A Different type of Moon (Closed....)

[De'Ryanna Aybara]

The full moon tonight was going to be different. It already was different in that De’Ryanna was not in the Inn and neither was she anywhere around the local area. Instead she was sitting crossed legged on the middle of a husk woven rug inside of a mud hut and wearing only a thin cotton white shift. Her hair was pulled off her face and the strands of the ponytail wrapped tightly in leather strapping. Even with her eyes closed she could feel the eyes of the old woman who had been sitting in the corner for hours, watching.

It was the only place in the hut to sit, this so-called chair currently being occupied, and the only light was from the hole in the roof center directly over the girl on the floor. “The day has traded with the night. It is coming quickly. Are you ready?”

Even though the room was cold Ryanna was hot, her breathing heavy as sweat droplets beaded across her skin. “I know that I can do this,” she said with an obvious strain in her voice as she shook her head.

She had come to this woman about a week ago after having come across her in the Market. There was something about the old lady that interested Ryanna in a way that she couldn’t explain and when she had started to approach the woman started to say things to her that no stranger should have known. That was something that should have frightened her – and perhaps it did – but it also intrigued her. The woman said that she could help and Ryanna was inclined to believe her.

“Such confidence when your time here has been so short.” The old woman said as she steadily kept her eyes on the girl.

“I don’t have years, or months,” Ryanna said, her fist clenching at her sides, “I need to accomplish this now.” After having nearly killed her friend because of a touch and the risk of doing the same to another, she didn’t think that there was time to deliberate on logistics. It was unlike her, as usually De’Ryanna liked to break things apart, mentally, and look at them from a logical standpoint and work at understanding the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of it going together, but she believed that she knew enough of that already to move forward. Besides, it was the full moon tonight and if she failed, well, then it wouldn’t be any different than any of the others.

Accept for one.

There was one full moon, a couple months ago, where she was the calmest she could remember being since her bond was passed from that man. That man. Even in thought she was not going to refer to him by name.

The legs off the supposed chair protested under strain when the old lady pushed up and stood, the makings of her old and tattered skirt falling into place and dusting the ground. “There is always something to be said about patience, my dear girl.” The woman’s voice was tired now, something it had not been when she first spoke. “I leave you to the moon and your ... confidence.” Before heading out the door.

Ryanna felt mocked and slightly goaded with those words of the old lady that she piped up before the other was gone. “Bloody ashes I can do it!” She’ll see, she thought as she heard the door close behind the woman, she’ll see that I’m right and she’s wrong.

[Old Lady]

A few days and a few nights had passed since the coming of the full moon and the young lycan had been left alone to deal with whatever demons haunted her thoughts and body. A few nights and this particular night was filling out the same as the others:

Static.

No change in her body rhythms, not even the twitch of an eyelash.

When the old lady returned to the room the young lycan had been closed up in she found the girl passed out on the floor. The shift dress damp from perspiration and clinging to the curves of the flesh and strands of hair that had escaped the leather binding were plastered to her face. There had been no physical damage and the old woman would have thought the girl for dead if she did not know better. And she had.

In the days that followed the old lady moved the lycan from the hard floor and laid her on a woven mat made of burlap sacks. The shift had been exchanged for a new one and currently water was heard pouring into a bowl from the sponge squeezed in the lady's hand. "I told you child that you were not ready." Sponge pressed upon the lycan's head and water drifted down on either side. "I was only partially correct."

That the lycan had no physical markings was a sign that she had been able to maintain her station without tearing at her skin with nails or the floor. Though she could heal evidence of the damage would have been there. "You should have come to me sooner, instead, I have to dress like this. Then you deceive yourself." Wiping the sponge along the lycans face before it was pressed to the girls mouth to give her moisture.

"Though, you knew who I was didn't you?" Hypothetical question not needing an answer and sounding as a statement. The sponge was removed and dropped into the small bowl of water. The containment was eased to the side and the old lady placed her hands on knees and pushed against the force of gravity and stood. Propped against the wall was the hobbled wooden cane, unnecessary save for appearances but it was taken up. "If you would let go of all those things you keep bottled up inside you could fix yourself."

The old lady knew that the words spoken reached the sleeping lycans subconscious mind and that is where they would do her the most good. There they would be remembered. As the cane was for show and there was none awake to see it was carried over left shoulder as progress was made to the door. With a click it opened and the old lady turned her head back only to say: "Wake up now."

Then exited.