Bravest Couple
Night loomed over the Quadra Islands. On the shining sands of Crystal Beach, a male Raccoon Tail Selkie walked silently along the shoreline. Alongside him was a female Wolfie Selkie, who stayed by his side. They stopped, and watched the moon and the stars in the sky.
"It's a beautiful night, isn't it, Terence?" the female Wolfie Selkie said.
The male Raccoon Tail Selkie named Terence nodded. Yes, it is, Sara. Then he suddenly looked down, as if he recalled something. He turned to the female Wolfie Selkie named Sara. Sara, do you remember, when we were in the world of the four tribes, three other couples of the other three tribes challenging us to their little game?
Sara became slightly surprised, and nodded. "Oh! Yes, I do."
Terence nodded. Well, it can be traced back to the crossroads between Tipa and River Belle...
In the world of the four tribes in the miasma age, when morning dawned in Tipa, Terence and Sara were the first to wake up. As they left the village, Terence's fire crystal pendant gleamed, and an unseen oxygen-providing force field surrounded the Selkies, enabling them to breathe comfortably. The field also provided some warmth, since it was a cold morning. Terence and Sara walked along the crossroads, only to find three couples debating about something.
The first couple was of the Clavat tribe, consisting of a female Long Hair Clavat named Millie and a male Cowlick Clavat named Randolph.
The second couple was of the Yuke tribe, consisting of a male Long Beak Yuke named Seth and a female Tulip Yuke named Nicola.
The third couple was of the Lilty tribe, consisting of a Horned Helm Lilty named Adam and a Red Mask Lilty named Lexie.
The three couples debated about what to do to make their year fun.
"Tell ya what, how about a game?" Adam said.
"I've decided on one: bravest couple," said Lexie.
"What?" Seth and Nicola said in unison.
"You want to play bravest couple?" Millie said.
"Yes, let's play bravest couple," said Lexie.
"But we need a couple from the Selkie tribe," said Adam. He looked around, only to find Terence and Sara. He said to them, "Hey, you guys!"
"What is it that you want?" Terence asked as he turned around to face the Lilty.
"Just join us!" said Adam.
Terence and Sara looked at each other. "Terence, what do you think?" Sara asked.
Terence quietly sighed. Then he looked at Adam. "All right, but make it quick, if you please."
The two Selkies joined the couples of the other three tribes.
"Well, where should we go to test our courage?" Lexie asked.
"How about Mushroom Forest?" said Millie.
"Oh, come on, Millie, anywhere but that place!" Randolph complained. "I'll have you know that I'm allergic to spores!"
Millie shrugged her shoulders. "Oh, right. Figures."
"I've found the perfect place: Moschet Manor," said Adam.
"A monstrous couple lives there," said Lexie, "so how about we test our courage against them?"
"Moschet Manor?" said Seth. "I almost ended up as Yuke fricassee under those Tonberry chefs while I was there!"
"Seth, you won't be," Nicola said to Seth, "not as long as you have me."
"Whoever's going, raise your hand!" said Adam. He did, and so did Lexie, Millie, Randolph, Seth, and Nicola. Then they turned to Terence and Sara. "What about you guys?"
Sara raised her hand, and so did Terence.
"All right, then!" said Adam. "To Moschet Manor, then!"
The eight caravanners traveled with Adam's caravan bandwagon. It passed through two miasma streams to reach the Vale of Alfitaria. Once at the Vale, the caravan went southwest to reach the manor.
At Moschet Manor, the four couples set foot inside the manor. Terence's fire crystal gleamed, and a force field was created around the eight caravanners. Millie carried the crystal chalice. They became surprised (except for Terence) when they heard a loud knock. The Gigas Lord, Jack Moschet, came in. Then his wife, a Lamia named Maggie, came out from one of the rooms. After bickering, they looked at the caravanners, and approached.
"I can't believe...it's really them!" Seth said, intimidated.
"To think that they are big!" said Nicola.
"Our test of courage begins!" said Adam. "First ones to run off are cowards!"
Adam, Lexie, Seth, Nicola, Randolph, Millie, Terence, and Sara looked at the giant Gigas and Lamia. Every time the giant monsters came closer to the eight caravanners, they (except Terence) shook in fear.
"Terence, I'm scared..." Sara said.
