By the Light of the Moon by Laila Blake

when you were outside and everything was right there for the taking, for the walking upon.
    Moira made for it, leaving the orchard behind while occasionally biting off a piece of the apple. She had to concentrate on where she was going; most of her way, she had to squeeze herself against the wall and put one foot in front of the other, making sure she didn’t slip. There was another reason she didn’t look up. It was a game she played with herself; she would only look up at the last moment, when the entire vista opened up in front of her in all its nightly, moonlit glory.
    The anticipation made her fingers shake a little and she could feel her chest expanding like a balloon as she maneuvered her feet around tufts of grass that might make her stumble. One hand was always against the old wall, a little damp in the night air and moss in its cracks here, where the thorny vines that had given the castle its name didn’t grow. They slung their brambles up the spines of the highest tower around the gatehouse and the drawbridge at the other side.
    Finally, she spotted the stone, bright against the muddy trickle of water in the moonlight. A smile hushed over her face and she wondered why nobody else ever walked along here and found those small vulnerabilities that made her prison — at least at times — penetrable. Almost there and just before she would concentrate on climbing down the small slope, she lifted her head in anticipation of the view.
    Instead, she jumped back, barely concealing a shriek of fright. At the other side of the moat stood a creature, massive and silent. For a moment, that was all she could see. Her heart was pumping blood into her head so hard and fast, she felt as if she was drowning and she swayed while she waited for her vision to clear again. But it was still there; a huge animal, furry and canine but like nothing she had ever seen. Its head was larger than her own; not by much, but certainly unlike any dog or wolf she had ever seen and its neck sloped down into a massive chest, packed with muscles, broad and intimidating. Where ordinary dogs had sleek, thick legs, this creature’s appendages were stronger and larger; yet, it didn’t give the impression that this would inhibit its range or accuracy of motion at all. It was a stunning sight — petrifying but there was an undeniable beauty in the deadly animal.
    “Owain?” she asked tremulously. In the first moment of fright, she had pressed her body against the wall of the Keep and she was now pushing herself off again, trying to look less like a frightened little girl. It had to be him — it couldn’t be anything else. It looked like a wolf in a way, just none that could ever have been born from a natural wolf mother. It would be a freak of nature with its size and oddly proportioned head.
    At first, it showed no sign of recognition but finally, the wolf swished its tail and then it sat down on its hindquarters and tilted its head to the side. For a moment, its eyes caught the moonlight and they glowed eerily in the dark.
    “It’s you, isn’t it?” she asked again, quieter now. He seemed tall enough to reach her lower chest at its spine and carefully she lowered herself to the ground until their eyes were at the same height. The moat still between them, she was afraid but no longer terrified and with each passing moment, she grew more fascinated as well.
    He was beautiful, with his fur almost silver in the moonlight; she guessed it was gray by day. He swayed his head again and perked up its ears while he watched her intently, his mouth slightly open. He looked neither aggressive nor threatening and Moira found herself smiling a little. Just for a moment, the huge beast looked almost sweet; as if he was trying to figure something out.
    “Are you going to let me pass?” she asked then, brushing the dress over her angled, squatting knees and raised her brows. She had no idea whether he understood her at all while he seemed to just be watching