Not Just A Serving Girl

Chapter 48

My fingernails dug fiercely into the palms of my hands, as my eyes bore into the cracked wooden floorboards below me.

"It's alright Freckles" he whispered to me, yet I picked up on a sorrowful croak in his voice.

I hadn't said a word since being dragged inside, words evaded me during what I'd dreamed was one of the happiest moments I could currently have.

"Does he need a drink? I can get him something stiff"

"Hush Bel, the kid needs some space"

"Talk to us bud, please"

A got tears slipped from my eye as Quiver spoke, such a warm kind tone... one I'd never hear again if I spoke up. It it was unavoidable, it had to be now.

"Quiver..." my voice cracked dangerously as I brought my eye up to look at him, as he looked so painfully like her.

"I'm here bud, come on, you're scaring me here"

My hands instinctively enveloped his, and he quickly wrapped his fingers around mine in heavy worry. From the corner of my eye I saw Katrina wiping tears from her scarred cheeks, and Gared's brow was more furrowed than ever.

"Quiver, I am so fucking sorry" I began to choke up, but I swallowed hard. I had to be the strong one right now, it was Quivers turn to mourn. "But I need to tell you something, something terrible"

Quiver pressed his lips together tightly as he nodded softly, "She's gone, isn't she"

My breath caught in my throat as I processed his words, his eyes blank and emotionless.

"I'm so sorry" was all I could muster, "I'm so sorry"

He tenderly released his grip on my hands and rose from his seat, walking away from the group before stopping with his back to us.

"How.... tell me how"

I swallowed once again, stomach turning as I glanced around at the tearful faces around me for reassurance. "We took refuge with my mother, but they found us. They set the forest on fire to trap us, and..." I hesitated for too long, as Quiver turned his head so I could see a single tear slip down his cheek.

"And?"

I exhaled shakily, "And they tricked us into thinking they'd killed you, one of the soldiers threw down a severed brown paw, we were in such a panic neither of us even considered that it was a trick, a lie. Nothing more than a wild bears paw"

"Bastards" Gared muttered, as he quietly consoled Katrina.

"Luna wasn't sure what to believe, but we both charged and engaged. After that it was just fire and blood... like the night of the wedding"

I allowed silence to envelop the room for as long as Quiver would allow, as I didn't want to touch upon the end to the story.

"Just tell me bud, it's ok" Quivers voice was horrifically calm, I'd have preferred him to be anything else, angry, upset, confused. His tone strangely didn't settle my nerves at all.

"The smoke was killing me, I was struggling to breathe. Right before I blacked out Luna wrapped her wolf form around me, I begged her to run, and she did. I woke up alone, the forest still burning... then I saw below me, bleeding badly from her stomach"

My eyes squinted to see Quivers back tense up, "She managed to turn back with the last of her strength"

"What did she say to you" He asked me softly, "Did she mention me?"