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It was late July and the sun that had been rising pale and orange against the morning sky had since turned into a yellow inferno, merciless and cooking everything in sight.
Lazing about under a tree that provided little shade, Mebh turned her gaze to Robyn. At first glance, the taller girl seemed unaffected by the heat that bit viciously into Mebh’s skin, turning a page of a book in hand with a loose strand of blonde hair hanging by her face. Come August, she’d be thirteen and it wouldn’t be until Mebh’s birthday in the spring that they’d be the same age again. Over the last few months, Robyn had come to reflect that change, shooting up tall like a wild weed and her proper fangs beginning to grow in. She was pretty, always had been, but was even more so with her longer hair and sharper teeth and skin tanned from always being out in the sun. Over the months free from Kilkenny’s oppressive nature, she had grown to be much happier and, quite literally, vibrant. Mebh liked the change.
She continued to admire Robyn for a solid minute before rolling onto her back with a dramatized groan. “It’s so hot,”
“It really is,” Robyn nodded, fanning herself. “I can barely focus on me book. I wouldn’t be surprised if the ink started meltin’ off the pages.”
“We should stop layin’ here and start doin’ something.”
“In this weather? Are ye crazy?” She asked, swatting away pesky bugs that flew too close to her face for comfort before setting aside her novel- some drivel about a selkie girl and her human brother in search of her coat- before laying down next to Mebh. “I’ll turn into a puddle if I move another inch.”
The blue sky was vibrant and cloudless, the sun beating down hot and heavy on the two girls, and Mebh found herself dreaming of rainy days and brisk winds, lapping up cold water from a clear stream and curling up in the darkest corner of her den, anything to cool her off, if only for a moment.
“We could go swimmin’,” She said finally- an absentminded statement with no real substance to it- and then the concept of wading into refreshingly cold water hit her and she sat up. “Yeah, we could go swimmin’! It’ll be nice and the sun’s so hot that we’ll be dry by the time we get back to the den, so your father won’t be mad about your clothes. What’s he doin’, anyway?”
“I think he’s out hunting.”
Mebh shook her head. “I’ll never understand why he has to use his fancy-dancy townie tools when he’s got a wolf’s body and teeth.”
“It’s what he knows best, helps when it’s all he has left of who we used to be,” Robyn explained, the softness of her voice preventing Mebh from questioning further. Although Robyn had adjusted to her new life in the woods fairly easily, Bill hadn’t. She was well aware of the hushed conversations he and her ma had late at night, contemplating if this was the proper life for him and his daughter yet knowing they had no other choice. Mebh didn’t fully understand (why anyone would want to be a smelly human in an equally smelly town was beyond her), but she had learned to respect his struggles, albeit tentatively. “Anyway, I can’t swim.”
“That’s okay,” Mebh said, standing up. “I can stand in it just fine. You’re like a tree. I’m sure you won’t drown.”
“A tree? I-”
“Roobyynn!” Mebh threw her arms out. “Let’s go wadin’! It’ll help ye cool down; if ye don’t, we both know you’ll turn into a lobster!”
“Alright, alright, just give me a m-”
“That’s the spirit, townie! Come on, race ya!” Mebh jumped up, running down the hill and towards the thicket. She laughed when Robyn started to splutter, bewildered- yet adoring, Mebh knew- of her antics.
“What?! Mebh, no! It’s hot!”
In the woods, the air was dank and muggy and the rich, earthy scent of soil washed over everything else. The springy earth was forgiving underneath Mebh’s feet and she walked with a pep in her step, leading Robyn through brambles and bushes and eventually to a river. The forest was peaceful, grass and leaves rustling gently in the warm summer wind and dozens of early day violets growing alongside shaded crevices. Mebh had smiled when Robyn had picked one and tucked it into her hair.
“One of these days, I have to do your hair again,” Robyn commented absently as Mebh waded into the water. “I wouldn’t be surprised to find a family of squirrels living there.”
“Ma says there’s a whole ecosystem in there, actually,” Mebh said, turning to look back at Robyn as she waded deeper. The blonde hiked up her skirt, taking careful steps into the river, and Mebh lay back in the water to float.
The water was cold as ice as it sliced into Mebh’s skin, cool and refreshing against the stifling heat. “What’s takin’ ye so long, townie?” She asked after a minute, standing back up. Robyn was wading in slow and carefully, the water barely touching her calves. “Don’t want to ruin your pretty dress?”
“That’s not-”
“Oh, c’mere!” Mebh said with a wild, wicked grin, launching herself onto Robyn and trapping her in a headlock to start giving her noogies. The way Robyn laughed and squealed- giddy commands for Mebh to stop that she didn’t really mean and futile attempts to get her off- made Mebh’s heart flutter and her smile only grow. She only stopped when Robyn threw her into the water, briefly enjoying how crisp and peaceful everything was under the surface before popping back up.
“What was that for?!” Robyn asked with a crooked grin, splashing Mebh.
“Ye needed somethin’ to help ye loosen up!”
“I was loosened up!”
“I can’t believe you’ve lived in the forest for months and you’re still some fancy-dancy townie!” Mebh said, lifting the hem of her skirt and curtseying. “Oh, am Robyn Goodfellowe, and I can’t get me skirt wet because me stuck-up father will be mad, even though it’s a skirt that’ll dry in a minute because it’s so hot,”
Robyn feigned an offended gasp. “I do not sound like that!”
“But ye do, townie!” Mebh laughed before resuming her impersonation. “Oh, let me check the date, it’s chewsday,”
“At least I don’t go weeks without bathing!”
“I’ve already told ye, it preserves my scent!”
