Beneath the Wandering Moonlight
#5 of The wolf and the rose
The next chapter in the wolf and the rose. I hope you enjoy this piece.
As always, comments are appreciated.
Continued from the Price of Arrogance...
When the sun rose on the next day, I walked to where Julianna was sleeping beside the dying fire. She had given me comfort while one of my black moods came upon me and I appreciated it greatly. It happened every now and then; the memories would come flooding back and I would be almost overwhelmed by them. I smiled when she stirred, rolling over slightly beneath her blanket as the warm sunshine illuminated her. I would let her sleep until she awoke naturally. There was no hurry, we weren't going anywhere today. With the death of their master, the remaining demons would be going mad, scattering like dust in the four winds. It would be far easier to make our way to Gulnia if we gave the demons time to disperse before moving. I had no worries about safety, for the Golden Wood was the one place where the enemies of Auré could never set foot. Legend had it that the sacred wood was the place where Auré had first set foot on the world and no evil being could pass into it. 'Besides,' I thought, 'She deserves a full night's rest for comforting a werewolf.'
I sat down and rekindled the fire, looking up at the rolling cloud bank that was headed our way. It was dark grey with rain and I knew that by nightfall it would break upon this part of the world. Shrugging to myself, I went out into the wood to find some fallen logs to help in making a shelter against the rain. It didn't take me long to find more than enough and I set about making a tent to shelter us from the storm out of the tarps I carried in my pack. The thick growing trees of the forest would provide some shelter on their own, but this would help prevent the fire from going out. Just when I was lashing the tarps together between the logs, the princess woke up and yawned.
"Good morning." She said, getting up and coming over to where I was working. I nodded to her, one end of the cord I was using clamped between my jaws to hold tension while I stretched the tarp. She obligingly pulled it taut and I released the cloth and took the cord from my mouth.
"Thank you." I stated and she nodded while I tied the tarp section taut.
"What is this for?" She asked, looking at the half finished shelter. "I thought we would be on our way today."
"No, it is too dangerous yet." I replied, moving over to the next edge of the structure. "The demons that served Redamarc as still too near for us to be safe going far today. And this is to provide some comfort against that storm that is coming our way."
"Well, I think I will make us some breakfast then." She said, and sat down by the fire, digging around in our gathered equipment for food supplies. I finished the shelter about the time that the food was ready and I sat down across the fire from her, accepting the bowl of stew gratefully. The food tasted great to me; it probably wasn't actually very special, but considering that I had been subsisting on a diet of dried meat and the food I could find in the wilderness for longer than I cared to remember, the hot food was a welcome change. While we ate, I smiled across the fire at her and she returned the smile.
"Thank you for what you did last night." I said and she nodded.
"You have saved my life several times already." She commented, "It is only fair that I help you as I can."
"You know, you don't live up to your reputation as a member of royalty." I said and she cocked an eyebrow at me.
"What do you mean by that?" she asked. "What reputation?"
"Well, I don't know whether you realize this, but most slayers think of royalty as being..." I said, waving a hand through the air as I searched for the right word. "Well to be blunt, spoiled."
"Spoiled!?" She replied and I nodded.
"Well, look at it. From the moment you are born, you have everything you want provided for you." I said, eating more of the stew. "You have servants for everything. Servants to clean up after you, servants to cook for you, servants for who knows what. Most royalty that I have met, during training and before, when I journeyed with my father, have been pompous, conceited people who seem to expect everyone around them to do what they say."
"Would these royals happen to be princes?" She asked and I nodded. "I thought so. Let me explain to you how being royalty works. If you are a boy, you are given anything and everything you desire, regardless of its cost. Everyone caters to your whims and no one ever disciplines you. Ever." She set her bowl down and when she looked back up at me, her eyes were burning with anger. "But, if you happen to be born a girl, you get no choices in your life. From the moment I was born, I was taught how to act. How to dress, how to eat, what not to do, where to go and when, but most of all, to obey. I was taught to obey my father until such time that I would be married off. Then, I was to obey my husband and his parents. I had no choice in the matter. I was sent off to the temple where I studied when I was ten because I was told that I needed to learn the holy ways so that I would be a better prize for a prince to marry. And that is all I am to my father. A bargaining chip. The only reason I was brought back from the temple is that my father has found a prince for me to marry. You may be cursed, but you are at least free to go where you will. You have the choice of what to do with yourself. I don't have even that."
