• Doth the moon care for the barking of a dog?
    ~Robert Burton

    The Moon shone brightly against the trees of the Black forest. The night was calm and cool, belying its true intent. Two figures walked along the desolate path; one somewhat like a man yet more beastlike, the other more beautiful than any woman could ever hope to be.
    "So, Sha-theed, what is it you have brought me out here for?"
    The woman paused and turned to look at him. The soft light fell on her silvery hair, her pale skin, her refined features, and her clear blue eyes. He couldn't look into those eyes, not now.

    "Can I not request time with my love? Must there be a reason for a night such as this? I should think you would be happy that I choose to show you extra care and affection. Or don't I make you happy anymore?" Perhaps, he thought, that will put her on the defensive, and she will stop questioning me.

    "I'm quite happy" she laughed, "But it doesn't seem like you to be so thoughtful." The Goddess felt that tonight was special, for some reason. Her instinct told her so, and it was never wrong.
    "Do you mean to say I am uncaring?" The werewolf was almost insulted by her remark.
    "No, not at all. You are caring, and ever the gentleman," She soothed him, " But it seems as though you have something on your mind… Please, my dear Sha-theed, tell me what it is that bothers you? I don't like to see you suffer so." Cassiel tried to look into his eyes, but he quickly turned them away. She loved his eyes; they were just like a wolf's eyes, with their golden yellow color and ancient knowledge. "It cannot be the moon, for I have not made her full yet."
    "Nay, it is not the moon. I know she is not full yet, for neither am I." He suddenly became angry. "You must enjoy having such power over my shifts, do you not? You love to see me out of control of my mind, my body, and my soul, don't you! Don't deny it!" The werewolf looked at her abruptly, waiting on an answer.
    "No, my love, I never have wished to control you. It is something I cannot change, although I regret it. It is the duty of a moon goddess to take the moon through her cycles, no matter who it effects." At this, she looked kindly at him, again searching for the eyes that turned away. Sha-theed had not expected this reply, not at all.
    She lies, he told himself, she enjoys that power and you know it! How I wish the Moon would drop out of the sky, and her with it!
    "Now, my darling, will you yet tell me why you have brought me all this way, unless it was merely to accuse me of misusing my power. I would hate to think that was all there was to tonight. It would be disappointing to learn that I was only to be scolded." Cassiel knew Sha-theed inside and out, his moods and feelings. She knew there was something more than what he said, and she hoped it was better then what had come before.
    Of course it will be, she mused to herself, for he would never do me harm. Whatever is on his mind, I'm sure it is good and will make me quite happy.

    "You have been correct all along, my dear Cassiel. I thought perhaps tonight we could have dinner, which I have prepared and set out along the banks of the river. But we must hurry; the food grows cold, the wine grows warm, and the Sun shall be risen all too soon. You, as well as I, do not enjoy his company", he added.
    "Dinner along the river? Why, such a beautiful idea! How ever did you conceive of it?"
    "My dear, I have many thoughts which you know nothing of. This is but one of them."
    "You should subscribe more of your thoughts to actions, if all your thoughts are like this one." The wolf shook his head; no, not all of his thoughts were like this. Very few, actually. This particular thought had taken a hold of his mind quite some time ago, and had grown and festered ever since.
    "We must hurry, before we run out of time" he urged. Cassiel laughed at him.
    "We have all of eternity to share, we may take our time, darling."

    "But will the moon ever be as clear? The air so crisp? Perhaps, perhaps not. But why take the chance, when we can enjoy this evening as if it were the last we would ever have? That is the way you must treat life, as if it wasn't going to last much longer." Calm yourself, he thought, you are being over talkative and suspicious. Be calm. She does not know.

