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Discovering Purpose (Ceil's Journey Part VI) By Evan Drake © 2019, Evan Drake, All Rights Reserved

Ceil sighed heavily as she leaned against the wall. Surrounded by expensive drapes on the windows, lush carpet beneath her footpaws, and well-drawn paintings of deceased nobles reminded her of home. No, it reminded her of every other noble house she had visited, and she had seen plenty. No matter how similar, this wasn't her home. She huffed at the realization and her foolish attempt to compare this place to her former puphood residence.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a low grunt quickly followed by a lupine squeal that was cut short by a thump against the wall. Her left ear swiveled in the direction of the bedroom door across from her. She waited to hear if anymore sounds followed, but only silence answered her.

Content she was unneeded, her mind drifted back to her original thoughts. It seemed somethings didn't change no matter the country. Born and raised in Vulpran, here she was in Lupra thinking about how much this random noble's home reminded her of a place she was never truly welcome. That she never truly had a home to begin with. She was born the bastard pup of her father's adultery, a fact her step mother never let her forget. Just as she was never allowed to forget her magical talent was the only reason she was plucked out of the slums. Even after seeing the hard lives Vulprani who couldn't use magic lived, she still often wondered if she was one of the "lucky ones".

The door opening pulled her thoughts back to reality and her task. Her paw flew to the hilt of the sword at her side. Her client, Leat, casually emerged from the room, wiping his paws on a handkerchief. Parts of the hound's black fur shimmered in the sunlight pouring through the windows, indicating something wet had splashed on him. The streak of red across his shirt and the red stains his paws left on the handkerchief put doubt Ceil's questions of what that something was. Even covered in blood, Leat had a sophisticated air about him. It made Ceil respect and despise him at the same time.

Ceil relaxed a little and dropped her paw. "I take it negotiations didn't go well?"

Leat's pointed ears rose and swiveled in her direction. "Hm? No, negotiations went quite well. Lord Shufflebrush "agreed" to an early retirement and to allow me a chance to gain his seat on the Senate."

"How nice of him," Ceil replied tonelessly.

Leat's face remained neutral. "Very. Now, I wish for you to summon Atticus; I'll need him to dispose of the body and clean up this mess. Once that is done, you may wait for me in the library. I'll be there when I finish cleaning up."

With a small bow, Ceil set out on her task though she fought to keep her displeasure from showing. Finding the old groundskeeper was the easy part. It was convincing him to listen to her that was a chore. Most of the wolves in Lupra, especially the older ones, seemed to have a hard time looking at other species. A lot like how many mages refused to acknowledge non-mages. Every canid she passed, every sideways glance, and every lupine scent that filled her nose with each inhale evoked unpleasant thoughts of her standing.

She hated it, but this was her life now. Halfway around the world, playing bodyguard to some stuck-up noble vying for a seat in the Lupran Senate, once again living in a house that wasn't hers. Unfortunately, staying in Vulpran wasn't an option. Her reputation had been destroyed which meant her fate had been sealed. If she wanted any hope of a life that didn't include selling her soul to get by (what little soul she had left), leaving was the only choice.

Her "conversation" with Atticus was brief. The moment she appeared outside his door, he gave a curt, "Fine. I'll have it cleaned up by evening," and that was the end of it. It was good enough for her, and she was glad to be done with the old wolf's company.

She went straight to the library as she had been told. Leat wasn't there, so she sat in the nearest chair and waited. It didn't take long before her employer entered, fur still damp from the bath, wearing clean clothes.

"Good. You're here," Leat said. He crossed the room and sat in the chair opposite Ceil's. "I wish to be honest with you. There are some who may suspect me as being responsible for Lord Shufflebrush's disappearance. When that happens, they will likely say I ordered you to do it."

"Why is that my concern?" Ceil asked. Being blamed for things she didn't do was something she had experience in, and there was never a shortage of speculative fools who enjoyed getting lost in their fantasies.

"It isn't. Which is what I'm getting at." He sighed and rubbed paw together. When he spoke, he stared at the floor. "I love my country, but it has not felt like home to me in a long time. Lupra has become like an lover whom you no longer recognize. I'm going to change it. But in doing so, I will make a lot of enemies." He raised his head, his eyes full of concern. "Forgive me. You not Lupran, so this is not your fight. But knowing that, I still dragged you into this situation. Forgive me."

"If you felt that way then why did you hire me?" Ceil asked. She felt nothing toward Leat for his decision. At least he was being honest about using her.

"Because I was desperate at the time. I needed someone I could trust, and I knew you had no political affiliations."

"Then what changed that you feel guilty?"

Leat's ears drooped and he looked at the floor again. "I only wish to warn you of the situation and allow you to make your own decision. You have been nothing but loyal these 8 months you've been in my service, but I cannot ask you to endanger yourself for a country you don't call home. If you wish to leave, you may do so. I will pay for any expenses."

Ceil's ears rose at the request, but she remained silent. It was true she didn't call Lupra home, but she had little choice in where "home" was. Even if she had a place to call her own, she didn't want to leave. Leat wasn't perfect, but he was still one of the nicest nobles she had ever met.

And he wanted to save his country, something she understood all too well. Her homeland was far from perfect, and she often wondered if she wasn't lucky to have left when she did.

"I'll stay," Ceil said. "I'm your bodyguard. If I ran simply because it was dangerous, I wouldn't be very good at my job."

Leat raised his head, one ear raising, the other falling. It was a rare sign of confusion that Ceil found a little adorable. "I didn't expect you to say that."

Ceil leaned back in her seat and crossed her legs. "You're right. I'm not a native, but just because this isn't my home, doesn't mean it can't be. If I'm going to live here, I definitely would like to have a paw in shaping its growth."

"Yes, that is very smart indeed," Leat replied with a smile.