The next morning, Luna found herself wandering the streets of Calamor, the dawn's glow doing little to lift the weight of what transpired. She heard the shouting. Most of the girls did. She watched from the hall as they left. The pain in Mona's eyes had cut deep. Despite her loyalty to Fioré, she wondered if her choice was truly the best one to make. The city she had once called home now felt like a pen.
As she approached the docks, the murmur of the crowd grew into a cacophony of whispers and gasps. The smell of brine and fish mixed with a coppery tang that could only be blood. A toxic cocktail of curiosity and fear compelled her forward. To her surprise, she saw Lord Aldric and a battered Captain Cassian standing atop a wooden podium, silhouetted against the morning sun. The crowd was hushed, hanging on their every word. Luna listened in.
"–before you today." His gaze swept over the gathered townsfolk. "Our esteemed Captain Cassian was found last night in a most despicable condition. Betrayed by one some of you may have known as a 'hero'." He spat the word. "Our beloved Captain was viciously attacked, and an innocent life was claimed." He gestured dramatically to a large, blanket-shrouded form. "Behold, the handiwork of this so-called 'champion'."
With a flourish, Aldric motioned for the guards to pull back the blanket. The morning light revealed a lifeless form, fur matted with blood.
"This," Aldric spat, his voice thick with contempt, "is the work of your 'hero', Valen. He speaks of justice, yet he slaughters in the night like a common thug." His eyes narrowed. "You have been deceived. This man is nothing but a beast in human skin, seeking to destabilize the peace we've worked so hard to achieve."
As Luna pushed her way closer, the smell of blood grew stronger. When she finally saw the podium, her eyes widened. The body laid out was unmistakably beastfolk. Then, she saw it—the silver fur, the tail just like hers.
It was her sister, Millie.
A raw, primal scream tore from her throat, a sound that seemed to echo through the very core of her being. Her world spun out of control. Millie, the sister she had lost months ago. Tears streamed down her face as she stumbled back, her legs giving way. The world was a blur of furious faces.
She had to tell Fioré.
Luna turned and ran. The crowd went silent, watching her flee.
***
She burst into the Crescent Moon, stumbling through the dim hallways. Call girls looked up, startled.
"Lila!" Luna gasped, her voice hoarse. The vixen rushed to her side. "Get Fioré!"
Luna's legs gave out, and she crumpled to the floor, her body wracked with sobs. Lila nodded, disappearing to fetch the madame.
Fioré emerged from her chamber, her composure dissolving at the sight of Luna's distraught figure. "Luna," she said softly, kneeling. "What is it?"
"He killed her," Luna sobbed, her voice barely audible. "He killed my sister."
The words sucked the air from the room. "Who?" Fioré demanded.
"Valen," Luna choked out. "It was Valen."
Fioré's face paled to a sickly shade. "Valen? But he... he wouldn't..." The protest was automatic, the ghost of the trust she herself had shattered. Then the implications crashed down. Her letter. Her information.
Luna continued. "Lord Aldric and Captain Cassian... at the docks. They had her body, Fioré. They said he did it."
The pieces clicked into place. It was easy to wash her hands of a faceless victim. But the deal she made with Cassian to protect her own had delivered Luna's sister straight to the slaughter.
Her hand flew to her mouth. "This... this wasn't the deal," she whispered. It was a useless, hollow protest.
"Fioré?" Luna's voice was small, searching the madame for an answer.
The weight crushed Fioré's shoulders. She had sent Valen into a trap, thinking she was choosing the lesser evil. But as she watched Luna's world crumble, she saw she had simply traded one monster for another, and her own hands were now stained.
"Luna, this... this isn't what was supposed to happen. We need the truth." The old pragmatism fought with a new, rising horror. "Cassian... he promised no one would get hurt." Did Valen truly kill an innocent and have the gall to come here and indict me for it? "If Valen is the culprit, we will bring him to justice." She crouched down to Luna's level. "But if he's been framed...we must stand by him."
Luna's eyes met Fioré's, broken. She took a deep breath. "If he's a killer, then we can't trust him. And if he's a threat to us, then he's a threat to Mona." She paused, her voice dropping to a whisper. "I will not let that happen to her."
. . .
A day later, after their hasty retreat, Valen stirred in his bed at the Golden Petal Inn. He groaned as he sat up, his arm throbbing. The magic from the night before had taken its toll. He'd slept a full day, his body not keeping up like it used to.
He glanced down. The skin on his forearm had grown paler, almost translucent. The veins beneath were a spiderweb of ink, pulsing with each painful heartbeat. Then tendrils from before now snaked up to his shoulder. His stomach twisted. He'd hoped leaving his past behind would end this, but it seemed fate had other plans.
He looked over at the small bed across the room. Mona lay there, her features tense even in slumber. Her fur was ruffled, her tail twitching.
With a sigh, he slipped from bed and moved to the window. Dawn was breaking over Grinter's streets, casting long shadows. He threw on his cloak and stepped into the chill. The town was positively serene compared to Calamor; the smell of baking bread was the only siren's call here.
He wandered, his boots clicking with each step. He marched on, further and further from the inn's safety. His thoughts swirled. "Where do we even go from here?" he spoke aloud. Calamor was lost to him, and the noose around his neck was tightening. "How long will we have to run? Can I even protect her?" Her trusting eyes filled his thoughts.
A tavern door swung open with a groan. Valen's eyes scanned the dim room, his hand hovering near his whip. His gaze fell on the bounty board. Among the usual notices, his own name stared back. The words 'Murder' and 'Cruelty to Beastfolk' were etched in crimson ink.
The room turned cold. He took a step back. He had been their champion. Now, he was their enemy. He found a quiet table in the corner.
