Paths Converging

"Through this world I stumbled, so many times betrayed..." - Sarah McLachlan, "Possession"

Excerpt from Leonida Seafarer's As Yet Unpublished Pamphlet On Barding:

You should never travel alone. Nobles rarely cross borders in the Nine Kingdoms; you'd do well to follow their example. At the very least, a companion can always be use as bait. But, it also true that bards, minstrels, poets, troubadours, and storytellers never get robbed. It is common knowledge among thieves that we have no money. Nobles are notoriously cheap and you should be glad for a chance to ransack the kitchen.

Leonida shifted from foot to foot. Her lute needed a new string, her right boot needed a new sole, her tunic needed mending...
A dark forest loomed before her. A well-kept sign read, in red, "Now Entering the Second Kingdom." Below it, a weather-beaten sign read, "Beware, Moon's Path." The woods were ominous, the path overgrown with thorns. The hour was dusk, so neither sun nor moon lit the way.
Leonida proceeded into the forest; night awoke and the shadows grew. She saw a flash of red in the underbrush and smelled the stench of rotting meat.
There was a loud whooshing through the trees and Leonida had just enough time to duck a large shape. It growled as it landed a little ahead of her. The night was overcast; all Leonida could make out was an animal the approximate shape and size, if not smell, of a lion. Its eyes burned bright, transfixing Leonida with a hypnotizing red stare. Leonida stood perfectly still, paralyzed. The creature launched a fireball, hitting her in the right shoulder. The spell was broken; Leonida dropped to the ground, trying to extinguish the flames. The creature pounced, forcing Leonida unto her back, breaking her lute in the process. Leonida kicked it in the stomach, taking it by surprise. It rolled off and Leonida reached for the dagger concealed beneath her armpit. She crouched, listening to her heartbeat. The creature hurled another fireball; in the brief burst of light, she was able to make out what was indeed a lion's body with a man's head. She ducked and a tree behind her burst into flames. Leonida struck out with her dagger, catching some meat. The animal shrieked, then lashed back, catching Leonida on the left shoulder, great barbed claws digging in deep. Leonida gasped as the creature gripped her in a deadly embrace, kicking with its hind legs, causing great rends in her thighs, as well as her shoulders, where it held onto her.
Leonida finally gave up, and as she neared unconsciousness, the creature released her and snarled, "No, not yet." The voice was as gravel. It slipped away into the woods. Leonida lay gasping, staring at the high canopy of treetops, bits of lute sticking her in the back. The last sound she heard was the howl of a wolf.

It was his mother for whom the Moon Path had been named, but it was Fenris Carpenter who haunted it. He studied the overcast sky, tossed a stick idly from hand to hand. He was getting old; he should have left home long ago. One of his younger sisters was getting married, for goodness' sake! She was marrying her business partner and would be leaving home for parts unknown in just a few weeks. Kat was his favorite sister, too. Fenris walked on through the quiet forest.
He hid behind a tree when he heard crashing in the undergrowth, then covered his nose when something that smelled of rotting meat wandered by. After the creature passed, Fenris caught the stench of blood, the acrid smell of smoke. He found a girl, unconscious, burned and bloody and pale. He carefully scooped her up; she was quite small.
He eyes fluttered open. "Oisin?" she whispered and then returned to her darkness. Fenris didn't say anything. He carried her home, hoping he wouldn't trip.

It had been a long time since Leonida had woken up in a strange bed without the slightest indication as to where she was. Keeping her eyes closed, she stretched out her arms to either side, then immediately winced in pain. At least, she reasoned, there was no one else in the bed. Preferring hearths now, the days of waking up in strange beds were not ones she wanted to relive.
She opened her eyes and nearly jumped when she saw someone sitting beside her. It was plump, dark-haired girl, dozing on a stool, slack hands barely holding on to some mending.
"Good morning, lamby," the girl said, once she realized Leonida was alert. "Ris'll be glad you're up." The girl stood up.
"'Ris'?" Leonida croaked.
"Oh!" the girl said. "Fenris, that's my brother what brought you in. Silly goose! I'm Kat."
Leonida grit her teeth and stretched out an arm to Kat. "How long have I been here?"
Kat smiled. "Oh, lamby, you've been doing nothin' but frettin' in your sleep. 'When can I leave?' 'Where's my lute?' 'I don't want to hear about anatomical differences.'" Kat shook her head. "I don't even want to know about that. Ris'll have you patched up in no time."
Kat disappeared, allowing Leonida a chance to check out her surroundings. She was in a small bed in the corner of a large sunny room; a larger bed was in the middle of the room, surrounded by several tables. Leonida could see her torn clothes stacked neatly at the edge of her bed. She leaned against the pillows and took a look at the large nightgown she was wearing. She pulled at the hem and sleeves, sighing as she saw the deep scratches on her thighs and arms.
Leonida looked up as a woman followed Kat into the room. She was what was best described as "jolly" looking woman and obviously the owner of Leonida's large nightgown. What shocked Leonida was the woman's resemblance to Luna Lewis: same hair, same eyes, same face shape. And Luna resembled her father...
The woman sat down beside Leonida, balancing a large tray on her knees.
"Glad to see you up, chickadee. Fenris has vanished for the moment, but he left some medicines for ya'. Here, Kat, help."
The two women began taking care of Leonida's wounds while she began to calculate. Wolf was an orphan. Would he pay to have at least part of his family restored to him? Could be worth quite a lot...
"Our name's Carpenter," the older woman was explaining. "My name's Moon-Thorn." Leonida would have smiled if the pain weren't getting to her. How perfect was that? Moon, Luna...
"My name's Leonida," she replied. "Um, I was..."
"Mercy, lamby!" Kat broke in. "My name's Kathryn but if I was called that all the time I'd go nuts!"
"Now, Kat," Moon-Thorn began to reprimand.
Kat looked Leonida up and down. "Lea, you look like a Lea."
Leonida just nodded her head. "Never had a nickname before. Now, Lady Carpenter, if I may--"
Moon-Thorn laughed. "Just call me the name Mama gave me."
Leonida sighed. She wished she were back on the road. "Moon-Thorn, I travel a lot. Something looks so familiar about you. Do you, by any chance, have a brother?"
Moon-Thorn paused, hand in mid-air. She coughed. "No, no brothers. Just my husband and younglings."
Leonida sighed. The woman was obviously lying, but what could she do. She tried to work out a plan as Moon-Thorn rattled on.
"There's my husband, Ted, the carpenter of the family, my oldest boy, Fenris, Kat and her twin Kath, and my youngest, Hati and Tyr, also twins."
"Oh!" Leonida murmured. "How nice for you. When do you think I'll be on the road again?"
"The road?" Moon-Thorn repeated. She shook her head. "Ris says you are to stay in bed until he checks on you. You can leave when he says. Oh, and you need to eat, lamby." Moon-Thorn offered up a plate of bacon and rolls.
Leonida, famished, accepted the proffered plate. "I do heal fast," she mumbled around a mouthful of food.
Kat opened the large windows. "Not 'till Ris says," she said and then stuck her head outside. "Hatiiii! Those eggs are too late already, chickie!"
Leonida smiled at the unintentional pun. "Ah, Moon-Thorn, I had some gold in my purse, if..."
Moon-Thorn brushed the hair back from Leonida's face. "Lea, dear, times are hard all around. I'm sure it's hard for a girl like you to get those coins. I'm just glad Ris found you in time."
Leonida merely nodded. She had a hard time understanding people with integrity.

