The Wolves Made of Silver and Gold

Imperfections

They ate their dinner with loud laughter and bright conversations. They were doing good at pretending that Thomison wasn't about to leave the day after tomorrow. 

Helena was dejected inside, she was hesitant to let Thomison leave. What if something happened to her? What if things didn't work out? What if there was a war and she couldn't get to Thomison in time?

She worried in her mind, but outside she was laughing and smiling brightly, doing her best to enjoy their last days before Thomison would leave the whole damn country.  After dinner Zephyr helped Thomison carry the boxes and suitcases that they had packed down to his car. The fit into the car snugly, and after the door was shut Zephyr stood straighter and looked at Thomison who had sobered from the bright conversation. 

"I'm scared to leave them," Thomison whispered, looking down at the center of Zephyr's chest. "What if something happens to them, and I can't get to them in time?" 

Zephyr sighed and set his hands on her upper arms, "I know it's hard to leave home the first time, it never is and never will be easy to do. But I will be here every step of the way."

The tender moment, combined with the gauzy silver moonlight made Thomison's heart swell. The light from the moon swept across Zephyr's face. Every curve, every dip, and ever detail was hyper realistic. It made Thomison feel weak and yet at the same time she felt like she had all the power in the world. She leaned into the feeling and warmth of her mate, and let him press a kiss to the top of her head. 

She felt like she was letting him in too fast. In that moment, she stood up and placed her hands firmly against his chest. 

"I should go get some sleep," She excused herself and nervously walked back inside. 

"I'm going to go to bed, goodnight Mom," Thomison poked her head into the kitchen and blew her mother a kiss. 

In her bed, she was curled up, trying to sleep. Finally she gave up and wrapped a blanket around herself to pace the floor yet again. Eventually, however, with the cool light of the moon and the warm weight of the blanket, she finally settled into bed to sleep. 

As she slept she dreamed of a far off land, lost somewhere in the cosmos. It was further than any man would reach in billions of years, this land was blessed with the burning light of a blue sun, and the ground was kissed with flowers that one could only dream of. There was an echo of birds, though it sounded like nothing she'd ever heard before. 

Finally, after a moment of turning in circles and taking in this alien world, there was a boom of footsteps. From the yellow, twisted trunks of trees with burning purple leaves, a woman emerged. She had large horns like a cross between an elk and a powerful demon, her eyes were as pure as the void, a bottomless black that saw everything, though as contrast her skin was pale and without flaw. Her arms were settled behind her back, but Thomison could see the black veins that ran under her alabaster skin. 

Though the woman was a formidable presence, she did not cause Thomison any fear. Her hair was impossibly long and danced in the wind as it gently lifted the raven hair from the woman's slender shoulders. 

When the woman extended her arms Thomison saw that her fingertips and razor-like talons where purely black, though as the color traveled up the woman's slender fingers the black color faded into the woman's pure alabaster skin tone. 

"My dear, how you've grown," The woman spoke with grace and strength. 

"Do I know you?" Thomison asked, though her voice sounded unfamiliar to her own ears. 

"Why yes, my dear. Where do you think you got your pure black hair and fair skin?" The woman giggled, though it sounded much deeper than her own voice.