Gwenhwyfarr sat alone for the moment in one of the benches facing the fire of the inn. Almost to spite the half-full mug of coffee in front of her - and the two she’d already finished - the soft crackle and occasional pop of the wood burning seemed to pull her eyelids closed again. She was still uncomfortably full from the breakfast Phaedra practically shoved down her throat a few hours ago, and really only felt like curling up for a mid-morning nap.
From behind her came a heavily shuffled step and a loud yawn. Alnarra shambled sleepily by, rubbing tired eyes and headed towards a pot over the fire. “Hello little one,” she murmured with a tired voice. She was carrying a bottle of moonberry juice and poured it into the pot, splashing just a little onto the fire with a hiss.
Gwen covered up an answering yawn by quickly burying her face in her mug, finishing the contents. “Mornin’ mum.” The bruise on her thigh twinged and she winced almost imperceptibly as she got up to ask Donna for more coffee. “How’re you today?”
The Druidess yawned once more going to pour a cup of the hot moonberry juice. She sipped at it softly, shaking her head to clear it. “I’m awake,” she answered before going to crawl herself to one of the benching, sitting on it with another yawn and putting her head on the table.
"Mmm…" Gwen mumbled, “‘Bout how I feel…"
Alnarra patted the spot on the bench next to her, looking up at the girl. Gwen could see her hair looked unwashed since the other day and she was covered in hay. A slight hint of stable smell wafted over to Gwen as she took a seat next to Alnarra. “Your sister is asking about you, you know?” Gwen nodded once without saying a word, drinking her coffee with a sigh. Alnarra placed an arm around her, pulling her in to a one-armed hug. “She’s worried about you, and she wants to do nothing more than to see you, to talk to you about things a sister wants to talk about. She wants to know if you’re happy, who you’re dating, all those kind of things,” she smiled petting the girls hair.
Gwen sighed again, “I doubt it. She’s always looking for ways to get me in trouble. Probably still blames me for everything too. She doesn’t want to see me, just see me get punished…”
The Druidess gave a short little shake of her head, shifting quickly into her feline form. She raised her paw and turned Gwen’s face to look into her eyes. When she spoke again, it was with a firm and stern motherly undertone. “Gwenhwyfarr Lochlainn Thorn. Your sister is alone and scared in a town that she has never been to before, sleeping in the barn. Say what you will, but you are her blood… her only blood left in this world. She wants nothing more than to hear your voice and give you a hug. You are her Older Sister!”
"But I did that to her… Everything that’s happened to her, it’s my fault…"
Alnarra continued her stern motherly glare, holding the girl’s chin, “Little one… We have told you time and again that what happened that night, I know you think it was your fault… But it wasn’t! Do you hear me? And avoiding all of that… Avoiding it does nothing. She is your little sister, she is hurt, she is scared, and she is sad. Now you tell me anyone else in the world more qualified to go out there and at the very least… the absolute least to speak with her and tell her that her big sister is OK?”
"She knows I’m ok…"
The Druidess shook her head again, “She knows that others think you’re ok. She also knows that right now her big sister is ignoring her and can you imagine how painful that is?”
Her stubbornness refused to accept this talk. Gwen swung her head from side to side, trying to break eye contact. “She shouldn’t be here, mum… The Devilclaw will eat her up and spit her back out… She doesn’t need me,” she said with a tear running down her cheek, “she needs to forget I exist.”
Growing more stern and turning the girl’s head back to face her, Alnarra reprimanded “I don’t care where she ‘should be’, and frankly I don’t care about the Devilclaw at this very moment. What she needs is her big sister. Her big sister who has always taken care of her in the past. To go in there and be the responsible girl that I know she is. She is your sister…. your baby sister. This is NO ONE else’s responsibility but yours and you need to live up to it.”
Gwen swallowed, flinching back from the verbal assault and whispered hesitantly. “I… I can’t…”
Alnarra’s other paw reached up to cup her other chin, “Gwenhwyfarr Lochlainn Thorn… Of all the little girls in this town, of all of them that can and should do this… you. are. the. one. If nothing else… IF NOTHING ELSE, go out there, say ‘Hello.’ Tell her, ‘Look, little sister I am ok.’ Let her know that you’re alive, let her see your face. Don’t hide away from her like she’s some Forsaken plague…”
She continued whispering weakly, “What if she… Yells at me or says she hates me or… I don’t know, mum…” Gwen closed her eyes, “I know she’s me sis. And I love her… You… You couldn’t just go tell her I’m fine for me?” The thought of actually confronting Morgana at this point, after all this time, filled the girl with unexplainable dread.
