Chapter 8 Once in a Blue Moon "Here are the supplies for today, Kinshra. Be careful not to look too suspicious." Kaira had just finished packing up the supplies for Kinshra's next trip to the Eeriuff's underground village, as well as some materials that the clan might require. The servant wishes the princess well as she takes the bags full of food, crafting materials, and a few Solatite stones and sets off to meet with Cedric outside the castle walls. Like before, she is very cautious to avoid the guards, observing and silently waiting for them to turn their attention away before swiftly moving on. Soon, Kinshra successfully made it to the forest patch and waited patiently for Cedric. It had been a weekly cycle for the two: Kinshra bringing food and supplies to the Eeriuff, and then she got to learn little by little about their culture and what else lives underneath the planet's surface. Last week, Cedric took her to another cave and showed Kinshra the Uuzmiis; The Uuzmiis are large floating jellyfish-like creatures that make their nesting sites inside enormous, dim caverns near rivers of water and emit a glow of distinct strip or spot patterns on their gelatinous umbrella-shaped bells. Like any jellyfish species, the tentacles on the creatures contain stinging cells they used to defend themselves against attackers. They aren't hostile to the Lykahni as long as they don't provoke or disrespect their nest of eggs. Their primary diet is the fish and plankton in the calm waters of the underground rivers. Kinshra thought the glowing patterns on the Uuzmii's tops were quite stunning—she even got to observe how they tended to their young after they hatched before going back to her home. As time went by, the two felt a close attachment to one another, their relationship stemming from being strangers to good friends. But inside Kinshra's heart, Cedric had become more than just another close friend. Every time Cedric was around, her heart would start making rhythmic beats similar to how a drummer plays the castle, her skin warming up like the fire from the stove oven because of his personality, and one time her mind suddenly froze as her gaze kept staring at the well-built figure of the Eeriuff warrior and melting away to his soothing voice from both when he speaks and makes music with his howls. Kinshra wondered where else Cedric would take her this time? Until she heard a rustle of leaves and a whisper in the trees. She looked up and had to smile at the all-too-familiar Lykahni sitting and waving at her from atop before coming down, jumping from branch to branch, till his feet slipped on the last one. Kinshra almost gasped aloud but felt relieved once he saw Cedric's tail grabbing onto the tree branch before completely falling over. Now the Eeriuff was hanging upside down - saved by the strength in his prehensile tail - which he uses to lift himself onto the tree with ease and landed back down onto the ground with minimal effort. He looked at the princess with a nervous smile while rubbing his hand on the back of his head, slightly embarrassed about his recent performance. Cedric: Whoops, I guess I lost my balance that time. He said, chuckling. Kinshra giggled at how Cedric tries to cover up his humorous slip-up and how silly the Eeriuff warrior can become when around her. Still, she was glad that Cedric could hang out with her and explore as much of the planet as they could. However, before they could go to the village, an idea came into Cedric's head about what he could show that would impress Kinshra, but she would have to wait until the evening to see it. Cedric: Hey, I just got an idea of what we would do! But it'll have to wait until it is dark out. Kinshra: Dark? The princess repeated with uncertainty. Momentarily glancing back at the castle, thinking about how long she could keep up with sneaking out behind Kennelly's back, with no one's notice, and then back at Cedric again. He can tell on Kinshra's worrisome face about her apprehensive concern over her father and understood how risky it would be for her without having prior knowledge of Kennelly's movements. Cedric: Look, I know you're afraid of what your father might do if he discovers you're helping my clan. Just come back here whenever you're ready. There's always another time to explore if you can't make it. He holds her by the hand and looks at her in the eyes, telling Kinshra one more thing before receiving the bag of supplies. The princess watches him disappear into the forest — heading back to the village without her. Kinshra felt disappointed about not exploring more of the Eeriuff clan's town this afternoon. But, as the warrior said earlier, "there is always another time," meaning she would have to wait patiently till nighttime for her chance to go with Cedric to see what kind of idea he had in mind. Besides, she would indeed need careful planning if she were to avoid her father figuring out what she had been up to all week long. She turned towards the castle walls and hurriedly rushed home to make preparations. When nightfall came over the lands, Kinshra was already outside and waiting at the meeting spot. Kaira had told her some exciting news that brought joy to her ears: the royal servant had overheard Kennelly talking about leaving the kingdom to visit one of the supply camps far away; this was a big chance for her to meet with Cedric. She waited until her father had left the gates with