A Duet of Wolves and Sparrows

Chapter Nine

After their picnic by the lake in that clearing, Hazel found that the rest of the week flew by. The things she ordered online arrived fairly quickly despite her location, which had been rather a big relief. In the mean time she had added some of her own decorations to the place and her house was starting to feel more and more like a home. 

There was a series of art prints from her favourite small artists placed along the back wall in her living room. She had collected them over some time and was glad to finally see them pinned up somewhere other than her bedroom. They deserved to be seen by anyone who visited her. They added some more personality and colour to the room, bringing her own interests into the foreground.

Her favourites included a couple of pieces in the style of Art Nouveau, as well as a few from an assortment of artists that she followed online. There was one of a wolf surrounded by fireflies, which she was particularly fond of, so it took its place in the centre of the arrangement. There was also one of a character she was fond of from a comic series that she was reading and another couple that were of an owl and a stag. 

As for the rest of the house, more of her own books were on the shelves, there was an abundance of fairy lights in the lounge, back room, her bedroom and also in the library, over the reading nook.  They were a nice, pretty way of having enough lighting to read her books without trouble, without having to turn on the main lights in the room.

She had also been thinking about installing a couple of dimmer switches, which were something she had always thought was cool. 

In the time since her picnic, Hazel had also been back to the clearing a few times on her own. She found that she liked to spend time there in solitude and often thought of the green-eyes wolf while she sat peacefully in the grass. She hadn't had any dreams about her wolf as of recent and she was a little bit sad about it; she found that it was causing her to miss her dream companion quite dearly. 

There were a few times when she had heard her wolf, as well as some others howling in the forest, but never as close as they had been that night when she had seen her wolf between the trees. A part of her regretted trying to go outside that night. Perhaps if she had stayed where she was and watched from her window, then the wolf would have stayed and returned to her again on other nights.

Now she slept alone.

She supposed that it wasn't really so bad, just lonely. It left an aching in her chest that, if she thought about it too much, would cause her a decent amount of discomfort. It almost felt like that day had been a rejection, it felt like she had done something wrong and she didn't know what it was, what it possibly could have been.

She honestly wasn't sure if she should bring it up with Luna and Alex, she wasn't sure if they would understand or not. It was probably one of those things that people would laugh at or simply be confused by. After all, who really gets upset and lonely over something like a recurring dream? Some thing that hadn't even happened in real life. 

But perhaps she just wasn't giving them enough credit. They were both good people. They were kind, thoughtful and they didn't seem like the types of people to mock her for something like that. Her dreams might not be real, but they were real to her, they were impactful to her real life even if they only happened while she was asleep. Her friends would take that seriously... she hoped.

Hazel moved from her bedroom to the kitchen, making use of her new toaster to make herself a couple of crumpets that she could take back upstairs to her room. She let them toast for two minutes, smothered them in butter and jam, poured herself a glass of apple juice and made her way back up the spiral staircase. 

She resolved herself to tell them when they would next meet up to spend time together. She couldn't keep her feelings to herself and she knew that they would be accepting of her, even if they didn't understand. She wasn't used to putting her faith and trust in people, but she figured that telling them about her concerns would be a good step in the right direction.

She had already mentioned the glade and the wolf to Luna before. She wasn't entirely sure how Luna had truly felt about the revelation. It felt as though it had held some weight between them, but they had let it become background noise as they ate together. Hazel found that she really wished that she knew more about Luna, the girl seemed so open and friendly, but she was simultaneously so mysterious. 

She sat down and ate her crumpets intermittently as she typed away at her laptop. She was writing another blog post for her website. Her first post about the forest and the shop she had been to went down a treat with her readers and followers. They had greatly enjoyed the change of scenery and encouraged her to make more content for them. 

She was happy. So, so happy about where she was in life at that moment, happy about where her life seemed to be headed. She didn't have to worry about pressure and expectations and business deals with companies she didn't care about. She could just do what she loved, write what she liked to write, create what she liked to create. She knew that she was good at it and she was ever so glad that she was able to make a comfortable living too.

Hazel planned to do some vlogging soon, taking footage of one of the woodland trails as she walked Floss. She wanted to show her viewers around, but didn't want to give away anything that would make it too obvious where she lived. She was fine with them finding the small businesses there, but she certainly didn't want anyone going to her house, or releasing her home address online. 

It was a good job that Bleydh Forest was so enormous. There was no way that they would be able to pinpoint the places where she went on walks just from analysing her surroundings. It was a scary thought, that people might try to find where their favourite influencer or content creator's location, but it was a reality. It was why she used a virtual network to protect her devices.

