Sachi - part two

By Natasha Luepke

Category: Story/Post The 10th Kingdom
Rating: PG-13
Summary: An ending and a beginning. Sequel to "Indra."

Disclaimer: At this point, the majority of the characters are mine; Wolf and Virginia belong to NBC and various other companies, as does the entire "9 Kingdoms" concept. I make no money off of this; sue me, all you get is my Brothers Grimm.

Feedback: Please? That'd be fan-tastic. Addy is: [email protected]

Archive: Yes! The two parts of this story don't necessarily have to be separated; however, please include my Notes to Part 2 in the beginning and list the rating as PG-13. I'm not even sure if this warrants a PG-13, but better safe than sorry!

Notes to Part 2: Okay, this is my first try at action/violence; I'm gearing up for the forthcoming tales of Leonida the Bard. Anyway, violence is really hard to write and what eventually happens/almost happens is, to me, scarier than being kidnapped by trolls or locked in an Eastern Empires prison.
* Deep breath* Feel better, thanks. Enjoy! -NML

Dedicated to Nat and Arch, and whoever taught Arch "lomadi."

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"And he showed me things, many beautiful things, that I hadn't known before." -"I Know Things Now" from "Into the Woods"
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Part Two

"The trio's return to the village was surprisingly uneventful. Luna and Lomadi remained dozing in the woods while Indra collected the few possessions he'd need for his new life (and convinced a brother to take over the inn).
"Luna yawned and whispered to Lomadi, `Would you like to know a secret? You can't tell Indra though!'
"Lomadi crawled closer. `Sure!'
"Luna shifted her eyes from side to side, as if searching for eavesdroppers. `I'm part human.'
"Lomadi recoiled. `What?'
" `Well, my father is a half-wolf-`
" `You mean all two legs and hairless?'
"Luna laughed. `Yeah, although I hadn't thought of him that way. He's the most wolfish looking human you'll ever meet. Plus, he has a tail. And so do I, in human form.'
"Lomadi crept closer again. `A tail?'
" `A fluffy one, just like yours,' she said nuzzling him. He giggled. `Would you like to see?'
"Lomadi stopped laughing. `No. It's nice to see a wolf face.' He looked away.
"Luna nudged him with her snout again. `Okay, I'll stay a wolfie-but just for you. And you can call me "Luna," my human name.'
"Lomadi shook his head. `What is it with you humans and names?'
" `Hmm,' Luna mused. "It's so we can keep track of one another. Why, do you not like being called "Lomadi"?'
" `Well, it sounds better from you than that girl in the woods.'
"Luna smiled and shook her head.

~*~*

"Indra returned that evening with a gift for Luna.
" `This,' he said, laying the purple cloth at her feet, `is to replace the one that was.ruined.'
" `Thank you,' Luna replied. `That's very sweet.'
"The trio set out for the Nine Kingdoms under cover of night. Luna took the lead, Lomadi at her side.
"In the days that passed, Indra grew a little jealous of his companions, that they could converse without his understanding a single word. Lomadi taught Luna about being a wolf, best as a child can. Luna, at least, had gotten better at distinguishing basic scents and sounds (mainly due to an overdue lesson from her father, who hadn't realized he'd been so lax in her education). It was Luna who first sensed another presence in the forest.
" `Lomadi, she whispered, `three.humans, a little ahead of us. Above us, in the trees. Right?' Lomadi nodded.
"Luna was about to call back to Indra when the thieves attacked. They boasted swords and daggers; Indra produced a knife for defense. Lomadi and Luna bared their teeth and growled.
"Luna rarely had to defend herself physically, and was only comfortable doing that in human form. Still, she lashed out and bit the first appendage she could find. She got herself into a scuffle with a bearded rogue, until she received a hard * Crack! * on her right front leg. She released her hold on his shirt and reflexively slipped into human form to assess the damage.
"The scuffle stopped when a woman appeared on the forest floor.
" `What do we have here?' her former attacker sneered.
" `Nothing,' she snapped, jumping to her feet, right arm cradled against her body. In a vision filled with dust and leaves and tousled hair, Luna saw Lomadi chewing on a trouser leg and Indra involved in a dagger-duel. She slipped her own dagger from her boot, holding it level to her opponent's chest, left hand shaking just a little.
" `Is this your first time?' she asked patronizingly, congratulating herself on such an action-hero comment.
"Her opponent kicked the dagger away and forced her onto her back.
" `Is this yours?' he said sweetly.
"He was knocked away by a flying wolf. Luna sat up, noticing that the other two men were gone and that there was a lot of blood on the ground. Indra bore a few cuts and bruises, but no worse for the wear.
" `Are you okay?' Indra asked her.
"Luna took a few ragged breaths. Her arm, wrist, and back hurt. `No,' she stammered and began to cry. Indra held her as gently as he could; Lomadi returned and licked her cheek.
"Indra patched the three of them up, biding Luna's arm with the purple scarf he'd brought her from the village. Luna noticed the word `Sachi' embroidered on the cloth.
" `Why are you in human form?' Indra asked.
"Luna scratched Lomadi's ears; he was sitting at her feet. `I have a final secret, Indra. I'm not a were-human, or a were-wolf, or cursed by a gypsy. I'm just Luna Lewis.'
" `Then how are you a wolf at all?' he asked, cocking his brow.
"Luna smiled. `I * am * part-wolf. I was taught to shape shift, and how to talk to animals.' She yawned and prepared to sleep.
" `Are you going to remain a human?' Lomadi whispered, lying beside her.
" `Most likely. But I'll still talk to you.'
"He yawned; he was growing fast and looked less like a cub every day. `That's all I want. That and lamb chops.'
"After the attack, Indra, Luna, and Lomadi stayed on the main roads. Their lives on the road became dull, revolving around eating, sleeping, and walking.
"Their path took them to Kissing Town. (By this time, Luna was sure they were taking the most roundabout way back to the castle.) Indra stayed on, to paint portraits. He had grown fond of Luna, and asked her to stay, but she remained steadfast in getting Lomadi to safety. Indra pointed out that anywhere in the Fourth Kingdom was safe, but Luna had to be absolutely sure that Lomadi would be okay and would have a home.
" `I thought he was your mate for life,' Lomadi commented on their way out of town. Luna was seemingly impervious to the hearts, and cupids, and love magic.
" `Mmm,' was Luna's only reply.

