Full Moon - Dixie Carnley (free novels to read txt) 📗

next scene was the day Ares’s father died. He was devastated and ran off to prove everyone wrong. Being the friend that I was, I went after him. When I had found him, he was beside his father’s body, years streaking his face. He had turned to me and then leapt after me. At first, I had thought he was attacking me, but then he ran past me and into a Pantherian who was about to kill me. Ares suffered a cut along his face, from his right jaw to the corner of his mouth, where it is now scared.
Just as the next sequence was about to take place, something tugged at me. I looked up and saw a figure standing beside my bed, his hand caressing my cheek. At first, I thought it was still a dream, but as I began to wake up more, I caught myself reaching for the stiletto laying on my bedside table.
“Who are you?” I sneered as he jumped back towards the window, where he was silhouetted against the light of the full moon.
The visitor bowed his head and looked at me with sorrowful eyes. “You have been through so much, Princess Arkanah.”
“I will ask one more time. Who are you?” I stood on the floor now, the cool wood beneath my bare feet.
“I have to go, princess.” With that he climbed agilely out of the window and disappeared without so much as another sound. I ran forward and saw something moving like a shadow in the darkness, sleek and fluid. The man in my room was a panther. Ares came in, ready for anything. I turned towards him as he lit the lantern beside my bed.
“Is everything okay, Anna?” He lapsed into the informal use on my nickname when no others were around. He gave me it when we were kids, just colts and fillies really. He had told me that my formal names, Arkanah or Arabianna, were too much of a mouthful.
“Dreams, Ares. Just dreams.” I stared out into the night, expecting to see the reflection of cat eyes, but witnessed nothing but the moon shining in the night sky and a hungry owl hunting its prey. Was that what my visitor had been doing, hunting? I listened Ares close the door quietly before making his way beside me.
“I can save you from panthers, tigers, and lions; the dreams is what scares me. I do not know how I can stop them.” He was genuinely concerned.
“Mother wants me to take the throne on my next birthday.” I explained what she told me, how she was tired of war. Then I lifted my eyes to his, dead serious when I say, “Ares, I would honestly slit my own throat if I thought that if would end this stupid war. We fight because we avenge the deaths of our loved ones, so on it goes. I am haunted by dreams after dreams where I kneel on the blood-stained battle field, screaming out to Epona as I hold a child in my arms.”
I put my head on his chest and he wrapped his arms around me. “You are so strong, Anna.”
I turned my head to that I could look out and into the night, and I swear I saw a flash on gold eyes blink at me three times and then vanish.

When I awoke the next morning, I was sore and tired from yesterdays events. The shock that I was not without a brother was just now settling in and believe me, I felt it in every bone in my body; a stiff feeling of loneliness. It haunted my every thought, a dark shadow that lingered over my shoulder. The vast cavity in my chest still lingered. I looked out my window, memories of last night coming to mind; my dreams, the talk with Ares, and then my midnight visitor.
There was a pounding on my door that made me jump two feet from the floor. “Arkanah, open the door!”
It was one of the guards. Swiftly, I jerked it open, standing there in front of them in my floor length flannel night gown. Jorden was a member of the royal guard, part of Ares’s herd. He has bright red hair that curled down to his shoulders and bright sea green eyes. “Is everything okay, Jorden?”
“Lady Arabianna, you are needed in court yard immediately.” He said, his fist over his heart and bowing at the waist, as was custom for my people to greet one of the royal family. I turned and ran to my wardrobe, pulling out a kimono. The kimono was a gift from a trader a few years back. The fabric was a deep green tone that brought out my emerald eyes, and it had an aquamarine green emblem embroidered onto it, a rearing stallion, which is the symbol of my nation. It ended at the floor, with a split clear up to my thighs, it had no sleeves, and the neck wrapped around my throat.
Jorden shut the door and waited outside while I got dressed. I pulled the nightgown over my head, trading it for a turquoise tank top and a pair of white silk slacks. Next came the kimono over it, sliding silk over silk. I grabbed my amulet from the draw in my side table, wondering briefly why the thief from last night had not taken it.
I practically ran out of the room barefooted with Jorden at my heels. “What could possible be so important that you all had to hype up security?” I asked, eyeing the guards everywhere.
“Milady,” his tone made me stop to look at him. “Ares was taken last night, someone broke into the castle and kidnapped him.”