"I am sorry, I had no idea." I said, appalled at how she was treated.
"Don't be sorry, it isn't your fault." She said, her voice taking on a fatalistic tone. "I am a princess and that is what princesses are required to do."
"Why don't you just talk to your father?" I asked, getting more stew from the pot. "Maybe you could convince him to let you choose."
"No." She said, shaking her head. "He wouldn't listen. And what choice would I have?"
"Well, if you had the choice, what would you rather be doing?" I inquired and she sighed, shaking her head. "No really. What do you want?"
"What do I want?" She repeated, looking surprised. "No one has ever asked me that before. Given the choice, I would like to go back to the temple and become a priestess. It is the only place I have been where no one was treating me like a piece of property."
"Why didn't you just ignore the summons?" I asked, finishing with my stew. "If you wanted to be a priestess, why didn't you just stay at the temple?"
"Because my father sent a whole caravan to get me back." She replied. "No one ignores that."
"But if that is what you wanted, your father couldn't do anything to you." I stated. "The priesthood of Auré is not under the jurisdiction of any kingdom, regardless of its strength."
"Well, maybe." She said and then looked up as thunder rolled through the land. "We should finish getting the shelter up." I nodded and we got up, setting the tent I had assembled so that it encircled the fire pit, with room around it for our equipment and bedrolls. "Well, that is that."
"Just in time too." I commented, looking out towards the distant edge of the wood. Already, dark sheets of rain cascaded down from the dark storm in that direction. "Best get everything inside..."
***
A few hours later, the storm was going full tilt. Wind lashed the forest and rain beat down upon our shelter. But we were safe and dry beneath the tarps. Because I had rigged the tarps so they were taut, the rain could not pool on it, keeping the water from getting through. We sat across the fire from each other, listening to the storm's fury. The fire was burning low, throwing strange shadows around the inside of the shelter.
"Shouldn't we add more wood to the fire?" Julianna asked, and I shook my head.
"No, we don't have much dry wood left. I am saving it until nightfall." I said. "During this storm, it will be cold tonight, even with the fire."
"Alright." She replied, and put a blanket around her shoulders. "If it gets much colder at night, I am going to freeze."
"You should give thanks that it is summer and not winter." I said, smiling slightly. "Surviving in winter is not so much a matter of whether you are going to get cold, but if you are warm enough to survive."
"I keep forgetting that I am talking to someone who lives in the wilderness at all times." She said, then looked at me with curiosity. "How do you even survive out here when winter comes? I mean, its not like there is a whole lot of dry wood out here then."
"There isn't." I said. "During the first year, I stayed in a cave, blocking up the entrance with a lattice of wood and moss. But it got tiresome living in a cave full time. Later, I discovered something interesting that I have used to survive since then. Now, when it gets cold and there is no wood for fire, I just take off my medallion."
"How does that help?" she asked and I took the sun cross from beneath my clothing.
"This cross was given to me by Auré himself when he gave me his blessing. As long as I wear the cross, I am human during the day." I said. "By taking it off, I assume my werewolf form once more. You would be surprised how warm werewolf fur is."
"Why...?" She began then shook her head. "I was going to say 'then why don't you just stay a werewolf during the winter', but I suppose that is a silly question. It is really none of my business."
"No, it is a fair question." I said, letting go of the amulet. "I leave the amulet on when ever I can because it means that I am at least still partially human. It is only when I have no other choice that I take it off. Another reason is that while I wear the amulet, I am resistant to demonic magic, by when I take it off, I can be controlled by them. Even with it, I am not wholly immune to their powers."
"Hmmm." She said and looked down into the embers of the fire. "So where have you traveled since you were cursed?"
"Far and wide." I replied, "I have probably been over the entire continent by now, probably more than once. I don't actually keep track. I just go where I am needed, hunting the demons and their servants."
