The Lycan Queen

Chapter 4

After Aura's body had been taken down from the tree, the Lycans moved in a silent procession to The Dead Forest early that morning. It was just as the name suggested; A vast area void of life and sound at the base of a long inactive volcano. The soil dry and dusty, and littered with the bones of the fallen. No matter how deep one dug, no moisture was to be found in this area. Vultures and ravens perched eerily on the branches of dead leafless trees that were found in large numbers here, patiently awaiting some unfortunate creature that would wander in and become lost, eventually suffocating in the forest's heavy, cloudy atmosphere.

Head down, Lunar shuffled along through the ashy dirt far behind the rest of the pack, her ears flattened and eyes reddened and burning from a full night of crying. As Aura's father buried his only pup in the lifeless dirt of The Dead Forest, he clutched his mate in both his arms as they both mourned bitterly.

After an hour, the lycans trickled away one by one, all of them returning to the densite about six miles back the way they came. Soon only Lunar remained kneeling near the grave alone, sliding her paw over the dry dirt as she coughed due to the acrid surroundings.

Mortem watched her from a distance with a slightly pained expression, his ears folded backwards, almost as if he truly felt regret for what he'd done. Dust lining his nostrils, with reluctance he approached her moving silently through the forest's dusty air.

Lunar twitched an ear as she heard someone approach. Under all the dust and ash, she managed to pick up Mortem's scent, and didn't bother to turn around. Mortem proceeded to lay a paw on her shoulder, but Lunar pulled away harshly as he did so. "She was already mute..." She uttered in a hushed cry. "Why did you.."

Mortem kneeled beside her and pulled her close caressing her gently in his arms. He wiped away one of her tears with his thumb. "I.. I didn't want to." He replied quietly. Lunar didn't bother to oppose him. Not this time. The pain she felt was too great. She and Aura were never particularly friendly with eachother, but she never wanted her dead. She allowed herself to go limp in his embrace, and Mortem held her tighter as she did so.

"She didn't deserve to die.." Lunar sputtered crying into Mortem's soft chest fur.

Mortem gently kissed her forehead. "No.. she didn't." He huffed petting her gently. "But it had to be done." Lunar looked up at the lycan who had her locked in his arms. She could see he was troubled by his actions, something she didn't expect from him. She leaned her head against his chest and sniffled quietly. "We should go." He coughed lifting Lunar. "This air isn't the best for breathing." He made his way back to Tainted Soul Terrace, effortlessly carrying the fully grown lycaness in his arms like a small child.

A solemn evening about two and a half months since Aura's death found Lunar lying curled into a ball on the snow covered ground. By now her winter coat had grown out, and the cold wasn't bothering her as much as her train of thought, especially when Mortem crossed her mind. For the passed two months, she'd been avoiding The King Lycan like the plague, much to his irritation. He'd been trying to get in touch with her for ages.

That very same evening, he was pawing irritably through the main terrace on his fours when Stellar caught his eye. They locked gazes for a moment, and Stellar, seeing clearly that he was in a bad mood, attempted a quick escape. "Stellar!" He called out. "Come here." Stellar yelped at the sharp call of her name, leaning with her back against a tree. Mortem rolled his eyes. "I see your tail." He huffed, steam puffing out of his nostrils as his warm breath mixed with the cold air. Stellar quietly pulled her tail behind the tree, and Mortem stood up and walked over to the redwood. "I'm not going to hurt you." He said quietly, peeking around the tree and licking softly at her left ear."Have you seen Lunar?"

Stellar whimpered, folding her ears backwards. "She shouldn't be very far," Stellar whined, her tail curled around her body. "Check behind the nursery?"