It was getting continuously darker by the moment and she could no longer see the farmhouse in the distance. Sighing softly as she dipped down into the water again, using her hands to rub away as much of the dirt on her skin as possible. In what seemed like no time there was the sound of movement at the bank of the creek, turning Lindsay gasped and sunk low in the water. Damian was back accompanied by Mathew and Ian.
“I told you I’d stay put,” she complained, watching the three of them. Damian and Ian were holding her dress between them and Mathew dipped his head to drop something on the rocks at the water's edge.
“And indeed you are still here, however, Damian shouldn’t have left you,” Mathew growled out, shooting the tawny wolf a glare.
“I told him to go,” she replied haughtily, her brows coming down as she glared at Mathew. “You all would have heard me scream if I needed you, and he took my dress so I couldn’t run off!” Mathew has gracious enough to look scolded as he turned his back on her, Ian and Damian placed down the gown and they too turned their backs. That was when Lindsay saw they had piled a few different soaps into the dress as well as something that looked like a very short, sleeveless nightgown. Using her gown like a satchel to carry everything back to her. Smiling softly as she came out of the water to look at the bars of soap, picking them up to smell them each one of the four offered to her. Once she had chosen a floral smelling hard soap that reminded of her roses, she took a look at what Mathew had brought and smiled. The sleeveless nightgown made sense now, Mathew had brought an old washboard.
“You two can leave, Damian will stay with me,” she said to their backs as she waded back into the water for cover.
“Are you sure, Princess?” Mathew asked, looking over his shoulder at her and then back at Damian.
“Yes, you must be hungry, go for a hunt, I insist.” there was a smile in place as she spoke, hoping that he and Ian would indeed leave, she didn’t want all three of them there while she bathed, one was bad enough. With a sigh of relief, the two of them headed off back in the direction of the farmhouse, lathering the soap into her hair and piling the mass on top of her head as she went to work on her skin. The scent of the soap was pleasant enough, it also seemed to be soothing her muscles. She hadn’t even realized how sore she even was, not like she was out of shape at all but never in her life had she walked as far as she had in the last four days. Taking a deep breath before sinking beneath the surface, using the current to wash away the subs from her hair and skin.
“You didn’t happen to bring something for me to wrap my hair in?” she asked, coming out of the water slowly, the air on her wet skin was cold and gave her goosebumps.
“No, the thought never occurred to me, you smell nicer though,” Damian responded lightly.
“Meaning I didn’t before?” she laughed softly.
“Well now that you mention it,” Damian started to laugh as Lindsay shoved against his side. Having pulled on the nightgown and taken the washboard and white dress back to the water, using the same soap she’d used before to lather up the gown. Crouching at the water's edge as she scrubbed the material against the washboard.
“You’re horrible,” Lindsay laughed, wringing out the dress before lathering it with soap once more.
“Most of the time,” he chuckled, having turned around to watch her.
“So what’s next for you? After tomorrow I mean,” she asked, looking over her shoulder at her companion for a moment before she swished the dress in the water, watching the current carry away the soap bubbles.
“We keep on being your guard.” Damian responded, lowering his voice before he continued “King Keagan handpicked us four as pups.” this shocked Lindsay into silence for a moment, her mouth opening and closing a couple of times before she stood and wrung out her dress once more.
“You don’t have a life of your own to get back too?” she kept her face turned away from him so he couldn’t read her expression.
“For as far back as anyone can remember, our kind have served the Kings and Queens of Ionna,” he explained “Four Lycanthropes accompany the ruler at all times, dozens guard the city and villages of the kingdom.”
“So being a personal guard is your life.” the statement didn’t sit well with her, she didn’t know why it bothered her so much.
“For the most part, I suppose,” Damian shrugged watching as Lindsay piled the dress and soaps onto the washboard and picked it up like it was a tray.
“I don’t think I like that,” she muttered as they turned and made their way back toward the farmhouse.
“Being a personal guard is rewarding, we get to keep the most important people in the kingdom safe.” he fell into step beside her.
