Little Red's Riding

Fade to Black

The woman, or was she a girl, was standing at the far edge of the circle, opposite the children, on Dahlia's left side.

Dahlia thought later that, given that Willa had screamed, she probably should have turned in that direction to see what was going on. But she didn't.

If you've ever been all alone and had the sudden and unmistakable feeling of being watched intently, as if someone's eyes were burning a hole through the back of your neck, then you know exactly how Dahlia felt in that moment when, instead of turning back towards the children to see why Willa screamed, she turned her head to the left and looked towards the north, where on the top of the green hill that rose up beyond the Fey Circle was a formation of rocks that looked rather like a small castle, although it was nothing of the sort.

But this time Dahlia's eyes did not rise to the rock formation, as it had every other time she had turned in that direction. This time she found her eyes locked onto the form of a woman who was standing along the outer edge of the circle, her head tilted slightly to one side as she regarded the pack's new Luna with a small smile.

Dahlia turned to face the woman, her hands trembling, hearing Lottie and Miss Dorian hushing the children who had begun to murmur behind her as the children reacted with a mixture of curiosity and fear to this new arrival. Her eyes skimmed over the figure taking in her most striking features first.

This woman was unmistakably Fey.

If she had been captured by a human they might have called her an Elf. She was tall and pale, with skin the color of parchment and long slender ears with tapered tips that ended in fine points. Her long hair was fair and blonde and tumbled past her waist without a hint of a wave. The Elf's eyes were ice blue and her lips full and pink, and she wore a flowing, off white dress that was nearly the same color as her skin. On the Fey girl's head she wore a crown of pearls, and there were golden bangles covering her wrists, but her feet were bare as she stepped into the circle, the smallest of smiles curving the corners of her full mouth.

"Luna." She said and Dahlia's forehead wrinkled. The Elf had an accent but Dahlia couldn't quite place it. "Welcome. It has been long since the edges of our world have come close enough to touch during a ceremony such as this and since the elders on our side have thought it wise to send forth an emissary to speak to the packs of the dangers that we face. Too long I think."

"The dangers?" Dahlia took a deep breath. This all really felt like something out of a dream and she let her hand fall to her skirt, giving her leg a good bruising pinch. When the scene around her didn't fade away she sighed, only then realizing that Atlas and Apollo had taken up positions on either side of her, while Felix was standing guard in front of the children. The Elf, who though tall, looked as if she weighed little more than a child herself, inclined her head towards the guards with a smile before she continued speaking.

"I see that there is much still for your Alpha to share with you about the comings and goings in the forest since he has found and claimed you. The danger right now is very great for both our people. Those who serve evil do not rest and they believe that their time has come. So I suggest that all of us return together to your pack lands and wait for your Alpha's return so that we can sit together and discuss our plans to keep both Wolves and Fey safe from this new menace."

"New menace?" Dahlia muttered the words but nodded. She knew that she had a good instinct for people, generally, with the apparent exception of her immediate family, but she felt that that really couldn't be held against her. After all, she'd been handed over to Lilia as a baby and it was always harder to be impartial when judging your own family and their behavior than when figuring out the rest of the world.