Chapter Fifteen: Not Now!
There's a time to hold your tongue,
Time to keep your head down,
There's a time,
But it's not now!
Born for This, Mandisa (LISTEN TO THIS SONG!)
xxXxx
A huge hand on her shoulder gently shook Haru awake the next morning, making her stretch happily before opening her eyes. "Mmh, morning Muta!"
Her second father had his other hand on his mouth, trying desperately not to laugh as he pointed toward the door. Curiously, the girl sat up enough to see Dona giving the two soldiers at her door an earful. There was no mistaking the intent, since the two young men were looking guilty and shuffling in their slightly messed uniforms, only occasionally trying to defend themselves.
Haru looked at Muta with surprise. "Did I accidentally put them to sleep?" she asked while pointing at them and laying her head sideways on both hands.
Her feline father nodded before letting loose a powerful laugh that made her laugh along with him, although her giggles were a bit more guilty than his.
Dona gave the pair a thoroughly annoyed look while shutting the door on the two soldiers. She then marched up to Haru and started explaining something with both words and hand gestures.
'That's strange. Why are both of them dressed more formally than normal?' "Um, sorry Dona, but I don't know what you're trying to say," the younger feline eventually had to apologize. "I thought my lullaby was soft enough not to bother them last night, if that's what you're upset about."
Dona slapped herself in frustration, muttering under her breath as Muta wisely held in his newest round of chuckles.
"I promise I'm not trying to be difficult," Haru tried to protest as she eased out of bed, though she took the time to smooth back the bed sheets into a neat arrangement. "I'm just a natural, I guess."
Dona's glare softened as she adjusted the far side of the bed in sync with her, although Muta had to rescue the breakfast tray from the girls' cleaning zeal.
Today's breakfast was a strangely spicy fruit that Haru didn't really care for, but this time Dona insisted on her eating it.
"Are you sure? It's like a berry full of hot sauce," she managed to gasp, trying to push the rest of the black cluster away.
Dona shook her head, forcing it back in Haru's direction while choking down another berry herself. Muta seemed to have the same opinion, so why was he eating it without a fuss? He was an even pickier eater than she was.
Only when the fruit was gone did Dona let any of them drink the unsatisfying hot tea, making strange heat flow through Haru like an inner electric blanket.
Muta let himself out the door as soon as the breakfast tray was empty, and Dona seemed in a strange hurry as she helped Haru dress, not in one of the comfortable loose dresses, but in something that seemed to be the local equivalent of a woman's business suit. It was still a grey dress to match Baron's preferred shade, but much more formal than Haru really liked.
"Does this have anything to do with the fact that I kissed Baron last night?" the younger girl asked suspiciously, but Dona was too busy easing the girl's left foot into a stocking, then a button-up boot that hugged her leg like a second skin.
'Hide,' she reminded herself as her right foot got the same treatment. 'Second hide.'
Dona said something with satisfaction, sparing a second to run her clawed fingers through her daughter's hair to make it lie neater before gently grabbing her arm and guiding her to the door.
Muta was waiting on the other side, ready to offer an arm to escort her down the hallway, the staircase, and into another hallway that they hadn't shown her yet.
Baron had a number of soldiers with him, the entire company dressed only a shade more formally than normal. The tawny feline had the sash with a family crest on it along with a sword strapped to his side, but at least the rest of his outfit wasn't like either of her wedding dreams.
Strange, no top hat?
His eyes lit up when he saw her, enough to steal a quick hug of his own and kiss her cheek. His breath had the same hot scent as her and her second parents.
"So you had the same breakfast," she commented with a grin to distract herself from a hidden blush, but Muta was saying something with shock as Dona made a few sounds of surprise.
Baron shook his head with a wide smile, explaining something as he unlocked the door he had been waiting next to. Whatever it had been was enough to make both Muta and Dona look at her like they couldn't believe it.
'So... kissing Baron's cheek gives him permission to kiss mine? At least I'm hoping that's what it means.' She certainly wasn't ready for anything bigger than that.
The room was empty, save for a large silver-gilt mirror that put her old world favorite one to shame. It dominated the wall it was resting on... or was it the wall?
Baron confidently walked toward it while keeping Haru close with one arm. She tried to stop about a foot away, but Baron steered her into it without hesitation.
Every fiber of her being reacted at once, freely offering up the extra heat her body was radiating in order to exist in this bright place. It was only a split second of wildly dancing blue lights, but it was enough to remind Haru of the worm hole.
