really threatened or bothered them. They scattered across different regions, living lives of luxury but also feeling a sense of boredom and monotony in their repetitive daily routines.
But today was special. It was the 100th anniversary of the “Blessing of the Moon”, an event that had been passed down as a legend among the wolfpack. They had no idea of what had happened 100 years ago, but they knew that their luxurious way of life was made possible by the blessing of the moon. That’s why they had never missed a full moon party in the last 100 years, not even once.
With no need of an alpha in the pack, the only special title given to a wolf was ‘Host wolf’, who is responsible for organizing the full moon parties and bringing all the scattered wolves together. The current host wolf sat down to take a break after a busy morning of sending out invitations, he found himself staring at a relic from the past – a letter that had been found inside a mysterious box 100 years ago. The letter, which simply read ‘the moon!!’ in crooked handwriting, was treated with reverence by all the wolves and had been carefully preserved in a jar.
As the host wolf gazed at the letter, he couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to it than just a straightforward reference to the moon. After all, their monotonous and boring life had left him feeling curious. He was the first wolf ever to question about the letter. Could the letter have had more information written on it before it was torn? He immediately went to the box and started searching through the box, hoping to find the missing piece. Among the remaining jewelry, he finally found a crumpled piece of paper. But alas, it was just a receipt. Drunken wolf must had been thrown it into the box. Disappointed, he turned towards the door, only to spot a white object lying beside his feet. He picked it up and gasped in surprise – it was the missing piece of the letter!
It wrote “ot awoo”
The host wolf did not understand the meaning of ‘ot awoo’, but it seemed to be related to the howling sound, as they howled ‘awoo-‘. He raced back home to combine the pieces together. And for the first time in 100 years, he reassembled the letter and read the full message. His eyes nearly popped out of his head in shock. The letter read:
‘come to the moon!!’. It wasn’t ‘ot awoo’ but ‘come to’! So the letter was an invitation to the moon! The abundant resources sent from the moon may have been sent for the preparation of their journey to the moon.
The host wolf couldn’t wait until nightfall. He activated the emergency contact and called on the other wolves to gather as soon as possible. All he said was “We are going to the moon!”. The wolves rushed to the party house with racing hearts, excited to finally visit the mysterious moon. They had always believed in the power of the moon, the connection they shared with it, but they had never considered the possibility of actually going there. What could be waiting for them on the moon? They were eager to find out what had happened 100 years ago, but at the same time, there was a sense of fear about the unknown.
Not long after, all the wolves had gathered in the party house. The host wolf howled first, and all the other wolves joined in, howling towards the moon. The host wolf began his speech.
“It was a peaceful 100 years. But the peace has made us dull and bored. Today, I went to the box and found the missing piece of the letter!”
All the wolves were astonished, some already asking him what it said. He revealed the complete letter, taped together, and read it out loud.
‘come to the moon!!’
“It was the message from the moon telling us to come to the moon! We believed in the blessing of the moon, we believed in its power, our connection to it, but how come we never believed that we could actually go to the moon?! What will we find up there? Let’s find out what happened 100 years ago! You and I, together! Let’s go to the moon!”
There was a still silence. The host wolf then continued his speech.
“I’m not forcing anyone to join, but if you want to know why and how moon saved us, and why we are so closely connected to it, then come with me! Yes, going to the moon alone is very dangerous. I’m nervous too, but we need to remember that we are the wolf pack! We are strong when we are together! If we recruit enough members, we will go to the moon! I believe that we can go to the moon! Who’s with me !!”