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“I mean it. Every single time.”
“All the time?”
“And why not? When have I ever not kept my word to you?”
“You always have.”
“And I always will, little star.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Rhapsody snuck away from the last recalling moments of the meeting when she first noticed the moon peeking through the window. She stealthily made her way outside, far enough away from Enforcer HQ to not be disturbed but not so far away that she couldn't run back in should something try to ambush her.
She rested her back against a beam by the building and hugged herself as she looked up to the moon, basking in its luminous glory. With it now fully within her sight, she allowed the memory that first teased her inside to replay fully and uninterrupted.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
It would be one of her last nights in Carthis. She was in the forest, surrounded by pack Rin. They invited her to hunt with them one last time and there was no way she would refuse them. As a Hunter she knew that it was a bad idea to grow so close to 'creatures' she should be hunting. As a human she knew that she could no more deny the affections she had for her wolf family than she could deny herself air.
This had been a celebratory hunt. One meant to honor her as a sister of the pack but also one to tell her goodbye as she left for Lunaris and onto her next great adventure.
Goodbye...
She had said too many of those in her short lifetime. While some remained more permanent than others, this one stung just a bit more. She would miss her Honored Mother's cooking and stories, jokes around the fire that made her belly ache and brought tears to her eyes. She would miss answering questions from her Honored Younger Brother and those of the pack who wondered about her, her life, and her abilities as a Hunter.
Hugging herself, she gazed out among the glen and down at the wolves relaxing after a successful beginning to the night. Yes, she would miss all of that and more. But most of all she would miss...
“Tell me we haven't worn you out already, Hunter. The night is still very young and there are those who must be brought down in your honor.”
A grin spilled onto her face as she turned to face the direction of the gravely voice that demanded her full attention. “You wish, Alpha. I'm just getting started.”
Rin Malachite gracefully approached in wolf form, the white of his fur practically glowed in the light of the full moon. While the dark blue of his fur blended in with the nighttime air and gave him an air of stealth. He stopped a hair's breath from Rhapsody, slowly wrapping his tail around her to encourage her to close the short distance between them. A smile full of teeth was given her arms wrapped around him and her sigh of happiness reached his ears.
She allowed his warmth to envelop her fully, her head resting against his chest as his strong heartbeat made its way to her ears and caused her to feel a peace she had felt only very few times before.
“This will be my last hunt.”
The sorrow wrapped in those words almost caused him to whine and he pulled back out of the embrace just enough to use a clawed finger to carefully tilt her head up to look at him, to meet his eyes.
“Your last hunt with us, for now. You know you are always welcome back here. You will always be welcomed among the pack,” his next words were chosen carefully and said with a purpose that caused Rhapsody to shudder.
“Always will be welcomed by me.”
Her eyes fluttered closed as a sad smile graced her face. She placed a hand on his chest as she felt his tail wrap tighter around her. “Thank you, Malachite.”
“No, Rhapsody. Thank you. For everything.”
They took advantage of the quiet moment that they had. Sounds of the night as well as the soft breathing and heartbeats from them both were the only things heard for quite some time until he spoke up.
“You will not be alone in your new home, not completely. For as long as you can see the moon and bask in her presence? I will be with you and I will do the same. It will be as if you never left.”
A laugh escaped her lips as she pulled back to meet his eyes. “Oh, is that so?”
An amused rumble met her question. “I mean it. Every single time.”
“All the time?”
“And why not? When have I ever not kept my word to you?”
She looked away in that moment, her smile growing wider. “You always have.”
“And I always will, little star.”
Her cheeks darkened and she grew silent which only caused him to chuckle again.
“Oh how shy we become when affections are spoken out loud.”
Rolling her eyes, she looked back at him. “Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up!”
It was his turn to grow silent as a single finger softly caressed her cheek. “Promise me. Every time you see the moon, no matter where you are, you will look up and think of me. For I will be thinking of you as well.”
Her eyes softened as her heartbeat quickened. No, she could no more deny her feelings than she could deny herself air. Banishing all thoughts of what could be if she weren't a Hunter and if her past hadn't haunted her, she felt herself nod.
“I promise.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The sound of heels approaching pulled her from the memory, her eyes going from the beautiful light in the sky to the person standing next to her.
“Is everything all right, Hunter? I noticed you disappeared. You normally stay for the recap.”
Her lips couldn't help but curl into a friendly response at that. Of course August would notice she went missing. While she had only been in Lunaris for a few short weeks, she had grown fond of their company and how easily topics could flow between them beyond work matters.
“Yes, Enforcer. Everything is fine. I just noticed the full moon in the window and...had to come out to see it. That's all.”
August raised their eyebrow in interest. “Oh? May I ask what compelled such a response? It seems very flight of fancy for you.”
Giggling, she couldn't help but agree. “Oui, that is quite true. I made a promise to someone close to me and I just wanted to keep it.” Her voice grew quiet as her eyes once again fell upon the moon.
They also turned to look at the moon, a few moments passed before a question was softly posed. “And will they keep their promise to you?”
Eyes fluttering closed, the biggest grin August had ever seen made its way to her features.
“They always do.”