By the time her arms latched onto Baron's torso with fear, it was already over. His warm laugh reverberated through his body as he squeezed with affection; not about to let any hugging opportunity go by. Haru opened her eyes to the strangest field she had ever seen, even as Baron gently guided her to the side so that the others could follow behind them. There was still extra heat in her body, but much less than before. Possibly a conductor in order to allow the body to cross through the mirrors?
The valley below literally looked like one of those pictures that had the same scene split into the four seasons in each corner, with every side boasting a large mirror of their own. Despite all laws of plausibility, even the sky in each season was a slightly different shade of blue. In the exact center of the field, perhaps a good fifty feet from where she and Baron were standing, was a perfectly round stone table that King Arthur would have been proud to call his own.
Two other seasons had beat them to the table, summer and autumn. Once everyone in Baron's company had passed through the mirror, Baron eased Haru's arm against his own in a more formal gesture before leading the entourage to the table at an almost regal pace.
The Summer leader was a large longhair, with overly kept hair that didn't want to stay in place and mismatched eyes of fire and ice. He was very clearly old, though there seemed to be a close relative just behind him along with a lovely white feline that was more than likely a wife or girlfriend. The Autumn leader was as black as a panther, perhaps middle-aged with a mate that stood right next to him as he waited patiently in his seat. The mate had a blanket-wrapped baby that was fussing just enough to make the mother rock it gently, but otherwise remain silent. Both groups had brought their own troops to stand at a half-circle around the table.
As they drew closer, Haru slowly realized that they weren't paying attention to the approaching party.
They were all staring at her.
"Baron?" she asked in a worried whisper, but he patted her hand while responding with something that had a comforting feel to it. But it did little to ease her mind as they drew close enough to see the way the other seasons were staring at her.
It was a little too much like the way her old classmates looked at her once Hiromi's rather unimaginative lies had taken hold.
'Seriously. Skanky boyfriend-stealer. When she never dated Tsuge in the first place. Why did anyone believe that when- wait, why am I thinking about this now? I should be wondering why the other season leaders seem to dislike me.'
Baron kissed her hand one more time before leading her to stand next to the chair on the 'spring side' of the table similar to the way the Autumn mate was standing. Then he sat on the chair while speaking something that seemed to have a rehearsed tone; perhaps a formal greeting.
Her guess was affirmed when the other two leaders repeated his words, almost on reflex before getting down to business. Considering how serious everyone looked, even more so than the meeting he conducted the day before, Haru decided to keep her mouth shut and stay as still as she could. She could feel the body heat from Muta and Dona right behind her, making her glad that Baron decided they could come.
Wait. Why did she come? Obviously the close family of the leaders needed to be here, maybe thanks to a local custom, but she wasn't family.
'Yet,' that little voice added smugly.
Haru bit back a sharp retort. 'Now is not the time to argue with you! Ugh, I'm arguing with myself again. Dang it, why couldn't the local language be easier to understand? Muta and Dona have been trying to teach me since I got here, but all I can manage is names and food.' Despite herself, a big sigh snuck past her guard.
Baron gave a worried glance at her before making what he seemed to see as a valid point, only to get countered by the Summer Lord, who was losing his temper.
The brown feline let her eyes wander to the snow-dusted quarter of the table. 'Speaking of understanding, why did they start the meeting before the Winter ruler got here?' She snuck a look behind her, noting that the guards Baron had brought had assembled themselves to continue the circle formation that the two other seasons started.
But there was absolutely no one finishing the circle in Winter. A thick blanket of snow gave the empty chair a thickly upholstered look, but it was hard to tell from here if it was fresh or old.
Or both?
Haru looked a little deeper into the barren territory, surprised that the small number of snowflakes that kept trying to escape immediately turned into raindrops at the border between both Baron's land and the Autumn Lord's. The extra moisture provided an additional barrier of thick tall grass on both sides of Winter, although all the other borders were carefully mowed down to show off the slightly different shades of green between the realms.
'That's odd. Is no one in charge of Winter? I can understand no one wanting the job, but if it's hereditary... maybe the line died out?'
She was immediately distracted by the Autumn Lord slamming a fist onto the stone table, shouting something angrily while pointing at her. The girl flinched back in surprise.
...What? They were talking about her? Well, arguing?