“Mebh, you stink!” Robyn burst into laughter, splashing the shorter girl. Mebh struggled to contain her own giggles as she tried to pull her back into another noogie attack, but Robyn wouldn’t have it, easily evading Mebh’s slippery grip. The two splashed at each other, attempting to pull the other close only to shove them back into the river. With every laugh that rang out from Robyn, blue eyes bright, Mebh’s heart only grew, and she felt like she’d burst from happiness any minute.
A single gunshot tore them out of the moment, ringing out throughout the forest. Suddenly, everything had stilled, as if the gunshot had hit some sort of switch, causing the wind to die down and make the leaves stop rushing. Even the river seemed to have stilled, the sound of the steady stream now nothing more than a faint trickle. Mebh lifted her head, sniffed the air, and relaxed.
“It’s just your father,” Mebh shrugged, wringing out her shirt. “I can smell him. Stinks really bad, worse than me!”
The silence that followed Mebh’s quip- one that would’ve normally been met with a lighthearted retort back- was enough to catch her attention, and Mebh turned her gaze back to her. “Robyn?”
In mere moments, Robyn’s demeanor had completely shifted. She stood stiff and wide-eyed, her hands clutching the hem of her shirt. The fear in her eyes was enough to send a shiver down Mebh’s spine and she threw a glance behind herself. Seeing nothing behind her, she turned her gaze back to Robyn, taking slow and careful steps to her. “Hey, Robyn? Are ye alright?”
“I-” She struggled to form a sentence, her voice shaky and raw. Despite the way she desperately clutched onto her shirt, as if trying to contain her heart, her chest rose quickly in short, uneven bursts and the girl was practically gasping for air. For a moment, Mebh just stared, bewildered- what was she supposed to do?- and then she hesitantly placed her hand against Robyn’s back, wincing internally when she flinched and walked her out of the river.
The hot, summer air was a relief to Mebh, cold from the river and her dress clinging to her skin certainly not helping, but it seemed to snap Robyn out of her frozen state. Her breathing stuttered and shook as she reached out for Mebh’s hands in her own, shaky and unsteady. Mebh let her take it, and when Robyn sank to her knees, Mebh went with her.
She had seen Robyn scared many times before; when she had first been caught by one of the many noose traps hidden in the forest, swinging wildly and punching aimlessly as Mebh attempted to free her and when she had first turned into a wolf, all left paws and awkward steps, but never like this. It scared Mebh herself, watching as Robyn squeezed her hands so hard her knuckles turned white, shallow breathing making her own lungs ache. Watching this girl she cared for so much in a state of panic, wet hair clinging to her paper-white face, Mebh wanted to cry.
“Robyn, hey,” Mebh said softly, tone unsteady but calm as she rubbed the back of her palms with her thumbs. “It was just your father, and he’s already a long ways away. Breathe with me, okay, townie?” She took in a slow, deep breath, and let it out. “Like that. Are ye with me, townie?”
She calmed herself enough to let out a shaky ‘mhm’ and followed Mebh’s example. Her breathing was quick and shallow but slowly settled into a steady rhythm. Mebh relaxed, wincing at the crescent indentations left on her skin when Robyn let go of her hands.
Finally, her chest heaved one final time before she had a reaction that was much more familiar and perversely comforting to Mebh, grabbing her hair and smoothing it out. Mebh reached out to her and hesitated. Not wanting to make her flinch- scared that if she touched Robyn now, she’d break- she pulled back.
“What was that?” She asked gently. “Are you okay?”
“I-” Robyn continued to smooth out her hair in slow, elaborate strokes. “... My chest hurts.”
“No kiddin’, I thought your lungs were going to explode any second.”
Robyn let out a half-chuckle, breathless and unsteady, but there was no smile to go with it, not a flicker of light in her eyes.
“That was my father?” She asked after a minute of silence. Mebh nodded.
“Huntin’, yeah.”
“Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I thought… I-I don’t know what I thought. The soldiers, Lord Protector… I just saw them,”
“Well, they’re not coming back anytime soon. Promise.”
“But we don’t know that,” Robyn said quickly, the fear starting to settle in again as her self-soothing grew more frantic. “There are still hunters looking for wolves and what if they get Móll, or father, or you-”
“Take a deep breath,” Mebh said slowly. “You're breathin’ fast again.”
Robyn nodded and did what she was told.
“I’m not goin’ anywhere, townie. Nobody is; not me or me ma or your father. No soldiers know we’re here, and we’re a long ways away from any town.”
Robyn relaxed, finally letting go of her hair. “Thank you, Mebh.”
Mebh went to take her freed hands. “Are ye alright?” She asked again.
“... I’ve been better, but I’m… I’ll be okay. I have you,” She said with a weak smile that quickly faded. “I’m sorry I ruined our fun.”
“Psh, no big deal. It’s summer; this river isn’t goin’ away anytime soon. Besides, if anybody should be apologizing, it should be your father, interrupting our battle like that. I would’ve won if it weren’t for him.”
“Battle… wha-” Robyn furrowed her brows. “Won? No way.”
“Yes way, but now I’ve gotta go easy on ya.”
“Easy. Right.”
“It’s me biggest flaw, caring too much…” She said, looking around. “Maybe we should get back to our tree before your father starts hunting again. I don’t want ye to get spooked twice,” She stood up, holding out a hand for Robyn.
“Yes, that’d probably be for the best.” She took Mebh’s hand, pulling herself up. Her grip was strong and she struggled to steady herself for a moment, not letting go of Mebh’s hand when she had.
“Maybe ye can read to me about your songs and selkies and whatnot when we’re there,” Mebh offered. “How’s that sound, townie?”
“Perfect.” There was a moment of comfortable silence as she squeezed Mebh’s hand, the two navigating through the woods with their slow steps in perfect unison. “But stop callin’ me townie.”