"I have told her you’re fine. I’ve also held her when she cried into my fur because she’s upset and she’s afraid… but I’m not the girl’s blood. You are. Now if you want we can both walk out there and you can at the very least hug her, tell her that things are ok…" Alnarra lets out a low chuckle, "And if she yells, then she yells. That’s what sisters and brothers do from time to time. But in any case, I think it will be good for you both."
Gwen opened her eyes, fresh tears still running down her face. She scrubs at her eyes to clear them in that distinctly Lochlainn way. “Y-you’ll be there?”
"I’m your mum, aren’t I? Why wouldn’t I be there. I want to see you both be happy and the only way to do that is to at the very least have you two talking again. She’s scared, you’re upset, and neither of you should be. You are sisters." She goes to wrap her paws around the little girl pulling her into her furry chest before licking at her face to clear the tears.
With a loud sigh, Gwen took a deep, shuddering breath. And then another, more calm one. “Where is she…?”
Before answering, Alnarra pulled out a small muzzle and saddle combination from the satchel at her side. With a strange looking wiggle and certain skill, she fit it on. The end result giving off the impression of one of the Kaldorei riding sabers, complete with another stretch and a yawn. “She’s in the stables, little one. Hop on and I’ll take you there.”
"Hop… on…?"
"Yeah, I used to do this for my children all the time when they were younger."
——-
The two made their way to the stables, a grimace on Gwen’s face. Whether or not it was from the bumpy ride, her feet dragging slightly on the ground, or the impending confrontation even Gwen didn’t know. She clambered off the Druidess when they reached their destination, Alnarra shifting quickly back into her elven form with an audible groan. “Ms. Morgana there is someone here who wants to see you!” her voice was calm and pleasant. She wrapped her arms tightly around Gwen, holding the little girl close to her, giving her a small amount of comfort.
Morgana’s raspy voice called out from her stall. “To spot me, guv?” Gwen flinched against Alnarra’s shoulders at the obvious sounds of her sister’s damaged throat. “‘Oo would want to…” Her voice trailed off with realization and the sounds of hay rustling came from one of the stalls. Morgana appeared from around the wall with straw sticking out of her hair. She looked at the two standing across from her, “Sticky Paws…?” Gwen flinched again at hearing her childhood nickname. Her eyes were drawn immediately to the four claw marks that rent her sister’s face from forehead to chin and the milky white left eye looking back at her. She found herself unable to speak, faced with this spectre of her past.
"Your big sister decided it was time to come by and say hello." Alnarra spoke for her with a bright smile and a nod of encouragement. "She’s afraid that you want to yell at her. Now, I told her that’s not the case, at least not today." She chuckled as she gave a small but encouraging nudge to Gwen, pushing her towards her sister and whispering, "It’s going to be ok little one, just say hello and give her a hug."
"Yell at ‘er…?" Morgana looked surprised, "Why would I yell at ‘er?" Gwen stumbled forward awkwardly at the nudge. Hesitantly she mumbled as she took another step forward, "Um… Hi, ‘Gana…"
Alnarra kept pace with the woman, staying close to Gwen. “She’s… upset about what happened, more upset then she knows, and she’s afraid.” Gwen stopped a few feet away from her sister and Alnarra gave her a small, reassuring kiss on the back of the head, ruffling her hair with her hand. With another nudge forward the Druidess continued, “I told her that wouldn’t happen though, that you just wanted to see how she was doing.”
At Alnarra’s instance, the two Lochlainns hugged, Gwenhwyfarr awkwardly and Morgana with a genuine smile on her face. “Sticky Paws… C’mon. I told yer all were forgiven in the Light.” She smiled, her hand holding the back of Gwen’s head against her chest which forced the shorter girl to stare right into her scarred and damaged throat.
Gwen shuddered at another visual reminder of her violent change, “I know you did but… But you said nothing of what you think.”
Alnarra moved closer to the two sisters. She placed her hand on both of their shoulders, giving them both a pat and leaned down so she can be at their level, “It’s ok… you two are siblings. You must speak the truth to each other, and now so more than ever. If you sit on your emotions they will eat away at you.” She leaned into kiss Gwen’s forehead.
Gwenhwyfarr looked to Alnarra for a quick moment, taking a step back. She reached up hesitantly with her hand and traced lightly the scars on Morgana’s face. “I’m… I’m so very sorry, ‘Gana…”
Morgana, in a similar way, traced the scar around Gwen’s neck. “I know yer are, sis… Yer don’t ‘ave ter beat yorself up over this. I’ve forgiven yer.”