Baron gave an especially intimidating glare as he slowly stood up, saying something while looking past Haru. He grabbed her hand, rubbing his gloved thumb in a caressing manner against the back of her hand.
Muta spoke in confirmation, his tone respectful, but only just. Oh boy, but he had more restraint than she thought, since he clearly wanted to march over and punch the guy. This anger was definitely different than when he fought with Toto.
'I guess there is someone willing to call Baron on making a mate instead of finding one.' She nervously squeezed her suitor's hand, making him return the favor while pulling her a little closer.
His next words had a note of finality, ending with him kissing her cheek again.
Both the leaders and their families gasped in horror.
"I guess that means something more serious than I thought," Haru noted out loud, starting to wonder if maybe she should have held off on the gesture. It had been a bit impulsive. 'Did I agree to marry him after all?'
Baron stated more, his tone not one to be taken lightly. He wrapped an arm around her waist and held her close as he kept talking- no, informing the other leaders whether they liked it or not.
A slight bit of movement caught her eye as Baron kept talking, making Haru sharply look over.
The mirror on the Winter side was rippling.
"Is someone coming after all?" she asked, pointing at the large piece of glass.
Everyone looked over just in time to see something explode out of the mirror like a whale breaking the water's surface.
Instead of a cat was a giant white wolf! Giant as in 'Toto' giant! It wasn't in a pleasant mood either as it rushed to the table with an angry snarl.
The maybe girlfriend from Summer gave an unearthly scream as the men who had women with them grabbed them in order to force them down as the wolf pounced.
At least, Haru could only assume it was going to pounce. Baron didn't exactly let her stand long enough to watch it. Haru was nearly stuffed under the table before she could tell the color of the wolf's eyes, Dona soon joining her side.
She yelped in surprise as the table shook horribly, probably from the wolf's weight as the other women were shoved into her company. But she couldn't focus on them, not when Baron was out there!
Dona tried to pull her deeper under the table, but Haru managed to shake her off in order to see what was going on.
Baron already had his sword out, which quickly became handy as the wolf jumped at him. Her tawny suitor not only managed to dodge, but even get in a lucky swipe.
The beast roared in frustration, which gave him enough time to give Haru a frantic 'stay there' gesture. Dona grabbed her arm, dragging her deeper beneath the table as the soldiers of the three seasons joined Baron's side.
"Is this kind of thing normal?" the young feline asked worriedly. "Baron can handle this, right?"
The look on her second mother's face was terrified, but she was still keeping a pretty tight grip on her arm. A few tugs proved useless, and a single glance was enough to tell her that the maybe girlfriend and mate were also huddled together, though a good distance from her and Dona.
"Really? Are you kidding me?!You're still weary of me with a giant wolf out-" Haru tried to snap, but then became distracted by a voice crying out in pain.
All the women looked over with alarm. Oh boy, this wasn't good! The wolf was tossing cats around like furniture, barely even noticing the long gashes on its sides. More than one feline was down for the count, but she couldn't tell from this far away if they were dead or not.
Baron was very much the target! It was more than clear that he knew how to use his blade, and he was using one hand to make vines nearly shoot out of the ground. They kept trying to wrap around the wolf's legs, but he was too strong for them to hold for very long.
He was leading the monster away from the table, which was good for the women, but what about him? With a final yank, Haru managed to free herself from Dona's grasp and crawl out from underneath the table.
Injured soldiers were scattered everywhere, and the Summer Lord was actually frothing at the mouth, attempting to limp around a bad slash in the leg as two soldiers tried to drag him away from the fight.
A terrible flush of anger flowed through her. This attack was completely unprovoked! Baron was only defending himself, why would this thing want him dead?
Wait, was that blood gushing out of Muta's side?!
"That is enough!" Haru shouted at the top of her lungs, making the wolf actually stop and turn to look at her with blood red eyes.
Baron probably did the same with horror, but for once her attention was elsewhere.
"Just who do you think you are?! What gives you the right-"
As soon as the wolf saw her, it turned away from Baron in order to run at her instead! Dona grabbed at her arm again, but immediately let go from a rather strong case of static shock.
Haru still couldn't make herself care. The angry fire that had filled her soul had changed to a sensation both her old and new world had more than acquainted her with.
Lightning.
Haru took in a deep breath and let out the pressured power in one high-pitched scream to rival any rock star.
The wolf was immediately thrown back several feet, still not letting out a tiny 'yip' of pain. But as it rose again, there was... hope in the monster's eyes?
