Nightshimmer

"Why haven't you given up on him?"
"Because I still love him."

The grand hall of Queen Frostbite's court glowed under the golden rays of the sun. Aurora, the goddess of the sun, stood tall and regal, her fur shimmering like the brightest noon sky. Her eyes, cold and piercing, rested on Nightshimmer, who kept her head lowered, trying to avoid the weight of the goddess's gaze.

"Why?" Aurora's voice cut through the silence like a blade. "Why do you still love him, Nightshimmer? After all he's done. After what he became."

Nightshimmer winced. The memories of Vulcan—before the prophecy, before the monster—rushed through her mind. She took a deep breath, lifting her eyes to meet Aurora's glare. "Because I remember who he was before the darkness took him," she said softly. "The wolf who fought against his fate for as long as he could. He was kind, gentle… everything I believed in."

Aurora's eyes narrowed, and the light around her seemed to grow more intense. "That version of Vulcan is gone, Nightshimmer. He's a monster now. Darkness devoured him. How can you still hold onto that… hope? Even he has abandoned it."

Nightshimmer's heart clenched at the harshness in Aurora's words. She straightened, voice trembling but steady. "I don't love the monster, Aurora. I love the wolf who tried to fight it. I love who he was… not who he is."

Aurora turned her back, her golden fur glowing in the light. "Love shouldn't be this blind," she muttered. "You're loyal to Queen Frostbite now, yet you still carry his shadow with you. Doesn't that burden weigh you down?"

The question lingered in the air, and Nightshimmer hesitated before answering. "Yes, it does," she admitted, her voice quieter. "But I've learned to live with it. Burying my feelings doesn't mean they disappear."

Aurora's frustration bubbled over. "How can you—"

"Enough, sister." A voice as cool as a summer night interrupted.

Cynthia, the goddess of the moon, emerged from the shadows, her presence calming in contrast to her fiery sister. Her teal eyes brought a cool light to the room, and she approached Nightshimmer with a gentle grace, standing beside her.

"Not all love is logical, Aurora," Cynthia said softly, casting a meaningful glance at her sister. "You, of all wolves, should know that."

Aurora's golden eyes flashed with impatience. "Real or not, it's dangerous," she argued. "Vulcan's darkness is dangerous. She can't pretend to love someone who doesn't exist anymore!"

Cynthia smiled faintly, her gaze shifting to Nightshimmer. "Perhaps. But love isn't always about what's safe. Nightshimmer loved the part of him that resisted his fate. That's not something you can just forget, no matter how much he's changed."

Nightshimmer felt her heart lighten at Cynthia's words. She nodded slightly, gratitude swelling in her chest. "Thank you," she whispered.

Cynthia's soft smile remained as she addressed her again. "You don't need to defend your love to us. It's your burden to carry, but it's also yours to cherish. The past is still a part of him, just as it's a part of you. And I, for one, understand that."

Aurora let out a frustrated sigh, the brilliance of her light dimming just slightly as she shook her head. "I still don't agree," she said, her tone softening but still firm. "But I won't push you further."

Nightshimmer looked down, a small, sad smile forming on her lips. "I know you don't. But… thank you, both of you."

The tension in the room eased, though the weight of unspoken words lingered. Nightshimmer's heart, still heavy with the love she could never truly let go, found some comfort in Cynthia's understanding. Yet, the shadow of Vulcan's memory remained, and she knew it would never fully fade.

Meeting Again

"Ah, welcome, Nightshimmer," Vulcan's silky voice echoed across the cave. Nightshimmer flinched. His voice was much more sinister since he had become the monster that the prophecy had prophesized, but she could still hear a trace of her childhood friend.

"Nice to see you again, Vulcan," Nightshimmer padded towards the black and red wolf cautiously. She hadn't spoken to him in a long time and wasn't sure how much he'd changed.

"What do you want?" Vulcan's demeanor changed immediately, his gaze as sharp as daggers. When Nightshimmer jumped back in surprise, he laughed, "Oh, dear Nightshimmer, I can tell when you want something from me. After all, who would pay me a visit for fun?"

"The pack wants you to take our pups and raise them here," Nightshimmer began, taking a deep breath. Vulcan squinted, trying to see if she was serious.

"Really? So now they intend to use me a pup dump," He mused.

"Those are our pups!" Nightshimmer snapped, grabbing Vulcan by the throat. "And they are not garbage to be thrown away!" Vulcan didn't flinch away from her grasp, instead grinning wickedly.

"Yes, of course they aren't," He agreed slyly. "Since they want to send... unusual pups to me as a gift, how about I send you back to them with a gift?" Before Nightshimmer could respond, he continued. "Hold still for a moment, dear."

He held out a paw, forming a dark ball of magic and then waving it across Nightshimmer's face. She blinked. Her eyes felt different, and were those voices in her head?

Nightshimmer...

"What did you do to me?" She snarled. Vulcan laughed.

"Oh, nothing serious, I only changed the color of your eyes so they'll know the spirits that haunt you."

"What?" Nightshimmer was starting to lose her patience. "What spirits? And how did you even do that to me? I thought you couldn't do magic without permission from the wolf."

"Oh, I figured out how to manipulate the part of you that still loves the version of me that's long dead," Vulcan explained. "I studied it for a while so I could use it on you when you visited."

"After all, it is revenge for what you did to me..."