Moon Cursed

13. Matemarks

Sylvia Vermillion

This was ludicrous! How could they keep my brother and not me? How could they harbour him and not me? There was some beast pacing in me, waiting to be let out. I had been accosted since we arrived... I should have gone with my original plan. Shouldn't have been so easily swayed by Raymund. I was angry at everyone here. I lay my head back onto the chair, I could feel my eyes water. I squeezed my eyes shut tight, and took in several breaths. Why did I have to leave, Asimenia? Things weren't great there, but I had a place, and Ryan loved me in his twisted way. And it was ok. Now, strangers were debating my worth.

The room quietened, and I could feel my emotions begin to boil over. The tears were slipping out silently.

I could sense Raymund come over to me. He pulled me up by my elbow and began to walk me out of the room, "We're gonna go outside because you're about to shift, and doing that in that room is not going to help you."

I kept my eyes closed as he pulled me out of the castle.

"Sylvia, it's gonna be ok, I promise," he whispered in my ear. We had stopped a while ago. The trees surrounded us, and Raymund surrounded me. "You can't say that no one wants me anywhere." I pushed myself out of his embrace. I placed my hands on my head and squeezed, "I want to go home, and I want to hug my fucked up brother. I want to know where I stand for once." I started to cry again. I fell to the floor and covered my neck with my hands. I didn't realise my sobs had turned into a growl until I tried to stand back up. I only rose to half the height I should have. Raymund was grinning, "Red hair, red fur, it usually turns brown." I could understand him, just. I looked back, there were a tail and a stomach, and it was linked to me. I took a couple steps forward, and it moved with me. I swivelled my head questioningly in Raymund's direction, but he no longer stood there. A brown bear had taken his place. It rose onto its hind paws and fell down with a thud. As it made contact with the ground, it changed into a deer. The deer took a step before turning into a black wolf. I tilted my head, the scent was Raymund's, but it had changed somehow, becoming intoxicating...

Raymund's wolf was a mass of muscles, he would have stood at my shoulder as a human. I poked his stomach with my nose. His eyes watched me carefully. I moved away from him, ready to run. I didn't know where I'd go, or even if I would make it out. Or if I would leave Hunai or just Windgate. The snow crunched gently under my paws. It cooled them as I ran faster and faster. He was following me, and part of me wanted to make it a game. Have a little fun for once, and not worry about misstepping.

Raymund wasn't tiring, but I was, the run had helped physically... But I still felt like crying. Like going home to Ryan and everything I knew. I crouched down near a tree. I'd almost forgotten that we were on a mountain. The slopes were sharp and white with jabs of the black rocks, keeping them varied. I dropped my head onto my paws and breathed in the air. Clean and untouched snow lay before me. I let my eyelids sink as I caught the last rays for the day. It painted the darkness in my eyes a warm orange. My mind wandered slowly to what would happen if I wasn't allowed to stay. If the High Witches reaction to me (the first day we met) was any indication, I doubted that Yvette would take me in willingly. Perhaps I would go to the Eastern Continent- but it was practically all owned by Esenia. If I got caught, it would be disastrous for both me and the country. Algasin had remained neutral, people rarely left the island, to be honest. It was even colder than Hunai, and I could already feel a chill in my bones. I don't think I would survive long... Cast Creek could be an option, it was already filled with traitors and took months to travel to. Ryan wouldn't bother looking for me there.

I opened my eyes and gazed out at the stary sky. The trees were shakey black figures against the skyline. Raymund came and sat next to me. His legs sprawled down the mountainside. I looked up to his face and his long brown hair that had been let loose. He smiled down at me and began to play with my fur. I reached into my well of magic and brought out a flame so we could see. I knew that my mate mark would be shaded a different colour to my red fur, but I had always wondered what colour it would be. Some were blue and purple, whilst others were just a darker shade of their natural hair colour. I rolled onto my back. I looked down to my chest were the mark would be. It was a bright vermillion, and it spread all the way down my navel. Raymund's eyes widen as I brought the fire closer to me. The red lines became sharper in the firelight. Raymund smiled, and he smiled as he took in the mark. The was a change in his eyes and a falter in his methodic stroke. His smile changed drastically, and withdrew his hand and moved sharply away from me. I paused and looked at him. He was shaking, and he kept his hands out as if to keep me away. I began to push my bones back into their human shape. I was wobbly on my legs, "Raymund, what's wrong?"

I tried to walk closer to him, but he kept moving away from me, "No, no this is... NO."

"Raymund?" I pulled the fire higher so I could see his face better. There were fear and pain in it. Almost as if he was heartbroken. He began to walk away from me, his strides grew longer and longer. I had to trot to keep up with him. I grabbed his elbow. Raymund pulled away as if he'd been burned. "What am I going to tell Claudia?"

"What do you mean? What are you gonna have to tell Claudia?" I clenched my hands into my skirts. Raymund began to pace outside the gate, and he ran through his hair, "Sylvia- fuck we share mate marks, and I don't know what to do. I love Claudia, but I can't... I can't reject you, it's not how it works here. And if we go to the Council, it gives you a reason to stay because they can't interfere with the bond, but I don't want to. I want to marry Claudia."

That hurt... "I understand, but I can stay here until the Council leaves, and then you can reject me, or just like let the Council decide."