Speaking of rock star, the ex-human's mind immediately remembered a loud guitar riff she had performed more than once after discovering her voice. Looking deep into those longing eyes only increased the sound in her mind, until it felt as if the music had trapped both of them in its spell.
Now this was something she could easily understand! It had been far too long since she's done any passionate music.
When Haru spoke again, it wasn't with her own voice.
"Another prayer unanswered
"Another hope astray
"Another day pretending...
"To look the other way," an unfamiliar man's velvety voice nearly crooned past her throat as Haru looked even deeper into the wolf's eyes.
Slaughter. This was not the first time he's attacked defenseless cats, with or without resistance. From their clothes, they looked like Baron's people.
"Another day of anger
"Another day of dread.
"Tell me why it hurts
"When I can't hear
"What they've said." 'Okay, that part I can sympathize with.'
He hated himself for doing this? Then why do it? Haru looked deeper, seeing a strangely large dwelling that was something between a large ornate hall, one to rival Baron's, and a cave. Everything looked old and in shambles.
"Only bricks and mortar
"Only gobs of stone
"Walls that climb to heaven
"A house with no one home."
He was alone? No, someone was in there, after all! What she had thought was black fabric draped over the local equivalent of a throne turned out to be a cloaked figure, beckoning her closer to him.
Haru was almost stunned by the amount of broken trust the wolf felt for the unknown feline.
"Cruel joke of nature
"Ever to be born
"Father, why'd you choose me
"To wear your crown of thorn?"
As soon as Haru's line of vision was close enough, the figure roughly grabbed her by the ear and raised what looked like a dagger made from an obsidian stalactite. Without so much as a word, the cloaked stranger slammed the weapon into the back of her skull.
She didn't scream, but the pain did allow herto remember where she was and whom she was facing.
Although the wolf's eyes still had a flicker of hope, it was quickly fading out with horror as his body struggled to step closer to her again.
Haru added a new guitar riff that wasn't as powerful as the first one to blow him back again; she just had to keep him from killing her.
If what she had seen was correct... it was worth a try. She started stepping closer to the wolf, even as she felt his mind recoil at her intent.
"You can't touch me,
"You can't feel me
"You can't set me free,"he warned her through her own lips, his tone pleading with her not to best he could manage was stepping backwards when she reached for his head. Surprisingly, his own lips were moving in sync with her own. Had they been doing that from the beginning?
He hurriedly backed away from her, straining against the compulsion to kill. His entire body was shaking from the fight within, although the tail tucked between his legs said loud and clear that this was a fight he would have preferred to avoid.
"You can't reach me
"You can't teach me
"You won't let me be..."
Haru suddenly felt a wave of realization hit him, since their minds were still connected.
"King of darkness,
"King of shame,
"King of nowhere,
"With no one else to blame!" he screamed at her desperately. Which felt a bit odd when it was coming from her own was no sound coming from his own lips.
"King of nightmares
"King of fear
"King of screaming
"But no one ever hea-AUGH!"
They screamed identically as their connection was suddenly torn apart. Haru fell backward against soft grass as the wolf also fell to the ground, his scream turning into a heart-wrenching howl.
"Ow," the brunette groaned, unable to sit up at first, or even open her eyes against the pounding headache. After a while, she opened her eyes too see both Muta and Baron standing over her. The former was nursing the slashes on his side and the latter was holding a...
Haru sharply sat up with a look of horror. The black thorn-like dagger from the wolf's mind! She sharply looked over at the huge canine, who was now being held down by all the soldiers that could still stand.
He wasn't resisting them.
"No! Wait! You don't have to do that!" the girl said in a panic, standing up only to almost fall over as the world seemed to tip under her.
Baron grabbed her before she could fall, holding her against him by the waist until her footing became steadier. She couldn't help but brace herself on one of his shoulders as everything around her continued to spin.
It was hard to fight back against her dizzy spell, but she gave it her best. "Look, I know you can't understand me, but I looked into his mind! That... weird... cloaked guy shoved that thorn into his brain! He didn't have a choice, he's not going to hurt anyone now!" The brown feline tried to move closer, but Baron's grip on her was too firm to escape.
He also had something to say, although it was a good deal harsher than her own tone.
Whatever it was made even the other leaders flinch back in guilt. Repeatedly, and what was coming out of his mouth seemed to be just as directed at the soldiers that were still conscious, since they were flinching too.
