November painted a pale blue sky, smudged with clouds. Dewdrops glistened on the bare branches of the trees. A gentle breeze blew across the nd. The sun's rays bathed the world in an unreal light.

  The forest around them was still; only the soft trotting of their horses through earth and old leaves could be heard. They had been on the road for some time. Matilda and little Barbara had been left behind at the inn. The little one's wounds had almost healed thanks to Luna's skills, so that Tom and Luna could ride away for a few days without any trouble. And so, both of them, shrouded in their bck cloaks, had set out at daybreak.

  In the distance, the rushing of a small river could be heard. As they had learned from the old woman, they were in the middle of the county of Norfolk. The nearest major trading town was several days' ride away.

  Silently, they rode side by side. Attentively, Luna watched the rge, old deciduous trees, upon which the gold of the autumn sun breathed a diffuse py of light and shadow. It looked beautiful.

  "Moon!", Tom pulled her from her thoughts.

  "We shall reach the river soon. I suggest we pitch our night camp there for today."

  She tilted her head a little. "So early... do we not want to make use of the daylight a bit longer?"

  "The horses are growing weary, as we have been on the road since daybreak."

  She merely nodded mutely, then turned her attention back to the py of sunlight that had cast its spell over her.

  After further moments of silence - accompanied by the soft murmur of the wind they reached the small river that wound through the depths of the forest.

  They stopped at the shallowest point and dismounted. Tom led the exhausted animals to the water, while Luna walked about, observing everything with her childlike curiosity. Nature in te autumn had its very own beauty. Though bare and empty, everything radiated a deep peace - a deep resting within itself.

  She knelt down and ran her hand gently over the cold earth - over the brown and long-dried leaves. She closed her eyes and connected with the ancient magic of the earth - feeling how, after all the horror, life flowed through her veins.

  Tom had sunk down quietly beside her, likewise connecting with this ancient magic, feeling it glide through every fiber of his body. After a while, both released themselves from Mother Earth and returned to their small camp, which Tom had already summoned.

  "I shall quickly attend to the protective spells for the coming night. Thou canst make thyself comfortable by the fire in the meantime," Tom instructed Luna and set to work.

  He had already tethered the horses to one of the trees close to their tent. A warming charm already surrounded the animals, and on the ground y a small bale of hay, which they helped themselves to.

  Once the magical protective circle encompassed the entire camp and the horses, Tom sat down by the softly crackling fire. Even though the sun was still shining, the November days were cool. Luna, meanwhile, tried to conjure her beloved pudding with her wand, but unfortunately without success. Instead, it became strawberries covered in dark chocote. Hungrily, she popped one into her mouth. This time, Tom had even managed to conjure chicken drumsticks. When both were satiated, Tom stretched out on the forest floor, arms tucked behind his head, watching the evening slowly flow into the sky, bathing everything in pink.

  Luna rummaged a small piece of soap that smelled of wild roses out of one of the saddlebags.

  "Dost thou intend to bathe in that cold water?", he asked with raised eyebrows.

  Luna shrugged her shoulders. 'Why not?' Down by the river, she undressed and stepped into the water at its shallowest point.

  Astonished, he watched her as she began to wash. A slight gooseflesh spread across her pale skin - settling upon her delicate breast.

  An ancient instinct awoke in Tom - leaving a tingling on his body. He shed his clothes and likewise stepped cautiously into the cold wetness.

  For a moment, his breath hitched as the water touched his body, and it took a moment until he grew accustomed to it. Then he slowly approached Luna and lifted her slender body. She wrapped her legs around his hips while her arms were slung around his neck. And once more, he drew her into a kiss - a kiss meant to kiss the girl out of her soul....

  His hardness pressed against her body - letting an unimagined longing rise within her - the desire to feel him deep inside her.

  Gently, he carried her over to the tent. Inside, he let himself fall with her onto the soft bnkets, while his tongue greedily explored her mouth. His sensual lips wandered down to her breasts, tugging firmly at her small buds. Just as she wanted to pull him up to her again, he stopped her."No", he gasped softly, and his mouth wandered lower, gently touching the delicate lips between her legs, demandingly encircling her most sensitive spot.Rhythmically she began to move her hipsA barely audible moan left her mouth, while her hands cwed into his night-bck hair. Rhythmically she began to move her hips, as his tongue slipped into her hot tightness...

  As she felt her climax approaching, she pulled him up to her without whispering a word. He pressed his hardness into her soft tightness - deeply and intensely he began to thrust inside her - again and again. A thin yer of sweat covered both their bodies, s they made love as if in a delirium, until the night had fallen, cold and starry-clear.

  Tired and exhausted, they y arm in arm. The small fire outside had long since burned down, and the distant call of an owl announced the approaching midnight. Inside the tent, a warming charm enveloped their bodies, so that they slowly drifted into the realm of dreams, while the night wind swept softly through the sleeping nd, gently tugging at the small tent.

  A soft murmur echoed across the dome of the worlds, and midnight entered the silent nds - singing her eternal song of mighty beings of long-gone days and ancient, forgotten magic.