Lunar Zenith

Chapter Seven

Cassandra

"Lune?" I called out for the wolf, but to my dismay, there was no response.

Before I had come into the woods, I had stopped back at my home to grab the necessary materials required for communicating with the wolf. Quill, ink, paper, an old sundress I never wore anymore (until we could get the poor girl a new change of clothing, it would have to do), and a knife. I figured it would be easier to draw fresh blood rather than reopening an old wound every time.

I cupped my hands and called out again. "Lune? Lune, where are you?" There was a ruffle of foliage and then a white head with a loopy grin popped out. I let out a breath of relief. "There you are," I said. Setting my bag down, I pulled out the sundress and then the knife. At the glimmer of steel, Lune's smile faded. "Don't worry," I assured her, "it's okay. I'd rather it be a new wound anyways."

I tossed the sundress at her paws and drew the blade across my skin, wincing slightly at the stinging pain as blood welled up on the top of my skin. I offered my arm to Lune. She walked over and lapped up the blood. I turned around, giving her the privacy that she needed, and a moment later, there came a tapping on my shoulder.

I gasped in delight. "It fits you so well," I said. "You look adorable." Even though it was still moderately dark, I still saw a bit of color flushing her cheeks. "Now"—I grabbed the paper, ink, and quill and handed the items to her—"you're in danger," I said, removing the bounty notice from my pocket. I smoothed out the piece of paper and showed it to her. "They're hunting you. Well, I mean they were already, but now with this bounty, there'll be more of them scouring the woods. It's not safe here anymore. You need to leave."

Lune paused, then began scribbling words down on her paper. I read them aloud as she wrote. "I will not leave until the curse has been lifted." I looked up at her. "Lune, you have to. If you're dead, there will be no lifting the curse. At least take refuge somewhere out of the town's bounds, somewhere they won't—"

"No." Her voice was frail and hoarse, but even so, I heard a whole fire of resolve behind that one word. "No," she said again, but a whisper this time.

I smiled. She reminded me a bit of myself, stubborn and head-driven. Once this was all over, I think I'd introduce her to Claire first. I think it would be funny to see her dealing with two of me.

"Okay," I said at last. "I won't force you to leave, but if that's the case, then we need to find a way to remove this bounty off your head. The problem is, I'm not sure if there is any other way excluding bringing you in." I rubbed my chin, pacing the woods. "Maybe that's our only choice. Bringing you in, I mean." I stopped pacing and Lune began writing on her page. "I take you in, and, assuming they don't kill you instantly on the spot, they leave you in a cage. Then at the darkest hour, I sneak in, free you, and we escape with no bounty and a nice sum of money." I looked over at Lune. "How's that sound?"

She held up her paper, and I read it off. "Who's the mayor of the town? Well, that would be the Seigneur," I said.

Lune dipped her quill in the ink bottle and continued writing. I moved to stand over her shoulder, nodding along as she wrote. "Oh, a bargain, you say? I think that might work." I looked at Lune, and she looked at me, a smile spreading across both of our faces.

Now, we had a plan.

⥷۝⭃

Sometime after the sun had fully risen, I returned to town, leaving all of my belongings and a promise to return tonight bearing news with Lune. The town hall was a decades-old building, built of shale, stone, and wood at the far end of town just beyond the reach of the woods. Previous Seigneurs had chosen to reside outside of the town hall in their own manor, typically a ways away from the town they presided over. Thus, it was common for the Seigneur to be absent when the town needed him most. Fortunately, the current Seigneur chose to remain here, residing in the town hall with his little, lovely wife.