A Noble's Pet

Her Pet

I lay by Hamona's feet. I may not like Darcia, but I can not deny that I like her. She is so kind and gentle, despite being a noble. I lick her hand that is hanging down and I wish that she would wake up soon. Darcia got even worse since she fell ill. Colder, crueller, more quiet and darker. I have to admit that he wasn't so bad before, he was almost all right. Perhaps that was because of Hamona. Perhaps her kindness affected us too.

Ether way this is the only place where both I and Darcia can be in at the same time. In any of the other rooms I would walk out growling, or tried to attack him, which I know for a fact to be useless. He knows me far to well for me to defeat, he knows all my strengths and weaknesses and he doesn't hesitate to use them against me.

I am not allowed to leave the grounds, or even the castle, these days. At least he still makes sure that I am fed properly, even though he doesn't do it himself. His maid, who I suspect is the only one working here any more, feeds me despite the fact that she is terrified of me. And with all right. I am a wolf, and not someone's dog! And that I usually snaps after her hand when she feeds me doesn't exactly make her fears go away.

What makes matters worse about Darcia is that Cheza was stolen from him some years ago by Lord Orkham. I miss her scent of lunar flower that's always around her. That and Hamona's kindness were the only things that made this place bearable. Now I can't see any reason for me to stay, but in truth there hasn't been one for years now, not since Cheza was taken. If Hamona awoke then maybe, just maybe, I would be able to stay. But as it looks she won't wake up for quite some time, that is if she wakes up at all.

Darcia enters the room and walks through the room with its high dark walls. The only light that can be found in the room is from the light pillars on both sides of the path through the room and the huge window that reaches from the floor all the way to the ceiling, right next to Hamona. He walks until he reaches his love, then he simply stands there looking at her from behind his mask. I growl low, barely high enough for anyone to hear, and as expected he doesn't react, even though I know that he heard me. He just stands there looking at her with empty eyes, completely ignoring my presence.

"Lord Darcia" his maid says by the door, looking down in the crystal ball in her hands. "A wolf has appeared. In a city to the north"

A wolf? Is it real? Has another wolf really revealed itself out there? That is the best news I've heard in my entire life. I angle my ears to hear better, I want to know everything there is to know about this wolf.

"They have not been seen since they disappeared into legends over 200 years ago" she continues.

"Except for me" I say, causing her to flinch.

"Yes" Darcia says, completely ignoring me. "You were but a child then"

That always makes me wonder. How old do they get? If that girl is over 200 years old, then how old is then Darcia and Hamona?

"What about the flower maiden?" he asks her while still looking at Hamona. "Has she awoken?"

"So it would seem" she answers him.

Darcia gently stroke Hamona's cheek and I sigh. When will she wake up?

"Hamona" he says softly, he misses her too, obviously. "Very soon you will awaken as well"

I sigh again and close my eyes.

"I surely hope so" I say sadly.

I can feel Darcia looking at me and open my eyes. He look at me slightly surprised, I suspect. I can't tell because of his empty eyes and the white stiff mask that covers his face, still I can feel that I said something he didn't expect to hear.

"Don't be so surprised!" I say slightly offended. "I may not like any of you nobles, but she is the best out of the worst. You choose a cold before the plague if the choice is given to you after all"

He look away from me, returning his gaze to his love and remove a single hair that has come in the way of her beautiful face. Then he starts to walk out of the room.

"Hey!" I say and get up, getting to the middle of the path. "Where are you going?"

He stops right by the door, but don't turn around to look at me. Something tells me that he won't go to any of his empty rooms and mourn his wife. He is planing something, I can feel it, and I want to know what.

"I don't have to answer to you, wolf!" he answers me with hard voice. "Stay here and guard Hamona. That is, after all, the only use I have of you"

Then he starts walking again and I growl after him. The door closes behind him and his maid and I stop growling. I am alone with Hamona again and straighten up in my human shape. My hair and fur is in the same colour as sand and my eyes are sea green. I suspect that it is because of the colour of my eyes that Darcia chose me to be Hamona's pet. Because my eyes don't constantly remind him of his own, I guess.

I straighten my navy blue hoodie, that goes just over my chest, and underneath it I have a light purple shirt. I also wear a couple of black jeans and a couple of light green and white sneakers. My way of dressing is clearly inspired by living here with them, especially by Hamona.

I walk back to her, looking down on her as she lies lifeless, wishing for her to wake up. She used to put ribbons on me all the time, in light purple and green, her colours. I used to shake them off while in wolf form, causing her to laugh which in it's turn made me smile and occasionally laugh together with her. I smile at the memory. I didn't like ribbons and such, never have, but for her I didn't mind. It was mostly for her smile and laugher that I kept shaking them off.

I sigh and sit down with my back against her medical bed.

"I miss you, Hamona" I say quietly to her. "I can't stay here as long as you are like this. It's too painful. Would you get mad if I left?"