Slave to the Moon [Goblin]

[Juno]

His words didn't make much sense to her, his offer earning him a look of pure confusion from her. "The furs?" she questioned, looking beyond the other wolves to the pile at the back of the den. It certainly did look like it would be much warmer, but it took her a few moments to realize what he was offering.

"I know I'm not a prisoner. I would hope not anyway because I asked for shelter under that assumption." Quietly she mulled over it for a moment, looking between the furs and the rain beyond the entrance. Then, she carefully tapped at Wesser's side in warning, hoping not to startle him with sudden movement as she stood up.

"Thank you for showing me even more kindness today," she told him sincerely before slowly making her way towards the pile and sinking herself down into them. Using the one about her shoulders as a blanket Lyra adjusted the furs a bit, rolling a few together loosely to form a pillow to rest her head upon. Getting comfortable, she cast another look Rylan's way. "Just wake me up whenever you need these back, or if the rain stops," she called softly, her voice muffled a bit towards the end as she fumbled with wrapping herself up in the furs.

[GoblinFae]

Wesser whined softly at the loss of his comfortable lap while Rylan remained still and silent. The wolf quickly followed the human, not even waiting for her to get all settled before he too was flopping into the furs and squeezing himself up tight against her with his head resting on top of her. The alpha pair had settled down also, although the male was still alert even in his resting position. His ears were high on point and pointed in the human's direction even though his eyes remained closed.

"Sleep. You are the only one who has need of them tonight even if Wesser is intent on convincing you otherwise. You can leave in the morning once the sun is up. There's no need to bumble around aimlessly in the dark," Rylan replied with a gentle nod in her direction. "Sleep."

[Juno]

Surprised by Wesser's insistence on being near her Lyra tried to make room for him as best as she could. The strange man's continued kindness was not missed upon her, even if it was common sense. "Thank you, I'll try."

She turned her attention to the wolf beside her, reaching a hand out to pet at his shoulder a bit before sinking her hand into his fur. "Be nice, stay quiet," she urged him softly, giving him a few more scratches and pats before settling down, oblivious to the fact that Liulfr remained alert. It took her no time at all to fall asleep while cuddling the young wolf, though, easily relaxing with the security of a bed for the night.

[GoblinFae]

The wolf howled softly, making sounds if he could speak before burying his nose against her neck. His tail thumped happily against her side in a steady rhythm until it slowed with sleep. Nothing bothered the den as it was a strong home, able to withstand even the raging storm outside with little effort.

Eventually though the storm lessened. The winds calmed their howling and the heavy rains became nothing more than a faint mist. Rylan remained in his setaed position though the whole night in an almost meditative state as he listened to the sounds of the night both in and outside of the den. When morning came, with its crawling rays of sunshine he blinked in surprise at how quickly the time had passed. A glance to the furs saw the human still there, so there he left her be. Iolana flew over to a rock near the woman's head, curious about the newcomer and desiring a closer look as she leaned over the being bundled in her caretaker's furs.

[Juno]

Lyra slept soundly through the night, her body needing rest to recover from her slight injuries. The calm of the storm did not wake her nor did the distant songs from birds of the forest as morning light burned the remaining clouds.

There was no start to her waking, she merely faded into it as easily as she'd faded into a world of dreams before. She blinked slowly, trying to register all of the sensations around her: the coarse warmth of the furs, the slight bristling of fur against her throat, and the slight pain that still pulsed through her arm. It was so calm and quiet it was really only the pain that told her she was awake at all.

She clenched a fistful of fur before smoothing out Wesser's coat, a soft yawn escaping her before finally lifting her head enough to look out at the other inhabitants of the den. She was startled to find the hawk so close, staring into her piercing eyes for a long moment before sitting up enough to look over to Rylan. Lyra was surprised to see he sat exactly as she'd last seen him. "Did you sleep?" she asked with a guilty frown.

The opening to the outside looked clear and the sounds and darkness of the storm were long gone, but she was still wanted to see it for herself. She kept a fur wrapped around her shoulders as she climbed to drowsy feet to approach the demon and the outside beyond. "It stopped, huh?" she guessed, finally confirming it by sight a mere moment later as she peered out at the forest.

[GoblinFae]

"There was no need," Rylan replied with a simple shrug from his seated position. When she got up, Wesser yawned loudly and whined slightly as she got up and moved, waking and disturbing him in the process. As she moved towards the cave entrance, he rolled off the furs and trailed behind her, tail dragging from grogginess but a spring in his step nevertheless. Rylan also rose from his place on the floor and silently joined her to look out at the morning. "The worst of it has seemed to. It still rains though."

