Cult of the Lamb : The Man in the Forest

Chapter 4: The Plan

Merida returned home that evening with a heavy heart. She did manage to ease Kenedra's grief, but only by a little. Throughout dinner, she was silent. Her mind laser focused on ways to help the somber cat. Gifts, activities, jokes. Nothing that came to her mind was good enough. How could she appease such a potent sorrow? It wasn't until the wee hours of the morning that a worthy idea finally came to her. The plan hit her with such force, she sat bolt upright in her bed, grinning. Within a matter of minutes, she had fastened her fleece, opened their bedroom window, and snuck out.

The teen walked briskly around her home and to the large cabin that sat on its own near the temple. This cabin had belonged to Caxton for years, since before she was born. Now, it was also home to her dear friend Khalyn. Merida picked out the bedroom window she was searching for, and carefully pushed it open. Looking in, she could see Khalyn was in her bed. The gray rabbit snored loudly against her pillows. She picked up a rock from the ground beside the cabin, and hucked it at her. It smacked against the hare's head and she snapped awake in an instant. She had sat up so quickly, that her ears flopped over her face, obscuring her vision. Khalyn pushed them out of the way and glared at Merida for the rude awakening. But, she was never one to dismiss a call for mischief. She got out of bed despite her fleeting irritation, pulled on her robes carelessly and hopped out of her window with the skill of someone who had already done so a hundred times over. The two walked along in silence until they were safely on the lakeshore, far out of earshot.

"What's this about?" Khalyn asked, plopping down by the maple tree.

"Kenedra." She answered, sitting across from her. "Do you know what happened two months ago?"

"I should hope I do. Dad was bitching about it for a week straight." She chuckled a bit. "Narinder showed up, right?"

"Yes, and Kenedra saw him."

"Oh, shit..." The rabbit frowned a bit, seeming to understand the severity. Khalyn might not have been as close to Kenedra as Merida and Lydie were, but she still spent a fair bit of time with her, and was fond of her. As everyone was, Kenedra was so likable. "How is she taking it?"

"Bad, really bad." Merida sighed. She went on, speaking rather quickly as her idea burned to be revealed. "He came because he wanted to meet her, or at least that's what he said. But I believed him because he was crying. Kenedra wants to meet him too, but Nykka won't let her and-"

"Ah, no. No." Khalyn stood up. "No, my dad will fucking kill me. There is no way in Hell I'm getting involved in this."

"Come on, Khalyn...!" Merida stood up with a smirk. "What, are you afraid?"

"No, I'm not afraid." She glared, "I just got ungrounded."

"I did too." Merida shrugged. "This is far more important. Kenedra is our friend, we owe it to her."

"Then why not ask Lydie? She's closer to Kenedra than I am."

"Because Lydie wouldn't go near that forest with a thirty-foot pole." Khalyn shook her head, but her defiance was wavering. "Please, Khalyn, I need your help with this. There is no one better."

"You're damn right there isn't." She chuckled, finally giving in. "Fine, but you owe me."

"Of course." Merida grinned.

"Alright then." She nodded, "What is this plan of yours?"

Merida behaved perfectly well the following day, she even went out to train with her father again for the first time in two months. She was in an extremely good mood, bubbling with excitement for the night to come. When she and Lydie retired for the evening, she laid in bed and practically counted the minutes that went by. She forced herself to wait even as Lydie fell asleep, and continued to do so until the clock on their wall struck eleven. Only then did she rise silently from her bed. She put on her fleece, grabbed her staff, and slipped out into the night. This time, she did not go to the lake. Instead, she went to the front gates of the grounds. Just as she expected, Khalyn was already waiting there. The rabbit had crouched down beside a rose bush just in case someone would walk by. When Merida came around the corner, she nearly jumped out of her skin.