two of his finest soldiers on horseback and disappeared. In the laws of the Wulvbaen clan, if the alpha is absent, a relative, or a trusted regent, will watch over the kingdom and village until the alpha returns. As the evening sun slowly descends behind a hill, Kinshra believes that now is the right time to be heading off to meet with Cedric at the same spot they've always met in the forest outside. So she packed some food and supplies to prepare for whatever plans Cedric had. The princess remembered the words he said to her before he left for the village: "Even if you can't make it tonight, I'll always be waiting for you as long as I can here at the same place we've always met," and now here she is within the patch of the forest waiting for nearly an hour for him. Kinshra thought he would not show when a familiar voice behind her said: "Kept you waiting, didn't I?" she turned around to see Cedric standing right behind her with the warmest smile he could give. Kinshra quickly hugged Cedric to greet him—she was glad to see him. Kinshra: So, where are you going to take me this time? She curiously asked, then the Eeriuff warrior replied. Cedric: It is a special place where you have to see it at night to appreciate its exceptional sights. That piqued Kinshra's interest, so she agreed to follow him, first asking him how long the journey would take? Cedric told her it might take a while to arrive, about a few hours back and forth, but he knew a fast way to get there, which required them to go underground again for transport. Cedric grabbed her by the hand to guide her to one of the secret entryways to the underground passages. The two Lykahnis are now inside a tunnel after entering the entryway above. The entire place was just as dark as Kinshra remembered from her previous visits, the same pitch blackness that made it hard to see for most species that hadn't adapted to the underground lifestyle. Fortunately, Kinshra came prepared with a Solatite stone in her bag to shine a light in the dark and brighten the path ahead — she had taken one for herself and more from the storage room a long time ago, and no one suspected the missing amount since they had plenty of the stones stored away, but, she still needed Cedric to guide her through the various tunnel networks to reach the place he wanted to take her to. Even though she'd asked him to describe the location, the Eeriuff would tell Kinshra that it's a surprise, a special surprise that she has to see for herself, and hearing this makes her more and more curious about what it is, but the princess would have to be patient and see where this journey takes her to. It took for what felt like a very long time, going from one tunnel to another, a left turn here, a right turn there, and going straight ahead till Cedric stopped. Kinshra shone the stone around, and all she could see was a tall rock wall right in front of them. At first, it looked nothing special to Kinshra, but, not to hurt Cedric's feelings, the princess let out a nervous smile, thinking that this wall was probably something special to his people. She was about to say something, and that was when her feet felt a slight rumble from below that felt minor and then grew greater and much closer at such velocity that she thought the whole cavern might collapse on them. Then she saw the wall was cracking up, small ones and then larger ones until the entire wall came down and something from the other side was something slowly making its way towards them, whose size of it frightened Kinshra making her hide behind the Eeriuff male, but Cedric kept her assured it would not hurt them, telling her it's a Sar Slug, a species that lives underground, and it is their transport on reaching the location. Cedric approaches and pets the slug on the head. In return, its head rose and tilted slightly to where the Eeriuff is, a similar behavior to a feline — seeming to register Cedric as a friend. He gestures Kinshra to come over and do the same, showing the tentative princess to reach her arm out and remain calm as the creature approached her with curiosity about the new presence, but sensed that Kinshra was also a friend, doing the same head movement it did earlier. It allowed the two to mount on its back - the slug was large enough to carry two people - and took the two in the tunnels at a medium speed, picking up the pace as it moved along the rocky terrain to the foreign destination ahead. Two hours had passed when the slug took Cedric and Kinshra to where they wanted to go; it had taken them just inches away to one of the exits of the tunnels, which thankfully is nowhere near the hidden village. Cedric assisted Kinshra down from the Sar Slug before thanking it for taking them and asking it to wait for them until the two were ready to leave. Kinshra: You and your people must be pretty in tune with the creatures that dwell underground if they are this friendly towards you. Kinshra remarked. Cedric seemed to appreciate it by nodding his head and replying. Cedric: My clan and I get along well with the wildlife living in these tunnels. Sometimes, we use the slugs to help dig through the walls, and in return, we feed them some of our rations or let them eat some of the leftover dirt or dead plants. Cedric takes Kinshra by the hand, pointing to the opening ahead. Cedric: Now, shall we head out to see what I wanted to show you, princess? Kinshra's cheeks suddenly felt unusually