She smiled and we continued to talk for hours, while the storm raged over head. I learned that she was actually jealous of me because of my wide travels. I had never found anyone before who could possibly have felt jealousy at my life. Finally, when I could feel the curse beginning to tingle in my flesh once more, I sighed.
"It is getting towards dark. I better go." I said and got to my feet, getting ready to leave the shelter.
"Where are you going?" She asked and I smiled slightly.
"I am going out to transform." I said. "It isn't an experience that I like to share."
"Please stay." She said, laying a hand on my arm. I didn't know why, but her touch sent shivers up my arm. "Whatever it is that happens, it won't be more disturbing than what I have already seen in the last few days." I nodded and a slight smile twisted her lips upward. "Besides, we can't have the entire shelter smelling like wet dog." I smiled and shook my head slightly at her joke. But I could sense the sun and moon beginning to switch places in the sky, the sun setting and the moon rising. I knelt by the fire and waited for the curse to come. And then, the moment the last edge of the sun sank beneath the world, I felt the curse come upon me.
The spike of pain drilled itself into me again and I lurched forward as the transformation began to take effect, my hands clenching into fists as I strove to restrain the cry of pain that threatened to rip from my throat. The curse surged in my blood and I gritted my teeth against it. My heart beat quickly and my breaths came as ragged gasps. My bones shifted into new positions as the night came on, growing larger as my body swelled. Muscle bulged as it grew denser, sinews tightened and then stretched as I grew broader. And then, the twilight gray fur sprouted all over my skin, and my clothing ripped to shreds once more with the sudden increase in size that it brought. I barely managed to restrain a groan as my face contorted into a wolf's muzzle. Finally, my tail grew from my spine and it was over. I rose back up to my kneeling position and then sat back, panting in the aftermath of the transformation. I looked over at the princess and I saw that she was looking at me only with curiosity, not fear or revulsion at the transformation.
"Like I said, not pleasant." I said and she smiled at me.
"No, but neither is it as disturbing as you might think it is." She said. And then she tentatively stretched out a hand and touched my forearm, running her fingers through the fur that covered it. "You know, your fur is really soft."
"Ummm...thanks?" I began, surprised at the pleasurable sensation of her fingers combing through my fur. It felt great, and I had never felt it before.
"What does it feel like to transform like that?" She asked, continuing to stroke my fur. I looked at her with one eye brow raised and she smiled at my look. "I would like to know."
"Besides the pain?" I asked and she nodded. "It feels...Well, I don't know how to describe it exactly. It is too strange, too horrible to put into words. You can't imagine what it feels like to be forced to change from the inside out."
"Hmmm." She said again, her fingers still trailing through my fur. "I kind of wish that I could experience it, if only to know what has forged you into who you are now."
"That is because you haven't experienced it." I said. "It might be intriguing to watch, but it is terrible to experience. Trust me, it isn't worth it."
"I guess." She said, and her stroking fingers continued on up, crossing over my shoulders and my back. I shivered, not used to the feeling. I glanced over to her and noticed the playful gleam in her eye. She knew exactly what she was doing. Her fingers trailed up my spine and I shuddered. She grinned. "Why Galen, I do believe you are ticklish."
"Am not." I replied unconvincingly. Her fingers trailed up my spine again and I shivered once more. She giggled and suddenly, both her hands stopped stroking and she pounced on me, tickling hard. I started to laugh as I tried to fight her off. She laughed with me and for a few minutes, we wrestled in the tent like children until I caught both her hands in mine and held her at arms length.
"Okay, stop it." I said, panting from laughing. She was breathing hard as well and she finally nodded. I released her and she sat back on her haunches, winded.
"Sorry." She finally said, wiping sweat from her brow. "But I haven't been able to do that since my little sister and I were growing up."
"Its okay." I reassured her, "I don't think I have ever done that."
She smiled at me, but I recognized a faint pinkish glow in her cheeks that she hadn't had before. She finally looked away and sat back, stretching her legs out in front of her. For another hour, we sat in silence, listening to crackling of the flames and piling the last of the wood on the fire. By the time the fire was burning low, Julianna was yawning and I spoke at last.