Alnarra walked back a few steps, watching from a safe distance between the two girls. She bit her lip as she found a place sitting on the railings with her arms crossed. Shooting them both a reassuring smile she offered, “If either of you need me to leave at any moment, please tell me.”
The two sisters looked towards Alnarra as if just remembering she were there. “Please stay mum,” warred with “Yer fine, Alnarra” as both sisters spoke up at the exact same time. They turned back to look at each other and laughed uneasily before lapsing into silence.
"Yer sure do ‘ave a bit of blokes ‘round ‘ere ‘oo care for yer…" Morgana said softly, after a time.
Alnarra gives a happy nod at the words and the laugh. She practically ripped Kykona out of her bag, going to whisper something to him. The little sprite darter was quick to fly towards the stables humming merrily as it went. Gwen smiled slightly for the first time, looking to her sister. “Well, the Devilclaw take care if their own you know. They’re like a second family.”
Morgana looked to Alnarra as if for verification before saying, “Well then I’m glad yer found them…”
Alnarra gave up her perch on the fence, going to walk over and hug Gwen tight. “She’s also pretty useful from time to time,” she giggled as she pointed to her green highlights. About the same time, the little sprite darter flew back with a rather strange looking gnomish device in its paws and looked quite proud of itself. The look of horror on Alnarra’s face could not be described as she began to shout vulgarities in Darnassian, causing the little sprite darter to start arguing back at her. Eventually Alnarra grabbed Kykona by the ear and pointed it back towards the stall hissing at it to go grab something else this time.
The two sisters laughed at Kykona’s antics. Morgana reached out and ran her fingers through Gwen’s hair, noting this week’s strawberry blonde color. She let out a small bark of a laugh, “And woss wrong wiv us natural ‘air color, Sticky Paws…?” She twirled a finger around her own tawny brown hair with a smile.
Gwen shrugged, “Spend two years on the run, ‘Gana… I’ve been trying to avoid notice by changing colors every so often.” She smiled, “Guess I’m just used to it now.”
Morgana’s hand fell back to trace Gwen’s neck scar again, her voice lowering. “Favver Abrachaim were wrong. ‘E shouldn’t ‘ave tried ter ‘ave yer ‘anged…” They lapsed into silence again, looking at each other uneasily.
"It was the priest who wished to have little Gwen hanged?" Alnarra tilted her head slightly before giving a nod "I see…" The small sprite darter came back, this time with a pot of freshly cooked soup. Alnarra is quick to spoon some out into three small bowls, "I see…" She bit her lip a bit, "Morgana… what happened that night. Gwen has told me what she remembers… but I want to hear your side as well."
Shock and horror shot through Gwen as she turned to give Alnarra a look full of meaning. Morgana, equally surprised, stuttered slightly. “Wot… Wot ‘append that night? I…” She turned her good eye to look back at Gwen, whose eyes were wide and appeared to be visibly shaking. “I don’t remember,” she lied quite obviously.
Alnarra seemed to notice Gwen’s look as well, reaching forward and grabbing hold of the girl almost protectively. Her expression is incredibly serious as she looked to the younger Lochlainn. “Morgana… she needs to know what you think happened that night.” She pulled Gwen down, keeping her nestled close to her and whispered, “It’s ok… it’s ok,” rocking the girl slightly.
Morgana took a deep breath, never taking her eye off her sister. “Gwenhwyfarr came ‘ome that night, right? I were messing wiv me doll by the fireplace but I could spot she’d been cryin’ and she were ‘oldin’ ‘er arm like she were ‘urt. Well… Her and us parents got into a fight and… And she yelled sumfink about not wantin’ ter take care of me and stomped up ter her room all angry like.” Gwen nodded along as Morgana recounted her side of the story. That night was clear in her mind as well, but hearing it told from her sister’s vantage point offered a new perspective.
"Muvver and Favver were goin’ on ter ffemselves so I snuck up the stairs ter see if I could ‘elp me sis… But wen I knocked on ‘er door I ‘eard this ‘orrible low growl…" Gwen felt tears come to her eyes, knowing what was coming next. Morgana stopped her tale at seeing this. She looked very unsure about whether or not to continue.
Alnarra pulled Gwen in tighter. Her tone was serious as she simply nodded at Morgana, “It’s alright. She needs to understand that the creature that attacked her sister that night wasn’t her. It was an abomination of Druidic magic.” Alnarra paused a very long time before speaking further, her own emotional rawness clear in her tone and a certain fear as she spoke quietly, “Just as I had to understand the creature which attacked and hurt my husband on the night of my children’s death was not me.” Gwen looked up into Alnarra’s eyes, the Druidess’s expression stone cold.
