When I opened my eyes, the sun had sunk behind the trees. I blinked into the dim shafts of light that were making their way across the room, yawning and shaking myself to wake up. It was already late afternoon, I realized. I forced myself to my feet, disentangling my paws and tails from blankets as my muddled brain swore to itself. It had to be much later than I'd thought for the sun to set that much. My servants were complaining about how little time I had left, yet here I was, sleeping it away. It was very tempting to fall back on my destroyed bed and fall back asleep.
I was foolish as well as ugly, I thought to myself as I staggered out of my bed of torn blankets and shredded pillows. I had to make up for lost time. I had to go talk to her, and… I wasn't awake enough for this. I started to slap my face and knock my head against the wall, but that wasn't helping, all that was doing was giving me a migraine. I glanced around, looking for cool water or something I could throw on my face to help me wake up, and then I realized that getting myself wet, and not drying off for hours, was probably not the best use of my time. Instead, I wandered over and pressed my face against the cold glass, allowing the icy temperatures to seep through my fur and tell my lethargic brain that it was time to get going.
I saw that it started to snow again. I also heard rapping against the window, which gave me the idea that it was hailing as well as snowing. I couldn't tell what was snow or what was hail, in fact no one can, unless you go outside and look at the snow very closely. I sat down for a moment, watching the light drifting flakes and enjoying the unexpected sense of calm that blanketed me. Whether it was the extra sleep or the fact that I now realized Sapphire hadn't been completely opposed to speaking with me, before I'd messed it up, remained to be seen, but I no longer felt as if I was on a hopeless endeavor. I shook myself again, wandering over and scooping up my discarded cape, re-fastening it as I tried to stifle a fang-bearing yawn. That cape was still very tight around my neck. Even though a little more time to wake up would certainly be nice, I knew that the sooner I did this, the better. I knew my time was short; I needed to use it wisely...for both of our sakes.
I left my chambers in a rush, leaping over the banister to the second floor in order to get to Sapphire's room more quickly. Perhaps if I did this right...and that Werewolf wouldn't take control, we could actually have a successful dinner tonight. I paused outside her doors, my tails swishing nervously, before screwing up the courage to rap on the dark mahogany wood. The last thing I want to do is scare her again. I had to show her the real me, not what the Werewolf wants me to say or do. Though apparently, I still had more strength than I was aware, because the knocks resonated loudly; the door slowly squeaked open.
"Sapphire?" I said as I peered into her room. "Sapphire, it's me again. I owe you another apology." There was no response, I shoved the door open all the way and swiftly sized up the room. The rocking chair, that Sapphire threw at me, was sitting in the corner, but the top part was broken. The bed looked like it hadn't been touched all day, but there was still no girl. "Sapphire?" I said more loudly, "Sapphire!" The door to her washroom was ajar, and when I still heard no reply, I enter, thinking maybe she'd tried to down herself in the tub, but still no girl!
"SAPPHIRE!" I screamed. Panic gripped me and I launched myself through the doorway, dashing out into the hallway and looking around as if she would suddenly appear out of nowhere. I couldn't even track her scent, as if had dispersed around the castle by now. Sudden footsteps came racing down the hall toward me, heels clicking loudly on the tile. I whirled, but no one was there, no Sapphire.
"Sire," I heard Brimley's voice say, "what's-?"
"Where-is-SAPPHIRE?" I snarled, I was still in a panic.
"I-I'm so sorry, Master!" I heard Lilla say, she was crying up a storm. "I left her to go wash the first floor bed sheets, like I do every week, and when I came back to get hers, she was...she was..." Lilla dissolved into tears and Brimley softly tried to comfort her. I stood, chest heaving and heart pounding, unable to fully comprehend the enormity of the situation.
'I told you that this would happen! You never listened to me! Just leave her out there; the cold will get her eventually!'
"We've been looking all over for her, sir." Brimley said, "Lilla came straight to me and I have all the servants searching. We didn't want to come to you until we were completely certain..."
"You didn't think I needed to know about this!" I almost yelled. No. No, no, no, no, no. This could not be happening. Not when things were going...not so well, but we were starting to make progress! How could this have to me? Are all females the same?
'Let me take control, Sagittarius! They're the ones who let her escape! Let me give them a piece of my mind!' You stay out of this! You've done enough damage.
"We were hoping we weren't going to worry you, Sagittarius." Brimley said.
"And..." I started to say panting, still panicked. "Tell me you found her!"
