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The females began to talk and wonder about the bonding ritual between my brother and his chosen mate, and they slyly made comments about me finding mine.
I sighed and got up, withdrawing myself from the talking before it escalated into questions. Why was mating such a big deal? Had I not connected with Eon, perhaps I would have been fine with being on my own for a while. Being under the mating age meant I didn’t feel the need or urge like the older Elves, so I didn’t feel compelled to find and keep close company.
Exhaling deeply, I looked down at my claws. I flexed my fingers and ran my tongue over my top teeth.
“It’s been a long while since we’ve last caught anything, no?”
I sensed Keia perking before she shrieked. A giggle escaped me as I walked away from the dwellings.
Once I found a good spot, I climbed a tree and sat on its branch, searching. Waiting. Watching. Still silence was the best weapon against a kalai.
Moments later, my pointy ears perked and straightened as I heard shuffling below me. Gaze sharpening, I tracked the green creature as it bounced on its roots, its green leaves waving with its movements. I stilled, measuring the distance between us, waiting until it was close enough before I launched from the branch. Claws extended and hands reaching, the moving plant sensed me too late; my claws dug into its squishy green flesh, and with a quick, calculated move, I ended its pain.
The feeling of loss surrounded me. Lifting the creature with my palms, I closed my eyes and gently brushed my lips against its head, murmuring a prayer of apology and thanks before sinking my teeth into its softness. A sound of delight escaped me as its sour juice flooded my mouth. I chewed greedy chunks of its squishy flesh, salivating and almost panting from excitement.
The joy of indulging in my favourite snack almost erased the reason I sought this chase. Almost. Because as I chewed with my legs crossed on a grassy ground, surrounded by peaceful silence, voices and questions floated in my head, making me bite into the kalai with more frustration.
I did not understand why everyone wanted to know if I’d been impressed, if I’d found a mate and if I’d answered to anyone. Being only 192 Blue Moons, I was too young. I had to be at least 300 Blue Moons to be considered mature. Faelyn was 310, so he was fine, yet no one pestered him to find a mate.
Besides, I almost had a mate.
One kalai was not enough to banish the gloom surrounding me, so I went and caught more until my belly threatened to explode and my tongue almost burned.
I munched on a cucumber as I watched the world below me. The sun would be disappearing in a while, but the Elves remained so lively. With the knowledge that guests would visit us tonight for the purpose of answering to a potential mate, I didn’t wonder why all sorts of mouthwatering dishes were being cooked and prepared outside like prizes to be showcased. Laughter reached all the way to where I sat high on a tree branch, my legs dangling lazily. Soon, music and cheers would follow, provided that the female answered positively to my brother.
Mated. It would take some time to get used to it, that my brother was no longer fully ours and that a new person would join my family.
I smiled contently, then I gasped.
Everyone was distracted! No one would notice me leaving.
Keia understood my excited grin and clapped her wings together, then she jumped on my head and stayed there. I knew she’d agree with me.
Before leaving my land, I took a few vegetables and fruits with me while leaving everything else I gathered at home. I made sure no one caught a glimpse of me as I made my way to the Fairies’ portal. Once in the other world, I hurried to the Spiders’.
I sprinted, jumped, then climbed the tall, dark cliff. Yet when I stepped onto Eon’s land, I couldn’t sense his presence. Instead, I was greeted by the fire-eyed panther who lounged on his stomach and was looking right at me.
Because his eyes were two glowing pits of fire, I couldn’t look directly into them, neither could I guess what he was feeling.
That something as unusual and magnificent as him existed would never cease to amaze me.
I looked around as I walked closer to the panther. “Where’s Eon?” I asked quietly, sitting with my legs folded under me.
The creature rose and walked towards me, placing his big head on my lap before closing his eyes. “He will return soon.”
Curiosity buzzed in my veins, but I nodded, calmly caressing the panther’s head. Wherever Eon was, I envied his freedom. I wondered which of the other worlds he’d been to. The Fairies, more than likely, considering they had everything and anything one could think of. Perhaps the Vampires since they didn’t pose any threat to him, being the third-strongest predators. The Werewolves? Maybe.
So far, I was only able to see the world of the Fairies and the Spiders but not all of them. I didn’t see everything within the Fairies’ world, and I didn’t see everything in the world of the Spiders. The second was for my safety. I could and would only visit Eon because I trusted him.
I studied the panther before he opened his fire eyes to stare at me, then I raised my gaze to his head to avoid his burning stare.
“What’s your name?”
He growled, short and low, and this time I smiled.
Keleth.
Patting his head, I shifted my legs to signal I wanted to move. He obeyed and retreated, and just as I stood up to put the bag of vegetables away, a figure hopped up.