"Why don't you get some sleep?" I asked and she nodded, wrapping a blanket around herself. She tried laying down, but she was soon shivering from the cold of the night and the storm. Finally, she sat back up and, without a word, moved over to where I was sitting and sat down beside me, sitting close enough that she was touching me.
"You are warm." She commented and I smiled, then put an arm around her and she sat closer to me, sharing the heat of my fur. She was soon asleep and I watched her for a while. I couldn't be sure, but I thought that there might have been more to her coming over to me than just her need to be warmer. And, as I looked at her, old feelings came up out of the depths of time at me, feelings that I had long ago walled away. They were the feelings I used to have for Carrie. I shook my head. There was no way she could like me in that way. I was a werewolf, a danger to her and everyone else I ran into. There was no way...
***
Morning dawned clear and cool the next day, the storm having blown over during the night. I pushed open the blanket hanging over the entrance to the shelter and looked out, my human eyes taking in the sights of the wood. The air had become clean and crisp with a scent of the freshly fallen rain. I smiled and climbed out of the shelter, the water skins in hand. I walked towards a stream that was flowing past the clearing and sat down, filling the skins with the clear water, freshly flowing with rain. Smiling to myself, I walked back to the tent, finding the princess emerging from it, smiling sleepily.
"Good morning Galen." She said, gazing at me with a bleary expression.
"Good morning." I replied, handing her the two water skins I had taken from her pack. "Sleep well?"
"Yes." She said and busied herself with disassembling the shelter. Neither of us made mention of the night before and instead we discussed which way to go.
"We should continue on traveling towards Gulnia." I said, rolling up a tarp. "We will have to cut across country, the road is still too dangerous for us to travel alone."
"Fair enough." She replied, coiling rope around her arm. "How long will it take do you suppose?"
"Well, it will take at least another two weeks to reach the border and then perhaps another week to reach the capital." I replied, stowing the tarps in my pack. "But we should be able to make better time now that Redamarc isn't searching for us."
"Good." She said, "In that case let us get started right away."
***
The next few days of the journey passed uneventfully with the princess and I managing eighteen miles or more every day, not a bad pace through the wilderness. At night, there was no more tickling or her cuddling up to me. She was becoming more and more my friend as time went on and I enjoyed actually having a friend again. But then, on the fifth day out from the golden wood, we faced another problem. It was early morning and we were just passing into a valley when the sound of voices came from up ahead. I instinctually put a hand to my dagger and moved in front of Julianna. But the voices were human and I caught enough words to put some of my fears at ease.
We stepped from the trees into a meadow ahead and found a trio of men clothed in brown tunics and wearing swords that were quite clearly silver. When they spotted me, they stood and hailed me.
"Hail and well met Slayer." The first said and I noticed a cross around his neck that looked similar to the one around mine, but less ornate. Each of them also wore a bracelet of green stone and silver metal. "I am Culdin, and these are my brothers Fuller and Rodic. We are of the Nightlancers."
"Well met indeed Lancer." I replied, taking my hand off the dagger. "I am Galen of the Slayers of Auré. What are you doing in this part of the wood?"
"Hunting." Culdin replied and sat down on a stone by the campfire they had made. "The number of attacks along the King's road have increased in recent months and we were dispatched to hunt along here to see if we could discover the origin of the attacks. And yourself?"
"I am escorting my lady to Gulnia." I said, looking him and his compatriots up and down. "Her convoy was attacked and I stepped in to lend a hand. Unfortunately, she and I were the only survivors."
"Well, take a moment to rest with us, we would be happy to share our food." He said, indicating a pot that was bubbling over the fire. "We were waiting for our comrades to join us."
"We would be happy to." Julianna said and took a seat beside me. The three men started to serve the stew into bowls, and handed them to us. I took my bowl and waited for a moment, listening. I caught footsteps coming this way from within the trees and looked up to find five more of the men coming into the campsite from that direction, each sitting down by the fire and taking up a bowl. Culdin nearly had a spoonful of his stew up to his mouth when I spoke again.
