TO SEE A GLIMMER OF COMPASSION IN THE DARKEST PLACE

Gabrielle felt her claws tap the marble floor of the corridor that stupid bastard healer! He'd been poking at her for three days pulling prodding moving things all while making long notes on scrolls and drawing diagrams. Every time she had to go to him she was led up there by Iona and every time he started with the same lie which was that this was for the good of her race. Oh yes he was doing this for the good of her race, the truth was if she wasn't so important to the Empress he'd cut her open while she was still breathing and get a really good look at her inner workings. She now made sure that she didn't answer any of the healers questions in great detail because something told her that he just wanted to hear it but she doubted that he truly listened to her words.

It was almost sad that she saw her now as no more than a monster despite showing her all the care and devotion when she was human. That was the price though, the price of inhumanity, you were no more than an animal or a monster in the eyes of others. She carried on walking forward on all fours it was the reason she'd had very few human friends. She'd learnt early on that it was nether, smart nor clever to try and make conversation with humans who saw her as a monster as they would never change their views. It was painfully ironic since she had once been human she could remember playing with the children of Potidaea and running around with the young girls and boys. She could remember the smell of the rich green grass and the joyful sounds of birds, as well as playing with her younger sister out side her families home and enjoying the fullness of life.

She could already see how this would end the Empress would find out all she needed to know, then when she'd finally out lived her usefulness the older woman would make the discussion and have her cut open on the healers table slowly, so that her bodies inner workings could be documented in the name of her race. That would be the final outcome of this agreement, after all she knew few human's who were ever loyal to there agreements when it came to werewolves. She turned feeling something pull on her tail she swung her head around sharply watching as a small brown haired girl who was no more than four years old came to view.

She was holding a sown teddy bear in one hand while her big hazel coloured eyes looked up her filled with curiosity she spoke as a big smile appearing on her lips. "Are you a puppy?" Gabrielle stood still looking at her for a long moment before adjusting the long piece of hanging material around her waist it was in essence part of the hanging drape which had been in her bathroom near the stone tub. She hadn't had any choice twice now she'd sent her list to Iona and still nothing she had wanted had come including the material she'd put down, so she had make something to cover up as the Empress had requested. She was getting bored and frustrated she had no coltsfoot leaf to smoke and she was feeling even more irritable than normal.

The only way to get rid of her frustration was to do these night walks at least then her attention was on other things. When she was out here she didn't think about smoking. She looked down at the young child staying very still as sat down on her hind legs so she was in front of the tiny girl who was still clutching her tail end. She looked up speaking softly and gently, she didn't want to scare this young girl. "No I'm not a puppy." The young girl looked up at her curiosity. "But you have a tail and big ears." Gabrielle shook her mane. "Yes but puppies don't talk do they?" The young girl looked at her tail then looked up at her face studying her before speaking. "No I guess they don't."

"Kaia!"

Gabrielle looked up sharply watching as a small fair skinned woman came around the corner running towards her she was in her late forties and was wearing red and white robes she had long black hair and dark brown eyes. She picked up the little girl who kept hold of her tail speaking in a calm voice. "There you are, you know not to run off like that, your mother would be so worried." Gabrielle moved her tail realising that the girl still had hold off it, she knew the reaction the woman was going to give her the moment she caught on and it wouldn't be nice. She watched the woman caught sight of her tail in the little girl's hand she turned slowly looking at her a smile forming on her lips. "So who is this Kaia?"

The young girl let go off her tail speaking loudly. "I thought she was a puppy but she can talk." The woman smiled. "I doubt that's her name's puppy though Kaia." She turned meeting her gaze fully before speaking. "So what do they call you?" Gabrielle blinked in surprise she stood up slightly feeling unsure of what to say. She looked at her clawed hand for a moment. "My name is Gabrielle." The woman's smile widened. "What a nice name." She looked up slightly. "Well my names Fedora." She pulled up the little girl. "And this little one is Kaia she's not mine I'm just looking after her while her mothers on the night shift." She breathed in deeply. "I'm the baby sister I take care of all the children in the palace."

She raised an eyebrow. "My daughter is Thaleia, you might have met her she's working the night shift." Gabrielle stood up fully feeling even more un-sure of herself, she wasn't used to this at all. The other palace servants did nothing but give her cold looks or avoid her by walking in the opposite direction, they wore there hated on there sleeves so to speak. She lowered her gaze. "I'm sorry I haven't met your daughter, no one talks to me." She paused, thinking of her next words carefully. "Because I'm different." Fedora looked at her for a long moment despite the form she could see very human eyes staring back at her and they were laced with a deep pain and sadness.

