Opal Moon and Silver Fur (catalyst and Diana)

[Diana]

It took a moment for those words to settle in and Oralia to fully grasp what Honovi was meaning about her son bringing home a woman. First she wrinkled up her nose, then she frowned... then all at once Oralia burst into laughter. Loud and delighted, full on laughter that nearly had her in tears. There was no telling when the last time she laughed, and truthfully if she hadn't laughed then she might have fell into sobbing instead.

At least in the moment, sitting there in a hot bath as a woman lamented about her son's life, Oralia felt normal.

"It's a worry for all mothers isn't it? My mother wanted me to hurry and choose a husband as she was impatient for grandchildren. I was to visit every kingdom and bring one back to marry. As if I could pack one in a trunk like a piece of luggage!" The mirth slowly faded from her voice, and that pensive expression returned.

"Well. It isn't important now. If Dyami struggles with ladies, I can certainly help with that. I know all there is to know about courting ladies."

 

[catalyst]

Honovi grinned, even joined in on the laughter. She hadn't caught a smile from Ori until now, and laughter was icing on the cake.

"It is, indeed," she confirmed with a nod. "I'd love a grandchild, yeah? Just one! I even told Dyami that all of my doting would be focused on my grandbaby instead of him, but that didn't work either." She threw up her hands in defeat. She almost asked about Ori's mother, but remembered what was said: "wanted" rather than "wants." Curse her curious nature. She wanted so badly to ask, but didn't want to ruin the moment. Ori's offer, at least, was much more captivating.

"What a delightful offer!" The excitement was bright on Honovi's face. "That means you're staying, then? Though I'm afraid you'd have your work cut out for you. He'd rather be out making himself useful to everyone but himself."

 

[Diana]

Oralia was so surprised by the woman's enthusiasm, it was hard to get lost in her own melancholy for too long. She abandoned washing her toes to turn around and actually blink her wide grey eyes at Honovi.

"May I stay?" she asked, in earnest. "There is much I have to learn, but I know so much about gardening and wild plants in the forest. And how to be charming to anyone, so I'm sure I could find a lady he might love."

She wrinkled up her nose again and frowned.

"...although he didn't quite like me ordering him about, he will put up a fuss. Though, I could be clever about it, like the nobles at court. An espionage of wolfish romance! He would be smitten before he realized a thing."

 

[catalyst]

"Of course," Honovi answered without hesitation. "Stay as long as you're happy here. Even if Dyami tries to chase you away - which he just might once he realizes what you're up to," she said with a pointed look. "If he does, just try to remember his bark is bigger than his bite. And anyway, you'll always have a place here, with me." They were only acquaintances, but Honovi already liked Ori - shrouded in mystery as she was. "In fact, it might be best if we teamed up."

Giving a wink, the elder stood and wiped dark hands on her dress. "Take as long as you'd like in the bath. I'll go grab the salve and bandages."

Dyami didn't return until almost evening. Also freshly bathed and dressed, his curls hung down his back, free to dry. But he didn't enter Honovi's cottage right away. No, he knocked and made sure everyone was decent.

Ori was more than decent. She was beautiful. It was much easier to notice that without all the blood.

His eyes lingered on her still covered neck. "I trust you showed her?" He asked Ori.

"It's taken care of," Honovi answered with a slight smile. "Ori told me about asking Kinshra to hire her? I think it's a fine plan. Maybe you can take her on a tour tomorrow? Since she didn't see much with how you snuck in..."

"For cryin' out loud, ma. You know you would've done the same thing."

Honovi shrugged and sipped her tea.

 

[Diana]

No longer did Oralia look like a mud covered waif or a lost feral child. Without the cloak, the layers of grime, and that countenance of being ready to leap to her feet and run away she made a regal (thought still petite) figure sitting in her chair and casually sipping tea. Her black hair was braided out of her face, and though the dress she'd been given wasn't the light and airy silks she was used it, it was a warm and lovely cinnamon brown that she found quite pretty.

She almost even smiled when Dyami arrived home and had his exchange with his mother. Almost. The way she held herself gave no hint of wild woodling. This was the poise of a young woman that'd spent her life learning how to hold a teacup without clanking the porcelain.

