Moonlight Eyes

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Chapter Three

The sky was a duller blue, the earth softer smelling, and the world a much quieter place from a human’s point of view. Birds that sang seemed farther away, smells harder to distinguish, and Auna no longer listened anxiously for the approach of hooves or paws on the forest floor.

Sitting on a wooden fence, kicking her legs idly and staring at her toes, Auna wondered if she looked like a human girl ought to. She ran a hand through her hair, expecting coarse wolf fur, but felt silken tresses; she licked her canines, searching for fangs, but found dull points. Yes, she thought with a smile. I am perfect.

Behind her, cows grazed in the pasture. Large, slow-moving, feeble creatures, Auna could take one down by herself in her wolf’s pelt. She had spent all morning watching them, salivating as she fought to keep her hunger at bay. She was human, after all, and humans had rules that she needed to obey—no matter how deep her hunger.

Auna had been sitting on the fence for about an hour, just thinking and watching the people go by, while also ignoring the tasty animals that roamed behind her. Nobody had approached her since she had been there, but several people had smiled in her direction. Auna had returned an awkward smile of her own, having never taken part in such an unexpected exchange. But she reveled in the feeling, the sentiments that a smile carried, that two strangers might share something so special. If two wolves met, they were more likely to tear each other to pieces than to offer friendship. But in this time of starvation and shrinking forests, it was understandable. More wolves meant less food, less territory. Humans didn’t seem to have that sort of problem.

Auna sighed and ran a slender hand through her hair, scratching the back of her head. Why would she think of such a miserable time when she was here now? Here, where people were friendly to strangers, where lesser animals could graze and roam without fear, where not even a wolf dared to venture… Why think of such sad things when she was here in this blessed place?

A finch landed on a post of fence not far from Auna’s perch. The little yellow bird with a blackened forehead and striped wings began to chirp cheerfully, a sound that would have driven Auna to pieces with her wolf ears. She thought to swing a hand to scare the bird away, to halt its high-pitched song. But, with her human ears, the sound was soft, sweet, and melodic. The wolf-girl smiled to herself, enjoying the finch’s tune. She stayed perfectly still so as not to frighten the little thing.

The day went on. The sun rose to the top of the sky, warming the Earth below and covering it with a golden summer glow. The little bird continued to sing for Auna, never leaving his post. She had enjoyed his company so much that she had not moved either, and had spent the majority of the morning enjoying his gentle song.

“I can’t say I’ve ever seen a bird stay still for such a long time,” came a somewhat familiar voice. “He must like you.”

Auna’s heart leapt into her throat as her eyes darted from the sweet finch to direction of the new voice.

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.” His smile was just as dazzling as she had remembered. “I walked by here a little while ago and saw this little bird singing for you then. He must be quite smitten to stick around for so long.”

Auna stared silently for a moment, her heart having returned to its proper place in her chest, but still thumping loudly. She found her voice. “I guess,” she laughed lightly. “I’m not even sure how long we’ve been here. He’s been a nice friend.” She silently berated herself. Making friends with a bird? How pathetic must that have sounded?

As if on cue, the little yellow finch ended his song and took flight, heading towards the forest in the distance.

The beautiful one smiled, a breathy laugh leaving his lips as he watched the bird flee. “Guess he wasn’t so smitten.” He returned his eyes to Auna’s, and she was startled by the earthy colors that shone there. “My name’s Eli, by the way.” He smiled and extended a hand. “I don’t recognize you, so I’m going to assume you’re new here?”

Auna smiled brightly, heart still pounding, and took his hand gently. “I am,” she said. “My name’s Auna.”

“Auna,” he murmured thoughtfully, and the sound of his voice speaking her name gave Auna chills. “Well, you’re in luck. I’m in charge of communications within the village, and I just happen to have a free day.” He grinned. “Would you like a tour?”

At this point, Auna’s insides seemed to be rearranging themselves: her heart had crawled to where her brain was meant to take residence, and her stomach seemed to have disappeared completely. But she simply smiled gently, as if only to be polite. “I would like that.”

“Well, then.” Eli put his hands into the pockets of his jeans, beginning to walk backwards. “Follow me.”

Only when Auna was walking with him, standing right beside him, could she truly appreciate Eli’s beauty. His skin was flawless, lightly tanned and looked as if it would be smooth to the touch. Anytime he ruffled his chocolate-colored hair, which he did often, it would return back to its proper place, falling just above his eyebrows and framing the strong curves of his jaw. And something about his eyes, Auna just couldn’t understand. They were green and brown, almost like a mirror of the forest.

God, was he beautiful.

Eli had walked her through the entire town it seemed, pointing out buildings of great significance and landmarks with special meaning—but Auna was only half listening. At one point they had stopped next to a statue of a great Indian chief, and Eli had asked, “So what do you think?” And she had responded, “Yes, I think so.” Eli had laughed, thinking she’d made a joke, but really she had been too busy watching to him even begin to care about the rusty, old statue.

