CHAPTER 23 #2
With a huff, she stamped her paws. A pebble skittered into the water below. The woven basket she had brought shuddered next to her on the ground. “Well,” she mumbled out loud, “I’m not crazy. Outside of all the actual crazy things happening here—and having to kill animals for food—I’m—”
“You’re not crazy? You say this as if you’re not muttering to yourself out loud.”
Edmund’s deep voice startled Lenore out of her thoughts—a small squeak escaping her, and she scrambled to stand back up. Ears lowered, she turned to face him, expressing the closest equivalent of a pout. He too was in his wolf form and towered over her easily.
“Haven’t you heard of not sneaking up on a lady?” Already feeling tiny compared to him, Lenore tried to match his poised stature.
Edmund snorted. “Is that so you can do your wild little ramblings?”
“... Well, maybe. I’ve been doing that a bit more lately,” Lenore sighed. “But I’m not crazy.” The tip of her tail flicked with uncertainty. “However, ask me again after I’ve lived out here for a while, and we’ll see.”
“Why not plan for tomorrow, seeing as you could very well get rabies tonight. First time a werewolf might be on the receiving end of a rabid squirrel’s bite.”
“What?! There’s rabies here?!” Lenore nearly yelped as she practically shoved herself against Edmund out of fear. For all she knew, there could be rabies in the springs. Her fur bristled with agitation.
“No.” The tip of Edmund’s tail twitched. “And even if there is, our noses could smell the disease rotting all over their bodies before they even come close.” He looked back at her and shook his head. The amused glint in his eyes didn’t go amiss. “It’s likelier you’d go mad from your cluelessness.”
“Kindly stop messing with me, or I’ll pull your fur.”
Edmund circled toward her and sat down on his haunches. “Still up for going on your little foraging adventure?” He looked down at her, still poised as ever as he pulled his lips back into a mocking smirk. “Or should I see this more as babysitting?”
In one huffy motion, Lenore turned back into a human. Her hands grabbed his cheeks, squeezing them in her grasp, much to Edmund’s shock. The brazen move had him lean back, with one large paw braced against her chest.
“What’re you doing?!” he yelped at her, too stunned to move.
“I can’t do this as a wolf, and it’d be weird to do it to you if you’re human. Hmph! I’m taking vengeance against all your attitude and your nonstop teasing!” She pulled at his furry cheeks, pouting all the while.
“Stop... Stop!” Edmund hissed—then his form snapped human again, gloves and all.
They both froze.
The gloved tips of his fingers touched Lenore's bare collarbone, and her own hands held his face.
She felt the uneven texture of the marked scars that ran along his left cheek, and the smooth yet rugged skin that surrounded it.
With Edmund sitting back in his human form, Lenore was close against him, staring right into his widened eyes.
Their cheeks flushed red.
Flustered, Lenore let out a sharp gasp as she fell back on her behind. She scrambled to her feet, an action mirrored by Edmund. They turned away from each other, silently recollecting themselves.
In her dress’s pocket, she felt Pip slap her leg—a clear complaint from being jostled around.
Lenore bit her lip. Sorry, Pip.
“You have gone crazy,” Edmund finally muttered as he adjusted and dusted off his clothing.
“... I’m still sane... maybe,” she replied, her voice soft and shy.
She hummed, pretending as if nothing had happened.
“Ahem, let’s start over.” After fetching her basket off the ground, her hands were clasped behind her.
She kept her eyes on the water, unable to turn around. “It’s nice to see you again.”
“Don’t tell me you’re going to follow up with a ‘how have you been?’” Edmund said. Lenore could imagine him scowling when she heard a rustle behind her.
“Would that be so hard to answer?” Lenore replied with a small smile. She lightly kicked the ground. “It has been some hours after all.” Her boots crunched against the ground as she took a small step backward. “For all I know, you might’ve gotten into a little trouble yourself.”
“And if I did, it’s nothing I can’t handle,” he grumbled. “You didn’t run off and get into more trouble, did you? How’s your ear, anyway?”
Lenore turned and took a few slow steps toward him until she was by his side. “The painkillers are helping, so my ear’s doing alright.” Her smile turned more cheeky. “Thank you for asking. But,” she started, “I’ll tell you more if... if you tell me what your afternoon was like.”
A raised eyebrow was his response to her. “Is that really necessary?”
“It’s called checking in with each other,” Lenore answered. Her hand muffled a giggle, amused at the idea that he wasn’t used to being asked this at all. She leaned slightly to the side, hands and basket behind her back as she looked up at him. “Something I like to do with any friend.”