"Yes! I want to see every building and every house and meet all of the people and see the wolves!" It seemed now that she was clean and feeling like a living human again, it also meant she was happy to talk.

"Oh, but maybe it isn't polite to ask people about their wolf? That does seem rude and too intimate, I think. There is maybe a library of books in this village or a town hall of records? I would be just fine to read all there is to know and not bother anyone with offensive questions."

 

[catalyst]

The werewolves shared a brief look. "Sitting in a stuffy library all day?" Dyami asked with a shake of his head. "Doesn't sound very fun to me."

"Oh, ignore him." Honovi swatted her son. "He's a quick study when he wants to be. Anyway, don't worry too much about it, Ori. Most people are happy to share."

Dyami shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "Ma, let's talk for a minute. Ori..." He paused as he looked over her perfect posture. Although she made it look so natural, people would call it for what it was. Stiff. "Relax."

Honovi followed her son outside after giving their guest an apologetic smile. They paced away from the door.

"Who is she, Dyami?"

Dyami snorted. "Not a woodling."

"Whether you want to tell me or not, Dyami," his mother's tone grew stern, "she is lucky to be alive." Grey eyes met each other. "Somebody slashed her throat."

"I'm not.... completely sure if it's her."

"Who?"

He rubbed the back of his head. Ori had to be protected, but... it wasn't fair to the village if no one else knew. After a few moments, he whispered in her ear, "The princess." Honovi frowned and looked at him.

"Impossible. The whole royal family - they were all killed!"

"Their throats were slashed." Honovi froze.

"A coincidence," she argued. "She's obviously a noble, but the princess?"

"She had a sash with their crest, ma."

Honovi held her head in her hands. Dyami put a hand on her shoulder. "If it's her, the whole kingdom still thinks she's dead. We're... we're safe, for now."

"So what, Dyami??"

"I don't know! I don't know. But I couldn't just leave her out in the woods. She wouldn't have survived! I brought her here... maybe she could stay with you?"

"Ohh, no, you don't! Dyami!" She looked at him incredulously.

"What??"

"You cannot drop that young lady off here! Did you not see how she panicked before you left? It'd be cruel if you just handed her off."

Dyami grumbled. His mother was probably right. But maybe he could ask Ori? The elder took a breath, catching his attention. "I won't say anything. Clearly, she still thinks that her lie is working. But it's a conversation you need to have with her sooner rather than later."

He knew that, too. But they could take more time to rest. He'd show her the village, let her decide if she really wanted to stay. Just one day at a time.

Back inside the cottage, Honovi smiled once more at the younger woman. "Let me put together a basket for you to take to Dyami's. I could put some of this tea in there, along with the salve? I'm not sure what all my son keeps in his cupboards."

 

[Diana]

Relax. Oralia had taken that suggestion to heart, realizing something about her way of sitting must've been too posh, and too reflective of her noble blood. How did an average citizen sit? She tried slumping, but it felt so awkward and uncomfortable. She tried crossing her legs and draping her arms... but that seemed so odd too! It seemed a lot of practice would be involved if she wanted to blend in with the rest of the village.

Perhaps wolves had their own culture of being. Oralia would pay attention.

After a moment, curiosity almost had her peeking out the window to see what they were discussing, but Oralia already had a pretty good idea it was all about her. Honovi would tell him about her wounds, and maybe Dyami would tell her what he knew of Oralia. He seemed to trust his mother without question.

So she was quite surprised to find out she wouldn't be staying there in his mother's home.

"I am not staying here? You do not live here with your mother?" Oralia stood slowly, brushing her hands over her skirt to straighten it in an unconscious habit. She certainly wasn't afraid to stay with Dyami, and even felt a bit relieved. "Am I going to be too much trouble in the village? There is no reason I couldn't make a small camp in the woods."

 

[catalyst]

"You would do that, wouldn't you?" Dyami chuckled and crossed his arms. "No. People would offer their homes to you eventually. Better to stay with one of us."