“What about a wife? Children?” she asked tilting her head.
“I can’t speak for the others,” Damian’s voice started to trail off, taking a sideways look at Lindsay and smiling “Those things don’t interest me,” she didn’t push for more as they reached the house. Only Alex was inside when they entered, he was finishing up on what looked like something that had been a rabbit at one point, an untouched rabbit sitting next to him. The house was small and only had one room, a table with a single chair, a small straw pallet made for one person and a decent sized fireplace. Near the fireplace was a cooking pot and grate that would sit over the embers, a hammered ironwood basket, stocked with pieces of wood and kindling.
“Who’s house is this?” Lindsay asked curiously, placing the washboard down and retrieving the chair, which she hung her damp dress over near the fireplace. Crouching down and building a small tipi of kindling.
“An elderly man once lived here.” Alex managed to voice around the bone he was now gnawing on, Damian had already started on the other rabbit. The sight of them eating should have unnerved her, but it just felt normal. Looking around the fireplace Lindsay found two stones and smiled, getting them close to the kindling before striking them together, the resulting sparks catching the wood almost immediately. The crackling of burning wood filling the silence, heat radiating the room quickly. “Where did you learn to do that?” Alex as giving up on cracking bones to come and sit near the heat.
“Girl scouts camping trips, survival badge.” she laughed, placing a larger log into the fire before arranging the dress draped chair so the heat would dry the material.
“So are you ready for tomorrow?” Alex asked, scratching at his ear with a hind paw before she could answer the door was pushed open and in came Ian and Mathew, both soaking wet.
“What happened to you two?” came Damian’s amused voice, Lindsay smiled.
“Took a swim after our hunt, something you two should probably do as well,” Ian grumbled, giving himself a shake and sending water droplets in all directions.
“Trying to say we stink?” Alex asked making Lindsay laugh and make eye contact with Damian.
“Well now that you mention it,” she commented, mimicking Damian from earlier, making the tawny wolf grin and chuckle, the other three looking slightly confused.
“Next to our lovely smelling Princess, you two smell worse than sewage,” Ian replied before yawning lazily and dropping himself down near the fire, it was probably the first time Lindsay had seem him relaxed.
“Oh my, that was almost a compliment,” Lindsay smiled and sat on the small pallet. Yawning into the back of her hand and curling up with an arm under her head. With eyes half-closed she watched her companions, Ian and Mathew laid near the fire and the tawny twins left, she assumed to take that swim, they hadn’t returned before sleep took over.
The same dream as before, walking up ivory steps toward large wooden double doors. Holding her breath as they opened, four large Lycanthropes stood guard. Letting out her breath slowly as she and her companions walked through the doors and into the large entrance hall, high arching ivory ceilings trimmed with gold lay beyond. The view was beautiful, across the hall was a set of stairs leading up into the great hall and standing at the top was her father, this time he wore long sweeping red robes trimmed with silver embroidery. His smile as he saw her was the same, lighting up the room, his arms open wide as he came down the stairs towards her.
He didn’t speak as he did before, instead he gathered her in his arms and held her tightly to his chest. The strength in which he held her was not expected, without thinking Lindsay wrapped her arms around him. Closing her eyes as she clung to her father, all fear and anxiety melting away at once. Opening her mouth to speak but nothing came out, she felt like there was a lump stuck in her throat, choking off her voice. The warmth she felt within herself was something she had never felt before.
Before the two broke apart from their embrace the dream spun, her father fading away with the entrance hall, leaving her alone in a field. It was dark, the only light came from the full moon, making the flowers around her glitter like stars among the grass. Looking around and seeing no one the icicles of fear reaching through her body from her toes and into her chest, her breath coming in short, sharp gasps for air. Hairs on the back of her neck prickling like someone was watching her, Lindsay took a step forward, her barefoot squelching into something thick and sticky on the ground. Looking down at once she let out a scream, sitting up on the pallet, drenched in cold sweat and breathing hard, her four companions were all standing and looking for the threat.
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