In my dream, it always shifted from one scene to another. The first one was of my and Zane playing in a field with out father. He was in his horse form, a aw-inspiring white stallion. Zane and I were no younger than perhaps five. We were prancing around, thankful to be out of the confines of the palace walls, when Pantherians attacked. That day our father was killed. The next scene was the day Ares’s father died. He was devastated and ran off to prove everyone wrong. Being the friend that I was, I went after him. When I had found him, he was beside his father’s body, years streaking his face. He had turned to me and then leapt after me. At first, I had thought he was attacking me, but then he ran past me and into a Pantherian who was about to kill me. Ares suffered a cut along his face, from his right jaw to the corner of his mouth, where it is now scared.
Just as the next sequence was about to take place, something tugged at me. I looked up and saw a figure standing beside my bed, his hand caressing my cheek. At first, I thought it was still a dream, but as I began to wake up more, I caught myself reaching for the stiletto laying on my bedside table.
“Who are you?” I sneered as he jumped back towards the window, where he was silhouetted against the light of the full moon.
The visitor bowed his head and looked at me with sorrowful eyes. “You have been through so much, Princess Arkanah.”
“I will ask one more time. Who are you?” I stood on the floor now, the cool wood beneath my bare feet.
“I have to go, princess.” With that he climbed agilely out of the window and disappeared without so much as another sound. I ran forward and saw something moving like a shadow in the darkness, sleek and fluid. The man in my room was a panther. Ares came in, ready for anything. I turned towards him as he lit the lantern beside my bed.
“Is everything okay, Anna?” He lapsed into the informal use on my nickname when no others were around. He gave me it when we were kids, just colts and fillies really. He had told me that my formal names, Arkanah or Arabianna, were too much of a mouthful.
“Dreams, Ares. Just dreams.” I stared out into the night, expecting to see the reflection of cat eyes, but witnessed nothing but the moon shining in the night sky and a hungry owl hunting its prey. Was that what my visitor had been doing, hunting? I listened Ares close the door quietly before making his way beside me.
“I can save you from panthers, tigers, and lions; the dreams is what scares me. I do not know how I can stop them.” He was genuinely concerned.
“Mother wants me to take the throne on my next birthday.” I explained what she told me, how she was tired of war. Then I lifted my eyes to his, dead serious when I say, “Ares, I would honestly slit my own throat if I thought that if would end this stupid war. We fight because we avenge the deaths of our loved ones, so on it goes. I am haunted by dreams after dreams where I kneel on the blood-stained battle field, screaming out to Epona as I hold a child in my arms.”
I put my head on his chest and he wrapped his arms around me. “You are so strong, Anna.”
I turned my head to that I could look out and into the night, and I swear I saw a flash on gold eyes blink at me three times and then vanish.

When I awoke the next morning, I was sore and tired from yesterdays events. The shock that I was not without a brother was just now settling in and believe me, I felt it in every bone in my body; a stiff feeling of loneliness. It haunted my every thought, a dark shadow that lingered over my shoulder. The vast cavity in my chest still lingered. I looked out my window, memories of last night coming to mind; my dreams, the talk with Ares, and then my midnight visitor.
There was a pounding on my door that made me jump two feet from the floor. “Arkanah, open the door!”
It was one of the guards. Swiftly, I jerked it open, standing there in front of them in my floor length flannel night gown. Jorden was a member of the royal guard, part of Ares’s herd. He has bright red hair that curled down to his shoulders and bright sea green eyes. “Is everything okay, Jorden?”
“Lady Arabianna, you are needed in court yard immediately.” He said, his fist over his heart and bowing at the waist, as was custom for my people to greet one of the royal family. I turned and ran to my wardrobe, pulling out a kimono. The kimono was a gift from a trader a few years back. The fabric was a deep green tone that brought out my emerald eyes, and it had an aquamarine green emblem embroidered onto it, a rearing stallion, which is the symbol of my nation. It ended at the floor, with a split clear up to my thighs, it had no sleeves, and the neck wrapped around my throat.
Jorden shut the door and waited outside while