"You can stay with me if you'd like," Honovi chimed in. "I only assumed you'd stay with him." She glanced up, meeting Ori's eyes. She truly believed Ori needed Dyami, if only for a sense of familiarity. But it would also be much easier to make Dyami fall in love if there was a woman constantly at his side. The same woman who'd already been there.

A mother's meddling at its finest.

"So, should I keep preparing this welcome gift?"

 

[Diana]

Oralia quite liked Honovi and staying with her would likely be a delight, yet for now she gave in to that tiny little part of herself that didn't want him straying too far out of sight. It was childish, she knew, but Dyami felt like the one person in the world that was a safe place.

Of course, she and Honovi's secret plan to find the woman's on a wife of his own would also be much easier if Oralia were able to get to know Dyami better and see what sort of lady would be best for him. When making matches it was important to truly know what one needs.

"I will stay with Dyami. Else he will fret that I am climbing out windows and back into trees."

 

[catalyst]

"Great!" Honovi smiled.

"Maybe if you climbed trees instead of rolling down hills, I wouldn't be so worried," Dyami quipped. His mother was lost at the joke, but that was fine. Tea, the salve and extra bandages, and food she could spare - bread and blackberry jam and cheese - disappeared as she draped a piece of fabric over the basket. She handed it off to Dyami before hugging him and Ori goodbye.

"Let's go, woodling."

His cabin wasn't far at all from Honovi's, just about ten minutes away. Dyami was happy to chew on some of the gifted bread and otherwise walk in silence. Though he did slow his stride to walk alongside Ori instead of in front of her.

Was he thrilled to have a roommate after living alone for years? No. Could it be worse? Eyes flickered down to the bubbly woman beside him. Eh. That remained to be seen.

Eventually, they approached a large, well-tended cabin. While it wasn't in total seclusion, the area was much less congested than the rest of the village. Dyami opened the door, letting Ori enter first, before shutting it behind them. Unlike Honovi's open floor place, the cabin was sectioned into two. It was large, yes, but Dyami wasn't a collector. He had what was necessary to live, and not much more. The main living area had a weapons cabinet, loveseat, a round table and chairs, a large fireplace, and a small kitchen area. The other room acted as the bedroom with a king-sized bed - only because Dyami felt too small on other sizes - a small wardrobe, and locked chest.

"You can take the bedroom. I'll sleep on the couch. Make yourself at home, I guess."

 

[Diana]

Make herself at home? Oralia was a bit unsure how to do that. At first it was simply because she'd grown so used to the forest full of trees that it felt strange to be contained inside walls again. ...then it was just a matter of an unfamiliar place and suddenly being face with all of those things she'd been trying not to think about for so long.

The danger was gone. There was no castle on fire. No vicious soldiers. No angry animals. Oralia didn't have to run for her life, or hunt for food, or try to find a warm dry place to sleep. Oralia was clean, fed, and safe.

With only her thoughts left, she immediately set to snooping around Dyami's home instead. Anything to keep herself busy and to avoid thinking for too long.

"You will have to teach me to cook," she said first, taking a browse through the small kitchen space. The wood stove seemed easy easy to figure out, now that she knew how to set a fire.

Once she was done peeping through cupboards, she peered into the bedroom space. The giant bed shouldn't have been a surprise considering how tall he was as a man and how large he could be as a wolf. Oralia kicked her shoes to the side and flopped right down in the middle of the mattress.

This was heaven. After nights of sleeping on the ground, this was so much better!

 

[catalyst]

Dyami set the basket on the table before taking a seat on the couch. He watched Ori familiarize herself with her new home. "You might wanna ask my mother that," he replied, raising his voice just a tad as she wandered into the bedroom. "I can cook, but I'm no chef." He heard her succumb to the comfort that was the mattress. After a few long minutes of silence, he stood and slowly made his way to the bedroom.

She'd fallen asleep. That was good. Neither of them exactly had a good night's rest, and he was pretty sure she was awake on his back for the entire trip.

