Behind the Masquerade

Enraged Encounter

Sophia awoke to the usual sun shining into her eyes and she made a diminutive delighted sound in her throat, snuggling back into the confines of her blanket. She sighed cheerfully when she didn't hear the typical birds flying into her window and then falling down to the grounds. But when she felt the rather coarse material of her blanket, she began to wonder if the maids had replaced her warm, cozy and very soft blanket with a crude one.

She sat up in the futon sleepily and rubbed at her eyes. Now did they also move her to a different room…? Wait…a futon?

Looking around, she pushed the unfamiliar rough material off of her and observed her surroundings. She was in a little wooden hut with a vacant fire going in the middle of the enclosure. The bright sun was shining in through a hole that she supposed was a window. The entrance to the hut was simply bamboo sticks tied together and she could see it sway around in the cool, crisp air.

Getting up from the futon, she stumbled over to the door and pushed the bamboos aside, looking outside. Putting her hands up over her eyes to shield herself from the blinding morning sun, she spotted Caroline with a little kid under the shade of a small tree.

A kid? Oh yea…she met Andrew yesterday…and she had saved that kid from him. She's not home…she's traveling…

Pushing that encounter into the corners of her mind, she walked over to the couple, yawning lightly and stretching her weary muscles. When she got near Caroline and the kid, the kid suddenly got up and jumped to attach itself upon Sophia.

Totally surprised at this action, Sophia nearly stumbled backwards, but just looked down at the furball that was hugging her, then over to Caroline who had an amused look on her face. Asking silently why the kid was doing this, the only answer from Caroline was a smile.

"Thanks Sophia! I thought I was done for yesterday!" the little kid squeaked from where he had buried his head in her stomach.

"Umm…you're welcome…-" Sophia trailed off, realizing that since now, she had always referred to him as 'the kid.'

"His name is Shippo," Caroline offered from her seat under the shade. "He's an orphan. He's half wolf as well."

Sophia suddenly felt that familiar pity for anyone that had a bad life, and picked the boy orphan up from her stomach and held him like a mother would. "Aww, aren't you just the cutest thing?" she cooed.

"I'm not a kid!" Dariel growled, annoyance clear in his eyes, and jumped off from Sophia's hold and puffed out his little chest in pride when he had landed on the grass. "I'm eight years old! Very, very old! And a verrry powerful wolf!"

"Of course, Dariel," Sophia answered, smiling knowingly down at the little cub who was now licking his paw in reflex to his animalistic habits. "You live here?" Sophia asked, motioning over to the little hut she had been in before.

"Yep!" he responded and then before she could ask anything else, he had bounded off towards the beach.

Sophia smiled after him, watching him splash in the waters happily before looking over to Caroline, who was looking at her with the same amused face as before. "What?" Sophia asked in self-consciousness.

"You must have been dead tired if you haven't noticed it…"

"What…?"

"We're next to the beach, Sophia…"

Sophia stood taut and confused for a second, before realization clicked in her head. Joy twinkled in her eyes as she began to feel giddy. "We're at the beach! Caroline! Caroline! It's the beach!" she squealed in delight, jumping up and down while pointing at the wide expanse of blue.