When they came to a worn wooden building with the word “SALOON” written over the doorway, Eli stopped and pointed. “This is the oldest building in the town,” he said proudly. “Renovating it was a bitch, but it’s in fantastic shape now.” He turned to Auna, nodding his head towards the door. “Would you like to get a drink and meet some people?”

Auna smiled and nodded. “Sure.”

The atmosphere inside of the building was loud and chaotic, and Auna silently thanked Moira for her weaker, less sensitive human ears. There were only a dozen or so tables in the large room, but each was occupied to the max. Old-fashioned chandeliers hung from the ceiling, casting a dim light over the room that would have made decorations and people almost indistinguishable from each other, had there been no movement.

Eli looked back and upon noticing Auna’s overwhelmed expression, smiled pityingly and motioned for her to follow him to another room. It was much quieter than the other, as only one man inhabited it, sitting at a desk by the far wall. The man turned in his chair to meet their eyes. He was pudgy and blonde, and Auna recognized him as the same one that had spotted her in the brush only days before. She bristled nervously, but remained calm.

“Auna, I’d like you to meet my best friend, Calvin.” He ushered her forward. “Cal, this is Auna. She’s new in town.”

Calvin smiled and rose from his seat, leaning forward as he took Auna’s hand and shook it. “A pleasure,” he said, though his voice was nearly as silky as Eli’s.

Auna smiled as well. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“So whereabouts in our cozy little hole are you living?” he asked, eyes earnest, but tone sarcastic.

“Oh, just a little outside of town. Towards the forest,” she responded awkwardly, not having been prepared to answer such a question.

“Ah, private property?”

“Yeah,” she said. “Private property. With my aunt.” She fidgeted, tucking a strand of her tawny hair behind an ear. It felt strange to lie.

“Must be nice,” he said, eyes somewhere on the ceiling.

“Calvin owns this tavern,” Eli interjected, noticing the dead air between Auna and this pudgy one. “And a farm. Actually, those cows you were sitting by are all his.”

“Were all mine!” he interrupted loudly. He pointed a chubby finger at Eli. “Why don’t you get married and have your wife tell you how to run the family business.” He rolled his eyes, rubbing his forehead with anxiety. “Sorry,” he apologized to Auna, “but when you get married, you might as well stick to things you know, like the housework, and kids, and kitchen—”

“Actually,” Eli cut Calvin off, shooting him a partially dirty, partially pitying look, “we should probably get going. There’s plenty more of the town to see.” He smiled and winked at Auna, and she felt her heart melt.

“You’ll have to excuse Calvin,” he said, once they were a fair distance from the tavern, heading down a beaten path to a park in the distance. “Married life is a bit of a shock to his system.” He laughed. “The poor guy didn’t expect his wife to know twice as much about farming as he does.”

Auna smiled sympathetically. “Does he have children?”

“One on the way,” Eli replied, “which is why he’s more upset than ever about his wife working with the cows. She really should be getting more rest, instead of showing him up.”

Auna nodded, smiling. She remembered well what it was like to have little pups growing in her belly. Although she still hunted with the pack when she was carrying, all she really wanted to do was curl up in her den and sleep it out.

“Are you married?” she asked cautiously, wondering for a moment if it was a rude question to ask.

Eli chuckled softly, shaking his head. “No, no, I haven’t really had much of a chance.” He smiled wryly. “Taking care of the town eats a lot of my free time.”

“Oh…” Auna nodded, silently celebrating her good fortune.

Overhead, grey clouds collected as a summer storm was brewing. A cool breeze passed through the quiet park that Auna and Eli had been walking through. It swept just over the ground, spiraling up through Auna’s t-shirt and tickling her back, making her shiver.

“Are you cold?” Eli asked, and Auna was touched by his concern. “We can head back to the tavern if you’d like.”

“No, I’m fine,” Auna reassured him, adjusting her shirt. She looked around at the trees, swaying in the wind as few leaves broke free and flew away. They were big trees, but evenly spaced out on either side of the walkway. “I like this place.”

“It’s probably my favorite part of town,” he agreed, eyes looking into the distance wistfully. “So peaceful. There’s a park by the farm with toys and things, so kids normally stick to that one. It keeps this one nice and quiet.”

And indeed, it was quiet. The only sounds accompanying Eli’s voice were the occasional swoosh of wind, a distant birdcall, or creak of the trees. There were no children playing noisily amidst the organized trees, nor any sweet couples nuzzling at the benches. Just Auna, and Eli, and the trees and birds.

“Where are we headed?” Auna asked softly, not daring to disturb the park’s calm setting.