Leonida settled back, listening to the sounds of the household: Moon-Thorn cooking, Kat teaching Hati and Tyr their letters, Kathan off hammering. Fenris was nowhere to be found.

Fenris was seated atop the fence that kept in the Carpenters' scraggly sheep. He adjusted his straw hat, then went back to writing in his little book. He kept track of everything, from livestock to what was planted where. He also kept a section aside for herb lore and medicinal recipes.
He bit down on the piece of straw in the corner of his mouth. That girl, something about her... He sketched her face into his notebook. Ignorant of her name, he referred to her as "Vixen," because of her red hair. He wondered if she was a half fox; there was definitely something not-quite-human about her. She glowed. He wondered what her eyes were like.
He held his right hand before him, level to his chest, palm open. He murmured a few words; in truth, while only a novice, Fenris was a fairly powerful magician. Leonida's faint image flickered above his palm. She was awake, eyes roving around the room his sisters shared.
Green. Green, and lovely, and dark, and deep. Green like healthy grass at midsummer. Green ringed with brown, or perhaps blue. She was a girl who'd known loss. He closed his palm.

Leonida rolled her head back and forth. She wasn't as fast a healer as she'd like to be; her wounds were bothering her already. She sighed. Here she was, stuck in some little town, in some backwards kingdom, attacked and left for dead, and cared for by a family of wolves...really helpful ones. And every minute stuck in bed she could be earning money. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep...

...She stirred stew in a large iron cauldron set above a wood-and-stone hearth. Wiping her hands on her white apron, she called, "Bil! Hiuki!" Two little children ran in, laughing. Their features were never quite the same dream to dream.
"Mutti! Mutti!" they greeted her with kisses.
"And where is your father?" she asked, kissing the tops of their heads.
"Right here, Leo," she heard his voice say, saw the hair like a fawn's, the eyes liquid as a deer's...

Fenris gently tapped Leonida's shoulder, waking her. She smiled at him, still trapped in the cozy confines of her dream.
"Little Vixen, glad to see you awake," he said softly.
"What?" she snapped, fully awake now. She shifted away from him, from his touch.
Fenris returned his hand to his lap. "Sorry," he murmured, blushing a little. "No offense, miss. A vixen is a girl fox. I didn't know your name, and the hair..."
Leonida smiled and moved a little closer. "Sorry, automatic reflex, you know? Are you Fenris?"
He smiled back. "Yes." His voice was low and soft and also just a little gravelly. He sounded as if he spent his life coaxing small animals from hidey-holes. His dark brown hair was short, his long pants and striped shirt were clean, and Leonida had never seen anything like his suspenders before. His eyes were black.
"How are you feeling?" he asked as he rummaged through a burlap sack.
Leonida curbed the urge to say "Speak up!", answering instead, "Better, dear sir. Ready to hit the road."
He looked up, studying her face. "Oh, Little Vixen, those wounds are deep. One on your shin goes straight to the bone. I don't want you walking anytime soon."
"Bone?" she squeaked. "But I don't feel it."
"Mmm, I know a thing or two about medicine. Anything itchy yet?"
"Yes."
"Good." He handed a few clay jars as well as several pieces of cloth. "I'll leave you to do your legs, or I can fetch Mama or Kat, if you like. I'll do your shoulders."
He helped her up and pulled back the neck of the nightgown, commenting that she was "healing nicely."
She held her long hair out of the way and tried to think of something to say while a strange man rubbed her back. "My name is Leonida," she finally offered.
Never stopping, Fenris murmured, "Lovely name, though you look more a fox than lion."
She nodded. "Thank you, then, for bringing me in. Do you know what attacked me?"
"I wish I did, Little Vixen."
She studied him. He had the dark features, but hadn't used a single food metaphor. Wolf or no?
He patted her on the shoulder, said he'd see her later, and left, silent as a shadow.

Moon-Thorn suggested Leonida join the family for dinner. Ted, tall and strong, scooped Leonida up and deposited her in an overstuffed chair at the kitchen table, in between Moon-Thorn and Fenris. With the exception of Ted and Fenris, the Carpenter family was loud and talkative. While she listened to their chatter, Leonida studied the family: Fenris, Kat, and Kathan were dark like their parents; Tyr and Hati, however, were very fair, with sandy hair and blue eyes. Moon-Thorn resembled Luna, who resembled Wolf, and Kat resembled Moon-Thorn, but no one else resembled the Wolf-Lewis pack. Leonida sighed. No reunion, no reward, no book deal...
After dinner, Leonida wove a tale, figuring she had to earn her keep some how (she worried over the Carpenters' generosity). She told a tale her grandmother had often recited, about the Little Mermaid. Hati was interested in the ladies' clothes; Tyr wanted more action. The rest of the household just said it was good story.
Moon-Thorn and Fenris tucked Leonida in that night.
"I'd never heard that tale before," Moon-Thorn commented.
Leonida smiled thinly. "It's quite popular where I'm from."
"Where is that lamby?"
Leonida shook her head. "Just a little fishing village."
"Tomorrow I'll braid your hair, hmm?" Moon-Thorn continued.
Leonida nodded, suddenly very tired from the day's events. Moon-Thorn nodded understandingly and left the room. Fenris left, as well, though he returned later, to check on her as she slept...

