Pure Moonlight (closed)

[KieranSoares]

"And I love you," he murmured with an affectionate nuzzle to her neck. "You make me so happy, Selena..." They enjoyed a fair while more to themselves before Ruben came home all tired out and roughed up and dirty from the children's games. When he finished cleaning up, he came to his mother to rest his head against her side with a yawn.

"Hi, Mama," he murmured.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Hi, love." Selena said as she drew Ruben against her side as he rested against her gently. "Did you have a good day with the others? Your Grandma left behind some dinner if you're hungry."

 

[KieranSoares]

He nodded at her question and soon stepped away to go get something to eat. He wouldn't be up long after, though. He nearly fell asleep after he was done eating until Kreston set him on his feet. "Come on, son," he murmured with a smile. "Get to bed." Ruben padded off to his bed and Kreston cleaned up for him.

 

[heartofcourage]

Selena was cradling Luna as she kissed Ruben's cheek on his way to his room. When she checked on him a few moments later, he was sound asleep. She smiled at the little scene, sad that her boy was growing up so quickly. She knew that they would have a few more years together before he went off to find his own way in life.

"This house will be empty when he is gone." Selena said as she stepped into the kitchen, Luna squirming on her shoulder as she looked around the room with her bright blue eyes. "I miss him and he still has a lot of growing to do."

 

[KieranSoares]

"He won't go far, love," Kreston assured her softly. For the werefolk, most young adults were considered of age at fifteen and used usually the next three to five years to learn to be self-reliant and to experiment and find their place in the world. Most usually didn't worry about having a family until they were eighteen at the earliest, some one the other hand having children in their late twenties or thirties thanks to the very long lifespan of werefolk compared to most humans. Almost all lived comfortably to sixty but it was not uncommon to meet lively eighty- or ninety-year old werefolk. Donan was a perfect example. No one actually knew how old he was, but it was agreed that he was at least a century old. Ruben had a long and full life ahead of him and didn't have to hurry to meet it.

 

[heartofcourage]

"I know, but I'm his Ma and I'll always worry about him." Selena said as she patted Luna on the back, her daughter squawking in her little way when she was demanding attention. "Just as I'll always worry about this little one too."

 

[KieranSoares]

"This one is going to need extra worry for a while. Quiet as she is, she knows what she wants." Kreston smiled and came to wrap an arm around Selena, the other hand resting over Selena's on Luna's back. "Shh, eldere," He whispered to Luna, and she turned her head to touch her little nose to his. He chuckled lovingly and kissed her forehead, his heart warmed by how she tried to nuzzle into his warm fur.

 

[heartofcourage]

"I was quiet when I was a baby." Selena said softly, looking at her mate with a fond smile. "I barely spoke a word until Ghell came along. Then he could barely keep me quiet."

Selena turned her head to press a gently kiss to her daughter's white fur, taking in the silky soft texture of her baby fur. "I was thinking...maybe we should take my Ma up on her offer for a wedding in Inverness. Our family could all be there, Ruben and Luna could have a part. I know that the were don't have a ceremony typically and I already have your mark on my shoulder, but it would mean a lot to her...and I guess it would mean a lot to me."

 

[KieranSoares]

"You know the entire tribe would show up along with the town. It'd be like a Solstice Festival if the Gol Dun have anything to say about it," Kreston smiled to his love. "I would love to, Selena. I don't care if weddings aren't common in my heritage... I'd marry you in every way possible in this world if I could." Of course the Ghis were known for the partly rustic, partly elegant Lunasian weddings like what Brogan and Durban had done, though they'd had Church weddings in their past too.

 

[heartofcourage]

"I'll let Ma know then. She'll be over the moon." Selena said as she kissed Kreston gently, giving him a warm smile. "And then she can drive me crazy with plans until the actual event."

 

[KieranSoares]

"She'll probably have my mother helping her," Kreston thought aloud before he kissed her back.