Morgana swallowed with some difficulty before continuing on. “Well I went back dahn ter go back to messing wiv me doll. Finks seemed normal for a few minutes, uvver than Muvver and Favver fighting quietly… Wen suddenly we ‘eard a loud crash from upstairs. Muvver rushed over ter me, Favver rushed over ter where ‘is weapons were wich I fought were right strange… Until this great big ‘airy beast came leapin’ from upstairs and tore Muvver oray from me. I remember Muvver screamin’… I remember blindin’ pain as me face were clored… I remember… I remember dyin’… She… She tore me froat out… I couldn’t spot out of me left eye… I couldn’t breaffe, the only sounds I could ‘ear were… Was my own gurglin’ and me Favver yellin’… And ev’ryfink went black…”
With a sob, Gwen turned away from her sister and buried her face into Alnarra’s shoulder. She cried pitifully, “I’m so… So very sorry.” Her voice whispered, “So sorry… Oh Light…”
"You both understand that the creature that killed your parents that night wasn’t Gwen correct?" she looked to Morgana, "The creature that did this to you was not, is not, and never again can be your sister. You know this right?" Alnarra nudged Gwen lightly, prying the girl away from her shoulder. "Shift to your worgen form… there is something I want you both to see."
Gwen’s eyes went wide as she stared into Alnarra’s eyes. She could hear her younger sister behind her protest, “She doesn’t ‘ave ter…”
Alnarra waved one finger under the scared Worgen girl’s nose but spoke sternly to her sister. “This is something you need to see Morgana, because you need to understand what attacked you that night, and you need to understand what and who your sister is now. More important than that,” she turned her eyes to the girl in her arms, “Gwen needs to understand exactly why things are different now,” She gave the two Lochlainns a deadly serious look, “You both need to understand for yourselves and for each other just WHAT the curse is and what it is not.”
Gwen hesitated for a few more moments before turning towards her kin. Morgana took a step back reflexively from her gaze. With a quick, deep breath Gwen shifted into her wolf skin, reaching in to that simmering pot of controlled rage and anger. She felt herself grow taller as always, now finally towering over her normally taller sister. The younger Lochlainn cried out, taking another step back as she looked at Gwen. Her back hit the stable wall and she shook her head. Gwen watched the look of panic growing on her sister’s face, felt the tears travel down her muzzle as her kin turned away.
The Worgen started in surprise as she felt Alnarra’s hands on her shoulder again. “Morgana! Look at us… Look at her, look in her eyes,” she practically demanded. “Tell me… and tell her… Look at her eyes.” Morgana slowly turned away from the fence, “Look at those eyes and tell me if what stares back at you is the same terrifying monster that took your father and mother away from you or if instead you see a scared, lonely girl who right now is hurt terribly. More then that I want you to touch her, because you need to feel that under that coat of fur, behind those scared eyes, it’s still the same Gwenhwyfarr, and it is NOT the monster, not anymore, and not ever again.” Gwen took a small step forward, which Morgana flinched back from. The Worgen let out a mournful sounding whine, flinching back in her own way and stared longingly at her sister.
Alnarra became more insistent, “Morgana… please. You need to understand, you have to understand what the curse ACTUALLY is, and until you look at her eyes, until you touch her like this, you are never going to understand that. Now I know you are a brave little girl, and this fur suit in front of you right now is nothing more than your sister’s out of control shaving habits.” Her voice goes quieter as she tries to comfort them both, “It is ok… don’t be afraid.”
Morgana turned a fearfully curious look towards her sister at the sad sounding whine. Slowly at first, and then gaining confidence as she crossed the stable yard, she reached Gwenhwyfarr and looked up into the Worgen’s golden eyes. Her hand reached up and Gwen flinched back from it, but Morgana continued on touching her older sister on the neck and feeling around for the neck scar there. “St…Sticky Paws…?” Gwen looked down at Morgana and gave her a small nod, swallowing audibly.
"What happened to your big sister is perhaps one of my people’s greatest failings, and a crime that is beyond words," She sighed before going to gently pet Gwen’s head, ruffling her hair. "But under that coat of fur, behind those eyes, it’s still little Gwen… your sister with the Sticky Paws." A certain smile crossed her face as she began to tickle the Worgen girl, "And she’s just as lost, hapless, and goofy as the rest of us."
