Alright, due to popular demand (a.k.a. Wonk’s nagging), here is the epilogue.  I hope you enjoy it.

Life

It was dark and Myn was not supposed to be in the forest after nightfall.  A solo tear slid down her cheek as she thought of how much trouble she would be in when she got home.  At least that’s why she told herself she was afraid.  She was a big girl now; it was unreasonable to fear the woods she’d grown up around.

Behind her a twig snapped.  Myn froze, holding her breath.  She listened intently.  Not another sound was heard.  She exhaled slowly and carefully, not daring to move until she was certain whatever had caused the noise had moved on.

Minutes crept by, feeling like hours.  Another tear escaped and slid down her cheek.

It was getting cold.  She hugged herself, trying to conserve her body heat.

There it was again!  Another twig snapped in the distance, then silence.  Something or someone was stalking her through the woods.

Myn tried to swallow the lump of panic that was rapidly welling up inside, then tried to concentrate on keeping her breathing regular.

They smell fear.

They?  But who or what was ‘they?’

She took a deep breath and tried to concentrate on direction.  That was the key.  She stared at the night sky, trying to remember what she had been told about using the stars to find your way.  There was one big ball of light in the sky, the ‘nor’ star!  That was it! She could use it as a guide to find her way home.

Myn thought back to all the nights she’d spent stretched out on her back near the fire, drowsy from the warmth and the pleasant gruffness of her father’s voice.  He’d build a fire outside in the summer, and they’d all sit around it and listen to stories.

Sometimes it would be Granddad telling the stories instead of dad, and that was her favourite memory of all.

A low growl brought her back to reality.  Slowly, Myn turned to see a pair of golden eyes glowing in the darkness.

She opened her mouth to scream, but it choked itself off into a cry of relief.

“Uber!”  She shrieked, throwing her arms around the neck of the big wolf-dog in relief.

Uber licked the salt from her cheeks and whimpered before turning and moving a few steps away.  Myn gratefully followed the animal back to safety.

It was going to be a bright night, the sky was free of clouds and the half moon rose slowly to its position in the heavens.  The air smelled fresh and clean, the sort of smell that comes after a hearty rain.  The garden was flourishing and the animals were healthy and content.  Barring unforeseen disasters, it would be a prosperous season for the little ranch.

But the figures standing on the back porch were not feeling particularly lucky at the moment.

“She’s been gone a while now.”  Mavis said worriedly gazing at the forest which bordered their modest spread and stretched out as far as the eye could see.

“She’ll be alright.”  Her father-in-law comforted her by wrapping a heavy arm across her shoulders.  “We’ve sent Uber out to find her; he’ll bring her back safely.”

Mavis knew he was probably right, but she couldn’t help being apprehensive about her only daughter alone in a big forest full of horrible things.  Things that wouldn’t hesitate to kill a young girl.”  She masked a sob.

“Mavis, Dad’s right, Myn will be back soon, you’ll see.”  Darel moved to his wife’s side while Granddad began moving down the steps to the path that led to the forest.  Sure enough, a moment later Darel’s eyes picked up the movement his father had already sensed.  He grinned in relief and led his wife down the steps to await the reappearance of his wandering daughter.

By the time Darel and Mavis had reached the gate, Myn already had her arms flung haphazardly around her granddad and had her face buried in his shirt.  The older man wore a grin of delight, but was softly chastising the girl for her disappearance.  Uber was running in circles around the two figures, barking and panting happily.  Darel reached out a hand and stroked the big canine in thanks for returning his daughter home safely.

Slowly, almost reluctantly Myn prized herself from her granddad and turned to face her parents, expecting the punishment of a lifetime.  Then she noticed the tears in her mother’s eyes.

“Mama!”  She cried, feeling her own face wet with tears.  Her relief at returning home had been replaced with the realization that she might never have seen her family again.  She threw herself into her Mother’s arms and squeezed as hard as she dared.  And for once, she was happy that her arms didn’t wrap all the way around her mother anymore.  Only at this moment did Myn realize how selfish she’d been to run off when her mother was like this, when she was needed more than ever.

“I’m sorry Mama.”  She said, “I understand now.”

“Understand what?”  Mavis asked gently, wiping a tear from her eye.

“I understand that I have to be a big girl now and help you out more.”  Myn said.  “Because you need to worry about the baby, not me.”

“Honey…”  Mavis said, allowing more tears to escape.  “I’ll still worry about you no matter what.  You’re my daughter and I love you…We love you.”  She said, grasping her husband’s hand.  “And we won’t stop loving you or love you any less just because your little brother or sister comes along.”

“I know that.”  Myn said.  “Now.”

“Good.”  Darel said, breaking up the touching family moment.  “We’ll discuss your punishment later; now go help your Grandmother with dinner.”

Myn spared one last hug for her parents, shot a look at her Granddad and rushed into the house, a grin lighting up her face and drying her tears.  Granddad had given her a secret wink.

Uber circled the fire, alternately growling at it and whimpering in fear as he got too close and narrowly avoided being singed.

Myn lay on her back, staring up at the stars.  Her head rested in her mothers lap and she listened to her father telling the tale of how he and Mother had founded the ranch, many years ago.  She felt warm and loved, the feeling she had remembered when she was lost in the forest.  Mother shifted slightly and Myn sat up.

“Mama, are you okay?”  She asked, gingerly eying her mother’s bloated belly.

“I’m fine.”  Mavis comforted her daughter, “but I’m a little tired.”

Darel took that as a cue and rose to help his wife to her feet.

“Speaking of bedtimes…”  He said, glancing at Myn.

“Aw, dad….”  She began.  “Just one more story?”

“How about the story of how your grandmother and I met?”  Granddad spoke up.  Darel met his father’s gaze for a moment, then nodded.

“I’ll leave you to it.”  He said with a smile, leading his wife away.

Lacey reached out her hand and Uber came and settled next to her, lowering his head to his paws.  She leaned back against her husband of many years and smiled faintly, closing her eyes and letting his voice take her back to the past.