Kitty was indeed over the moon when Selena told her the news, and Dayja was involved right away at Kitty's request. Volgo and Vincenzo were on the side to help but generally sat back and watched. Plans were made and, as was customary of the Ghis, it was ready in record time. Luna was just three months old when the last piece of the puzzle fit into place and Kitty finished Selena's dress with Marri, Dayja, and Julia's help. It wasn't unlike Kitty's own wedding dress, but simpler with the same quiet and elegant beauty and, instead of the sea-foam green that Kitty's dress had been, this one was a dark and lush but unimposing blue. It had been Dayja's suggestion as the Ghis banner had the same color and the Maliar family warriors like Taqu'un were known for blue paint in their fur for ceremonies or battle.

Despite giving birth to her own little one toward the end of preparations, Ellen had worked closely with Dayja to make a similar blue cloak for Kreston to wear at the wedding and, as was Lunar tradition, for him to pass down to Ruben or Luna when they came of age. Ruben decided for them that the cloak would go to Luna, so it was made with a light elegance to later suit the girl, but it could be worn well by anyone.

Ellen had given birth to a Wolf herself, a black-furred little girl named Adane Donna Maliar, her middle name from Ellen's mother. Her eyes were mismatched, one blue and one green, and the first time she met Luna, the two were nearly inseperable. Taqu'un had created a huge uproar in the village after being told he had a little girl, celebrating late into the night with his warriors before retiring quietly to Ellen's side with Adane between them.

The night before the wedding after working out the last details with Donan who insisted on a little procession from the Gol Dun village to Inverness as the tribe's own tribute to the ceremony, Kreston and Selena readied for bed after the children were asleep, only to be stopped by a knock at the door. Kreston went to get it, and Selena heard him greet the visitor in Lunar. A deep, oddly familiar voice, sounding almost gravelly, murmured in return to Kreston.

"Kosovo, friend," the visitor said softly. "Are you Kreston Maliar?"

"I am, sir."

"I'm looking for Selena. Lady Katherine sent me to this village. The people I passed on the road said I'd find her here."

"May I ask who you are?"

"I am Ghel'loum Numeor of the Dase-Ur."

"Dase-Ur? You've come a long way, my friend. Aren't they from Spain?"

"I wasn't born there... Selena will know me better as Ghell." At that Kreston was struck speechless. The man his love had wanted so badly to see for so long was standing right in front of him.

"I... I'll get her. Come in." Kreston soon appeared in the bedroom doorway. "Selena... he's here, love. It's Ghell..."

 

[heartofcourage]

Selena's head was still spinning at the idea that her mother could have put together a wedding in such a short amount of time. It warmed her heart to know that her mother loved her enough to give her everything, even if she did get exasperated from time to time. The dress was beautiful though and Selena couldn't help but smile every time she saw it. She couldn't wait to wear it tomorrow when she went through the ceremony with her lovely wolf at her side.

Ruben was already asleep when the knock sounded at the door. He had been going full tilt since the plans had been announced and he had crashed as soon as they returned home that evening. He was so excited for the party that was planned and the fact that all of his friends would be there. Selena was rocking Luna to sleep as Kreston answered the door and she glanced up when he came back, their daughter's eyes closing as he announced that Ghell was there.

It was like time had stopped. The air refused to move in her lungs as those words sounded so loudly in her brain. "Send him in." She said with more calm than she felt.

 

[KieranSoares]

Kreston turned, disappearing for a moment before, in the doorway appeared a wolf that, at first, Selena didn't quite recognize. His once-rich grey fur had lightened into a silvery grey with age, and his tribal tattoos had begun to lighten as well. He'd once worn deerskin and hand-tanned leather, but now he wore a long dark grey tunic under a hide vest, trimmed with fur on the edges and inside, and long dark hide trousers. The top half of his left ear had been long since torn off, no doubt in a battle by the multitude of scars Selena could see showing even through his thick fur. The worst of them was a wide scar around the front of his neck that told of some kind of metal collar, and it was a common sight for werefolk who had once been slaves.

But above all, one thing had not changed. His soft blue eyes, though tinged around the edges with a silvery grey and one iris cracked from a past injury, had that same gentle soul behind them. He looked at her like a father who hadn't seen his child in years, which was almost exactly what he was. His eyes looked over her, then to Luna, and then came to hold her gaze. Tears of guilt, joy, and pain filled his eyes, but he couldn't make himself move. "Selena..." He whispered, at a loss for any other words.