warmer than before when the warrior took her by the hand, and she didn't know what to say next, only nodding her head to Cedric's answer and following closely behind him but was unprepared for what was outside that made her almost completely speechless. Cedric took Kinshra to a massive, secluded forest area with a gigantic lake in its center. The Lykahni called this location AurroSkia Lake because a colorful aurora would sometimes appear in the skies, and its reflection appears in the calm waters during the nightly spring season. In the morning, it would've been just like any other ordinary lake, but, at night, the scenery differed significantly from the usual; the waters display the reflection of the glowing blue moon in the skies above, and some flowers in this area emit and light-blue glow on their petals. A swam of glowing Voliisra fireflies flew right between the two and around Kinshra before they flew off into the skies like stars dancing the waltz in the skies above. Cedric nudges Kinshra on the shoulder to talk with her. Cedric: Hey, remember when we first met? You were pretty inexperienced back then before you had some training exercises. Kinshra just rolled her eyes at being reminded about that moment but still smiled. She knows Cedric was only teasing and didn't mean to say it offensively. Ever since the two met and hung out together, Cedric had been training her for days on how to fight better, discovering her talented capability in dual-wielding a pair of daggers and two-handed weapons, her skills in combat improving as the weeks went by till she could master her abilities fully. Still, Kinshra couldn't let Cedric's suave way with words go unpunished, so Kinshra crept slowly forward — step by step — until she was close enough to pounce on the warrior, tackling him down with enough momentum to knock him down. The Eeriuff did not have enough time to react and fell onto the grass with Kinshra on top, wrestling and laughing like playful little children rolling on the grass. Cedric: Okay, I give! I give! The joyful young Eeriuff said to the princess, admitting defeat in their brief game of which one was better, but Kinshra wasn't too impressed that he surrendered to her so quickly. Kinshra: I think you're just being too soft on me just because I'm a princess, right? She teased while crossing her arms and sticking her tongue out at Cedric, then receded it back in and giggled when he tried to catch it, and he chuckled in response. Kinshra soon got up and sat by a nearby tree trunk with Cedric sitting next to her, both gazing up at the nightly skies and watching more of the Voliisra fireflies hovering over the calm waters of the lake. Cedric, still looking up, says something that interests the princess' curiosity even more. Cedric: Hey, if you think the scenery out here looks good, you'd better keep looking up at the skies right now while you're able to see them. Kinshra had seen a lot of things that she didn't know about when she was with Cedric, and she wondered what other surprises he had left to show her about the planet. She didn't have to wait too long for it to arrive when they both heard some creature let out a high-pitch groan, something big, and when it came into view, Kinshra couldn't believe her eyes at what she was seeing: an entire pod of enormous, flying manta ray-like creatures with light-blue glowing striped and spotted patterns on their bodies emitting sound. The Lykahni call them Lyusiila, and they only come out at night and pass over the lake as part of their migration, which is lucky for Cedric and Kinshra to witness the latter's emotions were a mix of awe and admiration of beauty at such a wondrous sight, it felt like an unconscious familiarity, like something that she once glimpsed in a dream. Kinshra watches the pod of the creatures soar amongst the skies and make the same harmonious high-pitched groans she'd heard earlier that sounded like a song as a call and response to one another. The entire planet of Skiarla was indeed an enchanting place with vast assortments of wondrous beauty and mysteries appearing in both the daytime and nighttime, above and below the ground. Cedric: Hey um, Kinshra. The princess turned her head to the Eeriuff, seeing him looking down at something. Following his gaze, she realized that her hand had unconsciously held onto Cedric's hand while they were watching the Lyusiila. Kinshra's heart was now beating like a drum at high speed, the back of her neck and both of her cheeks feeling hotter than the other times she met with the Eeriuff warrior. Her throat suddenly felt like something was blocking her throat. She couldn't even speak nor find what words to say; this was the moment of truth. There is no way to keep her feelings contained anymore now - she would have to say those words right in front of Cedric. "But what about my father?" Kinshra's mind gibbered frantically, "If he ever discovers that I am with an Eeriuff, let alone in a serious relationship with one, then-" Cedric: Is something wrong, Kinshra? Cedric said, realizing the Lykahni was repeatedly touching her from the shoulder, bringing her thoughts back to the present. Cedric: Hey, are you okay? What's on your mind? Kinshra: It's just- Kinshra managed, and that was all. For a moment, neither one of them said anything nor made any movement until Kinshra closed her eyes, lunged her head forward at such velocity that it caught Cedric off guard