In the Light of the Moon

The woman smiled. It's almost time, she thought, placing a hand on her swollen stomach. It's nearly time for the girl to arrive. Just at the right moment too; she's tired of the constant paranoia. The woman shook her head, dismissing those thoughts, and continued to place items in the chest. Just as she closed the lid, a wave a pain ripped through her. She cried out, and a doe stuck her head into the dimly lit cave. 

"Go get him!" the woman commanded, gritting her teeth. "Tell him that she's coming!"

Immediately, the doe turned around and bolted away. When the doe returned, the animal wasn't alone. With her was a man. When the woman spotted the man, she smiled, but her face immediately contorted in pain. 

The man rushed over and took the woman's hand. "Come on, my love, let's get you up into the forest."

The woman nodded, she was in too much pain to speak. The man helped her out of the cave and into the forest above, all the way murmuring words of comfort and encouragement. The doe followed them out and approached the woman. She gently rubbed her head onto the woman's side, and the woman petted her with a shaking hand.

The doe started creating a place for the woman and man to sit. She gathered moss and leaves and made a nest of some sort. Carefully, the woman sat down. The sheen of sweat on her forehead gleamed in the setting sun's light. The man sat down next to her and clutched her hand. She gave him a weak smile before crying out in pain.

As the sun dipped below the earth and the moon replaced it, the woman's pain grew stronger. But once the moon shined directly over them did the woman give one last cry. But the tranquil forest did not remain silent for long, for the shriek of a baby replaced her. The woman mollified the baby, whispering her love to it. The baby's hair was the color of spilled ink, and green eyes that faded into her pupils shone beneath her black eyelashes.

The woman washed herself and her baby in the nearby lake; but the baby began to fuss, so the woman let the new-born drink from her breast. Then swaddled it in a silver blanket and placed her in a basket. Suddenly, the doe's ears perked up and narrowed its eyes.

"No," the woman whispered, her tone filled with horror. "They weren't supposed to find us here!"

"Quick, let's go! Before they get any closer!" the man took the woman's hand and tugged gently.

But the woman broke away and bent down, kissing the now-sleeping baby's forehead. She chanted something so softly that even the deer couldn't hear what she said, but the man knew what she whispered. A black smudge surfaced on the baby's right cheek. It cleared up and took the shape of a crescent moon. Strands of the baby's hair began to lighten until it matched the color of the moon above them.

The woman kissed the baby once more, then looked at the deer. "Please, take her to my brother! Quickly!" the woman choked out, and a single tear trickled down her cheek.

The deer stomped a response and grabbed the basket in her mouth. Then she turned around and dashed away into the brush. The woman let out a small sob, but the man tugged her hand again. She wiped away her tears and nodded. The couple took off into the trees.

Not a minute later, a dagger struck a tree where they previously stood. On the silver blade, a symbol lay: an eagle with its wings spread and its talons bared, and a lightning bolt striking the ground behind it. A man emerged and pulled it out; a completely black wolf trotted out from behind him. Not a patch of color, besides black, covered the animal. Save for its eyes; they were a brilliant gold.