"Stay behind me," Terence whispered to Sara.
Jack and Maggie got closer to the caravanners.
"Aaagh! He's gonna eat us!" Seth wailed. He fled from the manor.
"Seth, wait!" Nicola called out. She looked at the giant monsters, and said, "Ohhh, nooo..." She ran from the manor, wailing, "Not...good!"
Jack the Gigas Lord roared. It reached to the Clavat couple. Randolph gulped.
"Uh-oh..." he said. Then he ran away from the manor, wailing.
"Oh, you wimp!" Millie snapped at the runaway Randolph. Then she felt something behind her. Turning around, she found Maggie nudging her fan corsets at her. Then she screamed and ran away from the manor.
"Those Yukes and Clavats are such chickens!" said Adam. "Now who'll be the next chickens, us Lilties or the Selkies?"
"Um...Adam...?" said Lexie.
"No time for cowards!" said Adam. "Stand up to them, Lexie!"
Terence, Sara, Adam, and Lexie stood fast. Adam and Lexie suddenly began to shake.
"Come on, Lexie..." said Adam. "If we can make it through this...!"
"Don't pretend you're tough against them!" Lexie said. "We're small, and they're big, so how are we going to beat them?"
The two Lilties continued staring at the Gigas and Lamia, still shaking.
"I...I can't t-t-take this..." Lexie stammered. She ran away from the manor.
"Lexie, come on!" Adam said. He turned around, seeing the Gigas Lord's face. "Oh, shucks..." The Gigas Lord roared, and Adam fled from the manor wailing.
Terence and Sara were the only ones left, and they stood their ground. The Gigas Lord roared loudly. But his loud roar did not scare off the Selkies. He and Maggie approached them, trying to intimidate them with their big appearance. But the Selkies still calmly and bravely stood their ground.
"Tell me, what are you doing in this behemoth of a manor?" Terence asked the Gigas and Lamia.
Jack and Maggie became surprised, wondering why a Selkie talked to them. They also became confused at his question.
"I shall rephrase myself," said Terence. "Now, let us start again. What are you doing here?"
Maggie answered Terence's question. "Well, aside from the monsters, our Tonberry chefs among them, we are the only ones living here."
"Terence, you can communicate with monsters?" Sara asked Terence.
The male Raccoon Tail Selkie nodded. Then he turned to Jack and Maggie. "Please pardon me. I have been distracted, I did not introduce myself. My name is Terence, and I am a Selkie." He introduced Sara to them. "This is Sara, also a Selkie."
"Well, hello, Terence, Sara," said Maggie. "As for the others who ran away from us..."
"They know that you two are scary monsters," said Terence. "But, looking at you, it seems that you are not scary at all."
Jack the Gigas Lord spoke up. "Do you...mean that?"
Terence nodded.
"May I treat you two Selkies to some...morning tea?" Maggie asked.
Terence and Sara looked at each other. "After all," Sara said to Terence, "we didn't have breakfast back at Tipa."
Terence nodded. Then he looked at Maggie, bowing to her and saying, "We would be honored."
The two Selkies followed the giant Gigas and Lamia to the dining room. The dining table was a perfect fit for the giant monsters, but not for Terence and Sara, who had to climb a chair to reach the table. The Tonberry chefs came in, and Maggie requested to them that they bring tea. After the monster chefs left, the small Selkie couple and the large monster couple had a talk.
"Now, Terence, is it?" Maggie said. The male Raccoon Tail Selkie quietly nodded. "Jack and I have seen you and your friends before, wandering in our home. What were you up to?"
"We were just there to gather myrrh," Terence responded.
"And without even knocking?" Jack roared.
"Still yourself, Jack, and try to lower your voice so as to not deafen our guests," Maggie said to her infuriated husband. Then she turned to Terence. "Jack tends to be in his monstrous rage, and he threatened to attack you and your friends. I was later involved, which got me into my monstrous rage and causing me to do the same."
The Tonberry chefs returned with a large tray consisting of a teapot and four teacups, which Maggie took. She poured tea on each of the teacups, and handed each one to her husband and her Selkie guests (which they found to be too big for them to lift or even sip, so Terence cast the magic spell Mini on them to shrink them down so he and Sara could hold them) while keeping one for herself. The Tonberry chefs then left to return to the kitchen.
