Sole Wolfess and Kid
© 2022 by M. Mitch Marmel and Walter Reimer

(The Sole Wolfess and Aedith ‘Sunny’ Winterbough are courtesy of E.O. Costello. Thanks!)
Thumbnail art by  tegerio, color by  marmelmm



Part Eighteen.

I kept my Elf-mind locked down tightly as I walked, thinking about what B.E. Moth had said to me.

Why would an Unseelie fur seek ME out?

Elves Don’t Lie - could I trust the Unseelie to tell the truth?

Was this a ploy on his part, perhaps to have me or the Guard chasing that trio while he committed a crime?

Were the trio actually up to something, or were they simply ruses?

I needed to talk to someone, but who could I turn to?

Where would I find such a person?

Why am I asking you?

[Note appended to manuscript: “Well, if you really want an answer – “]

[Note appended to manuscript: “I withdraw the question.”]

I resolved to sleep on it, address the problem in the morning with a clear head, and think things through before taking any action.

[Note appended to manuscript: “My, my – are you feeling well, wolfess?”]

[Note appended to manuscript: “Shaddap.“]

None of my wards had been tripped, and I looked in on Aedith and saw that she was still sound asleep and smiling. Tempted as I was to try some Elf-mind and see what she was dreaming about, I decided that it was best she sleep undisturbed.

Leaving her to her dreams, I got ready for bed and fell asleep.

“Good morning, Mommy!” I blinked my eyes open to see my daughter, wearing nothing but a happy smile. “The sun’s up!” And so saying, she turned and flung open the curtains, facing directly into the rising sun and singing:

“Here comes the Light, la la la la!
Here comes the Light,
And we say, it’s all right!”

It sounded very catchy, and I asked, “Where did you hear that, Aedith?”

“I read it in the book you bought me, Mommy,” she replied, still facing at the sun until I could see her fur starting to glow.

Still blinking sleep from my eyes and licking the morning taste from my mouth, I couldn’t help but smile with her. Aedith’s only truly happy when she’s out in the sun, and I was very happy that she was happy.

And that the children’s prayer book I’d bought was already being used. The Master would call that a good return on investment.

“What do you want to do today?” I asked her.

The question caught Sunny off guard, but only for a moment. She’s a very smart and Elf-ly young wolfess. “Can we go to the Temple?” she asked.

“Sure,” I said.

She tipped her head and dipped her ears. “And a post-ball game?”

Well, I did ask her. I can’t fault her for taking advantage of the offer. “If there’s one being played,” I said, and I managed to keep my tone of voice pleasant.

Besides, it earned me a delighted hug and nuzzle from my daughter. “If we’re going to go see a worship service,” I said, “we need to get cleaned up and get some breakfast.” She laughed, clapped her paws happily, and started to work while I got out my furbrushes and pronounced a few cantrips on myself and my clothes.

Breakfast was remarkable for a distinct lack of mayhem coming from the kitchen, and I gathered that the extraordinarily execrating ermine, Ernest, had been given the sack by the hotel’s staff. Based on what I had seen the previous day, I wonder who had the courage to tell him to his face. The meal didn’t suffer by his absence, and Aedith and I enjoyed bacon and very tasty muffins before heading for the Temple that we’d visited earlier.

We joined a crowd who had gathered, waiting to get in. I noticed something, and I said to one femme in front of me, “Excuse me, but aren’t people supposed to disrobe?”

She turned and replied, “There is no time, Ma’am. Many, if not all, of these people are on their way to their jobs and daily business.” Her solemn demeanor and expression never wavered. “There may be some who will revere the Light that way during lunchtime.”

“I see.” She was a short, stout bear femme, but what really stood out to me was what she was wearing. She was dressed in the same black uniform and white cap that Nippy has been wearing, but her ‘mob cap’ as the Master calls it bore two black bands around the headband. “Are you – “

The sow immediately put a fingertip to her lips, and I closed my mouth. We gazed at each other silently for a moment before she gave a single nod and turned around as the crowd moved forward into the Temple. Sunny had her attention on the crowd and the shafts of light pouring through the eastward windows.

I’ve seen the fragments that the Master brought back with him from Eastness and installed with Nippy’s aid in Princess Grace’s grotto. When the light through the piece of stained glass strikes a small, sculpted mouse, it stirs and sings the word Glory. Grace herself told me that the entire wall of the fane opposite the windows would move and sing praises to the Brilliant Light every sunrise.

I can only gather that the reign of the Ospreys (it must be recalled that the Late Alastair was the sixth of his name, and the sixty-sixth of his unlamented line) had not been good to the artificers who’d built the original Temple. No singing statuary in sight, but the congregation made up for it by simple devotion.

Elves live a long time, so I’m certain that there are people working on recreating their predecessor’s works.

The worship service began and ended with song, with the priestess that Sunny and I had first met, Olivia, leading the proceedings. Her homily was something I considered very appropriate for the time of day; the tigress exhorted people to work hard and cheerfully, business furs to deal truthfully and fairly, and everybody try to treat each other with respect.

There was some brief dancing, which Aedith and I joined.

As Olivia delivered her benediction, I suddenly felt something stir in one of my pockets. I reached in with a paw and felt the outlines of a small piece of card.

I glanced around and caught the eye of the bear that I’d spoken with earlier. She gave me a rather significant look, followed by a bare fraction of a nod before joining the crowd filing out of the building.

Before the last of the crowd had dispersed, Aedith was suddenly in front of Olivia. She could move pretty quickly if she wanted, and I walked over to hear her ask, “Are you going to teach me this morning?’

Olivia glanced at me, and I said, “It’s one of the reasons I brought her with me, and we have nothing pressing.”

The tigress grinned at me. “Thank you,” she said to me, and she and Aedith stepped into a pool of sunlight and sat down on the floor. She started talking to my daughter, and to my surprise Aedith pulled the copy of the Brilliant Light prayer book from her Elfintory.

I briefly wondered what else my daughter might have in there. Chances were good it wasn’t a Giant Elfhamian Frog, but I wasn’t going to crowd her too much about her Elfintory’s contents.

While they talked, I took the opportunity to wander around the now largely deserted Temple, and casually slipped my paw into my pockets as I admired one of the frescoes on the walls. After glancing around and keeping my Elf-mind carefully blocked, I took the card from my pocket.

Cloaks, by the way, are great for concealing what you might have cupped in your paw.

The card was white, with the following written on it in very severe black printing:

Teahouse of the Rising Sun
Serving Lunch and Tea
Noon to Fourth Hour

On the back, in flowing script, it read, “Ask for Ah Pon.”

Hmm.

My ears flicked as Sunny laughed at something Olivia said.

I wonder if Aedith might like to go to this ‘teahouse’ for lunch.

Surreptitiously slipping the card back into my pocket, I continued walking around as my daughter got a lesson on how a Priestess of the Light does things.



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