[Juno]

Lyra cast an apologetic look towards Wesser and lowered a hand in an offering of petting. It had seemed like the rains had stopped but the sounds of it still hitting the forest canopy made her realize that she simply couldn't see it in her immediate field of view. She turned her head to look up at him to ask for his permission despite her being a guest, "Do you think it's safe enough to pass through now? Is the river prone to flooding here? I'm not very familiar with the the waterways of your forest."

[GoblinFae]

The wolf eagerly licked her hand and pushed himself against her hoping for more of her gentle attentions. Jealous of Lyra's attentions, Iolana zoomed across the room to rest on the woman's shoulder. The hawk leaned forward while trying to view the human from the side and not fall off from her precarious perch. In contrast the demon remained rather still and silent. His head cocked slightly towards the entrance as if listening to something before he finally answered. "The river floods. Can you swim?"

[Juno]

While the wolf's eagerness for her attention was not all that surprising she was a bit startled by the strength in his small body, his gentle pushing had her leaning to keep balance from the unexpected pressure. After gathering herself and saving from stumbling she happily pet and scratched at his ears and neck to reward his affection. It seemed more and more he acted more dog than wild wolf.

The hawk's reappearance truly startled her, though, the sharp claws pressing to her collarbone making her jump slightly for they felt almost like small knives threatening to pierce both clothing and flesh. "Oh... Hello there," she greeted her raising her injured arm gingerly to offer to the bird if she wished to be pet.

Once Rylan spoke, though, he gained most of her attention again as a disappointed sigh deflated her. "Oh. I can. I haven't had need of it in a while but I think it's something easily remembered. I'm sure I'll be fine... Thank you for all your help." She knelt to one knee momentarily to press a quick kiss to Wesser's head. "Goodbye Wesser, thank you for keeping me warm," she cooed at him, giggling to herself as she rose with the intention of leaving them. She tugged gently at the fur beneath the hawk, trying to slip it out from under her so she could hand it back to Rylan.

[GoblinFae]

The hawk nipped at her finger before flying out of the den in a flutter of whispering feathers. "Then you needn't worry. The river swells from time to time and unexpectedly. I do not foresee you having a problem provided you remember your way home. It would not do for you to be caught out in the woods until nightfall again as you will find not all dens are as welcoming or empty as ours."

[Juno]

"I'll try to remember that," she winced, watching the hawk fly with a silent, scolding scowl. "Take care," she bid him, stepping out into the sun with her eyes turned skyward to let the sun's position guide her towards home. It was a lot further than she'd imagined it would be but she desperately needed to be home again. She was sure by now her family would be worried about her sudden disappearance, though there was certainly not much they could do. For Rylan's sake she planned on remaining silent about his existence and that of the wolf pack. He seemed to want his privacy and it was the least she could do to show thanks and loyalty for his help.

The river had indeed risen, but it was not so deep that she feared a stray current might drag her away. She crossed it slowly but was unable to keep the bandaging for her arm from being soaked through. As she clambered ashore she slipped against the wet rocks to earn herself a few shallow cuts along one calf. It was not enough to cause a limp but it certainly stung like hell and she dreaded facing her family with such a fresh injury while trying to assure them of her safety.

Once she saw the barn and house upon the horizon she heaved a huge sigh of relief, feeling like the whole ordeal had lasted ages. She would have to explain the disappearance of the weapons she'd taken, she was sure, but that was but a small worry as she finally walked in the door.

Only a few were at home but she was greeted with such joy she knew they had been worried. When the others trickled in she went through the ritual of vaguely explaining her whereabouts as a fluke of clumsiness, getting lost, and needing rest before returning home. It was a story her family easily accepted, the young woman not being a known liar or dishonest person in their eyes.

Once in the privacy of her small bedroom she tended to her fresher wounds and rewrapped her arm for good measure before allowing herself to rest at last, her day of travel just as exhausting as the last had been.

[GoblinFae]

What Lyra did not know when she left was that she did not travel through the forest alone. Keeping to the shadows, Rylan followed her the entire way until she exited the woods and made her way back home. Had there been anyone around to ask him why he did it, he would not have been able to answer, however there was no one so he did not dwell on his actions once his task had been completed. The demon thought no more of the human once she was beyond his sight and returned home to his own dwelling.

