Pure Moonlight (closed)

[heartofcourage]

Selena went quiet for a long moment as he told her that it was safer for them to go with his tribe. She let out a long sigh and looked around the cabin that she had lived in for so long.

"It's not leaving this place that gives me pause. I don't think...I don't know if I'm strong enough to leave her behind." She said softly to her mate, letting him know the real reason that she had never left that cabin in all of that time.

 

[KieranSoares]

Kreston wrapped her in a secure, gentle embrace as she let him know her true reasons for such long-standing hesitation, and he was almost hesitant himself to encourage her to leave now that he knew why. "You're not leaving her behind, Selena... what's important is that you remember her, and as long as you do, you aren't leaving her... she's a part of the Earth again, as we all will be again one day. So no matter where we are, we'll always be connected to her."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I know, Kres, but it's so hard." She said softly as he wrapped her up in a secure embrace. "But I also know it's time to move on. For her sake and ours."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Why don't we take a couple days to say goodbye? We'll be back when we get ready to move up north." He kissed her cheek before Ruben come to them and hugged his mother round her waist.

"Ma? Are you okay?"

 

[heartofcourage]

"I'm fine, Ruben." She murmured softly as her son wrapped his arms around her waist. "I'm just thinking about your sister. You know how that always makes me a little sad."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I know. But you should be happy too, she has a mother who still takes care of her even after such a long time..."

"Exactly," Kreston agreed softly.

 

[heartofcourage]

"And I have a wonderful son who still thinks of his sister from time to time and a wonderful mate who takes care of her with me." She murmured, kissing Ruben's forehead before she looked at Kreston with a smile. "It'll be hard. I won't lie about that, but I know it's time that we join you Da's family."

 

[KieranSoares]

Thankfully, the hunters never seemed to be around when Kreston and Ruben were outside. The foolish men, who believed that werewolves were monsters, were also foolish enough to think that they were purely nocturnal people. So Kreston never let Ruben outside after dusk, and if he had to go outside, he'd sneak out the back where it was darkest and his fur would blend with the shadows.

The day that they finally did pack a few things and were ready to head out, Selena found Kreston outside beside the little grave, murmuring in Lunar to his lost daughter and burying a small gift he'd brought back for her in a shallow hole near the heather. He took just one flower, and put it inside a book Ruben had let him borrow to press and dry so he could keep it even when they went away.

 

[heartofcourage]

Selena had packed up their home. Her brothers would come in the next few days to bring her furniture to Inverness. All of her possessions were placed in wooden crates and she felt ready to go. She had made a point to save some of the seeds from the heather plants to plant in their new home. It was all she had left of Krestina.

As she stepped outside, she paused when she saw Kreston kneeling over the grave, murmuring soft words to the daughter that he'd never known. She made her way to him, kneeling next to him and placing her hand on his shoulder.

"Thank you, love." She murmured against his ear.

 

[KieranSoares]

Kreston lifted his head, meeting her eyes with a smile, but also a bit of confusion. "What for? I haven't done anything." He sat back on his knees, wrapping an arm around her waist. He looked back to the little grave, considering it silently. He couldn't help the pain in his chest, but he also felt at least heartened by the fact that the little girl was certainly in good hands with his ancestors and late relatives.

 

[heartofcourage]

"You came back. That's all I ever wanted." She said softly as she pressed a kiss to Kreston's cheek.

"And when we get settled in our new home, we can start expanding out family in earnest. I think that would be the best way to honor our little girl." She said softly as Kreston's eyes turned back to her grave.

 

[KieranSoares]

"I hope I get another chance to have a daughter... I've always wanted a little girl," he spoke softly. He was quiet for a long moment, looking at the lovely little flowers, before rising with Selena. They had to get going, or risk running into hunters if night fell before they reached the tribe. They would take what they could carry on a wagon with two horses from town, up through the forest path, and they'd stay with the tribe and move north with them.

Excited was a massive understatement for Ruben, far from the reserved little boy he'd been before his first journey to Inverness. Not only was he ecstatic to see the Golin again, but also to see his Aunt Julia. He could only hope his dear Uncle Brogan was doing better by the time they returned.

 

[heartofcourage]

Selena settled in the wagon next to Ruben, laughing as he seemed to ask a thousand questions all at once. "Little love, you need to calm down. We still have a long journey ahead of us." She murmured as she kissed his black furred brow.

 

[KieranSoares]

"But you're finally gonna see the valley and meet everyone! Aren't you excited at least a little?"

"She's good at hiding it, Ruben, but I think she's more nervous than anything," Kreston chuckled with a secret teasing wink to Selena.

 

[heartofcourage]

"I'm very excited, Ruben, but I've lived a lot longer then you and I know how to hide it better." She murmured, kissing her son's cheek against gently. "I had to learn that when your Da came into my life."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Why hide it?" He questioned with a tilt of his head, looking to Kreston.

"Because she's just that sort of lady."

"What about you? You still get excited."

"I'm still a cub at heart."

Such banter went back and forth on and off as they went, until they took a rather steep path down into a valley where Kreston had to guide the horses carefully. Before Selena opened up a hidden valley with a lovely small waterfall coming down the far end where the valley was deepest, and a little lake whose shores and the field beyond were dotted with little huts and houses. A few cattle and sheep roamed freely, grazing at will, and on either side of the dirt path leading into the village was a huge orchard, and beyond those were two crop fields on either side. Then, they came to a palisade, made of solid logs and kept together simply by how they were driven into the ground. Cracks in between were filled in with clay that had been baked hard in the sun over time. The gates were open, guarded on either side down the length of the wall that ended when it hit the valley walls of stone. The warriors were mostly between Kreston's size and larger than Durban, but one who came to meet them was equal in stature to Brogan, and Kreston greeted him with a tight embrace, speaking to him in Lunar.