when she gave the warrior a quick kiss on the mouth - the princess couldn't think of anything else on how to express how she felt for him. Cedric's eyes went wide open from the moment. He didn't expect this to happen so suddenly, but he offered no resistance. Once she finished, Kinshra shyly turned her head away from the Eeriuff, feeling embarrassed at what she had just done. A storm of dreadful thoughts came into her head like a hectic tornado filling her with what kind of adverse reaction Cedric might say or do to her, making her head spin at those ill thoughts till the princess heard Cedric let out a single chuckle and finally spoke up. Cedric: So, that's what you have to say, huh? Kinshra said nothing at the moment nor dared to look at him in the eye, shyly keeping her head away, even though Cedric sounded strangely calm about what she did. "By the blue moon, is it happening? Are we actually into one another?" her mind went on, expressing doubt and anxiety if this could ever work. "Well, there is no going back now," the princess concluded, finally putting aside her fear and saying the three words in front of Cedric, but they only came out too quietly for him to hear, drifting out from her mouth like smoke: I love you. Cedric had to lean in a little closer to hear her better and more clearly. Cedric: I missed that, Kinshra. Can you repeat it, please? She took a deep breath and finally said with a firm tone in her voice: Kinshra: I love you! It sounded loud enough that anyone outside the woods would hear her if any were passing by, which thankfully that wasn't the case as no one else but certain members of the Eeriuff and their ancestors know of this secluded location. Cedric just smiled and whispered into her ear about how much his feelings for her have developed ever since they've kept meeting each other weekly and on certain days. He, too, wasn't sure about making the first move upon Kinshra until she did. Now he was confident about telling how he truly felt for the princess, repeating the exact words back to her: "I love you." Kinshra couldn't help but let out her tears of happiness and embraced him in her arms after the Eeriuff member admitted to having relatively affectionate feelings for her as well, no longer worried about what her father thinks anymore, not as long as her relationship with Cedric remains intact within her joyful heart. Cedric was just as happy as the princess to have her as being more than just close friends, putting his arms around, holding her close to him, returning the loving embrace in this tender moment. He picks out one flower nearby and places it on Kinshra's smooth snowy white hair as a gift to show his appreciation and to symbolize their new status as lovers and mates for life. She still wasn't thinking about her father's thoughts about the connection between them until Cedric reminded her of it after the warrior started asking her a few questions to test Kinshra's emotions. Cedric: Kinshra, I nearly forgot about your dad. Do you think he would agree with you having an Eeriuff as your mate? Kinshra had her head down, not looking at the Lykahni in front of her, only answering her lover by slowly shaking her head to the sides - she knew her father would disapprove. Cedric moved on to the next question. Cedric: Are you scared about our relationship? That question made her feel slightly uneasy about answering. Kinshra was afraid because she was a Wulvbaen, and a Wulvbaen engaging in a relationship with an Eeriuff couldn't possibly happen since her kind considers the latter to be their enemy and is very fearful of what might happen to Cedric and every member of his clan. None of it mattered to her now. Kinshra trusted him and still wanted to be with him forever. She loved him more than becoming the next alpha or anything else on the entire planet of Skiarla, and if she has to surrender the title and throne to be in a relationship with someone from the opposing clan, then so be it. Living in happiness is better than a life of misery and guilt. And so, having found some moderate level of confidence within herself, she shook her head — too quickly, she realized — as a response to Cedric's second question. The warrior smiled warmly at her at the answer as he asked her one more question so that he could hear what Kinshra had to say in her own words. Cedric: And why is that? Kinshra: It's because my heart values you above what my kingdom offers. I want to be your lifelong mate, Cedric. Then something extraordinary happened: the layer around the sclera from Kinshra's eyes started changing from its usual white color to a blue shade, leaving only the remains of the original color and black pupil in an oval shape at the center. Cedric's eyes underwent the same changes, seeing as both are the same species. They both smiled at each other, keeping their gazes locked onto each other, knowing fully what this sudden change meant for a Lykahni. The young warrior then placed his hand on the princess' cheek, leaning in closer for his lips to meet with her's for an affectionate kiss upon Kinshra's sweet tender lips, both engaging in a romantic night of passion under the bright, full blue moon. At last, this was the grand moment that sets everything in motion. Everything leading up to the event was only the beginning of what awaits in Cedric and Kinshra's future and what would unfold for the fate of the entire population of the planet, Skiarla.