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The first comment underneath it is about the Prime’s second son, the notorious bad boy with an affliction known as playboy. Raven Blackwood has the broody, emotionally scarred, bad boy stick down to a perfect aesthetic. My eyes flick to the back of the classroom where he sits leaning back in his desk chair as if the idea of school is completely beneath him.

@gothiclioness says: 1h ago – Jasper “Anyone know if our King Playboy will finally throw his towel in andsettle down? Signed- curious lioness” 1,564 howls | 1,023 Growls | 1,564 Clipped

Looking between my phone and Raven, I don’t get the impression that he will be. If anything, he looks perfectly content in the life he’s living. Oh well, that’s pride business not pack business.

Closing my phone, I go back to doodling while Odes continues to scroll and my teacher drones on and on, oblivious to all of us ignoring him.

Lately, I’m more and more glad when the last bell chimes in the afternoon. The elation I feel at the freedom is unmatched. Scratch that, the only thing that tops it is the perfect shot during golden hour.

Mom texted me during her lunch break letting me know she booked us a spot at The Muddy Paw for 4 P.M. which gives me enough time to run home, drop off my stuff, and change into my clothes for pottery day. Even while wearing an apron, you are going to end up with clay somewhere on your clothes, if not the glaze.

Odes wraps her arm around mine as we walk out of the building. “What’s on your plans for the rest of the day?”

“I’m meeting Mom for a pottery class at four, then I’ve got to stop by Lou’s to discuss an idea for the booth, and then finally…a sleep tincture and prayers to the Goddess that I get more sleep.”

She nods her head and starts to talk about her plans when I feel eyes on me. It’s that same feeling as before. Glancing around, nobody is openly staring at me, but just off in the tree line there’s a man standing just within the shadows of the canopy. Close enough for me to see the outline, but far enough to keep details obscured. Just like the photo I have on my desk at home.

I’m just about to tap Odes to look when he steps further into the tree line, leaving no sign that he was even there to begin with.Was I imagining that?

Shaking my head to clear my confusion, I walk the rest of the way home with Odes chatting away all about what she’s been reading on Howlr. I stopped listening twenty minutes ago when she got on the topic of the Moonbinding Ceremony. Why everyone is so obsessed with it is beyond me. Cool, it’s a secret thing and everyone wants to know. Not enough of a thing to keep my attention.

We part ways when we make it in front of my house, Odes walking down the path towards her house.

After a quick change, I’m heading back out the door towards the pottery studio. Thankfully it’s right next to the Pawspital where my mom works. It doesn’t take more than ten minutes to walk to it and Mom is just walking up at the same time. Good timing.

She wraps her arm around my shoulder pulling me in close as she plants a kiss on my temple. “Ready to make another beautiful mug?”

I shrug. “Ready to make something. Not sure about the beautiful part.”

She scoffs as she pulls open the glass door leading inside The Muddy Paw. The front desk has a petite elder with gray and orange hair. Her teal scarf is wrapped around her neck over her flowing shirt. She might be older but her face still has this youthful wonder to it. I need her skincare routine for sure.

“Good afternoon Granny Fern, how are we holding up today?” My mom greets with the warm infliction of a healer checking on her patient. Who knows, she might be one of Mom’s patients.

“Feeling like a daisy blooming for the first time in spring. You ladies here for your weekly pottery session?” she asks as she flipsopen her appointment book, scanning her finger down today’s date.

“Ah, yes! I called earlier and spoke with Shari about fitting us in a little earlier. She said it wouldn’t be a big deal.” My mom slides her arm across the top of the front desk, leaning closer to Fern.

Granny Fern grumbles as she clicks some buttons on her computer while checking her appointment book. “Fine. But for future reference, Shari might own the place, but she doesn’t run the books. Can you please call me instead so I can make sure it’s noted for the day?”

Mom’s hand reaches across and taps gently on Granny Fern's arm. “Of course dear. We can do that. What room are we in today?”

“Room Four in the back.” She hands over the key to the room, and Mom grasps it before turning to smile at me.

“Thank you Granny Fern. You are the grease that keeps this place running so smooth.”

What I love about this place is there is one gigantic room full of pottery wheels for their classes or community gatherings. But there are individual rooms with two pottery wheels if you want to have more private time. There are several kilns for people to fire their projects. We should be able to get last week's projects today from the kiln room we left them in.

After settling on our stools and dropping fresh clay down onto the wheel, I push the pedal to begin spinning it. The low hum begins as it starts to spin.

My mom lets out a quiet hmm. “You’ve been quiet today, Moondrop.”

“Just have a lot on my mind.”

Her eyes are focused on the clay as she begins to create the cylinder. “About the festival or your place in the pack?”

“Both, really. Lou really sprung it on me. While I love it, I’m totally freaked I will mess it up. Then there’s the whole pending place in the pack business. How does someone decide what they are going to do for the rest of their life? I’m jelly of people who have it all figured out.”

She nods her head as she slows the wheel down, forming the walls of her bowl. “How’s the experimenting going?”