The great grey wolf kissed Kreston's cheek before facing Selena and Ruben. Apparently he'd not met Ruben the last time as the boy seemed a little shy of him.

"Selena, Ruben, this is my dearest friend and eldest brother Taqu'un. He's the Captain of the Golin Warriors. He was away hunting last time we were here."

"Ah, little Ruben," the wolf smiled brightly as he knelt to hug Ruben. His broken English was still understandable as he praised his nephew. "Strong, very handsome wolf. Surely Golin and Maliar."

Ruben decided he liked his uncle right away, and Taqu'un rose to face Selena, his smile softening. "Sister... beauty, more than brother said." He stepped forward to kiss her cheek and hug her tightly. "So good to meet you." He apparently already had a soft spot for her from Kreston's stories of her. When he stepped back, he took her hand gently, "Come. Meet Chela en Uvore."

"Mother and father," Kreston translated softly before Taqu'un led them into the village and to the little lakeshore. As they passed, Selena saw a few humans among the many wolves, as well as a few other werecreatures. Taqu'un led them into one of the simple houses where they found an older black wolf whose fur was turning light grey, asleep as he sat on the floor before the simple stone fireplace. Most younger wolves wore either no shirt or just a vest like Kreston during the warmer months, but the older werecreatures put on more layers as their fur couldn't protect their bones from chill anymore. This wolf had a light shirt on made of what seemed to be wool and dyed indigo, over deerskin trousers. He seemed to have fallen asleep reading, as a Lunar-script book, handbound in leather, lay in his lap.

"Uvore," Taqu'un said softly, touching the older wolf's shoulder. "Orr." The wolf finally lifted his head and grumbled at his eldest son.

"Mon eis et julak hume tet cassok am yi?" Taqu'un just chuckled at him and helped him to his feet, motioning to Selena and Ruben. Immediately, the old wolf's eyes lit up.

"Grandpa!" Ruben finally burst forward and the old wolf picked him up to hug him tightly.

"Ruben. Back so soon?"

"We're going to move north with you. We brought Ma!"

The aged and gentle amber eyes turned to Selena as he set Ruben down, and it seemed Kreston's father too had a soft spot for Selena. "You are most welcome, my lovely dear Selena." He stepped forth to embrace her tightly and kiss her cheek just as Taqu'un had. "I am Volgo. I've been waiting so long to meet you... I thought you'd never come."

 

[heartofcourage]

Meeting Kreston's family seemed like such a daunting task. They were kind to her, but she was still slightly on guard. Wolves were some of the most accepting people that she had ever met, but some could be bristly and cold. So far, it seemed that they were ready to welcome her into their lives as Kreston's mate.

Meeting Kreston's father was one of their meetings that she had played over in her mind again and again. Volgo was warm, telling her that he had waited a long time to meet her. She returned a kiss on each cheek and looked at him with a soft smile.

"I didn't know that I would ever make it." She said softly as Ruben broke the moment and started demanding his grandfather's attention with the story of their travel.

 

[KieranSoares]

As Ruben spoke, a tiny werewolf woman who could've only been five feet tall appeared from the door, having been at the back of the small house tending her garden. She was petite and looked frail but vibrant despite her calm and soft demeanor. She greeted Ruben with a kiss, letting him continue his story, before laying aside the basket she was carrying to hug Kreston tightly and kiss his cheek.

"Chela... this is Selena. Selena, this is my mother Dayja."

"Welcome, my dear sweet girl," the woman spoke in a beautifully-accented and bell-like voice, soft as everything else about her as she drew Selena down into a gentle embrace.

 

[heartofcourage]

Selena was surprised when the tiny woman walked into the home, her soft looking fur very similar to both her mate's and her son's. She hugged the woman back as she was greeted and pulled into a tight hug.

"Thank you for having me." Selena murmured softly.

 

[KieranSoares]

Dayja looked up at Selena with a serene and happy smile. "I can't tell you how happy it makes me that you've finally come. And how glad I am that you two worked things out. Come, sit down. Kreston will want to introduce you to everyone else later, so you'd best get your peace while you can."

 

[heartofcourage]

Selena's head was spinning as his tiny mother dragged her towards a seat and she sat, looking up at him with a smile as she laughed softly. His family was lovely, very much like her own, and she did feel at home. Still, her thoughts were still with the little cabin that they had left and everything that was still there. She was sure that she had lost a piece of her heart that she would never get back.

 

[KieranSoares]

Dayja quickly made some tea, which tasted of fresh mint and flowers, and they all settled together while Ruben went off with Taqu'un to explore. "I must say I didn't expect you back so soon," Dayja mused quietly to her son before smiling to Selena once more. "But I'm certainly glad you all came. Things got a little too quiet without Ruben. Kreston told me he used to be so shy, but you'd never know it now."

 

[heartofcourage]

"He still is very shy around people he isn't familiar with." Selena said with a smile as she took a cup from Kreston. "He warms up quickly though. I'm glad that he's found happiness here with your family though. He was so nervous about his change."

 

[KieranSoares]

"He looks just like his father when Kreston was that age. He'll grow up just as handsome, if not more so. But his fur is more like your hair, not quite black but very nearly," Dayja smiled. "Do you intend to stay with us after we move? Or will you go to your family? Kreston tells us the Inverness region is one of the safest in the Isles, so I'm sure you would have no trouble moving between the two."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I would like to stay with Kreston and Ruben with the rest of your tribe. I think it's important that Ruben has a safe environment to grow up in." Selena said, knowing that she had Kreston had talked extensively about expanding their family as well.