...The day was bright, the birds chirped. She had no children yet; indeed, Leonida was little more than a child herself. She paused on slippery rocks waiting for someone.
"Almost there, Leo," she heard him say.
She turned around, watching him. But the rocks were slick, and he slipped.
"Oisin!" she gasped. She scooted on her knees to where he had fallen. He had disappeared beneath the bright blue waves. Leonida, an expert swimmer, dove in after him.
Once in the water, her legs turned to lead, her light summer skirts dragging her down. The water turned black, and burned her eyes. She made the mistake of opening her mouth to call to Oisin; choking and sputtering, she reached the surface.
She returned to the depths and found only grinning mermaids. "Farther into the deep does he reside. Look, these are pearls that were his eyes. Why did you not do as you were bade? Now his bones are coral made!" they sang in shrill chorus...

Leonida woke up in a dark room in a small village on the outskirts of a backwards kingdom. She heard an owl hoot, she heard Kat and Hati snore, and she heard the howl of a wolf.
"Moon-Thorn, may I ask you a question?" Leonida asked later that morning.
"Go ahead, lamby," Moon-Thorn responded absently. She was concentrating on Leonida's tangles.
"Are there wolves around here?"
"Wolves?" Moon-Thorn's hands faltered but an instant. "Wolves are near non-existent in the Second Kingdom. Why, Lea?"
"Uh, I, uh, heard a wolf howl, that night I was...attacked. Then I heard it again last night. I thought I should tell you, because I figure you must keep livestock and you know what wolves can do..."
"Mmm," was Moon-Thorn's only reply.

Fenris, meanwhile, was on the front stoop, perusing a book, so he was the first to see her arrive. It was always quite a show whenever she put in an appearance. The Carpenters land was farthest from town, a buffer between forest and village. Their land was also the worst, though Fenris had been able to improve it somewhat with magic. Still, there was an air of scruffiness surrounding the Carpenter farm.
Star Kapchen, on the other hand, was the richest woman in town, the mayor's wife. She was sandy-haired and blue-eyed, like her niece Hati and nephew Tyr. She always arrived in style, driving her own one- or two-horse carriage.
"Auntie Star," Fenris said as he helped from the driver's seat.
She sniffed disapprovingly as she smoothed her bonnet and red riding dress. "Fenris, you know what I said about saying that."
He nodded.
"What did I say?"
He sighed. "Not to call you 'auntie.'"
"Good boy. Now, where is your mother?" She smoothed her skirt one last time, crinoline crinkling.
"With one of my patients. Braiding her hair, I believe."
"'Patient'? Is that what you call her?"
"Or by her name."
Star tossed her head, blonde sausage curls bouncing. "Fenris, darlin', surely you know how girls like that make their money."
Fenris sighed. "She's a bard."
"Mmm-hmm. And why isn't she at home, raising a family?"
"Why aren't you?" he muttered under his breath.
"Star!" It was Moon-Thorn, come to save Fenris. "What a lovely surprise. Come in, come in..."

Leonida sighed. She had been with the Carpenters what, a couple days? It felt like weeks. Instead of spending the afternoon with Kat, she was stuck with Kathan. Kat had snuck off to see Mikhail, her fiancé, meaning Leonida was stuck going over lute plans. Kathan was nothing if not dedicated; he asked Leonida about every little detail concerning her smashed lute. Their intense discussion was interrupted by voices from the kitchen.
"What should I have done? Left her to the wolves?" Leonida had never heard Moon-Thorn angry before.
"Didn't ya', Moon?" The second voice was a bit more higher-pitched.
"What's so wrong?"
"You know people will talk."
"They've been talkin' all our lives."
Kathan turned to Leonida, a bit of a smirk on his face. "That would be Auntie Star. Things always heat up a bit when she's here."
Auntie Star? Hmm; this latest bit of news set Leonida to thinking. "Is she your father's sister, or your mother's?"
Kathan laughed. "Mama's. Shh-they always have great...discussions." He quietly opened the door to the room a little wider. Leonida liked this Carpenter child.
"Well, Star, she's here. We'll keep her until she's back on her feet. Literally in her case, poor lamby."
"Huff puff, Moon, I can't believe you still say things like that!" Moon-Thorn laughed. "You too."
Leonida grinned. Fine, Moon-Thorn could deny it for whatever her reasons, but Star had just supplied irrefutable proof. Things were looking up.
"Tell me, Kathan," Leonida whispered, "what is your aunt like?"
Kathan shook his head. "She has a large dislike of humanity. And you, apparently."
Leonida nodded. "Well, nevertheless, I want to speak with her."
Kathan raised an eyebrow. "Sure, Lea, sure."
"What's going on?" It was Fenris, sticking his head in the window.
"Ris!" said Kathan, surprised. "Nothing. Nothing at all."
"Mmm. What would Mama say if I told her you were listenin' in?"
"Nothin','cause you won't tell her!"
"Whoa, listen you guys-I need to know: Are you wolves?"
The boys stared at her.
"No, of course not," Kathan managed.
Fenris narrowed his eyes. "You know us for but a few days and then accuse us of something that heinous? We're not wolves."
Leonida bowed her head. "I'm sorry, Fenris."
"You should be," Kathan broke in. "Know what kinda' trouble you can cause, throwing out questions like that?"
"I didn't, and like I say, I'm sorry." But Leonida wasn't sorry. She didn't believe Fenris. Fenris and Kathan left, leaving her to devise a new way of find fame.

