Hey babes! I have just woken from my post-Thanksgiving (for my readers that celebrated the holiday, I hope you enjoyed it!) food induced coma nap, and I now present you with the fruit of my labors in the form of chapter 25! It's hard work sleepin off all the food I ate :) But, it had to be done. So here it is!

~DA2014

Meet Me In The Moonlight

Chapter 25

It was a cold and rainy morning. It had been a year. A full year!

A cycle of 365 days since Dimitri had set her tattered body, complete with cuts and slices that dripped with her blood, in the river. Then, she changed into an ethereal figure, her human spirit she belatedly discovered, and Bee, her child, was left in her place.

No matter what had been whispered to her, in those fleeting moments when she watched Dimitri pull the pup close, she missed them, She hated that she couldn't be involved in her daughter's life until Bee and Dimitri found her again. Not that it would be very hard. Rose was sure that if Dimitri put his heart into it, he would have found her months ago. But, his hands were now full with Bee.

Since she had reincarnated a year ago, and left Bee in her place, she had moved into a quiet little cottage on the edge of the forest, as far from town and close to her family as she could be in the meantime. For the longest time, Rose would sit up at night and listen to the mournful howls of her former pack mates. She knew that leadership of the pack was passed to Stan, because they all believed her dead. But, she had little siblings now. Two to be exact, and maybe more on the way. A little sister named Astra, who had been born a solid white with the most crystalline blue eyes anyone had ever seen, and a little brother, Kota, who was born a solid black, very similar to their father. His eyes though, were as green as the fresh spring grass that she used to play in. With another mating having just started, it wouldn't surprise her if her parents were already expecting their third litter.

Dimitri had devoted so much of his time to Bee that he hadn't paid any mind to all the adoring females that were so desperately trying to get him to mate with them. It was a little funny really, knowing their efforts.

Since that fateful night, Rose had been able to keep tabs on the pack through her daughter's eyes. She had learned this the hard way. At first, Rose thought they were dreams, until an overwhelming erge had hit her in the middle of a shift at work, but . It had been so strong and consuming that she had fallen, unconscious, to the floor, and all the weight she had been carrying had landed on top of her. It didn't help that she had been walking on a wet floor, since it had just been mopped and cleaned up after a child had thrown their plate to the floor in a fit, and a sign hadn't been put up yet.

When Rose woke, she was laying in a hospital bed. The weight of all the dishes, on top of the fall itself, had been too much for her tiny body, and it had cracked several ribs, and one had completely broken and ruptured a lung. Rose then spent weeks in recovery, seeing as she apparently wasn't a wolf anymore, but she wasn't completely human either. In all honesty, Rose didn't know what she was anymore.

Besides the vision that she could share with Bee, Rose had found she could also speak to her mind, much like the wolf's telepathy. This had been discovered late one night when Rose wasn't in her right mind. It hadn't been long, maybe a month or two after her reincarnation, and she had been feeling lonesome. She wanted Dimitri by her side again, after having fought her feelings for him, and everything that was working against them, for so long, and having finally given in to all of it, only to be separated from him again.

She was sitting by the window, looking out at the night sky. The moon, shining so bright, made Rose feel as if it was taunting her. She was still living in the same apartment where she and Dimitri had become one and abandoned everything that was set for them. She went on to have a mental lapse, where she threw things at the walls and windows, before they began to close in on her. Her screams echoed through the night, and she wished more than anything that he could be there with her, holding her. She screamed to her gods and ancestors alike, telling them that she wanted Dimitri back, and she wanted to be a part of her daughter's life, when scared little whispers began to trickle through her mind.. Little things, like "mommy?" and "how do you know daddy? why do you scream his name?"

Eventually, Rose and Bee discovered that they could talk to each other, and that's how Rose was able to keep tabs on her family. It was now, on this day one year later, that she wished they were with her more than anything.

