The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
Chapter 2: Prelude Part 1
…
It was early morning, but only artificial lights lit their way. It was too early for the sun to rise, thus the need of Dust lights.
A white puff formed when Tara exhaled. The steaming coffee in her hands did little to combat the morning chill. She sat at the edge of the roof of her dorm, kicking her feet in the air as she stared at the courtyard of Haven Academy.
Her eyes darted back and forth, taking in little details – the steps needed to walk to the statue of 'Peacekeepers' to what way was the quickest to reach her destination.
She couldn't sleep. Not with the unavoidable parting in her mind.
She tapped her sheathed weapon on her lap. It helped as her breathing became calmer.
"Nineteen years old…going to be twenty this coming Winter…" mumbled Tara. "Hey uncle Jo, if you are here…what will you tell me?"
A wind's breeze.
His message?
'Why bother? Miss me?'
She laughed softly. It was typical of that Huntsman.
"Well, do you want me to sing you a song?"
She closed her eyes. She could easily imagine the deceased Huntsman beside her, making snide remarks about her melodramatic and rudely requesting not to call him Uncle Jo, but his actual real name – Logan Rose.
The air suddenly went still.
'A lullaby.'
She hummed. "For you to sleep even beyond your grave?"
There was no response save for a gentle breeze, making her hair and scarf sway.
"Fine," she conceded, placing her half-emptied coffee mug away and her only source of protection away.
"You are the one with the waves, weaving a dream,
Like thoughts, become river stream…."
Her voice held on to the last verse before her voice faded into silence. It was picked up again with more lyricless tune, her head swaying with it.
…
…
Wobi Garen was alarmed when his team leader wasn't in her room. If she was in the dorm's toilet, he would know from the slight opening of the bathroom door, since Tara hates to disturb their rest.
The moonlight peeked through the small gaps of their curtain, illuminating the human sardines. Wobi glanced at the empty bed, which was only opposite him – there were signs of wrinkled sheets and folded blanket.
He stared at the neatness – normally Tara Twilight will leave a dummy underneath the covers, to fool all of them.
Sighing once, he kicked off his cover and carefully stepped over Team DUSK's bodies, and winced when he stepped on something wet.
He tried his best to not speculate what the wet thing was.
Tried.
Shutting the door quietly behind him, he graced the hallways of dorm rooms, only small Dust lights guided his path. They glowed softly, its hue green, casting an enchanting look over them. The green made Wobi's complexion sickly.
The deaf Huntsman walked briskly, his breathing steady, and footsteps silent. He wished he had his coat on as it was freezing. Haven Academy's buildings are designed to keep the coolness to the maximum, even on its hottest day. However, whenever it rains or when the night falls – Haven Academy's halls and corridors became an industrial freezer.
What puzzles him is how most of the students here could stand the chill, even if they aren't natives of this land. He scratched the back of his neck – this isn't the time for his musing about their differences.
He breathed out a sigh of relief when he saw the door to the roof unlocked, behind it, were the same green glow of Dust, illuminating the stairs. He climbed up, as silent as possible with his bare feet, ignoring the cold draft.
Unfortunately, he couldn't stop the goosebumps forming on his exposed skin.
Halfway up, he froze. He was trembling, as if a tuning fork had struck him, leaving him exposed.
Confused, he climbed on. The strange power rocked his very core of his soul – it was just…weird.
XXX
Wobi's eyes were widened with shock at the sight he saw. Purple wisps trailed behind Tara Twilight as she danced around, her footing light as a butterfly. In her hands, her Aura blades, one similar to a katana, flickered and changed form.
Instead of weapons of battle, it became a long cloth and it settled on her exposed arms. She twisted her body before dipping her head once, the raven colour of her hair transformed into the colour silver under the moonlight – Wobi felt he was watching…a flower unfurling its petals, to lay its heart bare to the scrutinizing eyes of the world.
Slowly, she raised her head with a melody only she can hear. The moon of Remnant graced her with its light, giving her an ethereal appearance one akin to one of those fairy tales folks.
After a moment or two, she slowly raised her hand to the sky and took a step backward, her eyes showed hesitance – what is Tara so afraid of?
As if Tara heard his thoughts, the dancer took two steps forward until she was teetering to edge of her death. Though alarmed, Wobi have confidence in her sense of balance.
She went to her knees, her hands outstretched to the moon, as if she was a maiden offering a prayer to the gods.
Or pleading to them to end her suffering.
Wait – Wobi rubbed his eyes furiously and stared at his leader – was, was she singing?
He couldn't tell by the distance between them. He smiled, content with watching her dance. There is a vitality in her dancing, and most of the time, conveyed her unspoken emotions.
For the first time in years, he felt at peace.
Tara then took a step backward, spun once before sliding across the floor, and then, walked towards the other end, her hips sashaying and eyes closed. The two cloths – one around her neck, another wound around her arms – trailed behind her and seemed to float when she moved around.
Twirling around the floor, the two cloths seemed to cocoon her body. Her steps slowed, still twirling, and she finally stopped, one leg forward and bend. The back leg lay on the floor, straight like a stick. Her hands stretched, palm up at first, and then they came together and she pulled them back and placed it on her chest.
It looked as if Tara wanted to protect her precious thing which she once held in her open palms.
She remained in that position for several minutes before she released her Semblance. The Aura long cloth gradually became purple wisps as they dissipated into the cold air around her. It was only then Wobi noted she was huffing white puffs.
She inhaled deep breaths and stood up gracefully as she always did in her dances. Her half-lidded eyes stared at Wobi, and almost immediately, they opened wide in shock along with her slack jaw.
"Wobi-san, I thought you were sleeping!" exclaimed the dancer as she approached him, wiping perspiration from her forehead impatiently. Her cheeks were flushed from both the exerting dancing and embarrassment.
The aforementioned going-to-be-graduated-Huntsman grinned.
"Nice dancing. I just became a huge fan of yours," signed the deaf young man. She playfully slapped his arm and smiled shyly.
"Most people will say this you know, 'I didn't know you dance!'"
He shrugged. "Apparently, not me." Almost as bashful as Tara, he offered his elbow, with a straight face.
"If you don't mind…" muttered the young woman, glancing around, looking for something. She seemed to perk up once she found her sheathed blade.
"Allow me?"
She stared at him before passing him the sheathed weapon. Wobi pulled the black cloth around the sheath and bend down, and tied it around her waist, making sure it fell to her dominant hand. Once done, he offered his elbow again.
She raised her eyebrows. "A gentleman."
Tara wound her arm around his, chuckling as she did so. They exchanged a look before they descend down the stairs, leaving with a smile on their faces.
The only sign the dancer was there was a forgotten coffee mug.
…
A/N: I have no idea if I am doing fine or badly. Thank you for reading this far readers! In case anyone is curious about the song, it is inspired by 'Lost In Thoughts All Alone' by Fire Emblem Franchise and youtuber, AmaLee for the cover of the song.