Star left long before supper, before Leonida even had a chance to set an eye on her. Kathan forgave easily and chattered on about the lute he was building as if nothing had happened. Fenris, however, was still angry. Leonida wondered what exactly the penalty was for being a wolf.
After supper, Leonida insisted that she tell another tale.
"Do you know the tales of Luna?" she began. The family collectively shook their heads.
Leonida perceived no reaction from Moon-Thorn, or anyone else, at the mention of Wolf. Could Fenris have been telling the truth?
"This isn't worth it," she muttered to herself in bed that night. "I'll drop this wolf thing. There probably isn't any reward anyway. If Moon-Thorn doesn't want to be reunited with her family, fine. I'm so ready to move on, anyway. Less baggage this way." Outside her window, she heard a wolf howl.

...The hearth was cold. The beds were rumpled and covered with dust. Leonida kneeled and ran her hand through the ashes.
"It really is a lovely house," said a voice behind her. Leonida stood and turned.
"Yes," Leonida replied. "The kettle would go here...the children would have slept over there...Oisin and I would have slept here..."
"Why did you leave?" The speaker was Virginia Lewis, and though Leonida was surprised to see her in a dream, she refused to show it.
"It was never mine. Okay, I'll bite, are you here to show me The Way?"
"Well, yeah, actually."
"Aren't you in the Tenth Kingdom?"
"Well, yes," Virginia answered, obviously a little unsettled. "That's why I'm in your dream."
"Well?" Leonida asked. "What is it? Do my people need me? Are the Carpenters really wolves? Is there a crisis somewhere? Do you know what attacked me?"
"I have something to tell you - wait. Carpenters? Wolves? Attack?"
Leonida crossed her arms. "Sure. I was brutally attacked, then taken in by this real kind family which I think belongs to your husband."
"Huh."
Leonida adjusted her doublet. "Oh, yeah. I'm sure Wolf would love to meet 'em --"
"Of course!"
"So, I mean, would there be, like, a reward involved?"
"Leonida!"
Leonida shrugged. "Well, just asking. Anyway, I don't have actual confirmation that they are wolves..."
Virginia snorted. "Well, then. Back to the point of this intervention." Leonida sighed. "What is this? You my fairy godmother? A lost girls counselor?"
"Well, yes, actually."
Leonida uncrossed her arms. "I would have been perfectly happy to be a fishwife, you know. I didn't want to be great, or to have rousing adventures. So, I get used to the idea that I have no choice, but then..." She put her head into her hands.
Virginia reached out. "I'll be back, but you've used up all of your time for today."
Leonida shook her head. "Whatever."

Leonida woke up; all she saw were the sleeping forms of Hati and Kat.

Leonida wasn't even sure how long she had been with the Carpenters. She had gathered that she had been unconscious for a day or two, but she was no longer sure how long she had been awake. While she spent her time either in bed or in the kitchen, she was treated like a functioning member of the family. She was asked for advice about Kat's upcoming question and begged by Hati and Tyr for help with their lessons. Whenever someone had a free moment, they would wander off to find Leonida so that she might tell them a tale.
Leonida took her spare moment to reflect upon that last phenomenon. She was a bard, sure, but not a particularly good one. She was fast running out of stories.
"Ah, Oisin," she muttered, "what I wouldn't give to have you here."
"Oisin?" murmured a low voice from the doorway.
"Fenris! You haven't said anything to me since Star left!" Leonida had realized that Fenris was a quiet person, but every since she had asked him about being a wolf, he'd refused to say anything to her.
He sat down beside. "That's the second time I've heard you say that word. I'm curious as to what it means."
Leonida was not interested in discussing her past. "What word?"
"Let me see your back," Fenris ordered; she leaned forward. "'Oisin.'"
Leonida laughed. "Oh, what a silly word! Ush-een. If I did say something like that, I must have been delirious."
"Mmm-hmm," was Fenris' reply.
"Well, it's nice to have you speaking to me again," Leonida chattered on, trying to let down a few of the cackles of her heart.
He shook his head. "I just can't imagine what would make you ask a question like that."
She picked at the blankets. "Seemed like a good reason at the time," she muttered.
"What?"
She sighed. "Nothing."
Fenris stood. "Keep that with 'Oisin' then. You're healing nicely; not too much longer."
"Oh, what do you think of this?" Kat interrupted them. Leonida closed her eyes. Kat was holding cloth swatches.

...Oisin had been gone for several days. Storms raged and Leonida and the children spent most of the time huddled in the center of the bed. Leonida would yell above the storm so that the children wouldn't be as frightened.
"Then the Little Mermaid was made human!"
And after a week, the storm subsided and Oisin came home, bearing gifts from the market.
"This is for you," he said, fastening a cloak around her shoulders. The cloth was red; the inside fur-lined.
"So soft and warm," she said happily. "What is it made from?"
"Oh--wolf fur..."

Leonida sat up. This was too much; she had to get out. She pushed back the blankets and hoped she wouldn't cry out in pain as she left the bed. Fenris was a good healer, though; she felt as if she'd only fallen into a thorn patch, not tangled with a lion-like creature.
She stepped as silently as she could out of the room, down the hall, and out through the kitchen. She found herself in the backyard. She tried to picture the house in her mind: the front door led to the parlor, off of which was Moon-Thorn and Ted's room; follow the hall, and Fenris, Tyr, and Kathan's room was opposite Hati and Kat's room. At the back of the house was the kitchen. The breeze rustled Leonida's nightgown; the moon illuminated the yard. She could see sheep and a henhouse. Wolves indeed; Leonida nearly laughed aloud. She could also make out a few scraggly rows of crops. She sat on the porch and tried not to pick at her scabs.
"Little Vixen!" Fenris said, surprised.
She jumped up. "Shouldn't you be asleep?"
He smiled; he was sprawled lazily across the porch railing. "I don't sleep. But you should be."
"I was having unsettling dreams."
"'Bout Oisin?"
She huffed. "I don't really appreciate that, Fenris."
He shrugged. "Sorry. But you bring in a beautiful stranger, she says nothing about her past...you start to wonder."
She crossed her arms and leaned against the support post. "Same as how I wonder whether or not you're wolves."
He lifted his head. "I told you not to be bandyin' about accusations like that."
"I was using that example to illustrate a point. I believe you, Fenris."
He nodded. "If you rest up, you can probably leave day after tomorrow."
She let out a breath. "Great."
"You shouldn't travel through the village, though."
"No?"
"You met Star; they don't like strangers."
"I've spent my life being a stranger."
He nodded and looked away.

