The Wolf of the Wilds

The Letter

The traps only turned up one rabbit, so the hunting trip was something of a waste of time in the end. Not that it did anything to dampen Helena's good mood. Her hair was nine kinds of messy and her lips were pleasantly raw. Adrian didn't really look much better, his tunic dishevelled, a small hickey on his lower lip in a dull shade of plum.

The tower was now in sight. The sun lowering to the west as the afternoon set in. In the tower's shade Helena could make out a figure sat with legs outstretched. "Of all the times to have a visitor," she murmured, reaching up to neaten herself as much as she could.

"Sod's Law," Adrian muttered as he pressed his tunic flat and did up the buttons at his throat.

"Must be." As they reached the fence to her land, Helena did her best to put on a welcoming smile. It turned out more like a grimace. "Afternoon, Iona! You're looking lovely today!" she called.

Iona raised her head and waved. She took a moment to wander over, and when she reached them, she glanced them up and down, raising a finely plucked eyebrow. "Afternoon you two. You're both looking...well, you look like you've just had a romantic romp in the forest," she said.

Helena hopped over the low fence, a genuine smile now playing at her lips. "That's because we just have. You came at a bad time I'm afraid."

Iona tipped her head back and laughed. "Apologies, apologies. I'll be off in a minute, don't worry. The alphas had one of the underhands pass a letter for you two to me. It's a convoluted messaging system, but the situation down the hill hasn't improved much, so I kind of understand it."

Adrian leant back against a post, crossing his arms. "What's been happening now?" he asked with a touch of resignation.

"Splintering," Iona replied, chewing over each syllable like it was a tough piece of meat. "Some people have started opposing the rumours, while others are still holding fast. There are plenty of people that don't give a shit, but the full moon is the day after next, so tension is high. A guy got a black eye last night in the pub, and I hear the two bakeries have been at odds. Nothing like passive aggressive cake frosting."

"Damn," Helena sighed, "this business is going to take a while, isn't it?"

"Well, I don't see things calming down until after the full moon at least." Iona paused to reach down her tunic, pulling out a small letter from some concealed place. "Here you go. I have no idea what it's about, but fingers crossed its good news." She held it out to Helena, dropping it into her hand.

Helena turned over the paper, finding it sealed with an oddly shaped blot of wax. "Thank you. I really hope it's not anything bad. By the way, when you got back down the hill, let Felix know I said hi, will you?"

Iona nodded, brushing her hair behind her ear. "Will do. Anyway, I must be heading off! I'm having dinner with someone this evening and I best not be late!" The slight blush on her cheeks gave Helena a reasonably good idea of who Iona's mysterious dinner date was.

"Fair enough. I hope you both have a good evening," she said, winking.

"I'm sure I will. Oh, by the way, commendable work, Helena. Adrian, you're sporting the most magnificent bruise." She had the most devious look in her eye as she sent a cheeky grin Adrian's way.

The beta raised a hand to his lip and sent her a rather rude hand gesture. "Piss off," he replied, his voice carrying an easy amusement.

She returned it and set off down the hill, her feathering laughter dancing in the air. Helena and Adrian looked from her retreating back to each other, both with curled lips.