“Friend?” Edmund repeated. He frowned in displeasure and shook his head as he ran a hand across his face. Softly, he growled out, “No. I am your—” he took a sharp breath, forcing himself to pause. His voice turned quiet. “... Vesren—”
“You said to call you Edmund!” she interjected. “So, I’m upgrading myself to your friend! We’re friends now.”
Edmund stared at her, taken aback at her declaration, before he let out a deep, resigned sigh. His obvious disapproval worried her, opening her mind to a flurry of anxious thoughts. Am I still only barely tolerable to him?
“I can barely remember anything after the clinic,” he said. “What do you want to know exactly?”
“Everything!” She squeezed the basket’s handle, then added quickly, “Or, I don’t know, making sure that nothing bad happened to you, or if anything good happened, that would be nice to hear too.”
“And what would you do if something happened to me?”
“Maybe, comfort you?” Lenore flustered at her own answer. “Be a source of encouragement?”
“Comfort me?” Edmund groaned. He hid his face behind his hand. “What did they give you at the clinic?”
A short laugh left Lenore. She shook her head. “Nothing but very bitter brews of herbal tea,” she replied, cringing as she remembered the thick and heavy taste of herbs going down her throat. “Just, please, Edmund?”
“All I did was follow my usual routine and be a fill-in for Auden. Territory checks, resource management, listening to problems and figuring out solutions, forcing the lazy wolves to do their sparring drills, and all the other things I do, I guess.”
The tension melted from Lenore’s shoulders. “I’m glad,” she said. Her arms relaxed at her sides.
He shifted slightly on the spot. “Why?”
Lenore’s heart fluttered as she mulled over what had been on her mind for the entire day since he left. “Because,” she murmured softly, “I was wondering what you were up to. It’s nice hearing about it.”
Edmund’s jaw clenched, almost as a last-ditch effort to hold on to his composure. He turned away. “I’m worried we’ll end up idling here all night long.” Breaking into a stride, he gestured to her to follow him without looking back.
Lenore let out a tiny sigh before she trailed closely behind.
Bubbling water was soon overwhelmed by the soft chirps of small bat-like creatures fluttering above, their furred wings mimicking a moth’s.
The bushes were surrounded by the rhythmic hum of crickets.
The coolness carried from the water began to fade, but a gentle breeze that whispered through the trees kept the night’s air crisp.
As they ventured deeper into the wilderness, and the dying sunlight that filtered through the trees became no more, Edmund’s hand tucked itself into his cloak.
He pulled out his clenched fist, then gave it one firm squeeze before unfurling his fingers.
An orb of light drifted upwards, glowing brighter until they were surrounded by a hazy circle of luminance.
A sun droplet. The soft edges flickered against the darkness, the light pulsing softly.
Lenore’s eyes traced the flickering edges, watching with mild interest until she looked up and caught the light softening the sharp contours of Edmund’s face. Her fingers twitched, recalling the memory of his face cradled in her hands, the subtle brush of her fingertips over rugged skin.
They slowed to a stop. Golden flecks of light shimmered across the blue and gray of his eyes as Edmund’s gaze met hers. Lenore’s heart skipped a beat.
Wherever they ended up, it was far from the busyness of the pack. He nodded at the darkened scenery behind them. “I can smell a lot of things here. Go ahead and look around.”
“Yay! Alright!” Lenore cheered, a little too quickly for her own taste as she zipped past him. Her hurried walk was stiff in form until a sharp grunt halted her.
“That way will get you into an unpleasant scuffle with poison ivy. And if not that, you’ll eventually run into a forest griffin’s nest. Try again.”
Lenore pivoted sharply in a different direction.
When Edmund remained silent, her steps grew with confidence, and she stopped at a group of bushes.
She took a breath, mainly to soothe her fluttery nerves.
Unable to resist, she stole a glance behind her and quickly whipped her head away when she caught Edmund’s gaze.
It was undeniable at this point. She was a moth drawn to his flame. Her mind began to consider the fact that she may have already gone mad the moment she met him. As she scanned the dark expanse before her, another feeling bubbled up to the surface, weighing heavily on her chest.
She wanted to impress him. She craved that harsh, absolutely uncouth man’s praise being showered all over her. Another internal scream rang through her mind.
“Well,” Lenore whispered to herself, “I have nothing to lose, anyway.” Squeezing the basket tightly in both her hands, she lifted her chin and took a deep whiff of the cool night air.
It was going to be a long night.