Leonida was all too happy to hit the road. She left two days later, as Fenris had promised. She had been provided with clothes, food, lute, and sharpened dagger. It still worried her that the family asked nothing in return. After a round of hugs and promises to keep in touch, Leonida was on her way.
Leonida adjusted her pack. The Carpenters were just too nice. She wasn't used to being included in family activities, and frankly, she didn't like it. No matter; she had wind at her hair, earth at her feet, a skirt to tangle her ankles (an old one of Kat's)...
She passed from the scraggly Carpenters' land to the lush acres of the rest of the community. A lovely, professional sign informed her she was entering the village of Dunroamin. In town, the people actually bustled to and fro, making Leonida a little dizzy. What surprised her though was that everyone was monochromatic. Every townsperson was brown haired and brown eyed. No one else was fair like Hati, Tyr, or Star. Everyone stared at Leonida and whispered about her.
"What's your name, darlin'?" she heard a thousand voices ask.
She hunched her shoulders and hurried on, bumping into Star Kapchen as she left the seamstress' shop.
"You!" Star steamed. "I thought I told my sister to keep you away!"
"So sorry, madam," Leonida stammered. "I'm trying to be on my way as quickly as possible."
"Trouble-maker, that's your type," Star went on; everyone stopped to listen to what the mayor's wife had to say. "We don't want girls like you in our town."
"Ma'am," Leonida repeated, nearly out of patience, "I'm trying to leave your wretched little town..."
"Didja' see where she came from?" someone put in.
"Yeah! Yeah!" chimed in someone else. "I bet she's a wolf!"
Leonida's jaw dropped. Where they implying she was a wolf because she came from the direction of the forest...or the Carpenters?
"A wolf! Why, they're only after one thing..."
"We must get rid of her!" Even Star was surprised as to where the mob mentality had strayed.
"Wait, wait, wait," Leonida broke in. "I am not a wolf!"
"You ain't just a normal human! You don't look nothin' like us! Or even the Lady Star!"
Well, Leonida was running into Wolf's past in more ways than one. "I'm a..." What had Fenris called her? "I'm part fox."
"A fox! Almost as bad as a wolf!"
She was seized from behind, though her main worry was to her new lute.
"Leave her be," a soft voice said.
"Fenris!" said Star. "Do you have permission to be here?"
"That's not really important right now, Auntie Star." Fenris turned to the crowd. "That's right-this girl * is * part fox. And don't you know how lucky it is to find an enchanted fox?"
"Ri-right!" Leonida broke in. She wasn't a bard for nothing. "I can show you...where to find golden...things." Fox tales hadn't been all that popular where she had grown up.
"No matter; I want her gone," Star sniffed. She rattled her hoop skirt for emphasis.
"Yeah, it's been awhile since we've had a public execution."
"Wait-what?" Star, Fenris, and Leonida gasped at the same time.
"Well, I hate getting worked up over nothing, you know?" Leonida was unable to identify the speaker.
"Well, if you're gonna' punish me for being a fox--forgive me, Fenris--the Lady Star is a wolf!"
The crowd gasped and Leonida was released.
Star was livid. "Do you know what the penalty is for accusing the mayor's wife of being a wolf?"
"I can prove it!" Leonida announced. "Beneath her petticoats, I'm sure you'll find a large, fluffy tail."
Leonida lunged for Star's backside. Years on the road had made her quicker than the overfed Star; Leonida quickly tore away calico and lace and found herself faced with...metal and pantaloons.
"Little Vixen..." she heard Fenris' voice behind her. No one else had stopped her because it wasn't often that a red-haired stranger disrobed the mayor's wife.
"Almost there," Leonida muttered reaching through the metal. But when she had uncovered the skin where a tail should be, where Luna's tail was, there was only...skin. Leonida sighed.
"Okay, I lost." She held her wrists out. She saw Fenris shake his head and follow the mob as she was dragged to the jail.

Leonida plucked her lute idly. So she was in prison, so she had made an ass of herself, so the townspeople wanted to kill her...She closed her eyes. Where was Virginia now?

...The fire raged in the hearth. Virginia kneeled, warming her hands.
"Look, what do I do?" Leonida asked.
Virginia faced her. "I have no idea. I'm supposed to tell you that you need to high-tail it back to your little village, that there is indeed something evil hunting you."
There was a pounding on the sea cottage door. "Yeah, something evil's after me."
Virginia shook her head. "What I meant was that what attacked you before on..." Virginia consulted a note card she'd produced from her pocket. "On the Moon Path -- that creature will attack again."
"Well, don't you have special powers or something, to help me?"
"Well, Leonida, it's not my fault you did something as stupid as attack the mayor's wife."
Leonida crossed her arms. "Fine, I'll be put to death because I was a stranger, and because I'm a fox, and because I attacked the mayor's wife. I should have taken out some innocents while I was at it."
"You might."
Leonida looked up.
"Look, I gotta' go. Maybe if you'd shed a few tears we could have worked something out. Just do whatever Fenris tells you..."

Leonida opened her eyes. She had been in a few jams before; she was sure she could get out of this.
"Guard!" she called as she attempted to lower her neckline and raise her hemline. There was no answer. "Guard!" she tried again, sticking her head through the bars. The hall was silent. She dropped her dress and placed a hand on the wooden wall beside the cell door. It crumbled beneath her touch. She thought it odd they hadn't searched her for weapons when they brought her in; now she knew why: not many people were brought to jail.
Using both hands, she ripped away chunks of rotting wall. In less than ten minutes, she had enough room to squeeze out her lute, then herself, if she turned sideways. In the corridor of the prison, she looked both ways and saw...pigs. She knew better than to question her good luck; Leonida worked on finding the exit. She found Fenris instead.
"Little Vixen!" Fenris said, surprised. He held a large key ring in his hands.
"Fenris! What's going on?" she said, gesturing to the pigs.
"I was calling in a favor to get you out of prison, but I got confused by all the keys. C'mon; the spell won't hold long." He took her by the arm and guided her down the hall. Outside, Star was waiting with a carriage. Leonida ran a hand through her hair.
"Sorry, ma'am--"
"There's time for that later," Star snapped. "Get in!"
"You see, we came to break you out of prison, but obviously--" Fenris began once they were safely in the carriage.
"Obviously she's used to this kind of life," Star interrupted.
"Well, I've looked out for myself; not going to stop now," Leonida replied.
"Look," Star called back form the front of the carriage. "I never meant for you to be the main attraction of a public execution. I'm going to give you a pardon."
"Then why bother breaking me out of jail?"
"Well, Mama and Aunt Star both want to talk to you, so I turned the guards into pigs, got the keys and... Anyway, it would look too suspicious if we talked to you after you were pardoned."
"Suspicious," Leonida repeated.