"Before we eat, let us say a prayer to Auré." I said and Julianna looked at me funny. But her eyes grew wide when Culdin spoke again.
"Of course, I was so eager to eat that I forgot my manners." He said. I opened my mouth as if to begin the prayer, but then I moved suddenly, upsetting my bowl of stew all over Rodic. The man reacted, but far too slowly. In an instant, I had pushed Julianna back so she was out of the way, and leapt up, my sword drawn and slashing down on Rodic. The blade bisected the warrior from hip to shoulder and he burst into bright green flames. A moment later, the faces of the other seven men contorted all out of shape, their teeth becoming pointed and their eyes red. Moments later, the demons drew their blades, all pretense of humanity forgotten and I slashed another, my blade severing the head of another of them. I slipped into the familiar combative trance that I adopted when facing a tough fight. These demons were an especially dangerous breed because they were nearly as good as the Slayers at sword play. After a few minutes of confused brawling, the scene resolved itself into all the demons but one lying dead as piles of ash, but the last demon was staring into Julianna's eyes, not blinking in the slightest. Julianna's body was rigidly still and the demon began lowering his jaws around Julianna's neck. Just when the demon's teeth had touched her neck, it suddenly shrieked loudly and dropped her, the dagger I had thrown hitting with unerring accuracy. Julianna was breathing hard and was nearly hysterical. She huddled on the ground while I looked around for more enemies, and then, when I was sure that there were no more coming, I sheathed my blade and turned to her. She has started to cry and I knelt beside her, putting my arms around her gently, giving her comfort in her hour of need as she had done for me.
"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god." She repeated, whispering over and over again as she relived the terrible moment when the demon's jaws had been around her neck.
"Its okay. Its alright, it can't hurt you." I said and patted her gently as she gradually quieted. Finally, when she had composed herself, she pulled away and I let her go. Finally, she looked around the campsite and then she looked at my face.
"You knew all along didn't you?" She asked and I nodded slowly. "How?"
"Well, I could sense the demonic energies flowing in this clearing." I stated, fishing in one of the piles of hot ash with my sword. "But this was my first real clue." I lifted one of the crosses from the pile of ash with my sword and then held it suspended before me. "Do you notice anything about this cross that shouldn't be here?"
"No." She replied and I nodded, then touched it at the ends of the cross bar.
"See, here, these extra off shoots of metal. They shouldn't be here." I said and she looked closer and nodded. "Every Demon hunter, regardless of the order they belong to, wear a sun cross because it is the symbol of Auré. The demons cannot reproduce the cross because it hurts them if they touch it. These crosses are meant to look like the real thing, but they aren't. The second thing that tipped me off was this." I picked up one of the ornate bracelets and handed it to her.
"This is jade isn't it?" She asked and I shook my head.
"It's the wrong shade, plus it is translucent." I said, "It is beryl. The final confirmation was that they failed to challenge me to ensure that I really was a Slayer and they also failed my test. We have been aware of demons trying to pull this trick for some time."
"I never knew that." She said.
"I wouldn't have expected you to." I replied, laying the bracelet and cross back on the ground. "We have tried not to make too much of an issue about it. We didn't want common folk to start attacking us on sight." Julianna was silent for a moment, then she spoke again.
"You must think me weak." She said. I stared at her in amazement. "I froze up when that demon attacked me. I didn't even think to use my dagger."
"Of course not." I said, appalled that she thought herself weak. "Julianna, I have seen soldiers who have faced death a thousand times freeze up when a demon attacked them. You cannot expect yourself to be able to react to demons the way I do. Demon hunters are hardened through years of facing horrors so that we can react the way we do. Even the priesthood isn't trained to face them like we are."
"I know." She said, a sad look coming to her face. "But, every creature has the instinct to protect itself. Even the lowliest peasant will fight to protect their lives. But when mine was threatened, I froze."
I didn't know what to say, but then it came to me what might make her feel that way. It was an after effect of the demonic power that had held her in place. I lowered my pack to the ground and rummaged through it for a moment, looking for something. And there, at the very bottom of the satchel, I found it. What I pulled out was a sunburst formed of jade and silver, attached to an intricate bracelet of chips of jade, fitting together like the scales of a snake with silver wire. In the center of the sunburst, a minute cross of gold like the one I wore glittered brightly. A fond expression came to my lips when I examined it. Smiling, I walked over to her, offering her the bracelet. She took it in hand and spoke.