She had saved enough money, and had a hefty sum deposited into her account when she learned Alberta had closed her account and transferred it into her own, and bought the cottage in which she currently resided. It had gone up for sale about two months ago, and Rose had contacted the owners and bought it before it had ever really hit the market. So, now she lived a quiet little life on the edge of the woods that she once called home. Now she couldn't call it anything more than what it is, because it was no longer her home. She couldn't transform into her wolf form anymore, a sacrifice of the reincarnation and Bee's birth that she would make again in a heartbeat if it meant she would have had her daughter and Dimitri again. She had also bought several hundred acres of the land, had some of the forest cleared out and the land fenced off, before she proceeded to buy some horses.

Adrian had felt sorry, for Rose's injuries that had been obtained in his establishment, on his watch no less, and had taken her to a friend of his. Rose's mind had been in a fragile state at that time, and the therapy that the doctor had ordered was doing no good, so Adrian had convinced her doctor to let her try equine therapy.. Or, simply put, work with horses. And a love for the creatures had been born from it. Rose's mind had gotten better, since she was working and building up her state of mind again. Rose had discovered that it was, strangely, therapeutic. She would talk to the horses while she brushed them and saddled them, before sending them off to an arena for a lesson. Then, when they came back, she's start all over again, and talk to them while she did the same process in reverse. Take the saddle and all off, then brush away the sweaty hair. If the weather was warm enough, she was even given the chance to bathe the horses.

There was one little mare, Kasey, who was terrified of the water to begin with, but after seeing that it wouldn't eat her, she settled down and even fell asleep while Rose bathed her. Kasey was a tall Thoroughbred, best known for racing, who was maybe 15 hands high. Her coat appeared black, but was classified brown, because it looked that way in the sunlight. She was a sweet and gentle little thing, and she was Rose's favorite. They had spent so much time together that Kasey would actually follow Rose without a lead on her. It was a rare thing, but when it happened, it was a beautiful sight to behold. But then the barn's owner had retired her out, and someone bought her before Rose had the chance. Months later, Rose had insisted that James, the barn owner and Adrian's equestrian friend, check up with the owners and see how Kasey was doing. It was then that they learned of the horrors that Kasey had faced before her final moments. The people who bought Kasey had tied her to a post, in the middle of one of their many pastures, but the lead they left her on was so short, and she would go days or months without nourishment, all while being alone. Yes, they had other horses, but they were kept away from Kasey for some reason. When the local SPCA shelter had been tipped off and had obtained a warrant, Kasey was seized and taken into their care while the owner went on to face criminal charges for neglect and abuse. She went to stay with the SPCA, but by the time they got to her, it had already been too late. She had lived only a few more days, but she had passed into a happier life with a full belly, warm space, and knowing she was loved. When Rose learned of this, she had broken down again.

It had been hard, going to the barn for a while after learning of Kasey's fate, but when Rose accepted that Kasey was in a better place, where she could no longer be hurt, it got easier. So, while James steadily brought in more horses (and learned that he wouldn't be able to care for them much longer, due to insufficient funds), Rose jumped on the chance to get them.

Her time with Kasey, and learning her fate, had led Rose down a path of self-exploration and discovery. She had learned that she loved working with animals, and she wanted them all to know that there were better things in life. So, she opened 'Nohealani's Rescue.'

Rose had pick "nohealani" because it was a Hawaiian translation of "beauty from heaven," and that was exactly how Rose viewed horses. They were her heaven-sent angels, and she wanted them to have a peaceful life at any cost. So, she now had well over 50 horses, and a few ranch hands to help with feedings.

A sudden knock at her front door led Rose to jump, for she had been caught in her memories and daydreams, before she went to answer. When she opened the door, the shock overwhelmed her and the mug of cider she had been sipping went crashing to the floor.

Okay loves! I'm not sure if my translation was entirely correct, but I got it off the internet. If there are any Hawaiian readers, and I got it wrong, I would appreciate if you helped me find the correct translation. I also got some questions, and if you answer in a review, I just might have a special snippet of the next chapter, or even my new story (AH!) for you!

First: Who do you think is at her door?

Second: How have you spent your time since my last update?

Third: Are you sad that Meet Me In The Moonlight is going to be coming to an end soon?

Let me know loves!

~DA2014