Moon-Thorn met them in the front yard.
"Oh, Leonida," she said. "Little lamby, I'd had no idea you could get yourself in such trouble."
"Star's fault," Leonida whispered; Fenris heard and chuckled.
The four of them sat on the porch.
"I'd wanted to ask before you left, but I was afraid...something like this would happen," Moon-Thorn began.
"Moon told me you mentioned a story about a girl, her father was named Wolf?" Star put in.
Leonida nodded.
"Tell us more about Wolf."
"Well," Leonida began. "It's quite famous - he's quite famous. One of the Four who Saved Nine Kingdoms and all."
Star, Moon-Thorn and Fenris just stared at her.
"I've never heard a tale like that in the Second Kingdom," Star said.
"Oh, well..." and so Leonida proceeded to tell an abbreviated version of Wolf's earliest legal exploits.
"Now, I had some déjà vu with this today," Leonida continued. "Wolf and Virginia and Tony and Prince were headed towards Little Lamb Village..."
Moon-Thorn leaned forward. "What did he say about his parents?"
"That...they were burned by the farmers..."
Moon-Thorn looked over to Star. "And his mama was obsessed with the moon." Star refused to show her face; she only nodded.
Leonida leaned back against the step. "So you are wolves."
It was Fenris who spoke. "Yes."
"Why doesn't Star have a tail?"
Moon-Thorn placed a hand on Leonida's shoulder. "Then there is something I should tell you. But first, Wolf--does he still live..."
Leonida raised an eyebrow. "When he's here, he lives in the Fourth Kingdom. But he's been all over; I'm still shocked you haven't heard of him in the last twenty years."
Fenris shook his head. "Are you kidding? Riding Hood the Third is the ruler here; we never hear any wolf-related news."
Leonida nodded. "Then tell me, Moon-Thorn. Tell me."
Moon-Thorn took a deep breath. "We'll be here all night, I'm afraid."
Star sighed, but Moon-Thorn began.

This is several tales in one: the tale of a girl, the tale of a boy, and the tale of their children.
Once upon a time, there was a poor peasant woman. She was widowed shortly after she found herself with child. She wandered the land, but no one would shelter her, or offer food. She communed with the land, and learned to eat as the wild animals did. One night, after wandering into the Second Kingdom, she found herself in the garden of an evil witch. The garden was full of beautiful fruits, beautiful vegetables, and beautiful flowers; the poor peasant woman couldn't but help herself to a few. But the witch caught her.
Usual payment for this sort of trespass would be the child, once it was born. But the witch took pity on the woman and said she might keep the baby. The woman blessed the witch for her kindness and quickly left for the woods.
"But," she heard the witch say behind her, "as you travel and ravage in the night like a wolf, so shall the child be born a wolf."
The peasant woman stopped in her tracks. "A wolf?"
The witch cackled. "In order for your daughter to be human, she must save the life and earn the love of a human."
The woman fled to the darkest corners of the forest.
In a few months time, the woman gave birth to a baby girl. But the baby was indeed a wolf cub; the only human touch were her eyes, deep brown eyes that comprehended the world around her. She could however, speak like a human. She grew up happy, a child of the forest who wished to be a human only to please her mother. Otherwise, the Little Wolf-Girl was perfectly happy to spend her nights howling at the moon.
Once upon a time, there was a man with three sons. The first two sons were as clever as could be, but the youngest son was just a simple lad. One day, their father decided they should go out into the world, so that they might seek their fortune.
In the forest, the three boys came upon the Little Wolf-Girl. She was lost, having been separated from her friends during a game of hind-n-seek. The two smart sons wanted to kill her, but the simple son prevailed, and set about calming the Little Wolf-Girl, even sharing his lunch with her. The Little Wolf-Girl had never seen any humans besides her mother before; she immediately fell in love with the youngest son who had been so kind to her. She wasn't sure if she could make him fall in love with her, but she knew she could help him.
"Where are you going?" she asked him.
"I do not know, Little Wolf."
"Then follow me; I have something to show you."
She took him to a little vineyard. She told him there would be twelve guards who would be sleeping with their eyes open and that there would be two shovels: one gold, one wooden. He must use the wooden one for digging.
The boy walked through the little vineyard, careful not to wake the guards. Instead of the wooden shovel, however, he chose the golden one, and woke the guards. In order to be set free, he had to bring back the golden apples from the golden tree.
"Follow me," the Little Wolf-Girl said. She led him to the golden tree with he golden apples, and warned him that there would twelve guards asleep with their eyes open.
"There will be two poles," she said. "Use the wooden one for beating the tree, not the golden one." But, the simple lad used the golden pole to beat the tree and woke the guards. In order to be set free, the guards said he get the golden horse with the golden wings.
"Follow me," the Little Wolf-Girl said. She led him to a stable protected by twelve guards who were asleep with their eyes open. She said that there would be two bridles and he must use the straw bridle, not the golden one. The boy, however, used the golden bridle and woke the guards up. In order to be set free, the boy had to get the golden girl in the golden cradle and bring her to the guards.
"Follow me," the Little Wolf-Girl sighed. Once the boy saw the Golden Girl, he would instantly fall in love with her, and leave the Little Wolf-Girl behind.
The Little Wolf-Girl took him to the cave where the Golden Girl was kept.
"There will be a ghost," she warned. "The ghost will tell you three times to go back; ignore it. There will be twelve guards; do not speak to them or wake them."
This time the boy did as he was told and returned triumphantly with the Golden Girl in the Golden Cradle. But he did not want to give her up. The Little Wolf-Girl said she could help.
First she hid herself in the cradle, pretending to be the Golden Girl. When the switch was discovered, she ran away. Next, the Little Wolf-Girl dressed up in saddle and bridle, pretending to b the Golden Horse with the Golden Wings. When the switch was discovered, she ran away. Finally, at the apple tree, all the apples turned to wolf's heads, and the Little Wolf-Girl ran away.
The simple lad went home, accompanied by all of his golden treasures, as well as the Little Wolf-Girl. They ran into his two older brothers, who had not fared as well. The older brothers stole all of his things and then threw him down a well! But when they returned home with their ill-gotten goods, the vine wouldn't make wine, the apple tree wouldn't bloom, the Golden Horse with the Golden Wings would not neigh, and the Golden Girl would not laugh. The Little Wolf-Girl was able to rescue the boy from the well and take him home.
When they returned to the boy's home, the vine made wine, the tree bloomed, the horse neighed, and the girl laughed. Their father chased out the two older brothers, and the old man gave his blessing for his son to marry the Golden Girl. The Little Wolf-Girl whined a little, for she knew all was lost.
"I don't know, Papa," the simple lad said. "There is something about this little wolf." He hugged her around her neck and the curse was broken. Where once was wolf was a human girl, dressed in nothing but long hair. She fell into his arms, and they were married the next day.

