Blood Moon's Tears

The next three days passed like a blur for Lele, as she found herself mostly confined indoors. The weight of her thoughts and emotions kept her secluded from the outside world. On the fourth day, however, she decided to break the monotony and go for a late evening run. As she strolled along, making her way to a spot she had in mind, she sensed a peculiar presence behind her – faint yet persistent tiny footsteps.

Initially, she ignored it at first since she was passing the playground area, but when the footsteps persisted and got closer, she stopped abruptly. The action caused a small figure to crash directly into her from how close they were. Turning around to see if the person following her was the one she had in mind, she looked down, the child’s intense green eyes locked onto Lele’s own.

“Why are you following me?” Lele asked, slightly annoyed.

With an innocence that could melt hearts, the girl, Veleena, replied, “Because if I had asked, you would have said no.”

Baffled, Lele inquired further, “So, if you knew that, why are you still following me?”

Veleena’s response was simple and earnest, “I wanted to spend time with you.”

Lele, overwhelmed by her own emotions and struggles, blurted out, “I don’t want to spend time with you, though. Run along and play with the others at the playground.” She gestured toward the playground nearby, hoping that Veleena would take the hint and leave her be.

Lele, overwhelmed by her own emotions and struggles, blurted out, “I don’t want to spend time with you, though. Run along and play with the others at the playground.” She gestured toward the playground nearby, hoping that Veleena would take the hint and leave her be.

But much to Lele’s dismay, the footsteps continued to trail her even as she resumed walking away. Unable to shake off her little shadow, Lele decided to pick up her pace and run into the woods that surrounded the heart of the pack territory, hoping to lose Veleena in the process. However, her plan proved futile, and she was eventually tackled to the ground by the relentless little girl, her arms wrapped tightly around Lele’s waist.

Lele’s inner wolf, teased her, “Honestly, you wanted her to catch you. If you truly wanted to get away, you should have asked for my assistance. But it was fun while it lasted.”

Lele couldn’t help but roll her eyes at her wolf’s comment. Frustration mingled with a hint of amusement, she sighed, defeated. “Alright, you caught me. What do you want?” She tried to pry Veleena’s arms away, but the girl clung to her determinedly.

Veleena’s unwavering gaze met Lele’s once more as she reiterated her simple desire, “I already told you what I wanted.”

“Alright, just let me go,” Lele demanded.

“Promise not to run away again,” Veleena begged.

Feeling cornered and exasperated, Lele finally relented, “Fine. I won’t run away again.”

But Veleena wasn’t satisfied with mere words; “Promise!” she insisted.

Rolling her eyes once more, Lele sighed, “Are you serious? I promise.”

As Veleena released her grip, their eyes locked again. Strangely, Lele was overwhelmed by a sudden flashback of her sister after seeing Veleena’s face covered with dirt. Shaking her head, she wondered why she kept seeing her sister whenever she looked at Veleena for too long.

“Thank you,” Veleena said with a smile, seemingly unaware of Lele’s inner turmoil.

“For what?” Lele questioned, trying to push aside her emotions.

“For not running,” Veleena replied, her eyes sincere.

“Yeah, whatever. I don’t want to be the one responsible for your disappearance if you happen to get lost in the woods,” Lele shrugged, trying to brush off the compliment.

Veleena’s thoughts seemed to contradict Lele’s assumption, “But Chase can find me easily using mind-link.” She didn’t let Lele, know this however, just assumed that she forgot. “That’s nice of you,” Veleena replied giving Lele a soft smile.

Lele persisted, “So what is it you want to do with me this time? I’m not going hunting, that requires me to shift and I don’t like using my wolf form.”

“I just wanted to get to know you and apologize for whatever I’ve done to make you hate me so much,” Veleena said, sadness evident in her voice.

Lele’s chest tinged with guilt as she realized the impact of her actions on the young girl. “I don’t hate you, Vel,” Lele said softly, reaching out to wipe the dirt off Veleena’s cheeks with her thumb.

“You turned down my requests to play, to hunt, growled at me and even ran away from me. What was all of that if you don’t hate me?” Veleena pointed out, her voice tinged with hurt.

Lele hesitated for a moment before speaking, “I don’t hate you. I just... seeing you reminds me of someone I miss dearly,” Lele admitted, her voice filled with vulnerability.

“Really? I’m sorry. Then it must be hard to have me here. I’ll call Torao to come get me then,” Veleena offered, sensing Lele’s discomfort.

“No! No, it’s okay.” Lele quickly interjected. “You said you wanted to spend time with me, and I guess I should make it up to you. I’ve treated you horribly for no reason.”

Veleena, still curious about Lele’s reluctance to shift, asked, “Then can I ask why you don’t like shifting to your wolf’s form?”

