Seeing them together made her feel angry. No, she decided then and there. Her mother did not deserve to be in her life. She was better off thinking Sylvie was dead. She saw one of his men hand Amaruq a lit torch, which he then gave to her mother. Luna threw the torch into the open door and set it aflame.
Sylvie almost got up and screamed. Her mother was acting crazy. She was not acting like the woman she had thought she had known.
"Dammit!" Sylvie said under her breath as the flames engulfed the house.
The wood was dry, so the fire worked fast. That was her shelter. Her only shelter. Now it was gone. It took everything in her not to act out and just wait.
It felt like it took them forever to leave. After they did, she and the wolf continued to sit in the tall grass and watch. It was far too late now.
She had been fortunate enough to grab her satchel, but she had left the supplies Caleb had given her inside. Almost letting them starve that one day because she had slept in paled in comparison to her home being currently torched, by her own mother in front of her very eyes. Sylvie rested her head on her knees. Now she felt like she didn't have a choice. She had to leave this island.
She had to get away.
Caleb had been right all along. She was in danger. The black smoke from the fire began to cloud the sky. The sun disappeared behind it. A gust of wind blew the smoke in their direction.
Sylvie accidentally got a mouthful of it and inhaled. She coughed it up, then rubbed her burning, watery eyes. When she caught her breath, she stood up. "We can't stay here." She told the wolf. "If you have any ideas where we can sleep tonight, I'd really appreciate it."
The animal took off running, and Sylvie followed as they went.
He took her on his nightly running path. She was surprised he was leading the way. He stopped running when they were once more at the stream. This time they were a few feet higher than where she had just been enjoying herself. They walked on until the stream changed into a small waterfall.
Sylvie thought this part of the island forest was beautiful. She was surprised she had never found this place before. She climbed up the side. She didn't stop until she reached the top.
When she did, she found the werewolf was patiently waiting for Sylvie to make it.
She was out of breath because of the fast pace the wolf had been running. The adrenaline of the day's events still rushed through her veins. When she caught her breath she sat up and was immediately taken aback by the view. She hadn't realized just how high the Island's mountains were. The wolf had taken her here.
From where she sat she had a beautiful view of the entire Island. The town looked so small from this perspective. She turned around. From that direction, she was able to see the black smoke that came from the destruction of her home. As if he sensed her emotions the wolf walked over to her and rubbed his large body against her arm.
As he did, she traced her fingers through his thick, soft, black fir. He licked her face. She gently pushed him away, not really in the mood for affection. She watched him walk over to a large boulder that had been overgrown with Ivy. She watched the animal walk towards it, then he found an opening in the Ivy and disappeared. She couldn't believe what she had just witnessed.
"Hey!" She called out.
The wolf did not reappear. Sylvie stood up then and walked over to the boulder. She took a few steps closer to get a closer look. It looked solid. She touched where the overgrown Ivy was.
It was lush, green, and alive. She felt a cool breeze on her palm. She looked down, knowing this was where she had seen the wolf enter. Sylvie pulled out her knife and cut through the thick blanket of the foliage. Once she was done.
She went inside the surprise opening. It was pitch black. It took several seconds for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. Once they did, she could see the reflective eyes of her companion. He walked over to her.
She could barely make out what exactly this was. If she was going to find out, she would need to explore, and exploring meant Sylvie would need light. She exited out of the boulder and was once again greeted by the sweet air of the Island Forest. This time it was tainted with the smell of smoke. She was able to see.
Sylvie searched her satchel and found her Firestarter. She found a wet branch by the stream and began wrapping the tip of it with dry clothing and pine tar that she carried in her bag. Sylvie made quick work. Within minutes her makeshift torch was done. When she was satisfied with its construction, she lit it and went back inside.
The sight took her breath away. Sylvie was standing in the den of Loux Garoux Royalty. She didn't know that. She thought it was a place wealthy people had once frequented and were no longer alive. She also thought the cave was filled with secret riches.
It was much bigger than what it appeared to be. To be an average onlooker, it was just overgrown ivy on a large boulder in the forest. Its placement was ingenious. She noticed the cave was decorated for Royalty. The stone walls were decorated with tapestries and art carved into the stone walls of the cave.
Two large Greek pillars were carved from the stone on either side of the cave's hidden entrance, she noticed some type of crest on the wall. She held her torch closer to the stone wall to get a better view. It was a crest of some sort. The crest appeared to be a mother wolf breastfeeding human infants, along with her pups. It was fascinating to her she had no idea it was the royal sigil.
She walked inside further and was pleasantly surprised to see a large bed, a chair, and a fireplace. She felt blessed and a little uneasy at finding this place. The wolf had taken her here. How did he know this place existed? She wondered. She had thought she had pieced it together.
The mystery of why the wolf was here now. From everything she had seen she deduced this was one of the murdered Loux Garoux Prince's pets. And this place had been his. That conclusion made the most sense to her. The Wolf's master was the dead Princes. She felt the sadness wash over her. The wolf had lost his master because of a foolish war.
Sylvie's heart went out to the wolf. They had both lost so much.
Realizing the animal's situation made her feel more connected to him. She pointed the torch down inside the fireplace. The old logs burst into flames, startling her with their dry, loud, crackling, and popping noises. She looked down at the wolf who stood beside her.
"Welcome home, boy," Sylvie said...
| LUNA |
Luna was feeling sentimental at the moment. Though she had been to the butcher to identify the body of her only child, she still felt like something was wrong. Luna wanted to close her eyes at night and not be haunted by her dead daughter. She was trying hard to forget about her as quickly as possible. Luna knew with each fire she and Amaruq started on the island, they were getting closer and closer to their goal of destroying this flea-ridden place.
Amaruq showed her just how powerful they were when they combined their forces. With each life they took, that power grew. There was no one there to stop them. Amaruq had just arrived back at their camp. Luna had decided to sleep and stayed in their tent, awaiting his arrival.
Luna saw no reason to go with him. Amaruq enjoyed handling his business alone and telling her all the titillating details when they were in bed together. She exited the tent. Amaruq was walking quickly in her direction. He did not look like his usual self.
Something was wrong. A few seconds later, he stood inches in front of her. There was no greeting. He grabbed her by her upper arm and pulled her back into the tent. Amaruq always had been unpredictable. She could never anticipate his next move.
"My Darling, what is the matter? What happened?" She asked. Her free hand rested on his chest.
Today he was back in his regular attire, which consisted of a black leather vest, matching leather pants, and black boots. He looked angry. "That little shit lied to you!"
Luna knew who he was talking about. Caleb. The Blacksmith's son. The boy who was smitten with her daughter. She felt her temper prick...