Chapter Three: Whispers Beyond the Trees
The forest was alive that night not just with sound, but with something deeper, a whisper beneath the leaves, a pulse in the soil,
Luna stood at the edge of the Den Dynasty's outer wall, cloaked in a gray shawl, her white blonde hair tucked beneath the hood, she wasn't supposed to be here not alone, not unguarded but something had pulled her from bed, a tug in her chest she couldn't explain,
She needed answers.
For days now her dreams had shifted strange flashes of faces she didn't know, cries in the night, a red ribbon tied around a tree and a voice always a voice, whispering her name like it belonged to someone else,
Luna... come.
She stepped beyond the gates,
Behind her, the Dynasty slept, guarded and proud, she moved like mist, her footsteps quiet on the forest floor, her eyes scanning the moonlit path ahead,
But she wasn't alone either.
In the deeper brush, a pair of glowing amber eyes watched her,
Meanwhile, Lucien had returned from the forest, his claws stained with the remnants of his temper, he had series of anger issues, he got over the edge when Adolphus told him he wasnt ready to intervene in the new matter at hand, he was still in training and this time vented his anger by hunting innocent and defendless forest animals.
He entered the hall silently, brushing past Collin, who was just exiting the kitchens with two mugs of warm root tea,
Collin frowned,"Where've you been?"
Lucien didn't answer,
"You're in one of your moods again, huh?" Collin raised his brows at him,
Still nothing from Lucien,
Collin's expression tightened, "Did you at least check on Luna? She's been acting off lately like distant",
Lucien scoffed, "Let her be distant. She's not one of us", he revealed with a cold look,
"She lives here, She's part of us",
"No" Lucien said, his voice low, "She's your friend, that doesn't make her a wolf",
Collin bristled, "No, it makes her stronger, you just don't see it",
But the words barely landed, Lucien had already turned his back, without sipping much of his root tea, leaving Collin wondering there alone about Luna.
Deep in the woods, Luna's breath fogged in the cool air, she followed the path, drawn to something familiar,
She stopped suddenly.
There, tied to a tree was a half buried beneath moss and leaves was a strip of red ribbon,
Her heart pounded fast,
She reached for it, her fingers were trembling, as she touched it there was like a flash burned through her mind,
A woman's voice, 'My Baby!!!!'
It was added with sounds of screams fire and smoke, it was blurry.
She staggered back, the ribbon clenched in her hand,
"Who... who were they?", the question lingers in her head,
A crack of a branch behind her made her spin,
Standing not twenty feet away was a tall, narrow figure in a hood cloaked in russet brown, the scent was sharp and unfamiliar,
Not a wolf but,
A Fox.
The figure stepped forward slowly,
"You don't smell like the rest of them" the stranger said, voice smooth and curious, "You smell...wrong and different",
Luna's blood ran cold as she was scared as well,
Before she could react, a howl pierced the air behind her, one she knew instantly it was none other than, Lucien and he was closing in,
Luna froze as the fox cloaked figure stepped closer, the moonlight revealing a glint of gold in its eyes, a soft smirk tugged at the corner of its mouth,
"Not one of them and yet you live among them" the figure said, "Curious little bird",
"I—", Luna's voice caught in her throat, "Who are you?", she asked,
The figure tilted its head, "A friend Or a threat, that depends on you my scared little bird",
Behind her, another branch snapped this time louder and closer,
The howl had stopped, but the forest had gone silent, even the wind seemed to hold its breath,
"I should go" she whispered, taking a step back, clutching the red ribbon like a lifeline,
The Fox stranger didn't follow, but its voice chased her,
"You should ask your wolves what they did the night you were found, ask what burned and ask…. who died" a faint laugh followed it,
Then like smoke, the Fox vanished into the woods,
Luna ran as fast as she can,
Her heartbeat thundered in her ears, branches tearing at her arms, the wind clawing at her cloak, the trees blurred around her until the familiar stone walls of the Dynasty came into view,
But she wasn't alone anymore,
She skidded to a stop just before the gates because there, standing like a shadow carved from fury, was Lucien,
His arms crossed, his jaw clenched and his eyes wild, he didn't ask where she'd been,
"I caught your scent halfway to the border", he growled, "Are you out of your mind?",
Luna tried to speak, but her throat was dry,
"I needed air", Luna lied, she had no choice,
"Don't lie to me"
"I'm not—",
"You left the Dynasty, alone" His voice was low and dangerous, "You could've been killed", he folded his arms against his chest,
Luna straightened, "You never cared for me anyways and I didn't ask for your concern" she raised her voice
Lucien stepped closer to her, his eyes flashing,
"It's not concern, it's common sense, you're not a wolf, you can't defend yourself",
"And yet I came back alive",
He stared at her, breathing hard,
"You always do this" she said, her voice shaking, "You treat me like I'm dirt, like I'm less",
"You are—" He stopped himself, his jaw flexing, "You don't belong out there",
"I don't belong anywhere", she whispered, "Do I?" She asked,
The silence that followed said more than he ever could,
She pushed past him, brushing his shoulder slowly,
"Don't follow me", she ordered,
Of course, he didn't, he only stood there and watched her walk away and he wondering as he studied her from afar.
Later that night, Luna sat in her chamber staring at the red ribbon on her bed, the image in her mind, the flames, screaming, a woman's voice played over and over like a broken song,
She clutched the ribbon to her chest, heart aching,
Who was she and what had the fox meant?
She wanted to ask Laura but her Were mother was fast asleep and Luna knew what she'd say, of course the same thing she had told her earlier, how she was found, she was abandoned, but was it the truth? She thought to herself, then she also figrured Laura couldnt lie to her, she trusted her but still Luna wanted to know what the Fox meant with his strange words to her,
She needed real answers.
Meanwhile, in the war chamber, Adolphus stood by the moonfire brazier, staring at a carved stone map of the Wildlands,
Lydia entered quietly, her expression tight,
"The Fox Clan grows bolder", she said to him,
Adolphus nodded, "And now Luna's venturing beyond the walls, we can't hide the truth forever",
"She's close", Lydia murmured, "Closer than we thought",
"Lucien said she encountered something, Someone, cause he felt she wasnt alone as he tracked her scent",
"She's not ready" Lydia said,
Adolphus's golden eyes narrowed, "Then she better become ready, Because fate doesn't wait for children to grow up", he blurted out,
"Well, its up to her, she's grown up now, she can make choices and choose whats best for her" Lydia said as she sits down watching him think,
Adolphus kept thinking about this human, living amongst them and if he made the right choice allowing Laura to have raised her,
At the same time, Lucien stood on one of the high towers, the cold wind brushing through his black hair, He looked out over the dark forest where Luna had just returned from, his fists clenched at his sides,
He told himself he didn't care. That she was foolish and reckless, but that image of her eyes wide with fear, her lips trembling as she stood her ground haunted him and he couldnt understand why,
She wasn't a wolf, but she wasn't weak, either, and that more than anything, terrified him, he asked himself what else she was capable of since she went out alone by herself, he scorfs telling himself he intervene in her matter he wants to focus on proving he was ready to lead the pack but still,
The thought of Luna roamed at the corner of his mind and he wants it to stop. . . . .