Natasha Luepke - Blood Innocence

Fenris was usually quiet while they traveled the forest trails. But now he refused to even look at Leonida. She had heard of soldiers who went into to shock and retreated into themselves, but that usually occurred after months or years of battle. She had realized it when she first awoke on the Carpenter's farm: the family was just too nice. Still, Leonida feared what another night in the wilderness might do to Fenris. Luckily, they chanced upon a seedy old inn. (While Leonida didn't believe in Fate, she was a big believer in Coincidence.)
The building consisted of two floors of weather-beaten blue wood; it sat at the edge of a more respectable town. The town probably had better places to spend the night, but those places were probably more expensive.
"Fenris, come with me," she said, taking him by the arm.
"Hmm?"
"I'm not having you spend another night in the woods. This place ain't great, but I've stayed in worse places."
Fenris cocked a brow, but followed her.

The first floor of the establishment consisted of a tavern. A paunchy, middle-aged, red-faced man and two young girls tended bar. Leonida approached the man.
"And what can I do for you, Miss?" he greeted her. His breath wasn't as foul as she feared.
"My friend and I want to spend the night. How much?"
"Stay in the Common Room, mattresses on a first-come-first serve basis, two silver pieces. Sheets, another two. Pillows...well, it's your head. One piece. 'Course, gotta' couple private rooms, too." He cast an eye towards Fenris. "Ten for that."
Fenris was looking a bit overwhelmed by all the commotion in the bar. Leonida began to add costs up in her head. "These sheets, are they clean?"
The bar tender smiled. "Usually I charge extra, but I've never had anyone ask. For you, clean, no charge."
Leonida smiled, then fished the coins out of her purse. "Private room, sheets, two pillows."
The bartender nodded, and went to fetch her key and linens. Leonida ordered a stiff drink for Fenris from one of the bar maids.

In younger days, Leonida had spent most of her time in bars, taverns, and pubs. She knew what you could buy and from whom. Leaving Fenris with his drink and her lute, she went to find an Arms Dealer.
He was in the corner, chatting with a Compulsive Gambler. He was dressed in black, studded here and there with a bit of metal. They always looked that way. Young Arms Dealers took pride in their long hair; this one was getting on in years, so he was thinning in front and overcompensated in the back. As Leonida approached, she wished for the umpteenth time that Kat hadn't been so modest. How was a girl to conduct business without a low neckline and high hemline? Leonida made do as best she could, adjusting hems and adjusting hair; she had a new scar to think about.
"Excuse me?" she asked coyly, tapping the man on the shoulder.
"Yes, my dear?" he asked with a faint smile.
She pulled out a chair for herself. "I'm looking for a new sword."
"Sword?" the man laughed.
Leonida placed an arm across the back of his chair. "I can pay, if that's what you're worried about."
"Just a minute," the Arms Dealer said to the Gambler. The Dealer reached beneath the table, producing a large bag from which various hilts protruded. "Now, Miss, I don't have all of my inventory here, but I'm sure we can find something for a pretty little girl like you."
Leonida forced a smile.
The Dealer presented his collection: foils, broadswords, daggers, dirks, and knives. Leonida found a sword she liked, but the moment she grasped the hilt, a burning sensation ran through her arm and hand. She immediately dropped it, to the amusement of the men at the table. Two more tries, two more agonizing burning sensations. Unable to bear the laughter, Leonida fled the table. Grabbing Fenris and their possessions from the bar, she went to find their room.
"What's going on?" asked Fenris as she pulled him up the narrow stairs.
"I don't want to talk about it."
The room was on the farthest end of a long hall. There was a sooty fireplace and a narrow bed. A small window let in the moon.
"Make up the bed; I'll start a fire," Leonida said, tossing the bed linen to Fenris.
"Is this it?" he asked.
"Yup." She began to pile logs and kindling. "Cheap, though. Could've saved more if we'd stayed in the Common Room..."
"Common Room?"
Leonida smiled. "You said you'd never left home before, right?"
"Yes."
She sat next to him on the bed. "Don't worry; like I said, I've stayed in places worse than this."
He nodded. "How's your face?"
She shrugged, but gave in and let him fuss over her wounds. His hands still shook. He still refused to meet her eye.
"Fenris," she sighed, taking his face in her hands. His black eyes reminded her of Oisin's-gentle, beautiful, like a deer, not a killer wolf's.
"You're going to get through this, okay? You may not get over it, put this behind you, but you gotta' get through it. You did a good thing, you know? You saved both of us. You were brave. And I need you to stay brave."
He held her gaze for a moment, then took one her hands in his. "Does this get easier?"
"Only for those who grow to love killing." She looked down, the first to break. She wanted to tell him about Oisin, how she worried that he might be changed as Oisin was. But she still wasn't ready. "Oh, hey-since when can you shape shift into a big animal like a lion? Last you'd told me, all you could do were little ones."
He chuckled. "That was the first time I ever tried anything that big." He pulled away and went to the window. "Beautiful moon. It'll be time to bring in the harvest soon." And for the first time, Leonida saw Fenris's tail.
"Fenris! Your tail!" was all Leonida could think of to say.
"My mother cut off all of our tails when we were little. Well, just Kat and Kathan and I. I was ten when I learned how to make the stumps go away. But now I've figured out how to make it reappear."
Leonida joined him at the window. "It's nice." And she ran a hand through the fur.
Fenris shivered. "Maybe I should go to bed now."
Leonida nodded. "I'm going to stay up a bit." He slipped under the covers and she studied the stars. What was wrong with her? What had she been expecting?

