The Watchers Destiny

Chapter 17- Growing Moon

The following day I spelt until mid-day, waking up with a start and scrambling around. It took me a few moments to remember where I was, in a large tent that was magically enhanced, similar in style to Levicie's tent. I stretched and yawned, pulling the woolen blankets from me and standing, going to the tent flap unthinkingly. I stepped out into the pale winter sun which flitted across my skin. I shivered, looking down at myself and finding I was only in my underwear. I gasped, looking around to see if anyone had seen, but none had looked up at me yet. I scrambled back inside and pulled some clothing from my back, dragging a top over my head and shoving on some jeans, not bothering with shoes.

I left the tent and went into the main camp where there were many children running around and women and teenage girls sat around laughing and doing small tasks. One of them stood and skipped over to me, her hair was dark redish-brown and mid-way down her back, her eyes bright blue. She wore a simple anglo-saxon type dress tied simply around her middle with a woven belt, her outfit was very common place around here, it seemed. She was thin and medium height with a huge smile.

"Hello," she said happily, "I'm Laurentia, Levicie's sister."

"Hello, Laurentia, you already know who I am," I smiled back, her smile was infectious.

"This is going to be so awesome!" she said, almost quivering with excitment.

I laughed.

"I guess it could be," I replied.

"Oh, it will be!" she insisted, taking my arm and pulling me over to the other women.

She sat me down with them and I quickly found out the names of the women. All of them were older, between 30 and 60. Their names were Lydia, Heather, Anna, Philipa, Roxanne and Thea. They wanted to hear everything about me and me journeys, about who I knew and who I'd actually seen. As the day went on I watched people come and go, mostly men and some women mixed in, the women's ages were between 18 and 29. They were patrols and hunting parties, keeping a watchful eye on the parameters of their territory. Levicie came and went, flitting through the camp in his shirtless glory, just once coming and greeting his sister, then going back to whatever it was he did in the woods.

In the middle of the camp I became aware of a stooped old man, many of the charm necklaces about his neck and his clothing was ragged and worn, he wore a leather band in his shock of white hair and he chewed on a stick of root thorough the day. His body was wrinkled and creased with scars that glinted under the weak sun. He tended the fire at the camps centre all day, when it burnt down he collected more wood from the forest painfully and slowly. He sometimes murmured charms in the Old Tongue and threw powders into the flames. As night fell we moved closer towards the fire and most of the hunters and centuries came back, sitting with us, many of the staring at me. When Greyback came he sat beside me, frightening away most of the other women around me, apart from Laurentia. She showed no fear of Greyback, she barely spared him a glance. He slipped an arm about my waist and brought me closer to him. I could smell the pine sap and the scent of fresh outside air on him and the slight tang of wet dog.

"Did you miss me?" he murmured in my ear.

"You should be so lucky," I muttered back.

"Huh. How was your day?"

"I met some of the women and children. We talked for a time, not anything of much importance. What did you do all day?" I asked, looking up at his face in the half light.

"I can't tell you," he said, looking towards Levicie who was staring at the two of us.

They shared a look and I shrugged Greyback from me. There was a gentle murmur of conversation about the clearing as bowls of foods were brought around and offered to everyone, Levicie, Laurienta and me first. Laurentia leaned towards me.