CHAPTER 45 #2
Lenore gave a quiet hum. Edmund’s tail stilled.
“And now, here we are. Him trapped in a coma—and me, run out of my own pack.” He kept his gaze forward, but the turmoil darkened his eyes.
“Maybe if I had done a better job at assessing everything the weeks before Auden got sick, or had been more involved when it happened, I could’ve…
saved him from this fate.” His jaw clenched.
“I failed as the Vesren. I… failed this pack. Auden’s still in the enemy’s claws and so is…
” A low, clipped grunt sounded in his throat. “My grandmother. I left them behind.”
Guilt clung to his last words as the dense treetops swallowed the light. It went quiet, with Lenore carefully mulling over his words in her mind. She leaned in, offering a gentle touch of support at first.
A tiny beam of sunlight settled on Lenore’s paw for a brief second as she broke the silence.
“You didn’t fail at all. It would take someone with—with all-seeing power to know what would’ve happened.
” Edmund snorted softly at her words. “I’m serious!
” She jumped in front of him, stopping him in his tracks.
“What I saw of you this entire time was a man—a werewolf—who never stopped working for his pack.”
“I barely kept the pack structure together,” he muttered. He turned his muzzle away. “And that’s how it all fell apart in the end.”
“It fell apart because someone else took advantage of the kindness your pack offered. You were the only one asking hard questions. You pushed the pack to keep going in their routines when everyone was worried.” She nudged the bottom of his muzzle with her head.
“And your family and Azelf made it out because you made a hard decision many would’ve struggled with on the spot. ”
Edmund’s ear twitched, and he let out a breath too quiet to hear. “If I was stronger—”
“Don’t think like that!” Lenore interjected firmly, but with a warmth meant to soothe. “You are strong. And I want you to use this strength to push forward, because you—we still have the chance to make things right. Remember what you told Gwyneth? ‘Don’t look back.’”
“... I remember that,” Edmund said. He met her eyes, a small light flickering in his mismatched irises.
“And maybe I’m biased because the Vesren went out of his way for a Nyven who never set foot in the wilderness, but you’re definitely not a failure!” As Lenore’s fur bristled, the light in Edmund’s eyes grew brighter. He let out a bark of laughter, then took a step back.
“Turn back into a human.”
His sudden command made her blink in confusion. Lenore shifted into her human form, feeling her long silver waves fall onto her back. “What is it—”
A small gasp spilled from her lips when she was pulled into a tight hug, his face burying itself in her hair. “E-Edmund...” Lenore pressed the side of her cheek against his chest. “Are you okay?” Her arms reached around him to hug him back.
The heat of his breath seeped into the crown of her hair. She shifted slightly, peering up at him with quiet concern. Something caught in her throat when she saw how he looked at her—as if she meant everything to him.
Slowly, Edmund’s hands encased Lenore’s, his fingers intertwining with hers.
He drew her hands to his lips, eyes closing as he let out a soft sigh.
The warmth of his breath tingled her skin, and Lenore’s cheeks flushed lightly.
Out of a sudden burst of shyness, she nearly pulled her hands away, but Edmund held tight.
“Don’t run from me,” Edmund murmured, voice low. “I love you.”
The light pink of Lenore’s cheeks turned a few shades darker. Her heart skipped a beat. “Why’re you saying that all of a sudden?” she asked softly.
“Do I need a reason for the woman I love?” Edmund chuckled quietly as he lowered their hands. “But if I have to give one, then it’s because of everything you’re doing for me. You... comforted me a lot more than you realize. Since you came here, even.”
A small smile crossed Lenore’s face. “Even if it might be all biased?”
Edmund chuckled again, his smile mirroring hers. “Even if.” His thumbs traced circles on Lenore’s hands. “Thank you.”
Lenore’s smile grew bigger. “You’re welcome... honey.” Her playful attempt at a pet name instantly had Edmund reeling back in shock, letting go of Lenore’s hands as he raised one of his own to his lips. He stared at her with widened eyes while she laughed.
“Honey? What?!” Edmund’s face burned hotly as he tried to protest against it. “No—I mean—no—that’s—” His stumbling mess incited Lenore to laugh more.
“It was just to help lift your spirits.” Lenore looked down shyly, smiling as she rubbed her neck. “Did it work?”
