I learned that Chance was very well educated. He pointed out may types of trees and plants that I had never heard of before, he even told me what some of them were used for.
"This is Witch Hazel," he said pointing to a short tree with yellow blossoms. "It is very commonly used with healing burns. Mix the blossoms with water and soak a bandage in it for awhile, then wrap the bandage around the burn."
"Really? Cool. How do you know that?"
"Let's just say, I've had my fair share of burns," he grinned devilishly. I laughed as we continued on the trail.
"Violet, do you see that?," he asked pointing to a small plant on the Forrest floor. The plant had dark green leaves with a lighter green line down the center.
"Yeah, I see it. What is it?"
"Its a herb called: Rat Vein."
"Rat Vein? Gross. Who names some of this stuff?"
He chuckled and continued," Its actually a very helpful remedy for poison. It's mostly used for Poison Ivy or Oak, but when ingested it can help if you've been poisoned by an enemy."
"How do you know that?," I ask, already knowing the answer.
"Oh, you know, I had some problems here and there with it. Nothing too serious," he replied nonchalantly.
"Of course not," I mumble.
As we continued, he pointed out more natural herbs that could help out in a dire situation. Valerian, a white flower that helps you sleep. Turmeric, a green bush that when you eat the root, helps swelling go down. Milk Thistle, a purple flower that if the extract is swallowed it will help lower issues caused by radiation. Eleuthro, a black berry that will give you energy in a moment's notice.
I wondered if he was just making this up as he went, but he seemed genuinely excited once he saw a new plant he knew about. He would point it out and Explain what it can do and how to prepare it properly for treatment. I smiled and watched as him rambled on about how oil from a Eucalyptus will help with a stuffy nose. He looked up and saw me watching him.
"What?," he asked, like it was completely normal to know about Eucalyptus plants.
"Nothing, " I said shrugging, but still grinning at his geeky side.
He stood up and bowed, "Last but not least, my dear lady, I will show you tonight's main event. The moment we've all been waiting for, it will be the end of tonight's nature walk," he stated, gesturing for me to follow. I giggled at his acting skills, they were adorably over the top. He turned and broke out in a high speed run, and I was shocked by his random change in events. I bolted up and was sprinting to keep up with him, but he kept going. You can't complain too much, because you have a pretty good view of, Chance, I thought. Blushing a deep crimson afterward, good thing he couldn't see me. We were running deeper and deeper into the forest, over logs, through cobwebs, and under deep tangles of vines.
Finally, he stopped out of breath, collapsing on the ground. I sat next to him my tongue out, panting like a dehydrated, fat dog on a hot day. Damn, he must be sporty or something. This is ridiculous...where did he get the energy?...
I sat up. "Chance, did you eat one of theose energy berries?," I asked.
"Energy berries?," he repeated confused. "I have no idea what you are talking about," he said rolling over to look at me.
"You did, didn't you? Give me one," I demand, jumping on him searching for a stashed berry. He rolled me over and pinned me down, I was squealing and laughing out of joy and partially out of anticipation. He looked down at me with his deep endless eyes, his toothy grin had never looked as perfect as it did right then. I wish I knew how he felt about me? Every time I looked at him, my brain would stop working because just the sight of him made it overload. His voice sent tremors up my spine, and when our fur brushes against one another my knees get weak.
What if he doesn't feel the same? I refocus back on Chance and see that he eyes have changed from loving and playful to serious and sweet. He was moving his head toward mine, but I moved before there was contact. I sit up feeling awkward for ruining the moment. Why did you do that? You let him kiss you yesterday, what was so different about now? You sending mixed signals, Violet. Make up your mind.
"Shall we continue," Chanced asked with an outstretched paw. I took it and he helped me up, then we continued to travel further from the mountain. I was starting to get nervous, I had never gone this far away before. I wasn't nervous about the distance, I was worried bout getting back in time. I trusted Chance, but we had gone along was, it would take time to get back home, and I needed to be home before sunrise.
"Chance?," I said. He could hear the concern in my voice.
"We're almost there, I promise," he said guaranteed. We waked in silence for a few yards before I spoke up again.
"...So... how come we came at night. I think everything, you've shown me, I could have seen in the daylight," I stated trying to get a clue of what he was up to.
"All you have seen so far, that is true. Violet, What time do you think it is?," he asked looking over his shoulder at me. His eyes pierced through me and it took me a moment to recover.
"I don't know.. maybe sometime near midnight?"
"Good. Then, we're right on schedule," he said happily.
"Schedule? We have a schedule?," I wondered out loud. He chuckled in the back of his throat, but didn't answer.
