Moonlight on the falls

The woman heard her out, the silence lingering between the two of them as Rhae kept her attention focused on the spirit in front of her. The questions that followed were ones that brought an ache to the girl’s heart. “My very first lesson as a child was that a leader’s job was to serve their charges.” It had been a delicate lesson, to lead and be stern, but to care and serve the very people that were being led. She had always looked up to her parents, seeing them as good wolves with hearts of gold. She had hoped to live up to their legacy when she had been coronated.

“Their word was the law, but they listened, always taking the time out to hear concerns.” She knew it had often been dissenting from the beta family, thinking that they were too soft and kind, that they hadn’t ruled hard enough… perhaps that was why they had killed them, to enforce their regime. The woman reminded her that her birthright was still possible, if only in a different light, but asked her a question she had never been asked before. Why did she want it? Carlys glanced at her, and she could practically feel the bird’s eyes piercing her soul.

Did she know why she wanted it so much?

“I want to be that beacon of hope that my parents had been.” She answered, a contemplative look on her features as she tried to place the words properly, articulating her thoughts as neatly as possible. “I… I want to be someone they would be proud of.” They had raised her from day one to follow in their pawsteps, and she just wanted to make them proud.