That day, she planned to meet with Luna at the stables at midday. She still had about an hour of time to kill, and so she took her time getting dressed. She figured that there was no need to shower first, seeing as she would definitely be showering that evening after mucking out the horses.

They had talked about Hazel going to help out at the stables before and had finally come to agreement on the day and time. She didn't have too much interest in it, just a subtle curiosity about what it would be like, but she figured that as long as she was with Luna, she would enjoy the work.

She threw on some skinny jeans and a plaid shirt, tying her hair back into a ponytail and pulling on her walking boots. She didn't bother with any makeup that day, knowing that she'd just be sweating and it would make her feel gross, and she didn't want to worry about wiping her forehead and taking off a layer of foundation at the same time. 

Alex knew they had plans and his mother had offered to watch over Floss while they worked, which had been incredibly kind of her. So, Hazel grabbed Floss' lead and they made their way down the gravel path to the town. Floss was definitely excited and would likely thoroughly enjoy a day with Mrs Blackwood. She was an vibrant and caring woman with an air about her that just made you feel at ease. She was the embodiment of a loving mother and she treated Alex's friends like her own children. Hazel was immensely glad to have met her.

They made their way through the town until they reached Alex's farm. Hazel let herself in through the gate, closing it behind her and walked around to the front door, knocking a couple of times and waiting. Soon enough, Mrs Blackwood was standing on the other side with a wide smile on her face.

"Hazel, dear! You're here, and with your lovely fluffy girl!" She greeted gleefully.

"She's been practically bouncing off of the walls waiting for me to bring her over to see you." Hazel said, looking over at Floss, who was wagging her tail so vigorously, she thought the Samoyed might lose her balance.

"She certainly is full of energy this afternoon." Mrs Blackwood remarked, shaking her head with a soft, fond smile. "Well, you better hand her over so you aren't late to the stables. Luna has really been looking forward to putting you to work in there." she laughed.

"Well, I've been looking forward to being put to work." Hazel replied. "I think it'll be fun, as long as it's with her."

"You know... I think she likes you too." Mrs Blackwood said, giving Hazel a knowing look which caused her become immediately flustered and red in the face. 

"H-how? W-who? What?" Hazel stuttered, feeling embarrassed at having been caught crushing on Luna. Had it really been so obvious?

"You and Luna, darling. It's plain as day to see that the two of you are head over heels for each other. I've lived a long life, dear, these eyes see everything. Besides, you weren't exactly hiding it very well." Mrs Blackwood said, chuckling softly at Hazel's flustered state. "You should tell her how you feel. I've found honesty can come with risks, but oh boy do the rewards outweigh them."

"You think I should?" Hazel asked shyly.

"I think you should. I think you could avoid a lot of wasted time." She replied.

"M-maybe I will then... I guess... if the timing is right." Hazel said a little hesitantly.

"It's natural to be a bit nervous, dear, but you have to grab hold of things like love and leave your fears behind." Mrs Blackwood encouraged her and Hazel felt a little more certain about it. "If you keep chasing after the right time, it'll never come, so don't overthink it. You just have to let your heart take the reigns."

Hazel, unable to find words to say, simply nodded timidly, but with a newfound resolution. Maybe Mrs Blackwood was right, maybe she should just swallow all of her reservations and face Luna with all of her honesty and sincerity. She had been planning to say more about her dreams, planning to open up more to her new friends. This would be a step further than that, but maybe there really wasn't a right time that she had to wait for, maybe the right time would be whatever she made of it.

She left Floss at the farm with Mrs Blackwood, who said that she would take the dog for a nice long walk around the forest behind their property. It really did pay to be surrounded by trees on every side. Hazel bid her goodbyes and made her way back over to the gate. 

As she closed it behind her again, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath to steady herself before going over to the stables.

Before she could turn around to walk over, Hazel heard Luna calling out to her. She quickly turned around to see the energetic blonde running towards the fence on the other side of the street. Hazel smiled and walked over to meet her there.

"Hazel! You came! You're right on time! I'm so excited or today, I have to show you around!" Luna called, waving before hauling herself up to stand on the lowest bracket of the wooden fence. 

"Luna! Hey, I just dropped off Floss with Mrs Blackwood!" Hazel replied, reaching the fence and looking up at Luna with a grin. She really was the most beautiful woman in the world.

"You better just climb over the fence and join me." Luna suggested, grinning back mischievously. 

"Alright." Hazel agreed and immediately hauled herself up in front of Luna, causing them to be face to face, only a few inches apart. 

"I meant next to me, not in front of me. Now look at us, we're stuck, I'm going to have to get down to let you over." Luna almost whispered, eyes drifting from Hazel's eyes down to her lips.

"Maybe I did it on purpose." Hazel said back, voice low as she gazed back at Luna, the thought of just closing the gap and kissing her almost overwhelming her in her mind.

