"Let's go Lianne!"
"Lianne!"
"Sister Lianne!"
Lira jolted and turned to Arian. She was wide-eyed and clearly rattled but still upright and alert.
"We have to get out of here. Let's go." Arian grabbed Lira's hand and pulled her away from the tree.
"What about the moonstone?" Lira asked. "Would it be safe from the zombie wolf?"
"It doesn't matter. Let's go." Arian pulled harder.
Lira yanked back, stopping Arian in her tracks.
"Doesn't matter? It's the freaking Moonstone! This is the most important thing today, tomorrow and the day after." Lira fumed.
She didn't get why Arian would be okay with leaving it with a creature like that in the woods.
The village who called them looked like he would rather swallow a box of needles than spend an extra second in the forest. But unfortunately,he couldn't leave without both of them.
"It's not." Arian said through gritted teeth and looked around. " Did you hear what he said? It entered the woods. We have to go now!"
Arian pulled Lira a bit more forcefully and they ran into the town with the villager. It was empty and desolate. Spilled and crushed fruits littered the floor. Some shops were still open with no one inside.
"Let's go to the temple." Arian said and ran forward. She had released Lira's hand once they entered the town. She reasoned that she wouldn't try to go back to the forest so soon.
Alpha Luca and his family lived in the temple but he wasn't there. He led his sentries, Daries and a few able-bodied villagers in the search for the zombie wolf. Luna Sophia was there though.
Arian took after her mother in the most obvious way possible, like a younger version standing right in front of you. They had the same golden brown hair that fell to their waists in waves, cornflower blue eyes and soft facial features.
They were in her office. It was an expansive room with a mahogany desk and matching mahogany shelves filled with religious books.
She refused to walk out to her balcony but chose to peer out the window obsessively, trying to catch a glimpse of her husband or the zombie wolf itself.
Arian was leaning on the desk while Lira was pacing so hard, Arian thought that she would walk straight through the floor.
"I have to go down there." Lira announced.
"What for?" Arian frowned.
"What do you mean what for?" Lira snapped. "There's a zombie wolf in the town! People are dying."
"Not right now." Arian replied coolly. "There was one casualty. The Alpha will find it before it gets to any more people."
Lira shot a look over to Arian to glare at her but she noticed her shaky fingers.
"Stay here, Sister Lianne." Luna Sophia gently cautioned. "This one was different. It was fast. It's not like other zombie wolves."
"Isn't that more reason for me to be out there?" Lira insisted, throwing her arm towards the balcony, pointing at the town.
Arian sighed exasperatedly.
"Stay here okay?" Luna Sophia left the window and rubbed Lira's shoulders. "Anyone who doesn't know their strategy for searching would either slow them down or become another casualty. Just sit down and try to relax. I'll go make us some tea."
Lira reluctantly sat on the brown chaise but she couldn't stop tapping her left leg on the ground. She found Arian's behaviour strange.
Ariane knew she was Moonborne, but she was against her leaving. Did she not think that she was strong enough or was she having doubts about her being the Moonborne? She looked over at Arian and there was a lost look on her face like she was deep in thought.
"Arian" Lira called out. "What about the moonstone?"
Arian sighed and said, "We'll deal with that later."
Lira leaned back and remembered the moonstone shard. She knew that she saw it glow and she heard when it faintly called out to her. But something was wrong.
The way the shard was stuck in the tree didn't sit right with her. She had to see it again.
Luna Sophia returned with a tray carrying a plain white ceramic teapot and matching teacups.
"Sister Lianne, please keep the side stool in front of the chaise." Luna Sophia called out.
A few seconds passed. Nothing.
"Lianne!" Arian called out.
Lira jerked her head to look at Arian. She saw the tray and muttered out, "oh right…sorry," then pulled the stool out. She reminded herself that her name was now Lianne.
The three of them awkwardly sat on the chaise in front of the stool with the tea. There was too much space between the chaise and the stool so they clumsily reached for the tea and put it back in the same manner.
Lira couldn't help but wonder if the zombie wolf would have been found quicker if Kyren was around. He was the best at tracking in the pack.
She shuddered with excitement as a thought crossed through her mind. What if he was able to track and find her?
She forced the thought out of her head as soon as it came. She was avoiding Kyren for his own good.
The pain in her chest bubbled to the surface and her fingers quivered as she placed the teacup on the saucer. It toppled over and Lira sprang forward to catch it. She cupped it with her other hand and accidentally spilled its scalding contents all over her left hand.
"Shit." She cursed and recoiled.
"Lianne!" Luna Sophia and Arian shouted and rushed over to her.
"Are you okay?" Luna Sophia exclaimed. "Arian, please the ointment."
Arian rushed out and returned with it in a few moments while Luna Sophia was caressing Lira's burns and consoling her.
Arian returned with the ointment and applied it gently to her injury. After that, they sat silently, the tea remained untouched.
The air around them was thick with worry and unsaid words. Attempts at small talk sputtered and died almost immediately.
They were waiting, waiting for some kind of news. And it wasn't going to come from any of them.
The morning bled into afternoon and finally a sentry knocked on the office door.
They all jumped up at the sound but only Luna Sophia was quick enough to open the door.
"Yes?" She asked expectantly.
"Did you find it?" Arian blurted. "Did you kill it?" Lira spoke at the same time.
"We were able to track it into the woods." The sentry replied.
"Is it dead?" Lira asked from behind and Arian shushed her gently.
"We weren't able to find it, but we're sure it's not in Silverstone anymore." The sentry continued. "Its tracks and scent end outside our borders."
"That's not good enough." The Luna seethed with frustration. "This one is an aberrant, it has to die!"
"The search will continue my lady, but everyone has to rest." The sentry replied meekly.
"Alright." Luna Sophia breathed out and dismissed him. She turned to Arian and Lira, "Don't go to the woods until we find its corpse," she ordered and left.