Silver Moon Huntress

Emma

“Emmaline! We were supposed to be at the baby shower twenty minutes ago!”

“Coming!”, I yelled back, as I tied the last strand of stars to the mobile that would be my niece’s first gift from me.

My sister, Ada, had given birth to the most angelic little pup. She was cream and roses, and I fell in love with her the moment I saw her. I knew I had to make a perfect gift for her, which was why I was making us late.

Obviously nothing could ever be good enough for the little angel, but I put my heart into the project. I stood back, admiring my handiwork. The delicate gold ring hung from an invisible string, with glittering gold stars and a lovely silver moon swaying gently beneath it. Fluffy white clouds shrouded the white wolf I had painstakingly hand-painted, so that the breeze revealed it howling at the moon above. Not too shabby.

I gently wrapped the gift in a blush pink box and quickly tied a ribbon around it. In my loopy handwriting, I scrawled, “For Lily, From Auntie Emma”.

We arrived at the baby shower, which was clearly well underway, judging from the ruckus that was audible from the end of the block. My mother adjusted her sun hat and straightened my father’s tie, then pushed the gate to the backyard open. In typical Ada style, the yard was totally decked out. My sister had a way of going completely over the top, yet somehow her parties were still perfectly tasteful.

“Mama!”, she squealed, catching sight of us. “I’m so glad you made it! Dad, you should probably head inside. Matt’s hiding in the den; I think there’s too much estrogen out here for him”.

My father, a quiet man of very few words, looked grateful for the chance to escape the festivities as he slipped through the sliding door that led to the den.

I took a seat next to my sister and offered her my gift. Opening the box, her eyes grew wide.

“Oh Em, it’s lovely”, she whispered, lightly tracing one of the stars. “It’ll look perfect in the nursery”.

“I’m glad you like it”, I said with a sigh of relief and a smile. My sister was quite the perfectionist, and I always worried about keeping up with her standards.

“I need a picture with all my girls!” Shouted my mother.

We quickly bunched together as my mother shoved her camera into the hand of the closest party guest. We smiled for the camera, and Lily cooed from her place in Ada’s arms.

“Oh girls it’s beautiful!”, gushed my mother. “I definitely need to have this one framed”.

I looked at the photo and saw four ladies, all with the same dark hair and blue eyes, but still somehow different. Ada was the mirror image of my mother, with wavy midnight hair and full red lips. Both women were tiny and dainty, with dimples and a lively twinkle in their eyes that hinted at their mischievous streaks. I could already tell that Lily would be just like her mother.

I was the beanpole of the family, having inherited my father’s height. My hair matched theirs, but it was longer. I liked to keep my hair as long as possible in an effort to hide how angular I was, but I knew it didn’t really work. When I was younger, I felt huge and gawky compared to my petite sister, but overtime I came to accept that while she was tiny and ladylike, I could reach stuff on the highest shelves without asking for help. Everything has hidden perks.

Another difference between us was how outgoing Ada and my mother were. They were the life of the party, while I was content to be the quiet girl by their sides. It wasn’t that I didn’t find parties and conversations interesting. On the contrary, I loved to hear the little tidbits of gossip flowing around me, and no one really bothered to keep their voices low near me. I guess everyone just figured there was no danger in revealing things to me because I was so quiet. That was true. I wasn’t one to gossip myself, I just liked to live vicariously. I wasn’t shy, I just preferred to listen rather than talk.

“Em!! Snap out of it!”, Ada said, poking me in the side. I put the camera down and turned my attention back to her. “I was asking you if you’d had any luck finding your mate yet! You know the season is coming up! I know you want someone to couple up with”, she said with a cheeky wink.

I blushed but said, “Adaaaaa, you know I’m not worried about things like that. It’ll happen if it’s meant to!”

“I know, but you’re twenty! I mated to Matt when I was eighteen!”, she replied. “And I thought I was a late bloomer!”

“Let her be, Ada”, said my father quietly. He and Matt had just emerged from the den, beers in hand.

Ada rolled her eyes but let the subject drop. My father might not say much, but when he did, his words were obeyed.

I sat there quietly while people laughed and gossiped around me for the rest of the party. To be honest, I was starting to think I would end up joining the pack’s Old Maid’s club. I’d already found a wolf that caught my eye, but he didn’t even know I existed.