Lele hesitated before revealing, “I- It’s hard to shift back. I don’t shift often, and when I do, my wolf doesn’t want to shift back. Being in that form for too long makes me sad, so I fight with my wolf. I do horrible things to it whenever it doesn’t want to shift back. I’ll spare you the details, but that’s enough about me. What about you? Why are you with your uncle instead of your mom or dad?”

Veleena looked pensive for a moment before making an intriguing request, “It’s a sad story. I’ll tell you only if I can see your wolf form.”

Lele was taken aback, “You saw my wolf’s form already. The first time I was here. Also, what part of my explanation did you not get?”

“The first time you shifted, you threatened me,” Veleena reminded her.

Lele felt the familiar tinge of guilt again pulling at her chest, “It’s difficult to change back though. I’m sorry I threatened you, okay.”

However, Veleena was undeterred, “I still want to see it. I’ll forgive you for everything if you show me.”

Lele muttered under her breath in disbelief. “You’re so stubbornly persistent.”

“Mhmm! It’s one of my many charms.” Veleena teased hearing Lele’s comment.

Lele lets out a chuckle before stepping back. “Alright, give me a second.”

Veleena nodded as she watched Lele, move behind one of the larger Oak trees. Lele took a deep breath, steeling herself for what was to come. She closed her eyes and focused on the bond she shared with her wolf. The familiar sensations of the change began to wash over her, and slowly, her human form dissolved, replaced by the majestic presence of her wolf.

Veleena gasped, her eyes widening with awe and excitement when she saw Lele’s brown-furred wolf emerge. She took a step closer to the magnificent creature before her, her small hand outstretched as if she wanted to touch the wolf’s soft fur. Lele’s wolf regarded Veleena with curious eyes, sensing the genuine innocence and curiosity coming from her.

Lele licked Veleena’s hand and placed her head under her palm, letting Veleena know that it was okay to touch her. Veleena’s eyes sparkled with excitement, and she wasted no time petting Lele. She was gentle, giving Lele a hug. Being this close to Veleena, Lele started to understand why the child reminded her of her sister so much. Her scent was similar, it reminded her of freshly baked cinnamon cookies and strawberries.

Lele’s wolf suggested they go for a run, to which Lele agreed. She laid down on the ground, hinting that she wanted Veleena to climb on her back. Once Veleena understood, she climbed on Lele’s back and grabbed hold of her coat. Lele started off slow, gradually picking up speed as Veleena encouraged her to go faster. Together, they ran for over an hour through the pack’s territory, passing Chase and Torao who were on patrol at the time.

The forest seemed to hold its breath as Lele and Veleena returned from their exhilarating run. The moon cast a soft glow on their faces, illuminating the seriousness in Lele’s eyes. Returning to the spot they started from Lele’s wolf spoke before getting lower to the ground so that Veleena could dismount her safely. “We should carry her back to the packhouse.” It suggested.

“Are you going to shift back before we do?” Lele asked, trying to mask the uneasy feeling that began to build since she shifted.

Her wolf side countered, “We’ll reach faster if we stay in this form.”

Frustration surged within Lele, fueled by the pain that had long plagued her. “I don’t want to deal with this now,” she retorted, her voice tinged with bitterness. “This is why I don’t like to shift. You always find an excuse to stay like this. Kirsi isn’t coming back, neither is Mom or Dad! We can’t stay like this. Nobody is going to answer your howls!”

“You never shift unless you need to run away,” her wolf accused. “That’s all you do is run so yeah when you shift for fun I wouldn’t want to change back. Have you ever thought about how it feels to be trapped all the time all because you can’t forgive yourself that night?”

Tears welled up in Lele’s eyes as she fought to control her emotions. “I can forgive myself,” she whispered. “I can’t forgive you! When I needed you the most, you told me no. You told me we couldn’t save my sister, even though we were right there. It’s your fault she died in that burning house!”

The wolf’s response was laced with bitterness, “Sure, blame me for your misfortunes.”

With a heavy sigh, Lele’s wolf laid down on the grass, allowing Veleena to dismount. As she shifted back to her human form, her wolf retreated to the deepest recesses of her mind, leaving her to grapple with her emotions alone. Lele wasted no time in finding the tree she left her clothes behind and praying that Veleena wouldn’t question why she shifted out in the open.

Within two minutes she returned to Veleena, mustering a smile that hid the turmoil within her. “Did you have fun?” she asked, trying to divert the girl’s attention.

Veleena beamed with joy. “Yeah! We should do it again sometime.”

Lele hesitated for a moment before replying, “I’ll think about it.” Her thoughts returned to the unresolved issue that had been plaguing her mind. “Since you got what you wanted, how about you answer my question now?”

Veleena’s face darkened with sadness as she spoke of her past. “I live with Uncle Lucian because my dad is a very bad man. He did something that my grandpa didn’t like and was banished from the pack. After Grandpa died, Uncle became my guardian.”

Lele’s heart sank as she realized the weight of the burden Veleena carried. “And what about your mom?” she gently inquired, sensing the pain that lay behind the girl’s frown.