She paused before speaking. "I wouldn't say that you're that different no doubt you have a beating heart just like the rest of us." Gabrielle looked up slightly this woman was strange no one ever talked to her or ever tried to make her feel better. She lowered her ears unless they wanted something she felt her gaze dart. "Do you need something from me?" Fedora laughed slightly what an odd thing for this woman to say. "No I didn't want anything from you Gabrielle, what makes you ask that?" Gabrielle moved away slightly. "Look I've taken up to much of your time, I'll just be going." Fedora moved forward. "You know you don't have to go, I've seen you a lot you walk the corridors at night, it must get lonely for you."

She stepped closer. "I mean if you want to talk to someone I'd be happy to lend an ear." Gabrielle slowly went down on all fours she felt truly uncomfortable now. She wasn't even sure if this was genuine or if this woman was playing a game with her. She breathed in deeply before speaking. "You don't have to be nice to me out of pity, I know what I am and I know how others see me." She moved away from her slowly. "You don't have to pretend to like me ether, just because no one else in this palace does. I'm a monster I can no more change that than I can change the stars in the sky." Fedora watched as Gabrielle disappeared from sight how truly sad, this woman had no confidence in herself what so ever.

She knew others didn't like her in the palace so she assumed it to be true of everyone. For her the very idea that someone would care about her feelings was something she couldn't fathom and if any feelings were shown she just assumed the person wanted something from her. Clearly she'd never had any real friends in her life and that in its self was very sad. She looked up as her daughter appeared running up the other corridor towards her the concern in her eyes as she spoke. "Mother are you all right its just I saw you and I saw the werewolf leaving." Fedora put Kaia on the floor keeping hold of her hand. "Werewolf is that what everyone calls her in side the palace?"

Thaleia blinked unsure about her mother's question as she pulled on her sleeve slightly. "Well yes the staff do call her that and palace monster or so I've heard." Fedora shook her head sadly. "Its sad that she can go from such a title as the Empress's little mystery to something as cold and unfeeling as the werewolf or palace monster." She turned to Kaia who smiled. "She was so nice to you and very gentle she didn't harm a single hair on your head did she? I mean she even let you pull on her tail now I don't think she'd do that if she were unkind." The little girl nodded pulling up her teddy bear looking at Thaleia. "She's very friendly."

Fedora looked up slightly. "You know I think you should talk to her Thaleia, I mean she's only a few years older than you are and you don't have any friends here in the palace." Thaleia rolled her eyes. "Mother please I don't need to make friends I'm perfectly happy the way I am." Fedora breathed in deeply her daughter was ever the stubborn one. She looked up slightly. "We both know that's not true and that you have no friends in the palace, you're afraid to go out and say hello to people." Thaleia folded her arms. "Look I don't enjoy their company that's all, all they do is bicker and gossip and say unkind things." Fedora breathed in deeply. "You mean unkind things about Gabrielle the palace monster as they call her?"

Thaleia stopped still looking at her mother before looking at the floor. "Yes those things." Fedora looked up at her taller daughter. "Have you called her any of those names?" Thaleia looked up sharply. "No!" Fedora raised her hand. "Now you know better than to lie to me." Thaleia pulled out her arms she couldn't put anything past her mother. "Okay I'm sorry I have called her that." Fedora breathed in deeply. "I brought you up to be better than that Thaleia." Thaleia lowered her gaze. "I'm sorry mother I did it because everyone does it." Fedora shook her head sadly. "Just because everyone else does something like that does not make it right." She sighed aloud. "Gabrielle has no friends you know, I've watched her walk these halls at night and she just looks sad and lonely."

She breathed in deeply. "You should be the first to get to know her and prove to everyone that she is not this monster their making her out to be. She's just a lonely young woman whose been shunned for no other reason than being different." Thaleia put her hand on her chest. "What if she doesn't want to talk to me, I mean I've seen her walk past me she's huge in werewolf form, what if she harms me." Fedora picked up Kaia again pulling her in to her arms. "She didn't harm little Kaia here so I doubt she'll harm you in fact I found her with Kaia. Who had run up the corridor to say hello to her. Gabrielle's no monster she was being really kind and gentle to young Kaia here. Now tell me is that the actions of a monster?"

Fedora watched as her daughter thought about it before shaking her head a guilty look spreading across her face as the truth became clear. She took in a deep breath. "When your father was alive the gods rest his soul, there was a time when people judged him even after he was given freedom." She breathed in deeply. "They believed a Roman slave despite now being a free man could never amount to anything because he had been a slave. I believed in your father when I met him I always told him that he could be anything he wanted and what others said did not matter. He finally realized that he could be someone and he became a warmer and happier man."

She looked up slightly. "Your father rose up to be a great and noble Greek warrior of high ranking. He fought be the Empress's side in the Spartan up rising where he died a truly noble death. He showed everyone that anyone no matter who they are or what ever there upbringing can become great if some one believes in them, even if they don't believe in themselves."

End of part 14

Silvermoonlight

I've always loved how children look at everything with innocent eyes and with out prejudice.