~*~*

"Luna's parents had been off on their own adventure; Luna arrived at Wendell's castle a few hours after their return. Luna left Lomadi hidden in her room while she conversed with her family in Tony's apartments.
"When the conversation turned to Luna, she was about to tell her parents how she had joined the family's long tradition of being imprisoned once per adventure. However, Wolf cut her off.
" `Luna-who have you been hiding from us?'
"Luna smiled. She should have counted on her father's nose guessing her secret. `Lomadi, an Eastern Empires wolf. He's a little shy about meeting my pack, so I believe he's hiding under my bed.' Luna went to fetch Lomadi.
" `They want to meet you,' she whispered to him. He had burrowed into the sheets. `Dad will know what to do.'
" `Do?'
" `Cripes-you know, where you should live.
" `Right.'
"Virginia and Wolf were a little wary of Lomadi, as all parents are when meeting their daughter's wolfie friends. But he was young, and charming, and had a sad story, and had saved Luna's life, so he was quickly accepted into the pack.
"That night, after dinner, and baths, Luna and her father had a moonlight talk. The full moon was a day away; the two sequestered themselves on a balcony.
" `What do you think of Lomadi?' Luna asked. "What should we.do.' She flicked her temple.
" `Ah, little sausage,' Wolf said, drawing his daughter near. `You should be careful. You've won the heart of a furry little chap of your own.'
"Luna stared at her father.
" `Oh, yes. I saw how he wouldn't leave your side. That kind never does.' He smiled."

~*~*
Leonida bowed, her tale complete. Wendell's court clapped politely. My parents' tales are still the most popular, but mine are gaining.
After she'd had a drink, Leonida joined me in the small courtyard off of the main hall. I sat on the bench, stretching out my legs.
"Did I get it right?" she asked, leaning against a low stone wall.
"You didn't use your lute."
She laughed. "Then I'd have to sing it and make it rhyme. Know how hard that is? I'm not paid enough for that."
"Ah." I reached to my throat, touching the bit of cloth there. "You like my ascot? It's made from Indra's scarf."
Leonida inspected the purple cloth in the torch light. "Oh, hey, it has `Sachi' on it. That word came up several times in your tale. What does it mean?"
"Oh--"
"Luna!" Lomadi called. ("My wolf bays for me," I explained as I stood.)
"Anyway, it's a girl's name. It means `Wife of Indra.'"
"Wait a sec. Is there something you didn't tell me?" Leonida asked.
I smiled. "No." I stroked Lomadi's head as we went back inside.
The End

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"Speak to me baby/In the middle of the night/Speak to me, hold your mouth to mine/Cause the sky is breaking/`S deeper than love/I know the way you feel, like the rains outside/Speak to me." -Moby, "The sky is broken"
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