"What is this?" She asked.
"That is my Ward of the Sun." I explained. "It is an armlet that is given to each graduate of the Slayer's training program. It is meant to always protect the wearer against the Demons' power. As long as it remains pure, it cannot be removed save by the free will of the wearer, and it will protect you against even their most powerful abilities for some time, until all the power of the jade is consumed. I want you to wear it."
"No, I couldn't possibly wear this." She said, her eyes growing wide. She offered the circle of jade scales to me, but I did not take it. "You should be the one wearing this, you are more in danger of possession than I am."
"I cannot wear it anymore." I said, and showed her a place on my bicep where shiny white scars made a perfect copy of the silver wires. "I tried to wear it once after I was cursed, but the first time I transformed, the wires cut into my skin and nearly killed me. I managed to get it off before it could take my life, but I have not worn it since. But I couldn't throw it away either. These objects are very precious to us, as they are a mark of our having completed training. I want you to keep it for now, it will protect you against their powers in the future."
"But, how does one go about wearing this?" She asked, sliding an arm through it and finding it to be much too large. I smiled and unclasped the scale pattern at the sunburst and indicated her upper arm.
She obligingly pulled up her sleeve and I wrapped the charm around her arm. It was still very loose, as it was meant to fit my arm, which was much thicker and more muscular than hers. But, the moment I clasped the sunburst closed, the ward shrank, instantly becoming snug on her arm. Because of the way it was designed, the ward was flexible enough to move with her arm, and once it had sized itself to her, she couldn't even feel that it was there anymore. She smiled and let the sleeve of her traveling tunic fall back over it, obscuring it from sight. All signs of the foul mood that had been creeping over her were gone now. I smiled slightly, the ward was already working on her. She finally got to her feet and we set off again, headed for her distant home once more...
***
Before night fell over the hills we walked over, we paused at last to make camp. With the campfire crackling merrily between us, we sat once again in silence and I waited for the moonrise. It came moments later, the moonlight wandering into the world shining pale white in the sky, and the ever-familiar pain began. I swelled, gritting my teeth against the pain, growing larger and stronger, twilight grey fur sprouting all over me once more. The tail, muzzle and ears of my wolf form were the last to change and I at last sat back, a wolf once more. When I had fully transformed, I looked down at my right arm and idly traced a finger along the network of scars beneath my fur. Werewolves never quite healed from silver wounds. But, when I looked back up at my companion, the princess was walking over towards me, the pink tinge in her cheeks there once again. When she reached me, she put a hand on my shoulder and took a deep breath before opening her mouth to speak.
"I never did thank you for saving my life the day we met." She said, coming still closer. She was blushing rather profusely now and I wondered what was going on. "And since then, you have saved my life twice more." She was now very close to me, so close that every breath was filled with the scent of her body. Her face was bright red and, was it my imagination, or was there a gleam of mischief in her eyes? "And I wanted to say thank you in my own way..."
Before I could consider what this meant, her arms were around my neck, and she was kissing me. The position was awkward because of my muzzle, but there was no mistaking the passion in her kiss. For a moment, I was too surprised to do much, but then, I put my arms around her, the feelings I had felt earlier returning many fold. She stopped kissing me for a moment and whispered in my ear. "That was for saving me on the King's road."
Then she moved in and instead of pressing her lips to mine as she had before, she stuck her tongue into my mouth, and I returned her kiss, returning the passion I now knew she felt for me. She pulled back from that kiss, but she didn't bother with words before leaning in and giving me third kiss. This last kiss, the most passionate of the lot, lasted for what felt like an eternity, then she finally, and it seemed reluctantly, pulled away from me. Then, she shifted position so she was sitting beside me once more, and there we sat beneath the moon, a werewolf and a princess, embracing each other against the chill night, and gradually, Julianna fell asleep for the second time, nestled within the embrace of a grey furred wolf...