“It sobered me up,” Edmund muttered. He pressed his thumb and index finger against his eyes as he moved away. The shift to his wolf form was instantaneous, and he broke into a fast pace without looking back.
“So, what do you want me to call you when we get married?” Lenore asked teasingly as she followed suit and caught up to his side.
“I—we already delayed our journey. We should still aim to make it there by sunset.”
“That doesn’t stop us from talking.” Lenore’s tail wagged while Edmund let out a long groan.
Edmund glanced out at the nearby undergrowth. “How about I start testing your capabilities on how far you’ve grown since I left?” It was Lenore’s turn to groan. The two continued side by side, the hours slipping by as their banter and shared laughter softened the weight of what was to come.
The cold crackle underneath Lenore’s paw startled her.
The lingering heat of the day would’ve made it impossible for the night’s air to carry a sharp bite, but she felt it all around her.
Her surprise deepened when she realized a light dusting of frost covered everything before her.
The trees had grown sparse, clustered in groves across a clearing.
White flowers speckled the ground, quivering from an unfelt breeze.
It was unnaturally quiet as soon as they entered the area, as if they had passed through an invisible barrier and into another realm.
The sky had lost the dark hues of night, replaced with a hazy gray that had a faint trace of blue.
Puffs of white breath escaped Lenore’s muzzle.
Her tail tucked itself between her legs as her steps turned cautious.
She looked around, eyes wide with anxiety.
Everything around her was an echo of familiarity—and she realized the endless frost that appeared in her vision on the night of the mithrial hunt was here.
“Don’t be scared.” Edmund gently touched the top of her head with his nose.
He turned his head and continued to lead.
“It’s a remnant of the Lucyn War.” They moved across scattered patches of short grayish-blue grass until they came upon the ruins of a village.
White moss swallowed the wood and stone that were stripped to their broken foundations.
Clusters of white flowers grew through the exposed buildings, covering the decay in melancholic beauty.
“They say those flowers grew from the blood spilled from the warriors who lost their lives,” Edmund commented. “The Moon’s Sovereign heard their dying breaths and gave a remembrance of their valiant sacrifice.”
Lenore gingerly pawed at a flower, the delicate petals silky to the touch.
Thank you. Her thoughts whispered out to the flowers before she drew back.
A flutter of white caught Lenore’s eyes. Her head snapped to the side, chest tight with anticipation. Disappointment sank in once she saw it was a pair of doves, their heads bobbing as they watched them curiously from a broken window.
Lenore sighed as the jolt of adrenaline sputtered out of her. “This is Ieric’s village?” Her whisper felt too loud in the stillness. Her steps remained careful, only this time out of respect for the otherworldly grounds. “How did it become like this?”
“Hm. They say this was where Ieric clashed with the demon, Lunantha, for the last stand. His own birthplace. No one knows for sure why it is the way it is, but it’s been in eternal frost since.
” As Edmund led Lenore to the center of the village, she felt a shallow dip underneath her paws.
She looked down, her paw tiny within a large paw print preserved in the frost-bitten ground.
A few more paw prints trailed ahead until vanishing from sight.
“Ieric’s paw prints,” Edmund explained. “A mark of his walk toward possible death.”
A shiver ran through Lenore’s fur. Her claws lightly scraped at the center of the print, watching in awe as frost slowly grew over the marks.
This was no longer a legend she’d only ever heard or read about—Ieric was real.
She fell silent. After lingering for a minute more, she moved on until they stood where the stone remnants of a fountain remained.
The white flowers had replaced where the water would be, blooming in all three tiers of the fountain.
When Lenore peered closely, she saw tiny trickles of water dripping through the flowers, darkening the stone in thin trails before disappearing into the sea of white.
Hovering at the top of the fountain were small, glowing white fragments, shaped to reflect a moon’s crescent.
“What... is that?” Lenore asked, her eyes wide. The white glow flickered against the blues of her eyes, emphasizing the twinkle of fascination that held her gaze.
“It’s said this is the moonlight itself left behind from Ieric’s claws after he defeated Lunantha.
An ironic twist—conquering her by using what she tried to take for herself.
A final piece of the battle left behind.
” Edmund’s tail swayed slowly. “It must’ve been a legendary battle,” he added, a touch of admiration in his words.
“It’s all so beautiful, but so painfully tragic all at once.” Lenore tore her gaze away from the floating fragments and onto the devastated land.