A few minutes later we stopped in a clearing. It was small and quiet except for the tiny stream that ran through it, I took a few drinks and looked around. Chance was standing in front of some tangled vines, peering through them. The vines hung off of a small hill tucked away beneath the trees, with a birds eye view, you would never have seen it. He began pulling the vines apart gently, so he wouldn't rip them and worked his way through the tangled mess into what looked like a cave. I was ready to follow, when he turned, " Wait here, Violet. I'll call when you should come."
He continued worked slowly, going deeper into the tunnel. I sat on a rock by the entrance and looked up at the canopy above. The moonlight slipped through the spaces between the trees and blinded me momentarily. It was almost directly above me, Midnight, I thought. What is going to happen at midnight?
"Violet," Chance called from within the cave," Come in."
I walked through the entrance of the cave, and proceeded down the tunnel. Once I was in, the darkness enveloped me. I couldn't see anything, not even my own paws right in front of me. That was a scary concept. Most time, my fox eyes would adapt and it would help me see, but not here. I saw nothing. "Chance!," I yelled.
"Violet!," he cried," Are you okay?"
"I can't see anything! What do I do?!"
"Keep coming, go straight and follow my voice," he advised.
I army crawled through the small tunnel, with Chance encouraging me the whole way. Once I was out, I saw the cave for what it was, a hidden garden. It was a large area enclosed by the cave except for the top. The top had a large opening, letting a small amount of light in from the outside, it helped my eyes adjust and see more clearly. I could see some rays of the moon almost entering the opening. It wasn't a garden like I had originally thought, all the flowers were the same. They all had small white petals that faded to purple and were connected by thin green vines. They were extraordinary.
"What are they?," I ask looking at Chance.
He smiled," They are Luna Violaes," he replied looking at the flowers. There were tons of them, everywhere, they were evening growing on the walls.
"Wow, They're beautiful. What are Luna Violaes?"
"You'll see," he said. Just as he said that, the moon shone through the opening on the ceiling of the cave. It was so bright and white, I had to hide my face, I buried it into Chance's fur.
"You may want to see this," he whispered into my ear in a low seductive voice. No, I thought dreamily. I'm fine just where I am. "Look up, Violet," he coaxed.
I turned and saw the moonlight streaming in on the purple flowers, making them all turn a deadly white. After a few seconds the flowers began to glow a light purple, then the color deepened into a rich violet. The glowing spread quickly through the flowers, filling the cave with purple light. The flowers reflected the absorbed moonlight onto the walls, making the gave glitter and sparkle, Like a giant diamond. The colors were so rich and vivid, that I thought I could touch them.
I took a step away from Chance to soak in the view. It was so glorious, like nothing I had ever seen before. It was like something in an old folktale you may hear about from your grandmother, something that only happens once in a lifetime.
"Wow," I uttered breathless.
Chance walked up behind me, "Luna Violaes. More commonly known as Moon Violets, " he said gazing down on me.
"...Violets...," I whisper, still in shock from the sight before my eyes. I never wanted to look away, it was mesmerizing watching the colors dance along the walls.
"Now you know how I feel, every time I see you. This is what I see when I look into you're eyes, Violet. This is what you are to me," he was still looking at me.
I returned his gaze, and when we locked eyes this time, I saw my eyes in the reflection of his. He did see the beauty of the cave in my eyes. His eyes weren't like a cave of sparking flowers to me, they were much more. They reminded me of Autumn, all the rustic colors spiraling down from the trees mixing together to make his eyes. They were beyond what word's could describe, they called to me every time I saw them. They were all I ever wanted to see everyday. They mad me feel like I was the only person worth looking at, the only person worth his time, the only person he ever wanted to kiss.
This time, when I saw Chance move his snout towards mine, I didn't hesitate. I lunged forward and crashed my lips against his, like two waves in the ocean, becoming one. I felt all the love in the world when we kissed. It seemed like it would never end, and I never wanted it to. His lips spoke to me, and responded to mine, we were in unison. Our first had been a blissful peck, but this had been a sealing of fate. I never wanted to kiss anyone like that again, and I never wanted anyone else to kiss me like that. When we pulled away, I was breathless. I smiled at him and leaned into his chest to stare at the beauty of the secret cave.
We sat there for the longest time, just staring at the beauty before us. Sadly, the moon slipped away from the opening in the ceiling, and the Violets slowly lost their glow. The turned the deadly white color again, then resumed their normal appearance. We didn't move, we sat there sharing our secrets and telling stories of our past. It was the best night of my life.
"It's almost time to go," I say looking up at him.
"I know," he said," I just wish, it didn't have to end."
"It doesn't have to," I told him. "It can be like this forever."
"I hope you're right, Violet. I hope you're right."