The sun rose over the treetops of the forest and shone its first light through the window of a small cabin deep in the woods. Inside, in bed, Fian stretched under the warm rays and wondered whether he should get up now or simply stay a little longer under the warm covers and enjoy the morning sun. After a short while, he decided to get up and then greet the new day with a fresh cup of tea outside the cabin.
Reaching the kitchen, he lit his stove, as he did every morning. While he waited for the embers to be hot enough for the kettle, his gaze wandered around the kitchen. He noticed the basket of plates and the two teacups, which were still sitting on the table as if they were the most natural thing in the world. While still admiring the two cups, he almost inadvertently filled the kettle with enough water, just to be prepared for the case a guest came to visit him in the morning.
The stove was hot, and the water in the kettle began to steam. He filled his cup with tea leaves, and the hot water filled the kitchen with the scent of forest herbs and dried berries. He loved the smell and closed his eyes to fully absorb it, along with the crackling of the fire in his own little stove.
Yet, something stirred within him.
It dawned on him that he had actually been waiting for her to knock, for her to enter, for something to happen, but nothing came. Finally, he poured himself some tea and, with a sigh, sat down in his living room. He gazed out the window at the forest, where the mist devils were still playing tag with the sunbeams, and took a sip of his tea.
Then there was a knock.
Joyfully, he got up and went to the door. But it was only one of the fox healers from the moors.
It wasn’t Germonde, but one of his assistants, who sullenly eyed Fian from head to toe with disdain and then asked to be let in so he could examine the leg again. Germonde had insisted on it, mentioning something about it being a favor. In any case, this leg seemed particularly important to him, regardless of who it belonged to.
Actually, a completely unnecessary waste, if you had your way with this fox, but if Germonde had insisted, it would be done with the promised care.
With a shrug, he examined the leg, nodded approvingly at the quality of the work, and then applied very light and simple bandages.
He gave Fian a few more care instructions and then left emphatically, refusing a cup of tea. Fian stood in the doorway and watched him go. “Ah, these are the fox doctors you could only love,” he thought, and a slightly amused smile came to his face. *That’s just how they are.*
He glanced around the door, checking to see if anyone else was coming.
And no, she, the white wolf, queen of the north, wasn’t there, and he couldn’t detect her scent in the morning air, which he found very odd.
She had been a constant presence for the past few days and weeks, keeping a watchful eye on things, and suddenly she was gone? Sure, he had placed his life in her paws, but that didn’t make any sense now. He took a few more breaths of the cool morning air and then closed the door again. He’d save the mystery for later, probably… And then he noticed a carefully folded note on the table, which hadn’t been there before.
*Very discreet,* he thought, *to use a fox doctor as a messenger. He’ll be pleased, I’m sure. But well, that also explains why this doctor was in such a bad mood.*…
Curiously, he examined the note. Should he read it or leave it? What else does she say? Yes, there’s no right or wrong way here. And besides, this note wouldn’t be lying there if it weren’t meant for him.
Curious, he unfolded the note, expecting a new recipe for the evening, but no:
It read:
“I have important things to do. Therefore, I’ve decided to let you run around a bit. If you do anything stupid with your body, I’ll practice running with you. Decide what you want. V.”
He really had to read the note again, and quietly read it aloud to himself: “…I’ll ‘practice running’ with you?” He whistled through his teeth. Yes, that was quite a statement, he thought. But he found this “V.” much more intriguing.
She had actually revealed one letter of her name to him…
But why?
