Where fears and lies melt away

He bit back the instinct to wrinkle his nose at her mention of one of her children finding a companion from another species. The religion he had been born into and the doctrine he lived by stated that other species were unclean and that wolves should never seek them for companionship, but he held his tongue. It was not his place to tell others what dogma to follow.

As her mood darkened, all trace of supercilious doubt fled from his features, he found himself speaking without even realizing it as he told her “My father told me when I was a year old. Perhaps it’s better if they don’t know for now.”

His ears picked up slightly as she hopped down beside him and invited him to join her as she explored, but the man was sure he saw a shadow of pain in her eyes as she spoke.

“I would love to.” He said with a tip of his head and began setting out, glancing over his shoulder to see if she would follow.

Rings of flowers crowned the scattered boulders and seemed to spill onto the emerald green hillside as spring came to its zenith. Birds flew in waltzing circles as they courted, and rabbits leapt suddenly from their hiding places as if dancing in the newly formed warmth of Spring. It was a beautiful sight, and it set his heart aflame with wonder as he moved through the stony garden, but try as he might to avoid it, his mind kept reaching back to Célestin. It felt unfair that he could share the splendor of the day with someone else while he stayed in Lirium and sulked. He wanted desperately to reach out to his friend, but with the sudden arrival of his mother and sisters, and with him alleging himself to Philomena, he was no longer sure reaching out to him would be the fair thing to do.  

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