...It was night and the moon was full, illuminating the thicket below: green grass sheltered by tall trees. Kat stood in the middle of family, friends, and magistrate. She noticed him and held out her arms.
"'Ris! I knew you'd make it!" Kat exclaimed happily.
"Of course. I wouldn't miss my sister's wedding!" Fenris hastily dusted off his black jacket and pants, dusty from the road. Kat, though...She was dressed in dark blue, long triangular sleeves draping gracefully over puffy-white sleeves beneath. She'd left her hair down and her brow was adorned with wildflowers.
Mikhail, her betrothed, came up beside her and placed an arm around her waist. He was dressed in his finest Eastern Empire trading robes of purple and gold, complete with pointy-toed shoes.
"How wonderful you could join us," he said with a smile.
"A beautiful full moon...Mother was right: You should always share your joys and sorrows, weddings and funerals, with the forest. That's the only reason I was able to come."
A friend of Kat's interrupted them. Fenris went to find the rest of his family.
"Lamby, it's so good to see you," Moon-Thorn said as she enveloped him in a mammoth hug. She then pushed him to an arms' length as she appraised him. Ted merely shook his hand.
"I wasn't sure you'd be here," Fenris said.
"Someone had to be here for your sister." Moon-Thorn smiled. "Me and your father, and the little ones will be leaving soon enough. We've decided to stay until the harvest, another month or two. Poor Kathan...Kat and Mikhail are leavin' tomorrow..." She glanced down at Fenris's hands. "Something strange about your fingers, lamby." She shook her head. "Ceremony's about to start. Come on."
Fenris took his place with his family, bathed in silver light, as the magistrate began to thank the animals and spirits of the forests for attending...

Leonida rubbed her head. Time for her to be getting to sleep. She surveyed the bed, hoping for an unused corner. Fenris was smiling. Leonida wished she knew why, that she might keep that smile on his face. She pulled of her boots, then stretched out on her side along the edge of the bed, back to Fenris. She promptly fell asleep.

... A fire burned brightly in the hearth of the weather-beaten sea cottage, though the corners of the room remained gray and cold. A woman crouched at the fire. All Leonida could make out was a back clothed in dark blue, and a red belt. Hair slipped over the woman's shoulder, preventing Leonida from seeing its true length.

Leonida took a hesitant step forward. "Mom?" she whispered.
The woman stood, long dress draping elegantly, red girdle fastened perfectly, looped twice, low over the hips. She turned her head; the hair was short. It was Virginia. Leonida shook her head; this was her mother's uniform.
Virginia swallowed. "Oh, Leonida...I'm so sorry..." She gestured into the fire, arm covered in tight blue sleeve, with upturned red cuff. In the fire, edges curling from heat, was a portrait of Leonida's mother, the Lady Hlin, dressed in blue and red, long red hair pulled back in a neat braid.
"What?" Leonida whispered.
Virginia looked down. "That animal following you-Fenris didn't kill it. It's called a manticore. And Leonida, your mother...is dead."
Leonida froze. Her mind emptied completely, then was filled a million conflicting thoughts: She'd have to take her mother's place, as had always been intended...She could keep running...She had to return home, preside over the burial rights...Her father was all alone now...She couldn't return home, they'd make her take her mother's place...Would her mom even want her to?...The manticore had to be stopped...If it killed her mother, it would kill others, people she cared about...
"You have to return," Virginia whispered, then removed the gold filet from her short hair and placed it over Leonida's brow. Leonida sank to the floor, quiet at first. Her form was soon racked with sobs, and she slammed her fist against the floorboards once or twice. Finally, she looked up to Virginia, who was once again wearing jeans and a sweatshirt.
Virginia sat beside Leonida. "You need a special sword. Its name is Brisingamen. You must sail to the Isle of Dawn, and you will have to protect Fenris from the Sirens." Virginia grabbed Leonida's hand, pulling her to her feet. They walked to the door of the cottage. Virginia threw it open, against Leonida's protests.
Beyond the door, instead of gulls and surf, the landscape was gray, one color and one shape, lifeless.
"First," Virginia began, "you must follow the path Fenris has set up. This will take you to the town of Bok. From there, you will find passage on a ship whose crew are all women. Sail east, as far as you can, until you come to a patch of water that is red. There will be a small island, with rocks that are colored like a sunrise. And you will find a cave, and your sword." As she spoke, a map folded out before them, a 3-D representation of what was to come.
"Why is the sword still there?" Leonida asked, wiping her eyes.
"Only men have gone after it; they were destroyed by the Sirens."
Leonida nodded. "Will this end only with violence?"
"I hope not," Virginia replied...

Fenris shook Leonida awake.
"Little Vixen! Are you all right? You were crying." He helped her sit up.
She leaned against the headboard, wiping her face. Tears stung her wound. "We...we have to leave, as soon as can."
Fenris nodded, pulling the loose hair out of her face. Leonida was overcome again. Her mother...her mother was...She pulled away from Fenris and slammed her fist into the flat pillow, sending feathers flying.
"Vixen, be careful! You'll break your stitches."
She took a deep breath, then turned to Fenris, grasping him by the shoulders. "It's my mother," she whispered into his shirt.
Fenris gazed at the moon over her head. Kat's wedding had been an ending in more ways than one.