Opifex-Eversor - Destiny's Child: Part One by songbreeze35 | |
The young Lupe puppy scrabbled around inside the hollow
in the roots of a tree. It attempted to widen a gap, and failed. There appeared
no way out. It whimpered a little, howled, whined, yapped, and finally quietened
as still no help came. It curled up and miserably tried to sleep.
***
Inside the rough hut, a young, yellow female Lupe suddenly sat bolt upright,
eyes wide. She blinked a few, times, then shook her head and frowned. A sleepy
voice interrupted her thoughts. "Eden? Nightmares again?" Another female Lupe
yawned over to Eden's right as she nodded. "Go back to sleep Eden. It's too
early in the morning for lengthy discussions on paranormal activities invading
your mental privacies and interrupting your subconscious state during your periods
of rest." There was a brief pause, then Moonshadow, Eden's best friend in the
Lupe pack, grinned, her white teeth showing up eerily in the semi-darkness of
the early morning. "Did I just say that?" she wondered.
Eden yawned. "Maybe it is too early. But I can't
sleep after I've just dreamed that."
Moonshadow shrugged. "So go for a trot in the
Arctic wastelands out there. Freeze yourself to sleep."
She yawned and Eden smiled and got up. "Good
idea Moon."
Her friend rubbed her eyes. "I was only kidding
Eden. Oh never mind. Just be back for breakfast, 'kay?" Eden nodded and left
as Moonshadow curled up to snatch some more sleep.
Eden's full name was Eden-Latin. Her mother had
been a great superstitious believer, and having had a very strange dream
that she must name her daughter in Latin, Latin from a dream, she had searched
for the right word to describe her when she was born. Nothing had seemed to
fit except for one word. Or rather, two words. Opifex-eversor. Again, from a
dream of Eden's mother's, thus fulfilling the task she thought she was meant
to do. As a young pup, Eden had loved playing by, or in, the river - River Eden.
Almost every Lupe took to calling her Eden after the river, but her mother held
out for a Latin connection. As it was, Eden would probably have changed her
name anyway, if she had grown up being called Opifex-eversor. Far too much of
a mouthful!
Now the young Lupe headed for the forest, wondering
over the dream again. It seemed so lifelike, so... vivid. No matter what anybody
else said, she couldn't get it out of her mind. She paused as she reached the
edge of the wood and the dusty, beaten path that led through it. She went in,
and followed the path for a bit, then turned off at some unmarked point. She
walked on for a while, and suddenly the forest stopped and there was a steep
drop and the river began. A waterfall was not too far away, and a permanent
rainbow shimmered above it. Eden stopped here and sat down, leaning against
a tree. She thought quietly, about her father, about the dream, about everything
that troubled her. She could hear her mother's voice, telling her when she was
little. "Your father had wild blood, Eden-Latin. He was never content to
stay in one place. I suppose he would have been happy to end his days off adventuring.
I just hope you don't take after him." Eden sighed. Her father had gone
off looking for adventure, and found it many times. But he'd gone just after
she was born, and never came back from that one. And she knew that, despite
her mother's warnings and worries, she had the same wild spirit. And it was
beginning to show its strength.
She got back to the Lupe pack in time for breakfast,
and found Moonshadow. The friendly Lupe smiled. "Enjoy your little walk on the
wild side? Fall of any interesting cliffs?" Eden laughed. Moon grinned. "Rainbow
same as ever?" Eden blinked. Moonshadow smiled. "Come on, Eden. You go there
every time you just trot out for a walk."
Eden laughed. "Okay, maybe I do go there a lot.
But right now I'm hungry!" She didn't mention the feeling that she was in the
wrong place. She didn't tell Moon about the pull of the outside world, and how
much she had had to struggle to come back the way she had come.
Over the days, the pull grew stronger. Incessant,
nagging at her. Moonshadow, and most of the others, noticed she was a little
preoccupied, but they put it down to her upcoming birthday. Only Eden knew what
it really was.
The dawn of her birthday loomed near as she lay
awake, close on midnight. She sighed. It turned midnight, and she sat up. The
pull was far too strong to be resisted now. Quietly, so as not to wake Moonshadow,
Eden gathered some things and slipped out of the hut. She paused for a moment,
and jumped when someone whispered behind her. "Eden!" She turned to see Moonshadow,
looking at her quizzically. "Going for a wander at this time of night - sorry,
morning?" Eden smiled wanly. Moon sighed. "I can't stop you. You've got that
look in your eye. And if I can't keep you here, I'll just have to go with you.
To keep you out of trouble, of course." She winked.
Eden shook her head. "No. Where I'm going, I'm
going alone."
Moon put her head on one side. "That's a point.
Where are you going?" Eden blinked, caught off guard, and Moonshadow smiled.
"See? You need somebody with a bit of common sense, and..." She grinned. Eden
smiled as Moonshadow lifted up a map and a compass. "...these." She finished
triumphantly, and then frowned in mock severity at Eden. "Now let's get this
straight. You're about to run away from the Lupe pack, leaving everyone to worry,
and you're not even going to take your best friend with you? Eden, I'm disappointed!
I expected better from you! And besides, I can't stop you going, and you can't
stop me coming with you. Got it?"
Eden grinned. "All right, you talked me into
it!"
Moonshadow smiled. "Well, then. Let's get going,
before somebody stops us." As they set off, Eden murmured quietly, "Thanks Moon."
The other Lupe pretended not to hear.
The two friends walked all the next day, and
rested only when they felt tired. They talked as they went, and joked to keep
their minds off other, darker things.
They were resting and eating about noon when
they heard faint singing off into the wood. With a glance at each other, they
packed up the food and started forwards to investigate. They soon found the
source of the singing in a clearing - another Lupe, flame coloured, sitting
on a rock, mournfully reading a notebook, and singing to himself. The duo looked
at each other, then pushed the branches away and moved into the glade. The Lupe
jumped, and hastily stowed the notebook away behind him. He tried to look nonchalant.
Eden smiled. "We heard your singing and came to investigate." She said bluntly.
The other Lupe relaxed a little, and grinned.
"Ah, once more, the singing of the Siren brings defenceless damsels into danger!"
Eden hid a grin. "Watch who you're calling defenceless,
mate!"
The Lupe leapt up and bowed with a flourish.
"Perhaps instead, we have royalty, warrior princesses!" Moonshadow dropped a
curtsey as Eden shook her head, smiling. The Lupe looked shocked. "Why, then,
only goddesses would suffice! So brave, so beautiful..." He put his paws up
as Eden pretended to look insulted. "...so fearsome!" He grinned as Moonshadow
gave up and started laughing. "And may I be so rash as to enquire upon the names
of these two lovely visions?"
Moonshadow and Eden bowed. "Moonshadow and Eden-Latin.
And you might be?"
He smiled. "Nothing quite so exotic. Just plain
old Rick I'm afraid."
Eden nodded. "Rick sounds fine to me." Moonshadow
smiled to herself.
The three Lupes took to each other well and decided
to continue travelling together, as Rick had no specific destination and was
merely wandering the land. As Rick put it, "If we're going to get lost, we might
as well be lost in some pleasant company!"
To be continued... |