Moon

Moon swung the door open to the tavern, her long grey and white fur soaked. She kept her hood up, her ears protruding through the holes in the green hood. No one paid any attention to the slender female wolf wandering through the rowdy crowd and making her way to the bar. “Room for one,” she says, placing a silver coin down.

“Make sure it’s next to mine,” a male voice said, her ears shot up, and she knew that voice.

“Eldrik?” She asked softly,

“I thought if I waited for you long enough you’d eventually turn up,” he said to her. She just offered him a nod, her emerald eyes glinting in the candles flickering flames. “Moon...I...I...” he begins.

“You don’t have to say anything,” she says.

“Moon, how can I not? You’ve lost everything and everyone, let me be there for you,” he said wrapping a large arm around her shoulders. She pins her ears and growls. “Come on, you know your growling never intimidated me.” She looks away and droops her ears, liquid crystal pooled around her green eyes she didn’t want him to see her tears. he rests a large hand gently on her furry cheek and turned her head toward him. “Hey, let’s go upstairs and away from prying eyes huh?” he suggests softly, gently scratching behind one of her tall ears. She nods her vocal chords strangled by sadness. He gently takes her paw and leads her upstairs to his room, the floorboards creaking under his weight.

He unlocked his oak door pushed it open for her and allowed her to walk in first, “sit down Moon,” he said softly. She sat down on the bed looking down at her paws wrapped in her brown leather gauntlets. “You don’t have to suffer alone,” he sat down next to her and removed her hood softly, carefully pulling her ears free and resting her head on his shoulder. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there to save your clan.” She says nothing and just stares forward. “Moon?” Her green flicked up to his face.

“I was forced to watch them all die,” she said as tears slipped down her snout.

“I am so sorry,” he said and kissed her head.

“I am the only one of my clan left,” she said her voice cracking as she started to sob. Eldrik knew her as the wolf warrior who hid her emotions and was always so brave, but now she was sobbing in his arms.

“What if you don’t have to be so lonely?” he asked her. “what if I brought you to my clan?”

“Would they accept me?” She asks sitting up and locking her eyes with his.

“Of course, my clan will take in anyone who needs a home,” he says.

“I...er....d....d..don’t know,” she stutters.

“Moon, let me take care of you, please. I wasn’t there to save your clan but let me take care of you now,” he said gently scratching behind her ears again. “Sleep on it, tomorrow is a new day and we can discuss it tomorrow morning.”