 

[heartofcourage]

Selena stared at the werewolf that she knew so well, hardly believing that he had come back to her. She remembered the day that she had fled Inverness and how they had parted with deep sorrow and tears. Now, he was back in time to enjoy her children and her wedding.

"Uvore." She said softly, tears already forming in her eyes as she pushed herself out of her chair and was in his arms in an instant. "I thought I had lost you forever."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Eli," he murmured as she came into the protective and familiar circle of his arms. He'd called her his daughter in Lunar since she'd begun calling him father, and it was among his last words to her when he'd helped her slip out of Inverness unseen to escape one of Tamblin's worst rages, directed at her for many things, but most specifically for denying a suitor he'd chosen for her that was one of his commander Oliver's own men. It had only been a month after that that Tamblin had run Ghell out of Inverness, learning he'd helped her escape, but no one had known if Ghell had escaped, died, or something else had happened.

"I tried to come to you in Edinburgh..." he murmured. "But Oliver caught me and sold me into slavery, I ended up with an enslaved tribe in Spain..." He lifted his head to look down at her. "Brogan bought my freedom a month ago. I just arrived tonight." Brogan had kept it secret, wanting to surprise his sister as well as the rest of his family.

 

[heartofcourage]

Selena's heart broke when he mentioned that he had been sold into slavery. She knew that there were few things that could break a were faster than being used as a slave. Selena pulled back and looked into Ghell's eyes, shocked to learn that Brogan had bought his freedom nearly a month ago.

"So, you're staying?" Selena asked him, waiting with bated breath for his answer.

It would mean the world to her if he would stay. He could be a part of her family, a doting grandfather for Ruben and Luna.

 

[KieranSoares]

"If you'll have me," he spoke in the smallest voice she'd ever heard from the formerly confident Wolf. He had nothing but the clothes on his back, having only made it to Scotland without being hunted down or sold again by the grace of the gods and Brogan's influence and money.

 

[heartofcourage]

"I'm never letting you go again, uvore." Selena murmured, hugging him so tightly that Luna squeaked her displeasure at being woken. "Never again. We'll help you build a house, but for the time being you can stay here with us. It's safe here."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Thank the gods," he whispered, but when Luna gave her little squeak, he looked down at her with the same soft gaze he'd always given Selena through her life. "Who is this little beauty?" he asked just above a whisper, his huge hand laying gently across Luna's back. Luna curled closer to her mother, too tired to be curious about the stranger for the moment.

 

[heartofcourage]

"My daughter." Selena said as Ghell stroked his hand across Luna's back, the little girl grumpy and tired as she leaned against Selena's shoulder and closed her blue eyes again. "Luna Ghella."

 

[KieranSoares]

Though he was already teary-eyed, the tears finally fell then. Selena had only seen in cry once when she last parted from him. "She's so beautiful, Selena... Is she your first?" He asked softly. He had no idea about Ruben yet.

 

[heartofcourage]

"No. You'll have to meet my son tomorrow morning. He was exhausted from a long day." Selena said softly as Ghell cried over the little girl that he had just met. "He's a handsome black wolf like his father. His name is Ruben."

 

[KieranSoares]

Kreston approached then, taking Luna. "Why don't you two spend some time together, love? I'll put Luna to bed," he said softly so not to disturb his daughter. "I'll get some extra blankets out too for Ghell."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Thank you, Kres." Selena said softly as he took their daughter and went to put her to bed as she led Ghell towards the warm front room, sitting down with him in front of the fire.

"Have you seen Ma yet? You'll be so happy for her. She put together a nice little life for herself once Vincenzo came to live in Scotland." Selena said with a wide smile. "And everyone has little ones save Kayla and Ashien, but it's only a matter of time for them. Kayla is the queen of Norway. Ashien has a lovely wife that he adores."

 

[KieranSoares]

Ghell settled slowly and stiffly into his seat as if sore or hurting from something, and he smiled to Selena. "She met me at the keep's courtyard. Between her and your siblings, they nearly hugged the life out of me... She looks so much better than she did when I left. And I saw Valentina, and met Julia and Marri and Emma... Your family has done so well this past decade. And your Wolf is quite the handsome fellow. I couldn't be prouder of you all."