Page 75 of Moon Chosen

“No. Leda died before she could begin training me.”

“I thought you’d been working with Mama for a while now,” Mari said.

Sora fidgeted restlessly, shifting the big fern Mari had made her dig up and carry with her from one arm to another, grimacing at the streaks of dirt left on her skin and brightly colored tunic. “I was supposed to be observing her. You know, while she Washed the Clan. I’m willing to admit that I could have been paying better attention, but I don’t remember seeing her do anything with any plants. Well,” she added quickly, “I know that Leda used plants to heal sickness and tend wounds. But that’s not the same thing as drawing down the moonfora plant.”

“Actually, it’s exactly the same thing. I’ll show you what I mean as soon as the moon rises. The thicket is definitely in need of some care.”

“Really? It looks good to me,” Sora said. Tentatively, she touched one of the unnumbered thorns that were on guard, pulling her finger back with a little squeal and putting it in her mouth. “They’re so sharp!”

Mari’s gaze grew soft and far off. “Fireflies and moonlight. Mama used to say the thorns are made of fireflies and moonlight.”

“Well that’s odd. Why would she say that?”

“I’ll show you tonight.” Mari motioned for Sora to move with Rigel within the thicket. “Come on, you’ll have to stay close to me, just like Rigel does. We have another walking stick. Eventually you’ll learn the ways in and out of the thicket, but until then it’s going to be pretty confusing, and even dangerous, for you.”

“Ouch!” Sora squeezed a long, deep scratch on her arm.

“That’s the point. And I told you to stay close to me. I have to hold the branches aside for both of you.”

“I don’t want to get too close to him!” Sora said in a fierce whisper, pointing at Rigel.

“You’re going to have to get over that. Don’t bother him—or me too much—and he won’t bother you,” Mari said.

“He’s just so big. And his teeth are ridiculous.”

“Okay, stop whispering. Rigel can hear better than either of us. And he understands way more than you’d believe. Plus, his teeth aren’t ridiculous. They’re supposed to be big and bad. He’s only going to get bigger and badder, too. So get used to him and stop acting like a silly Scratcher.”

“Don’t call me that!” Sora said, causing Rigel to give her a hard look as he bared his teeth at her. “See what I mean.” Sora pointed at the pup. “We can’t even have a conversation without him threatening me.”

Mari lifted a shoulder. “Be nice and he’ll stop doing that.”

Sora blew out a long, frustrated breath. “I’m not being intentionally mean, but he is scary.” Then she gave a little squeal of pain as a strand of her long, dark hair got caught on a bramble.

“You are giving me a headache,” Mari said as she jerked Sora’s hair free.

“That hurt!”

“Just keep up with me. And now you know why I keep my hair braided.”

“Leda’s hair wasn’t braided,” Sora said stubbornly, smoothing the strand back and rubbing her scalp.

“Leda was a lot more graceful than me—or you for that matter. Okay, watch out. We’re taking a sharp turn to the right, and then an immediate turn to the left. Than we start climbing up in a zigzag pattern.”

“Can I put this fern down?”

“No.” Mari held another bramble branch aside. “It’s not much farther.”

“So, even if someone thinks they know where your burrow might be, they couldn’t get inside this bramble thicket,” Sora said, scooting past Mari carefully.

“That’s the idea.”

“Do you ever get used to coming and going through all of this?” Sora asked, looking up at the wall of thorns that, like the walls of an ancient labyrinth, almost blocked out the evening sky.

“All of this keeps us safe. Not only am I used to it—I appreciate it. You should, too.”

“Oh, I do. I think it’s magnificent! I just don’t know how I’m going to re-create it,” Sora said.

Neither do I,Mari thought,but I’m going to figure it out. The sooner her burrow’s ready—the sooner she’s out of mine.