With the last hour or two of remaining daylight, he made himself useful. He left Ori sleeping in the cabin, locking the door behind him, before heading to the market. It was just his luck that he ran into what he felt like was the whole village. For whatever reason, the plaza was quite busy and a few of his friends were the first to spot him. He had to assure everyone that he was just fine. Yes, he encountered some Rukae and bandits. It wasn't a surprise that he brought home a stray - someone needing help - but rumors were already swirling. He had to explain that the woman spotted on his back was not his newfound lover.

Eventually, he returned to the cabin with ingredients in hand. Ori was still sleeping, so Dyami busied himself with making a hearty soup. He was surprised when Ori didn't wake up to the sound of chopping or the delicious smell, but... who could blame her? There would be enough for her to eat whenever she woke next.

Checking on her a final time, Dyami realized that she wasn't under the blankets. Not wanting to wake her up, he covered her with his own. Being a man and a werewolf? He was plenty warm sleeping in the same room as the fire without a blanket. And once he actually laid down, he was quick to fall asleep. A deep, dreamless sleep... that he woke from too soon.

A yelp startled him awake. Confused, he lied there for a few moments to listen and soon heard crying. Pity left his chest feeling uncomfortable, but what could he do? Ori was crying. Maybe not as quiet as a mouse, but still... it was the middle of the night. She wanted privacy. It wasn't his place to try and comfort her.

Then, the thrashing started, and the crying grew louder, and it hit him. She was having a nightmare.

He didn't remember ever waking to her having one when they were in the woods, but maybe it was because she was finally safe? Regardless, he knew what it was like to have nightmares. But... should he wake her? Or would she be embarrassed? He didn't have a cure for nightmares. He couldn't protect against them.

But the least he could do was end it and wake her. Sighing, the man stood from the couch and went to the distressed figure, which started having another thrashing fit.

"Ori. Ori, wake up!" He spoke in a hushed tone. That didn't seem to help. Dyami ventured to her side and did the only thing he could think of: fend off any hits and hold her by her arms. "Ori! Wake up! Ori!"

 

[Diana]

All she could smell was fire and burning flesh, yet she kept running down the halls glowing orange with flames as ash swirled all around her. The sound of scratching claws pounding against the marble behind her melded with the demonic snarl of some creature she'd never heard before. Oralia tried to scream, but her voice was long gone. Lost along with the torrents of blood pouring from the gash in her throat. Her foot caught on something and she hit the ground.

But she couldn't look back. If she looked back she knew what she would see. Rows and rows of bodies all left behind.

Oralia was still trying to scream when she woke and at first it didn't register where she was. Trapped in fight or flight, she quite literally tried to fight him off, with all the fierceness one would expect from a wild animal. Had her legs not been wrapped up in skirt and blanket, she might have given him a nasty kick and she came dangerously close to sinking her teeth into one of his arms.

Finally a shouted Ori! had her freeze suddenly, and with it the slow realization that she'd been woken from a dream. Her heart beat a thousand miles a minute, and she was still gasping to try and catch her breath. Oralia probably looked and sounded like a maniac! What was he to think? She probably scared him to death.

"Sorry," she whispered in a breath. "There is nothing here, I'm fine."

Even so, she still found herself glancing around the dark room. Just in case. That was easier to do than looking him in the eyes after she'd embarrassed herself again.

 

[catalyst]

At last, Ori woke from her nightmare. It was only when she spoke that Dyami slowly let go of her and sat on the edge of the bed. Her face and hair were wet with tears, everything completely disheveled from the thrashing. Even in her sleep, she was quite the fighter. Dyami might've admired that if it wasn't due to whatever hell she was dreaming.

"It's okay," he said. "It was a nightmare. You're safe." Another confirmation if she didn't quite believe her eyes.

Seeing as how she couldn't quite meet his eyes, Dyami looked up at the ceiling as he debated to share something. "I've had my fair share." That was good enough, yeah? He looked back to her. "I'm guessin' it had something to do with when..." He tapped his neck with his finger as he looked at her neck. "Er, sorry," he quickly added. "I get on my ma's case when she pries. You don't have to answer."

 

[Diana]

Safe was still very hard to believe.