    "Tonight will not be our last, no night ever shall be. As long as the moon shines in the sky and turns the ocean tides, I will be here with you and you will be with me. That was our vow; to remain together until everything ceased to be. Have you forgotten so easily what you promised me?" Tears sprung into her eyes, to think that he did not love her. It was unbearable to believe that his promises were lies, that his vows were false.
    "Dearest Cassiel, never believe such things! I have promised you the world, and I intend to keep my promises! And tonight, I have promised you a dinner next to the rushing river, and dinner you shall have. It is the finest cuisine you can imagine, a feast fit for one such as yourself."
    They came along the end of the path, revealing a low table set with the most rare china dishes, and heaping plates of both fruit and meat. On one end were two bottles of wine, "One for you, and another for me. Tonight is a great cause of celebration, and we must have plenty of wine." he explained. They began to feast together; her on the fruits, him on the flesh. She paused after taking a bite of an especially juicy pear, and looked at her love thoughtfully.
    "So why have you prepared this moonlit supper? What is the true occasion, my dear?"
    He smiled, a grin which he knew she found intoxicating. "Ah, my dear, the occasion is to celebrate life. Love. Eternal happiness to all. Shall we toast to those glorious things?" he said, holding an empty glass up for her to see, His eyes darted to her bottle of wine, wishing her to drink it to the last drop.
    "Not yet, I have barely finished my plate, and I like to allow time for the meal to settle before moving on to the wine. Besides," she added, "we are toasting eternity, so I believe we shall have time to wait." She traced his fingers along his arm, waiting for his response. At first he was caught off guard by her speech, but recomposed himself after a moment.
    "Well, then, let us continue eating our fill, and toast later on."
    And so they continued on in the same fashion as before, stopping only to make small conversation. Sha-theed grew more anxious with each passing second. It was getting nearer to the dawn, and he had no intention of letting the Sun find him on that morning, nor for many thereafter. Finally, in the hour before sunrise, Cassiel was ready to drink.
    "Shall we open the wine now?"
    He nearly fainted with relief. "Yes, we shall." He opened the two bottles and filled the glasses, raising his in the air. "To love, joy, and peace, all of which may be eternal."
    "Lovely my darling, just beautiful." She took a sip of the wine. "Sha-theed, there is something wrong with this wine, I am sure of it. The taste is not quite right."
    "Nonsense, it is fine. Perhaps under aged," he lied. He knew quite well that something was not right in the drink.

    "Why do you lie to me?" She caught his eyes this time; a cold hard glare that he could not turn away from. "A connoisseur such as yourself, that knows of all the finest drinks and where to find them, and you think I would believe that you had brought me something under aged? Why is the drink foul, I wish to know!" Recognition clouded her eyes. When she spoke again, her voice was soft. "So this is it then? This is how you shall end my life? How have I wronged you, that you should do this to me?"
    His face grew hard, and he broke her gaze. "You could control me; I did not wish to be controlled. You had power over me, and love for me. I could not bear to think of you, in a fit of jealous passion or rage, turning my strongest weakness against me." His keen senses could feel the rhythm of her heartbeat slowing down, in anticipation of the end that was coming. "I did what had to be done. Just as a slave must not fall in love with its master, nor prey its predator, neither should a werewolf fall in love with the moon." At this he ran off into the woods, to the west, away from the rising Sun.
    Cassiel lie on the ground, knowing there was nothing she could do to prevent her tragic fate.
    How have I come to be here? She wondered.
    I suppose there's no use thinking about the unfairness of this event, but what to think about while dying, if not death? Her mind began to wander, the poison seeping into her mind. She looked at the western horizon, hoping for one last glimpse of her murderer, seeing instead the Moon about to dip below the trees.
    My beautiful Moon, she reflected.
    Who will take care of you now that I am gone? Perhaps you are mature enough to carry on alone; you will out live me. How unexpected. Well, I suppose not all stories contain happy endings. Perhaps my brother would be so kind to keep me in his memory and watch over you.
    She drew her final breath and forced out three small words:
    "I love you".
    With that last gasp, she lay her head down never to rise again, just as the Sun came up and chased away the Moon.