“Up and around that corner there’s a nice little pond. I think you should see it.” He smiled tenderly, rubbing the back of his neck. “It’s a great place to go if your head’s feeling a bit full. It helps me unwind.”

“Unwind?”

“Well, a lot of stress comes with being in charge of communications here,” Eli explained. “Settling squabbles between farmers and neighbors, introducing newcomers to the town…” He laughed. “Well, I can’t say the latter happens often.

“Life’s just busy. Full. I don’t have a lot of time to myself. But when I do, I come here to think.”

The two rounded the corner just as the words left his lips, and Auna’s breath hitched in her throat.

It was beautiful. Even in the grey light that sifted through the thick clouds, the place seemed bright, full of life. The little pond was a crystal blue, and the stillness of the surface appeared as glass. A cobblestone bridge, laced with creeping green vines and delicate daisies, arced over the water: a perfect illustration of peace.

Eli shrugged, smiling. “Well, I like it.” He walked away from Auna and plopped down onto the grass next to the pond’s edge.

Auna smiled as well, strolling to pond’s edge and kneeling beside Eli. “I do, too.”

The two sat in silence for a time, both pairs of eyes rested gently on the clear pool of water before them. The wind whistled in and out between the trees, ruffling Auna’s hair and slipping between the fibers of her shirt as it swirled playfully around the area. Overhead, grey clouds collided, blocking out the sun, and thunder could be heard in the distance.

Auna paid no mind to the growing wind and increasing darkness. Whatever cold her body felt, she ignored. She was only vaguely aware of Eli’s hand creeping closer to hers…

Auna slid a sideways glance in his direction, making sure not to turn her head too noticeably. Still beautiful, still serene: his eyes lay lazily upon the small pond, which had grown ripple after ripple as the wind swept across its surface. A gentle smile just barely graced his lips. What would she do when his hand finally reached her own? Moira had told her about “holding hands,” but how would she respond once his fingertips had finally graced hers? Was she allowed to return a soft touch of her own?

Thunder boomed overhead and Auna’s gaze snapped to the sky as drops of rain began to collide with the world below. It started slowly, just few droplets here and there, across Auna’s legs and the grass and pond, but quickly gained speed and intensity.

Auna threw her hands up and let out a small scream as the downpour began. Her hair and clothes were instantly soaked, and the rain pelted hard against her cold skin. Eli, quickly jumping to his feet, reached for her hand and pulled her up, shouting and smiling as they ran under the cobblestone bridge.

They stood with their backs against the side of the bridge, breathing lightly and laughing every now and then. Eli ran a hand through his drenched hair, ruffling it and sending droplets flying as he stepped away from the wall.

“What, afraid of a little rain?” He grinned.

“What?” Taken aback, Auna sputtered. “I’m not—you are!” She pushed out the other side of the bridge and into the rain. He chuckled and scurried back under.

“Well let’s see how you like it!” he laughed breathlessly, taking hold of Auna’s wrist and dragging her out into the storm. She shrieked playfully and fought against his grip. Had the rain not been claiming the attention of most of her senses, she would have melted from the feel of Eli’s warm skin on hers.

“I told you,” he chortled teasingly. His grip on Auna’s wrist didn’t relax, and he kept her anchored to the spot, exposed to the onslaught of rain.

“Hey, I’m fine,” Auna shouted, squinting as water flowed from her hair and over her eyes. The lack of sight made her feel vulnerable, but in this place and body, she didn’t worry.

“Okay, okay, you win.” She heard Eli laugh gently, and she could see his sweet smile in her mind’s eye.

Auna opened her eyes as Eli brought her back to cover, pulling her under the bridge and against the wall one more time as he faced her. He beamed, putting one hand on the wall just inches beside Auna’s face as he leaned in closer to her.

“I should be getting back to town,” he said, and Auna could hear the regret in his voice. “Cal’s going to need help bringing in the cows.”

Auna nodded and hummed her agreement, though she wished they could just wait out the rain beneath the bridge, together.

“But I want to see you again.”

Auna felt her heart flutter inside her ribcage, legs wobbling for a moment. “When?” she asked breathlessly.

“There’s uhh…” He laughed nervously and winced slightly. “A sort of hoe-down at the town hall tomorrow. I know it sounds pretty lame.” He leaned in slightly, always smiling. “But I’d like to see you there.”

Auna smiled. “Me too.”

The two made their way back to town together, running between trees for brief shelter. At the fence where they had met, Eli took off towards the pasture, and Auna to the forest, a disquieting representation of the different lives from which they came. But Auna didn’t care, and Eli didn’t even know. For all intents and purposes, life had just become perfect.

Auna grinned to herself as she turned her back to the beautiful one, jogging back to Moira’s cottage for cover. Never as a wolf had she ever looked so forward to the dawning of a new day. But in her girl skin, a new day just seemed like such a wonderful possibility.