Page 133 of Sun Warrior

Danita hadn’t meant to speak aloud—hadn’t even realized she had until Bast’s head snapped around and her preternaturally sharp eyesight focused on the rock and then on Danita crouching beside it. With a delighted yowl that turned into a chirping, happy greeting, Bast broke off the game of chase she was playing with her Companion and raced to the stream, leaping it with one flying jump, running directly to Danita. She giggled as the big feline almost knocked her over, rubbing against her, purring loudly.

“It’s good to see you, too!” Danita kissed the Lynx on the head between her charcoal-tufted ears.

Danita had been so happy greeting Bast that she’d almost forgotten about Antreas. Then he spoke as he crossed the stream in a more sedate manner and joined them. “What are you doing here?”

“Thinking,” Danita said.

“Pretty far from the burrow to be thinking all by yourself.”

“Well, part of getting away to think means gettingaway.And I’m not all by myself. You and Bast are here now. What were you two doing? It looked like you were playing a game.”

“I’ll tell you if you tell me what you were thinking about,” Antreas said, sliding up to sit on the flat-topped boulder.

Danita gave awell, why not?shrug and climbed up beside him, with Bast jumping up gracefully with her. “I was thinking about being a Moon Woman. And I’m nervous about dancing my name to the moon tonight,” she admitted.

“Aren’t Isabel and Jenna dancing with you, too? They were also accepted as Moon Woman apprentices.”

“No, we’re dancing one at a time, and I’m first. It’s really a personal thing—an introduction through the Great Mother to the moon as another face of the Goddess. Tradition says it’s more intimate, more respectful, to do it one at a time.”

“Then that’s all you need to remember tonight,” Antreas said.

“What is?”

“That it’s personal. It’s between you and the Goddess. That’s all you need to care about—not the watching Pack, not even Mari or Sora. It’s just you and the Goddess out there. No one else.”

Danita studied him thoughtfully. “That’s actually helpful. I’m not nervous about the Goddess; I’m excited. And if she’s all I think about, I can pretend like no one else is even there tonight.”

“Exactly! And you don’t have anything else to be nervous about. You’re going to make a great Moon Woman.”

Danita’s brows hit her hairline. “Why would you say that?”

“Because it’s the truth and it’s a nice thing to say. Or at least I meant it to be nice. The way you’re looking at me right now, I’m not so sure.”

“Oh, it was nice to say. I’m just confused about why you said it.”

“I thought I covered that in the first part of my answer. Because it’s the truth. You’re going to be a great Moon Woman.”

“How do you know?”

“Bast told me,” Antreas admitted.

Danita turned her head to meet the Lynx’s yellow-eyed stare that was so much like her Companion’s. “You think I’m going to be a great Moon Woman?” she asked the feline.

Bast chirped at her, then coughed, then purred like a storm as she rubbed against the girl.

“I know I don’t have to tell you, but for the record that’s a yes.”

“I get that.” Danita blew out a long breath. “And that’s a relief.”

“So, you believe her?”

“Of course.” Danita frowned at him. “Don’t you?”

“Yes! I always believe Bast, even when I don’t want to,” Antreas admitted.

“So, your turn. What were you two doing flying around the forest?”

Antreas chuckled softly. “Flying?”