Moon-Thorn paused.
"A lovely tale," Leonida said softly.
"Yes," said Star, "but what by all rights should have ended happily ever after didn't."
"What became of the Golden Girl?" Leonida asked.
Moon-Thorn furrowed her brow. "I don't know."
"What were your parents' names?"
Moon-Thorn smiled sadly. "I don't rightly remember any more. Wolf might, though."
"Now," Fenris broke in, "onto the Unhappily Ever After bit."
Moon-Thorn nodded and resumed her tale.

The Little Wolf-Girl and the simple lad remained with his father in the Second Kingdom. The Wolf-Girl was happy enough with her new life, but she missed the simple pleasures of the forest. The witch's curse had not been completely erased, either; the Wolf-Girl kept her tail, and every full moon, she would grow fangs and stay up all night howling. But besides that, the couple was very happy. Several years later, they had a son, a lovely little chap they named "Wolf." Several years later, they had a daughter, called "Moon." They had another daughter, named "Star" and a son named "Sky."
Wolf and Moon were dark like their mother, with brown hair and eyes. Star and Sky were fair, like their father, light of hair and blue of eye. All four had tails. They were swift and clever, and could hear and smell better than any of their friends. And every full moon, they would follow their mother outside to howl with her.
The townspeople were always a little nervous around the Little Wolf-Girl, but figured that one wolf couldn't do much damage. That there were cubs, however, that made them worry. What was to prevent one of the little wolf children from biting a playmate if things got too rough-and-tumble? What if all four decided to go after the town's sheep? There would be nothing left! What the townspeople disliked most was that their mother encouraged them. The townspeople began to fret, and continued to do so even after the oldest cub, Wolf, left the den.
The year Sky was three, a terrible drought struck the land. The crops withered and the livestock began to starve. The farmers began to argue amongst themselves, until they finally saw a solution to their problems: blame the Little Wolf-Girl. They decided that the drought was punishment for her pretending to live like a human, and then they could finally be rid of her.
One night, during a waning moon, the townspeople descended upon the Wolf-Girl, the simple lad, and their sleeping cubs. By torchlight, the Little Wolf-Girl was accused of being the cause of the drought; she must be burned at the stake. If she was to be put to the fire, her husband should be as well, for he was the one who had brought her to the town in the first place.
But the children were still so young, someone pointed out, how would it look to burn children? All this was discussed as the family was taken from their home; Wolf, who had been visiting, snarled the entire way to the village square.
"Well, how's this?" the town magistrate said. "The children will be sent from town, to live with foster parents. We'll hold them in the prison until then. The oldest one, we'll just exile him."
Moon and Wolf just looked at each other helplessly; they were overpowered and outnumbered, and Star and Sky were too little to be of any help. The four of them knew nothing of fair trials or hysteria. Moon gathered the little ones to her skirts, and Wolf put his arms around them protectively.
"Don't we even get to speak to them?" he shouted above the din. Moon would later think that for the four of them, time slowed even as the movements of the mob became more frenetic. The only response to Wolf's question was a hand across the face.
"Is there nothin' we can do?" Moon asked, as the wall of people between them and their parents thickened.
Wolf growled, looking like a true animal in the torchlight. The Little Wolf-Girl and the simple lad had remained eerily silent.
A pyre was quickly built. Amidst the cheers and jeers, Moon heard her mother say calmly, as if they were sitting in the same room, "Be good. Look after one another. We love you."
That was quickly drowned out by Wolf nearly shouting, "Don't look, Moon, don't look Star, don't look Sky, don'tlookdon'tlookdon'tlook."
Moon could feel the heat at her back. The throng of people prevented her from seeing her parents even if she had wanted to. The little ones wept into her skirt; she wept into Wolf's shirt.
Moon doesn't know about Wolf or Star or Sky, but she succeeded in forgetting the rest of that night, the sights, and sounds, and smells.
Wolf disappeared that night, and Moon never saw him again. He said they would find each other, they had to. But he was little more than a child, and knew he would not be safe.
Moon and Star and Sky collapsed from exhaustion, succumbing to a sleep filled with nightmares. When they awoke, they discovered their tails had been cut off, leaving them with little stubs.
Moon and Star were sent away to the same village, and adopted by different families. Moon would fall in love with the only son of her adopted family.

