Little Red's Riding

To The Fey Circle

"Dahlia, get up. Hurry! You need to get dressed or we'll be late for the field trip." Dahlia pressed the back of her hand against her head as her eyes fluttered open, blinking in the bright sunlight that had flooded the room.

She had Lottie had spent half the night talking, drinking wine, and eating their way through the basket of pastries that Lottie had brought over the previous evening after Silas had left and Dahlia had taken a long cool shower to wash away all the sweat of the day.

Dahlia rolled the edge of the bed with a moan. She was sore and her head hurt vaguely from the amount of wine she'd consumed while Lottie was filling her in about every bit of gossip in the pack. Now Dahlia needed to get out and meet these people, since she already knew so many of their innermost secrets. Lottie was like a walking encyclopedia of pack knowledge, knowing far more about the lives of the other pack members than Dahlia had ever known about the villagers in the town she'd grown up in.

"Wear whatever you want today." Lottie said with a knowing smile as Dahlia walked towards the closet, pausing as she came to the door. "In werewolf society things are a bit more relaxed than with humans. I mean when we shift we tear through our clothes so we're pretty comfortable with nudity. You can show more skin here and no one will think a thing of it. You can really wear what you like." Dahlia gave her friend a thankful smile as she disappeared into the large closet, breathing in Silas' scent.

It had been her first night without him, and if she hadn't indulged in a few glasses of wine with Lottie she doubted she ever would have been able to fall asleep.

Grabbing a simple white dress off a hanger Dahlia twirled around once before slipping off the oversized shirt of Silas' that she had been wearing and stepping into the dress. The neckline wasn't too low, as it was cut straight across, with two thick straps at the shoulders. The dress had a fitted bodice with a skirt that flared out at the waist. A ruffle at the bottom of the dress was the finishing touch and after slipping on her ballet flats Dahlia stepped out of the room.

"You look beautiful. But white?" Lottie laughed as she said the words.

"Oh when it gets dirty I'll just wash it." She was already brushing her hair and pulling it back into a high ponytail.

"I think once whatever this is that's keeping Oliver and Silas so busy is through, you and I need to convince those two to take us shopping. Maybe in the Capital City. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

"The Capital City? Can werewolves go there?" Dahlia had finished brushing her hair and dropped her hands to her sides, staring at Lottie in surprise.

"Of course we can, Silly. Everyone goes there. In human form the humans don't even notice those of us who are Other. My mate took me there twice when I was with his pack, when he had some sort of business there. And he bought me the most beautiful dresses and jewelry." She sighed, running a hand through her blonde hair. "All of that got left behind when I came back. And it's not like I would have anyplace to wear it now. But. Now that you're here we need to go shopping. And now that we have a Luna I'm sure we'll have more parties because those sorts of things are usually Luna's duties, and you look like you know how to throw a party."

Dahlia blinked several times as Lottie took her by the arm and cheerfully led her to the door. "I haven't had much opportunity." A slow smile had begun to form on her lips. "But I imagine I will be a fast learner." She linked her arm through Lottie's and grinned.

"Do we have parties here for the Wolves' Moon Night Festival? Or do people actually go to town?" Dahlia licked her lips as ideas began to form in her head.

"Both!" It was less of a word and more of a squeal and the guards looked up in surprise as the pair came through the front door, but Lottie waved her hand to indicate that they were fine, scooping up a basket in her other arm as she walked past one of the benches on the porch.