Letting out a sigh, she wiped at her face with her sleeves and tried to erase away all the evidence. She thought a moment of denying the entire thing. To pretend nothing had happened at all, it was all just a silly dream and there was nothing to tell. What would happen, though, when she fell back to sleep? Would she dream it again? Sleep had been so rare and so hard in the forest, and then she'd been so exhausted she didn't dream much at all... would nightmares now haunt her every night?

"There was no ceremony..." she said softly. "Just swish-" she mimicked the movement of the knife across her neck. "And I was dead. We were tossed to the side in a pile of bodies, just dead. Like we never meant anything to anyone. I can't be a woodling forever. One day they'll come here and they won't care who they kill and I will have to do something."

Oralia fell silent for a moment, occasionally sniffling and brushing at her cheek with her sleeve. Then she reached out to gently tug his sleeve.

"Will you stay in here with me?"

 

[catalyst]

"Like we never meant anything to anyone."

That struck a chord in the werewolf.

"....and they won't care who they kill and I will have to do something."

Dyami cocked his head, though his expression remained neutral. He almost said something, but thought better of it. Sometimes silence was needed to sort through whatever was in one's head.

The last thing he expected was her to ask him to stay. He slowly looked from the hand on his sleeve up to her eyes.

Ah, dammit. How could he say no to a face like that??

After a moment of hesitation, Dyami stood and pulled back the blankets for her. "Here, get under these." Once she was settled, he drew them over her and then sat on the empty side, lying atop the blankets. "Beauty rest requires some cushioning," he told her, knowing full well she might not have meant him actually sleeping with her. But like hell he was sleeping on the floor in his own home. She'd have to kick him off. "If you have another nightmare, try not to bite me." Another attempt at lightening the mood. Even if she didn't find it funny, it was better to be annoyed at him than letting the nightmare win.

A few moments of silence passed. "Can I ask you something? If you're still awake."

 

[Diana]

There was plenty enough space in the bed for them both, that Oralia found it wonderfully comforting. With several layers of blankets, a fluffy pillow, and that weight of knowing he was right there should anything happen, she might actually be able to sleep.

Oralia was ready to give him a very good witty retort about how he probably deserved to get bitten, but his question had her giving pause. She scooted and rolled until she was facing him, and poked softly at his shoulder.

"I am still awake. What do you wish to ask?"

 

[catalyst]

Dyami was lying on his back and looking up at the ceiling, though there was only dim lighting from a flickering lantern. After poking him, Ori might've seen his lips curve upward if she looked close enough.

"Earlier you said you'd have to do something - if the Rukae came. What did you mean by that?" He looked down at her. "Not to be too much of an ass, but what could you possibly do?"

 

[Diana]

"Hmm," the soft reply wasn't an answer, she knew. Oralia tapped her finger against his shoulder as she considered it.

"I don't know," she started honestly. "Who protects Kosogaria now with no King or Queen or Knights? I could run to the end of the world, but could all of Kosogaria? What if that still isn't far enough and the Rukae still come?"

He was right to ask the question, Oralia supposed. What could she do? She escaped the castle with her neck cut open, and then barely survived in the forest on her own. Oralia was one woman. To drive the Rukae out of of Kosogaria she would need an army.

...or do what the Rukae did. Find the persons in power and destroy them.

"I will think of something," she affirmed despite it. "You saved me. I should save your home."

 

[catalyst]

Dyami listened, but the hand hadn't left his shoulder. He tried not to think about it too much.

Besides, did she not just confirm she was the princess? She could run, but nobody else could. She "should save" his home. What was that if not a discreet confession?

Did she even want to be Queen? Ori didn't seem like the type to shirk her responsibilities. If anything, she was very determined and willing to learn. But, what if she did want to keep running? Or what if that was all she could do? Many would argue her feelings didn't matter and that she had a duty to the throne, to her people.

Dyami wasn't sure if he could blame her for choosing a life of running.

"And what would you do to save my home?" Dyami asked earnestly. Or rather... "If it came down to it, if the Rukae showed up tomorrow, and you could save the village, what would you be willing to do?"