| This was the place she had first met her lover. Their snarls and snaps had echoed off the stone walls while they screamed at each other over a bird. The prey was never what they had been growling about, but it had still been a first for flesh. Eleanor’s body and scent had stolen everything that Despoina was and their lustful passion had begun in these caves with the sharing of secrets and a deep understanding of each other and fear. From the shadows of the grotto in time they had come to walk together in love. Now she was gone. Since Eleanor’s death Despoina had raged at the world and demanded the fates to give her back. Her fury was overpowering until she had come to the grottos and all but collapsed in the shadows. She was not yet struck with sobs, her body frightfully as still as stone. But her slate eyes stared out into the sunlight with a cold fire that would burn through a mountain’s ice. Her white hot rage could not be tempered in the silence and she had chosen to remove herself from her children’s presence, lest they be on the receiving end of her misplaced fury. A wolf was sniffing about. At first, Despoina’s silently braced herself, coiling her body and silently baring her fangs. Anyone foolish enough to intrude on her solitude would swiftly find it to be their biggest mistake of the season. She did not release a warning as the sounds drew near until it would have been too late. Just about to lunge at her unsuspecting victim she froze at the sound of her name on sweet, innocent lips. The Mountain Pup. Her words gave her pause, though she could barely comprehend them. Instead, she looked over Aurelia, the younger wolf having been a constant presence in her life, though one to be seen from afar. The masked lady had come to Despoina often with questions and curiosities. Wanting to learn more about this or that and Despoina had flirted with the answers she had wanted to hear without knowing whether or not the girl understood what she was doing. Now Despoina was in no state for games. The harsh humor that had colored their friendship was seared away by the pain and rage she felt at the loss of her lover. Cold, hard eyes looked at Aurelia as she approached and finally Despoina felt as though it were her turn to ask the question. Blunt and straightforward. What do you know about me, Aurelia? She dropped her pet names for her friend in the gravity of the moment. You have known me for years, but what exactly do you know? Did she know her lover was a woman? Or had the illusions and lies nature played mask the secrets that well. |