He pictured Captain Cassian. "I spare him, and he brands me a demon," Valen muttered, his grip on the whip tightening. "Perhaps I should have been one." The thought echoed. If he had ended that man on the docks, could he have prevented this?
"He's playing us all. Misleading everyone." He slammed his fist on a table. The sound echoed. Patrons' eyes darted to him, then away, their whispers swelling.
***
The tavern door shut behind him, the cold wind biting his cheeks. Twilight had fallen. Valen sat for hours, his thoughts a storm. Finally, his gaze found the warm glow of the Golden Petal Inn.
He climbed the stairs to their room. When he opened the door, a peculiar sight greeted him. Mona, usually so aware of him, was hunched over a small table, her yellow eyes zeroed in on a piece of parchment. Her tail flicked as she scribbled with a quill.
"What are you doing?"
Mona's ears shot up. She flipped the parchment over as those ears now went flat. "Oh! Valen, you're back," she exclaimed. She sat up straight, eyes darting.
His eyebrow arched as he stepped inside. He couldn't help but grin at the sight. "You're working on your writing? Now, of all times?" He took off his cloak, then approached the table.
Mona nodded fervently. "Yes," she whispered. "It's... important." She held out a crumpled page, her tail swishing. "I've been practicing. I want to leave a message for someone." She looked down at the scattered parchment. "But I can't get it right. Can you help me?"
Valen took the page. His eyes scanned the poorly scribbled letters. He saw his name, and Mona's. "It looks good to me," he said, confused. "What are you trying to add?" She didn't answer. He watched her take a fresh piece of parchment, eyes determined. "What is this for, Mona?"
With a mischievous smirk, she leaned closer. "It's a secret. But if it works, it could change everything." She dipped the quill, her hand shaking slightly. She wrote their names again, the letters clearer this time. She blew on the ink and slid the parchment to him. Once he'd glanced at it, she took it back. "Now, could you close your eyes?"
Valen chuckled. "Alright," he said, closing his eyes. "I trust you." He heard her scribble, then felt a light touch on his fingers. "You can look now."
He opened his eyes. He expected a doodle. Instead, he saw small, carefully drawn letters spelling 'love'. "You did well, Mona. Do you know what that word means?"
Mona nodded, eyes downcast. "It's what Luna taught me. It's when someone cares for you more than anyone else. When they want to keep you safe and happy, no matter what." Her tail swished slowly. "It's what I feel for you, Valen." She looked up.
Valen felt his walls crumble. She knew he was suffering, and she wanted to make him smile. The weight of his past love, the guilt of his failure. It tore it all down. "Mona," he began. "Love is complex. It's more than just caring." He sat across from her. "There was another catgirl, in my past. An adventurer. I... I cared for her deeply. But I failed her." He looked back at her, "I don't want to fail you, too."
She leaned closer. "But Valen," she whispered. "Luna said she loves her family. That's why she left to find her sister. And I realized... You're my family now. The only one I have. And I wanted to tell you I love you." She nudged his arm. "Like how Luna talked about her family. I know you're doing this because you feel like you have to. But, I still appreciate it. A lot."
"Mona, you're more than a responsibility to me. You're... you're like a daughter I never knew I needed, and I promise, I'll do everything I can to give you the life you deserve. I'm honored to be part of this odd little family with you. Thank you for believing in me, even when I don't."
"Y'know, I used to think I was just a stray," she confessed. "That nobody would want me around. But now... it's all I could ever dream of. But, what about the other catfolk? If you loved her, she must be special."
His gaze grew distant. "Ah, Elana," he sighed. "We found her chained in a slaver's wagon. Her spirit was unbroken. She was fierce. Independent." He smiled more with each word. "We traveled for years, fighting for her kind. Somewhere along the way... it became more." He paused, thumb tracing the scar on his arm. "But this cursed gift... it grew stronger. It began to consume me."
He looked into the candle flame. "We had a disagreement. She didn't understand the cost. I hesitated." He brought a hand to his chin. "Told her this next one would be the last." He laughed. "Couldn't even handle that. I collapsed midway through. And we found one of our potential rescues, gone. To this day, I think about what I could have done to save that little one."
Mona waited in silence.
"I decided then that I couldn't do it anymore. If not for the physical toll, the emotional one. When a young catgirl we saved wanted to train, I agreed. I had to pass the torch. But, Elana saw it as abandonment." His voice dropped. "And I know she was right, in some way."
"So what happened to Elana?" Mona asked.
"Last I heard, she's alive. On the other side of Elysia. It's been years."
"Do you miss her?"
"Elana was... everything to me, once. But we grew apart. She wanted direct action. I couldn't anymore." He met her eyes, half-lidded. "She's moved on. She's doing what she believes is right. I don't hold any of it against her."
Mona searched his face. She scooted her chair closer. "You can still do good, Valen. Teaching me. Saving those we can. You–"
"No, Mona. Truth is, I've made a lot of mistakes." He paused. "I still haven't learned anything. I may try to be better, but I could still do more. I–" Cassian's words came roaring back.
'You'll tell yourself you did everything right.'
Then Fioré's.
'She is safer here with me than Mona is with you.'
He shook them away. "I guess helping you find your place is one step on the path of redeeming myself." He took a shaky breath. "But it's a long one. And I'll never feel like I've done enough. Just don't make the same mistakes I did, Mona."
He stood and went to his bed. "Goodnight." He turned away from her. It was true that he had done some good, no doubt. But the ones lost will always haunt you. The what-ifs. The regrets. No matter how many he saved, the faces of those he failed stayed.
Their screams never fully faded. They only grew quieter.