In completely contrast though, several days later Wesser still had not forgotten his playmate that had come home with them. Three days of endless moping and whining had not brought her back and had instead only earned him his alpha's ire on more than one occasion. It was after such a temporary banishment that he found himself exiting the forest and following her scent all the way up to a strange wooden den. He walked around it twice, nose to the ground and yet could not find an entrance. Unwittingly he sat before the door as a crack in it allowed him to sample the scents within and began to whine and scratch at it begging his friend to come out and play.

[Juno]

To her great displeasure Lyra had been asked to rest by her family, the others insisting they would carry her chores until she was entirely well and without a lame arm. As they loved to remind her, emergencies would not wait for her to be strong again, but she did not think her work so dangerous to warrant the extra caution.

Instead she remained at home for most of her time, bored and restless as she tried to will herself to heal to their satisfaction. She thought nothing of the scratching and obviously canine whines at the door that day, thinking perhaps that one of her uncle's hounds had snuck his way home early. Once she'd gotten it open, though, she physically jumped to see the young wolf there on the other side.

By his friendliness she immediately assumed he was the youngster from earlier in the week, his beautiful coat she could only associate with him and the other wolves of the pack. "What are you doing?" she scolded in a whisper, as if any louder might summon her family home early to discover him. "What was your name? Oh, goodness... Wess. Westley? Wesser! Wesser go home!" Lyra chastised him gently, crouching down to be more at his level. She struggled horribly with trying to be firm with him, but her affection for the young male could not be helped as she instead found herself reaching out to pet at him, leaving the doorway only partially blocked. "Go home, it isn't safe for you here," she pleaded with him.

[GoblinFae]

Upon seeing the human, Wesser immediately began to bounce about with a wagging tail and lolling tongue. He howled his pleasure to the sky before licking at her face and jumping all around her. Lyra's words meant nothing to him for they were not a language he understood. He simply assumed she was pleased to see him. The partially open door caught his attention quickly and in an attempted dart he headed in that direction where warmth and new smells awaited him.

[Juno]

His happy cries had her smiling sadly, thinking he could not understand the danger he could easily place himself in at her home. "Wesser. Now calm down, easy boy," she spoke gently, trying to calm his excitement. She did not notice at all that he saw the open space beside her and by the time he'd bolted it was far too late.

"No! No, Wesser, please!" she called, hurrying to scramble after him. Lyra desperately chased him, trying to head off any potential trouble by closing what interior doors she could so he couldn't make a mess of other's belongings. "Back outside!" she ordered, trying to herd him back towards the front door.

[GoblinFae]

There was no coming the young wolf. He easily bounded about with unhindered energy. Her chasing him about only seemed to fuel his ideas that it was all a game. He eagerly bowed to her with his tail wagging happily before bouncing away every time she got close. There was no stopping him as he ran into furniture and jumped on available surfaces, occupied or otherwise. Wesser barked and yipped his excitement, sharing his delight with her as he did his best to avoid the herding.

[Juno]

Lyra chased the young wolf for what seemed like forever before she finally had to pause and catch her breath. She looked around the house with dread at all the displaced objects and tiredly began picking up everything he'd knocked around in their "game" of chase. "Stubborn wolf," she whispered to herself, deciding that ignoring him instead might get the reaction she desired. She tried very hard to not make any eye contact with him or even chance a glance his way, praying he might go back outside on his own instead if he became bored with her.

[GoblinFae]

Her desires we're once again foiled. Lyra's attempts to ignore Wesser simply resulted in him following her like an extra tail. Wherever she went he followed close at her heel. Several times he even nudged his cold, wet nose against her hand or leg in an extra plea for affection but her apparent lack of interest did nothing to deter him. It was not the first time in his life that his boundless energy ft him into trouble and ignored until he calmed down. It was also likely to not be the last.

[Juno]

The stubborn wolf did not convince her to give into his begging at first but when she could take the poking no longer she set down the items she'd been working with and headed outside with hope that he would follow her. Lyra was still careful to not look at him, fearing that doing so would let him understand her plan. She rounded the corner past the front door to be extra careful, wanting him to be far away from the door so she might have a chance at closing it.

[GoblinFae]

Wesser trounced about merrily after her. He did not have a care in the world as he followed the woman about her business as she went from place to place and even back outdoors. Once they were there he bece especially excited again as he hoped it meant she would play some more again with him. The playful young wolf bumped his head against her leg and side hoping it would be enough to coax her into play as he darted about to and for in her way, ever under foot.