Baron held her a little tighter to himself, gesturing at her with his head while scolding everyone else, or so she guessed.
Haru kept switching her worried gaze between him and the canine that almost appeared to be dead. As much as she wanted to tell Baron to let her go, even she didn't want to cross that tone.
It took a while for her feline friend to finish telling off the other rulers, but he had to finish up sooner or later. He gave an especially affectionate hug before releasing her, although his face said loud and clear that he didn't want to.
"Thank you," Haru answered with a grateful smile, now that her head had more or less stopped pounding like a drum. She snuck in a tiny hug of her own before going to the wolf.
The soldiers nearly jumped off of the canine at her approach, but that didn't make a difference to him as the cat girl knelt next to his large head. It was twice as big as a horse's head on her own planet. A spot of blood was gushing from behind his ears.
The brown feline pulled out a handkerchief and gently pressed it against the wound, making the wolf shudder as he opened his eyes.
They were black now, and filled with a fathomless regret.
"Hey, it's okay," Haru assured him, running her free hand over his large muzzle to try to soothe him. "Baron removed the thorn, you don't have to hurt anyone anymore. I hope you haven't had it in you for very long."
Unlike when their minds were linked, she could tell that he couldn't understand a word out of her mouth. Not that it stopped him from looking at her. He wanted to be grateful... but there was too much guilt weighing him down.
"The bit you showed me earlier didn't exactly give me a time frame for reference. Who was the guy in the shadows? The Lord of Winter, maybe?"
With muscles that seemed to be more than a little sore, the wolf managed to rise to his giant paws. Nearly all the conscious cats in attendance took more than one step back, or at least the ones in Haru's line of vision.
She couldn't help but feel like she was in a cartoon from how far she had to crane back her head to still see his face.
There was almost a smile on his muzzle as he knelt just enough to take an affectionate lick at her cheek. He wound up getting half of her head with his huge tongue before turning to Baron.
He stated something in the same velvety voice that she had been singing with just a few moments ago. The feline lord asked something in a dead serious tone, to which the wolf affirmed in a heartbeat.
Haru used one sleeve to rub the wolf slobber off her face, looking between the two worriedly. 'I wonder if Baron would let me keep him. I doubt he wants to go back to Winter after this.'
After a bit more conversation, the wolf suddenly looked up and behind him, but the young girl couldn't see what he was looking at. The grief in his eyes increased as he turned his body in the same direction and began stiffly walking away. His next statement almost seemed like a tired request.
Haru got off her knees as well, a bit worried as Baron swiftly joined her side and held her by the shoulders.
Almost like he was... holding her back?
The target of the canine's attention was one of the Spring soldiers who was limp with death. The one that had a comrade holding him while crying bitterly.
Haru tried to walk over, but then Dona wrapped her arms around her from the side Baron wasn't holding her from. To top it off, Muta came over and stood right in front of her to cut off her line of vision. One arm was still holding tight against his wound.
"All right, what's going on?" she asked in a low suspicious tone, straining against the two people trying to hold her still. "Baron?"
The look in her suitor's eyes was pained, but his arms and Dona's were stubbornly keeping her where she was.
"What are you all trying to hide from me?" she growled while attempting to fight back.
Muta's eyes were pained, but he used his bulk to hide everything as the wolf began a low growl that almost seemed like a moan.
"What's he doing?" Haru asked in a panic, more worried than she would have been if her new family had let her see.
The growl grew louder, until suddenly cutting itself off. A loud thud soon followed, large enough to have only come from one source.
It was only then that Baron and Dona reluctantly let her go. The young brunette wasted no time walking around Muta... only to stare in horror.
The wolf was laying on his side, now even more still than he had been when the soldiers were holding him down. By some miracle, the Spring soldier in the comrade's arms was gasping, looking around with shock.
Haru ran up to the wolf and started shaking his massive shoulder. "You didn't! I mean, you're just tired, right? Right?! You can get up now!"
Her suitor grabbed her from behind, pulling her against him for a comforting embrace.
"Baron? Tell me this isn't what it looks like," she begged, but his eyes seemed to confirm her fear.
The wolf had given his life to the soldier.
xxXxx
A/N; the song Haru used is King of Darkness from Vox Lumiere's Hunchback of Notre Dame soundtrack. A bit heavier metal than one would normally put with the story, but still very much worth listening to.