"I'm sorry," Moon-Thorn said. "I can't go on."
Fenris put an arm around his mother. "It's okay," he said softly.
"Have anything to add?" Leonida asked Star.
Star shrugged. "Star had her clever nephew magically remove any trace of her tail, so that she could marry well. She doesn't love her husband, but does she have connections!"
Leonida shook her head. "Don't you feel anything?" She wiped her own eyes.
Star shook her head. "This was all a long time ago; I was very little. Moon remembers far more than I. Frankly, all I remember are the people who took me in. I barely remember Wolf or Sky."
Moon-Thorn had calmed down.
"So, what happened to Sky? And why do you call yourself Moon-Thorn?" Leonida asked.
Moon-Thorn sighed. "Sky is...dead. A fever took him. As for my name...When I was old enough, I left home. I went mad for a bit, hiding in the forest, spooking people. Didn't kill anyone...human, anyway. But I ran into the Path of Thorns, and Cordelia. She told me that I had to find Ted, that I was destined for better things, that I was destined for love. And here I am, with a husband, and wonderful children. And no, our lives aren't perfect, but this was what I had wanted when I was very little, and with my parents still. So, I added 'Thorn' to my name to remind me."
Leonida smiled. "When I was younger, all I wanted was a family."
"So, now what?" Star asked.
"I should be on my way," Leonida said.
"We're going to the Fourth Kingdom," Moon-Thorn said.
"What?" Fenris asked.
Moon-Thorn shrugged. "Well, your father plans on retiring soon. Kathan will stay here and take over; Kat will be married. We'll take Hati and Tyr with us. And you, Fenris, well..."
Leonida thought back to her dreams. "I don't think I'm supposed to go with you," she said.
"No, you're not," Moon-Thorn said.
"I'm going with Leonida," Fenris decided.
"What?" Leonida squeaked.
"What if you get attacked again?" Fenris asked.
She shrugged; Virginia had mentioned something about that. Anyway, her mind was a million miles away. Maybe she couldn't get a reward for reuniting the Wolf family, but perhaps...she could make some money writing an exhaustive biography about the entire Wolf-Moon-Star-Sky pack...

Pigs. Pigs were taking over the center of town.
"Huh," Fenris commented. "That's the longest this spell has ever lasted. I mean, you can even see the sun on the horizon."
"Yeah," Leonida replied distractedly. She had jumped out of the cart and was running her hands along the outside of the prison wall. All of the wood was rotting.
"Vixen, are trying to break back in?"
"Yup." She slid her hand beneath a board.
"I, uh, I'll see you later," Star said, annoyed at being regulated to the background.
"Yeah, thank you," Leonida said over her shoulder. She placed the board against the wall, waited for a pig to scurry past, then pushed her lute inside.
Fenris placed a hand on her shoulder. "You know, I don't think I've met anyone who's broken back into prison."
She looked at him. " 'S in your blood. Now, once I'm in, replace the board."

Once back in her cell, Leonida pulled some parchment and a pen from her bag. She took notes from what she had heard that night, and added questions that would need further investigation ("Parent's names?").
More light entered the cell through its high window. She decided it would look better if she were asleep when the guards turned from pigs to humans. She cleared a spot on the floor, lay down on her stomach, threw an arm over her lute, then drifted off to sleep.

...She stared at the heavy wooden beams of the ceiling, straw from the mattress of the old rope bed sticking her in the back. The hearth was dark.
"Jeez, Leonida, how do you live like this?"
Leonida sighed; Virginia again.
Leonida sat up. "Have you worn those dark blue pants in all of my dreams?"
Virginia looked down. "What, my jeans? Yes, I suppose I have."
"You're looking rather frazzled; maybe you should leave me alone."
Virginia tugged at her sweatshirt. "Allen's sick, but--"
"Who?"
"My youngest. Hey, I thought you broke out of prison."
Leonida stood up and walked to the window. "I did." She pushed the wooden shutter open. Outside there was only a pale gray nothingness. "You should be able to see the ocean from here, you know? Deep blue on peaceful days, white on bad days."
"Leonida, bad days are ahead, I must warn you," Virginia said gravely.
Leonida slammed her fist down on the windowsill. " Every day has been a bad day!"" The sill crumbled from the blow. "Dammit," she muttered. She ran her hands through her curls, ripping out her braid in the process.
Virginia sighed. "Look, there's something following you. And it's going to follow you no matter where you go. So go home."
"Home," Leonida snorted.
Virginia took Leonida's hand. "Oh, Leo, it's going to be hard. Ferris will help you. And I'll be here to guide you."
Leonida shrugged. "Guide? You don't even know what's following me. You can't even keep track of whether or not I'm in prison. I should be helping Moon-Thorn get to the Fourth Kingdom safely. And who's Ferris?
Virginia let go of the girl's hand in order to pull another note card from her pocket. "I meant Fenris, and you know it. Leonida, it will be hard. But you're the only one who can do it."
"It? What?"
Virginia looked Leonida in the eye. "Save your village, Leonida. Maybe even your kingdom." Virginia's eyes were like the sea. Leonida had to believe her...

"Miss? Miss?" the guard shook her.
Leonida rubbed the crick from her neck. "Yes, sir? What's going on?"
He scratched his head. "Well, miss, there's been a terrible mistake. Mayor Kapchen sent down a pardon this morning and the Lady Star says there are no hard feelings. You're free to go."
Leonida straightened out her dress and then gathered up her pack, purse, and lute. "Well, thank you, sir. Have a good day."
Fenris was waiting for her outside.
"You're really coming with me?" she asked him.
He nodded. "I've never even left this town, can you believe it? I've heard there are schools that teach magic; I'd like to attend one."
Leonida smiled. "There's a good one in my hometown, which is where we're headed."
He rummaged through his bag. "Well, I have all of my books and medicines. I've said good-bye to my family. I'm ready."
Leonida stopped a minute. "What about Kat's wedding? Won't you be missing that?"
Fenris paused. "Well, ye-es. But Kat is a big believer in destiny and says that I'm supposed to be with you."
Leonida looked at him.
"For this journey," he said gently. "I know you're still waiting on that Oisin of yours."
Her eyes widened. "Wait a minute!"
Fenris smiled. "Little Vixen, I am a magician; I know how to find these things out."
She placed a hand on his back. "Well, we must be going. I have creatures to attack me and towns to save."
"Which way?"
"North...and west. Home to my little town in the Sixth Kingdom."
Fenris nodded, following her through town, towards the unknown.