"Hey!" Gwen protested and squirmed under the tickling. "Stop it mum!" She let out a bark of a laugh. Perhaps at the laugh, or the sight of her sister being tickled, or maybe at hearing Gwen talk for the first time in her wolf skin, Morgana pulled her older sister close into a tight hug saving her from the tickle attack. "It right is yer under there…" she whispered into Gwen’s fur.
Gwen looked back to Alnarra, her face full of the surprise she felt before wrapping her own furry arms around her younger sister. “Yeah, it’s me ‘Gana. M’sorry if I scared you. I’m so sorry… For everything…” They held each other close, both sister’s shoulders shuddering with tears.
The Druidess took a step back, smiling faintly to herself and letting the two girls just hold each other. “It has not been an easy path… for either of you. I’m sure it has been more difficult then I imagine, but you are both blood, and right now… right here you both have a chance to be next to each other. Family…” Alnarra choked up slightly, her voice full of emotion, “family is more important than the world itself.”
The two girls turned their three eyes towards Alnarra and they nod at the same time. Gwen looked back to her sister at seeing this with a brief chuckle, Morgana shaking her head at their similarities. Alnarra observed it all, beaming with pride. She knelt down a bit to look up to both of them, “You’re both going to be ok… It’s going to be a long and painful road, but you are both going to be ok… And I think that we should all schedule a trip… To see some people, to see an old place. Not right now… Perhaps not even soon, but eventually there is a place that the two of you need to visit together.”
Gwen had an inkling she knew where the other woman was thinking. “Not right now, no… We’re moving to camp up North for a bit for that contract, remember.” She looked to Morgana. “You’re welcome to come, you know…” Her younger sister shook her head almost immediately, “No. If it involves yor Devilclaw and contracts… No…”
"I will be moving with them as well to help tend to the wounded… but," Alnarra called from over their shoulders some distance away. She was returning from her stall in the stables holding in her hands a heavy looking book. Contained within are pages and pages of documentation on the Night Elf’s own internal study of the Worgen Curse, the stories which lead to the events, and everything else. She tentatively handed it over to Morgana, "While I’m gone you can read this. It’s been transcribed in common for the most part, but I left some notes for anything that’s still in Darnassian."
Morgana looked at the book, flipping through a few of the pages. “I couldn’t…”
Alnarra shook her head before the girl even started protesting, “I already had to memorize it all for a test and the like anyway,” She smiled a bit, “It’s something that can help you pass the time while we’re gone, and give you some insight on… why things are the way they are for your sister. When the world gives us unsettling blows it is best to look for the cause. Besides otherwise it’s just going to rot in my hay bale.”
Morgana curtseys low to the Druidess, “Thank yer, Alnarra…” She takes the large book, hesitates just a moment, and then gives Alnarra a hug. Gwen looked on a little awkwardly, still in her wolf skin.
With a smile towards the two girls, Alnarra took a seat in front of one of the still-steaming bowls of soup. She patted the ground around her, ”Well I don’t know about you two but I think that now is a good time for lunch, besides, Morgana was telling me just yesterday she wanted to ask you all about your love life,” she teased Gwen happily.
The Worgen girl melted down to her human skin with a deep breath, staring at Alnarra in horror. She turned her eyes to Morgana who laughed a raspy laugh as they both settled in front of their bowls of soup.
Alnarra gave a heatlhy chuckle before she teased Gwen once again, “She mentioned you didn’t always have a thing for older women.” There was a cheeky expression on Alnarra’s face as she shoved a spoonful of soup into her mouth.
Gwenhwyfarr’s opened and shut her mouth a few times, and she felt her cheeks turning red as she looked to Morgana. Her younger sister giggled around a spoonful of soup, swallowing with only a little difficulty. “I were tellin’ ‘er about yer little crush on the neighbor boy. Yer remember ‘im, right? Wot were ‘is name again?” She shot a lop-sided smile at her older sister.
Gwen shook her head, remembering the boy fondly. “Conall…” She whispered. “I haven’t thought of him in years…”
Giggling at the sisterly chatter, Alnarra patted Gwen lightly on her back “Oh, Conall was his name, eh? And what did he look like?”
Gwen’s voice turned wispy as she finally sat down to eat as well, “Oh… A good hand taller than me. Hair as red as a flame… Gorgeous emerald green eyes…” Her cheeks reddened further as she shoved a spoonful of soup into her mouth. The two women sitting around her laughed loudly at her expression as they sat and talked pleasantly for most of the rest of the morning and well into the afternoon.
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