"I'm...afraid not, Sagittarius." He answered. I rubbed at my eyes, trying to remain calm though I felt as if my heart was dragging itself up through my throat.
"So...she figured out Lilla's schedule and seemingly has used it to...escape." I thought out loud, "Cleaver girl, but we aren't certain she's escaped yet, right?"
"Actually, sir," Brimley added, "the front door was found unlatched just a moment ago." The noise I made was midway between a snarl and a whimper. I couldn't believe this. Sapphire had left me; my life was over. I would be stuck as a werewolf for the rest of eternity."
'You shouldn't continue to hope that you will be free. Now that your only chance is gone, you should accept your fate.' I was just ignoring the Werewolf, I was too disappointed at the moment to care about what he said. Sapphire was only a jaunt through the forest away, trying to avoid the harsh life she's lived; forgetting I ever existed. She would go and be happy; I would be left to rot here while-
My eyes snapped open, the forest! Oh, good lord high-and-mighty, NO!
"Brimley," I said quickly, "you said the front door was found unlatched. Please tell me she wasn't the one to use it!"
"Actually, sire," he answered, "there were fresh footprints in the snow. Very strange shape they were in."
"And...Snowflake is gone as well." Lilla added. I jumped explosively and hurled myself down the stairs. Brave or not, there was no way that sheltered girl had the faintest idea on how to survive in the forest. She would lose her way, or freeze to death, or even...well, there were beasts in the forest far worse than the Werewolf. It would be just her dumb luck to run into one...because I knew there was one this close to the castle.
"Sagittarius, wait!" Brimley yelled out.
"I can't!" I yelled back. I wasn't about to let her reach an inevitably messy end. Hurling my shoulder against the heavy front door, I launched myself out into the snow, landing hard next to Snowflake's hoof prints. As I'd feared, they were heading straight into the forest. The snow was already filling in the small divots left by his hoof prints; the sun had set, but out here, Sapphire's scent and Snowflake's scent was crystal clear in the frigid air; I could follow it easily. I leapt over the wrought-iron gate with ease, the only thought in my mind was finding her and that horse. If I can find the horse, then I can find Sapphire.
Her trail weaved crazily through the trees, only adding to my panic and drive to find her as I realized that she had absolutely no idea where she was going or what she was doing, just that she wanted to get away from me. As the icy wind whipped through my fur, I was glad, for the first time, to have this body. It lent me the speed I needed, the strength to protect her, if required; the ability to find her when no one else could. Once or twice, other unknown smells crossed over hers. Fox or badger was easy to recognize, but there was the occasional breath of a darker, mustier scent, mixed with gunpowder. I recognized, and dismissed, the fact that hunters hand been through here recently. This forest was good for game, but Sapphire was my priority.
'You shouldn't have bothered to go after her! She ran away to get away from you! How many times do I have to tell you, Sagittarius? Sapphire doesn't want anything to do with you! You should just turn around and go back to the castle! Sagittarius, are you listening to me?' No, I'm not. I have to find her! 'What if she's dead by the time you do find her? What are you going to do about that?' I'm not going to think about that until I do find her. 'Just...give...up...Sagittarius!' I don't give up on my friends! It's true, I did consider Sapphire as my friend, even if she didn't feel the same toward me. Everyone needs a friend in their life, even loners need friends. The path went deeper into the forest, twisting around on it as she started to go in circles. There were one or two large dents in the blanket of snow from where she had fallen off her horse. Still, I tracked the faint scent of Snowflake's coat and Sapphire's cloak through the trees, twisting and winding through the snow-covered foliage and hoping that each step brought me closer to her. That was when I heard her scream.
It was the most gut-wrenching sound I have ever heard. It was the sound of someone faced with Death, unwilling to die but unable to do anything about it. It was the sound of raw terror; it was the sound of desperation. I bunched the muscles in my powerful legs and propelled myself through the trees, not caring about the snow and hail that rained down as I ran, or the branches that whipped me in the face, half-blinding me multiple times. I only know I had to get to her, no matter what.
Her scent was getting stronger now, much stronger. That cloak of hers smelled like it was sprayed with sunflowers and irises. I heard a second scream, only this time, it was followed by...something that's truly beastly, like a large animal's enraged roar. My nose filled with a sudden, unmistakable; pungent scent. I froze in my tracks, even as the trail dead-ended and I was finally close enough to see her. It was not what I wanted to see.