Before she could act on her desire though, Luna smiled and jumped back off of the fence, clearly teasing Hazel, though she herself was sporting flushed, pink cheeks as she giggled to herself.

Hazel pulled herself up and over the top of the fence and landed soundly as she jumped off at the other side. She walked over to Luna and grinned.

"You're such a tease." She joked and Luna smiled like the sun was hidden behind her lips.

She didn't say a thing before she was walking off towards the stables, a skip in her step as she went, her long golden hair tied into two long plaits as it always was. Hazel felt like a sunflower and Luna was the sun. She looked on after her for a moment, smiling at how deeply she had fallen for the girl in what felt like such a short amount of time. All the weight in her chest from the absence of her dreams was gone in Luna's bright presence. 

Instead of the heaviness that had previously sat in her chest, her heart felt full and warm, tingling with delight. 

Hazel followed Luna to the stables, unable to hide the joy from her expression. She was just so happy with Luna that it was impossible to be anything other than what she was. She found herself wearing her heart on her sleeve and it felt so natural and yet so foreign, like a privilege that she had been granted by the universe. 

She used to hide things away. Sure she fought for herself when she could, but it had always been shut down or resulted in some kind of punishment. Out there, the Luna and the forest and the magic of it all, Hazel could be herself, her full self without holding anything back or trapping her feelings inside of herself.

Luna showed her around the stables, introduced her to the horses, showed her where they kept all of their equipment and guided her through all of their tasks with patience and excitement. Hazel watched Luna as she worked, listened to everything that she was saying intently and helped her complete each task of the day with all of her diligence and effort. She really wanted to give her all in everything that was with Luna. 

They worked together, sharing everything as Luna took the lead, helping Hazel wherever she could. It was impossible for Hazel to stop her mind from latching on to little details about Luna. The way she carefully brushed a loose strand of her hair behind her ear, the way she sometimes closed her eyes while she laughed, the way her happiness seeped into everything around her, the way her smile could light up the whole building and the way her green eyes sparkled and lit up whenever the sunlight hit them at just the right angle. 

They were all things that Hazel continuously noticed, that couldn't by any means escape her attention. They were all laid out right in front of her, clear as a freshwater stream. It was magnifying, alluring in ways she could never articulate and it was all just simply 'Luna'.

It was all of her, it was everything that she could see when she looked at her and everything that she couldn't.

She wanted to know more, to know everything, to share all the secrets that they held. Hazel wanted to stay, she wanted to stay there in that moment forever, held in time where she could admire it. Yet, she also wished for more, for more of everything Luna wanted to give.

Perhaps it was fast, perhaps it was something that should happen over a much longer amount of time than a few weeks, but Hazel knew what she felt and she felt it oh so strongly and completely. She knew that it was right, she knew that Luna was it for her. She wasn't ready to put it into so many words, but perhaps she was ready for something. A step in the right direction.

It was rather simple when it happened.

Luna was laughing in that pretty way that she did. They had just finished mucking out the last of the stalls and were about to head out through the back to Luna's house, where they would be able to clean up and get changed into some clean clothes. She had been joking about something, smiling up at Hazel when she had leaned down and kissed her softly and fleetingly.

"I like you, Luna. I like you a lot." Hazel confessed.

"I... Hazel..." Luna raised her fingers to her lips without touching them. "I... I like you too... a lot." 

It was odd for Luna to be the flustered one rather than Hazel, but it was a welcome change. Hazel felt her heart soar, she felt like she was flying, like everything around her had fallen exactly into place.

"Will you be my girlfriend?" Hazel asked, innocently.

"I will." Luna said, beaming. She brought her arms up to rest on Hazel's shoulders, careful not to dirty her hair or skin. "I would like to kiss you again, now please, girlfriend."

"Of course you may." Hazel replied and smiled into the kiss as she leaned back in and placed her lips against Luna's once more. 

It was longer this time, Hazel feeling less of a need to hurry now that she knew that her feelings were returned. It was like floating, like standing in the centre of a white cloud as the sun shone through it with a gentle caress of light. 

Too soon they were pulling away once more, gazing into each other's eyes. It was perfect and Hazel knew that she would never grow tired of it. It felt like something had finally clicked, like her heart and soul were finally right where they were supposed to be.

She thought that the movies had gotten it all wrong. Love wasn't all fireworks and worlds colliding and big explosions and throwing yourself into someone's arms. Love was a lot more gentle than all that; it was the ocean arriving on the shore, a whispering warmth that enveloped everything, it was the light of the hazy sun and the softness of the moon.

It shone brightly through the dark and reflected back all the light that it received.

They held hands as they went, laughing, smiling, basking in each other's radiance.