Word Count: 541
Table by Ehno
Melee clenched her jaw uncomfortably as she watched Gideon and Nayru strolling up the makeshift aisle. Her father looked happy and it mad her heart ache to see it. Part of her waned to be happy with him. She wanted to delight in this day for him, to laugh and make merry like everyone else. Somehow, though, she had a bitter taste in her mouth that just wouldn't go away. Her gut was clenched in uncomfortable knots that no amount of deep breathing seemed to fix. Yet she wanted no one to know. Only those closest to her - Saul and Range, particularly - would notice the tightness around her eyes, the tightest of her fingers pressed against her knee, and the clenched line of her jaw. Melee relaxed her jaw after a time, since it was starting to ache. The other signs of her discomfort and unhappiness remained, silent markers that few would probably catch. This was the way that Melee wanted it.
The ceremony began and she relaxed slightly; this surprised the girl. She had suspected it would be harder to watch it than it had been to prepare, yet somehow it seemed easier as the words flowed from her uncle. The ribbon was a red slash across the wrists of her dark father and her dark-and-light stepmother. Binding them together with the color of blood. That seemed oddly appropriate, given that someday blood might indeed be shared between them. Blood that would circulate through the bodies of their children. The ache in her heart returned then, thinking of the children that would be her siblings, but not at the same time. Puppies that would have the honor of sharing Gideon and Nayru's heritage, whereas she looked nothing like her father or her stepmother. Surely this meant they would care more about their blood children - their true children - than the mud colored mongrel Gideon had picked up when it was abandoned.
As soon as it had begun, the wedding ceremony was complete. Some moved forward to congratulate the new couple, to give their good wishes and gifts. Melee Soul held back. She had not gotten a gift for either of the newlyweds, but she also hadn't seen a need. Gideon and Nayru had everything that they could need, she thought, and she hadn't seen anything that suited them. Besides, not giving them a present was a kind of silent protest against the marriage again. She swished her tail from side to side, her arms crossed as she waited to move on to the harvest festival.
Melee was noticeably relieved when Saul and Wretch led the way, eagerly trailing behind her uncle. She would try to walk near to Range, but wouldn't attempt engage him in conversation unless he started talking to her. Perhaps this was the most telling sign of all - the talkative, energetic girl being quiet. Once they got to the festival's location, she would stick close to Range still. Her heart rose somewhat at the prospect of a good time with the pack, her body relaxing now that Gideon and Nayru were no longer the center of attention. Her stomach grumbled. Hopefully there would be food, too, to sate their hunger amid the celebrating.