"We monsters tend to be tenacious brutes these days," said Maggie. "It's no wonder why we don't get along with your people."
Terence psychically took two striped apples from the fruit bowl in the middle of the table and cast the Mini spell on them to shrink them down to hand-size. He gave the shrunken apple to Sara. Turning to Maggie, he said, "Of course, it is bloody obvious. You, your husband, the Tonberry chefs, and other monsters are unfazed by miasma, but not me and my people. Large monsters like you and your husband guard each and every myrrh tree, as if you claim the area leading to it as your own territory. Our people know that you and other monsters tend to attack us as if we are invading your turf, but, to me, I believe that you must be testing our people's worth, including ours."
"Oh... Do you really think so?" Maggie asked.
Terence nodded. "But I want to know what you think about my point." He sipped his tea and ate part of his striped apple. "Stop for a moment, try looking into your hearts, and think, 'If these caravanners are worthy of gathering the myrrh, we should test them to see if they best us in battle.' I will give you and your husband that moment, and then ask me what you think."
Jack and Maggie nodded, and then they had a quiet chat with each other, talking about Terence's point about how boss monsters attack caravanners to test their worth when they gather myrrh as opposed to attacking caravanners just because they were invading their territory. In the meantime, the male Raccoon Tail Selkie talked with his female Wolfie Selkie lover.
"I was amazed how you stood up to them, Terence," said Sara. "But, since when did you start reasoning with monsters, instead of attacking them?"
"Last night, I fell into a dream in which I saw the spirits of monsters I have slaughtered," said Terence. "It made me feel sorry for them, and bidding my apologies to them put them to rest. Some wanted to join me, and so I cast the Arise spell on them to bring them back. The revived monsters then became friendly to me instead of attacking me. That dream taught me a lesson: to respect and care for all living things, even when they are evil."
"Wow," Sara said. "It's good to know that you starting to become selfless and caring, Terence. But still, if monsters keep chasing after you, it wouldn't hurt to respond by beating them with your paddle, right, even if it means killing them?"
Terence sighed quietly, then nodded. "I suppose so."
Jack and Maggie ended their chat and faced Terence.
"Well, what do you think?" the male Raccoon Tail Selkie asked.
"I think you have a point, and it became our wake-up call for us," Jack said.
"It's about time we stopped thinking that caravanners invaded our territory," Maggie said. "We should just think that we should tell them that we are testing if they are worthy of the myrrh in battle."
Terence nodded. "Good, I liked to hear that."
The small Selkie couple and the large monster couple fell silent as they finished their tea and breakfast. After the Selkies finished their tea, Terence cast the Mini spell on the empty cups to re-enlarge them. He approached the monstrous couple and bowed to them.
"We would like to stay longer, but we must leave now," he said.
"Well, then, enjoy the rest of your day," said Maggie.
Terence and Sara jumped off the big table and left the dining room as Jack and Maggie watched.
As the Selkies left Moschet Manor, they were stopped by the Clavat, Lilty, and Yuke couples.
"Whoa, man! You guys okay?" said Adam.
"Yes, we are," Terence said.
"H-how...?" Lexie began.
"Terence had a discussion with them," said Sara. "He told them about his point, about how boss monsters guard the myrrh trees and test caravanners' worth against them in battle."
"Oh, really...?" said Millie. "Until you Selkies brought up that point, we caravanners think that boss monsters attack us from out of the blue when we were simply just on our way to gathering myrrh." She turned to Terence. "Since when were you able to talk with boss monsters rather than making your first strike?"
"It was from one of my dreams..." said Terence.
Back in the Quadra Islands in the present day, Terence looked down. The couples did not believe me at first, but when I explained more of my point in which boss monsters test whether we are worthy for myrrh, they began to understand. He looked at Sara. Do you believe boss monsters want us to show them what we are made of?
"I do believe that," said Sara, "for as long as we can remember fighting them."
Terence nodded. I feel that it is a bad habit for the four tribes to delve into the action without thinking. Impulsiveness can lead you to far greater danger, as I would like to say.
Sara lied her head on Terence's shoulder. "I agree with you, Terence."
The two Selkies continued looking at the stars and the moon in the night sky. Terence closed his eyes. Man and beast are still at each other's throats, but the ability to reason may lie within them...