Zed, Eliza and Bonzo were standing just outside of the Crater, as they waited for the rest of the group to arrive. Wyatt, Mayar, and Qamar were situated nearby, each individual sitting or perched on one of the many jutting white rocks which surrounded them. Zed gazed out into the darkening trees, his arm resting on a stone which resembled a large duck.
Bonzo and Eliza were closest to him, Eliza sitting cross-legged on a short, rounded stone while Bonzo leaned back against the large expanse of one of the bigger rocks. The entire place looked like chunks of the moon itself had crash landed into the forest. Which , Zed supposed, was probably exactly what had happened, centuries ago.
The girls were supposed to be arriving shortly from cheer practice.
Bonzo had skipped practice tonight, electing to have a celebratory dinner with his mom in their new house instead. Zed had eaten with his family as well, with the addition of Eliza and her parents. His dad had cooked a huge meal in their new kitchen, to thank the Zambie family for their hospitality. The meal had included cauli-brain pie, a personal favorite of Zed's.
Zed was still in awe of the new-and-improved home, despite the fact that he had taken a sneak peek at it the previous night. His room was excellent; he wished he could find a way to thank Addison's grandparents for the football memorabilia. He briefly imagined how they might react if he called them on the phone. Or better yet, stopped by their house in person to express his gratitude.
He laughed aloud, causing Eliza and Bonzo to glance over to him.
"Graz Zedka?" Said Bonzo, shooting him a quizzical but amused look.
"Yeah," added Eliza. "I think he's still a little—" Abruptly, she stopped talking, and her mouth popped open in apparent surprise. Zed could practically see her eyes dilating as she stared towards the direction of the trail that led back out into the forest. What was she staring at?
"Eliza?" Zed asked, cocking his head to the side as he and Bonzo turned to look in the direction at which Eliza was staring. "What are—"
He stopped talking as his eyes reached the opening between two large rocks, where several people were now striding into the outer edges of the Crater. He was pretty sure he felt his IQ drop at least ten points as Addison stepped into view, with Willa, Wynter, Bree and Bucky in tow.
Zed was aware that there were others with her, but the only being he could see with clarity was his fiance. She was wearing faded denim leggins, which hugged her curves in all of the right places. She was also wearing a peach-colored sweater, which exposed far more of her chest than he was accustomed to. Her hair glowed softly, radiating out around her in smooth, glossy waves on either side of her flawless face. He watched, dumbstruck, as her rosy lips curved gently upward into a smile. He belatedly realized that she was smiling at him.
Wow. Wow.
Zed gulped, and heard a deep, grinding noise coming from beneath his arm. He realized a split second too late that he had been squeezing the side of the rock too hard. A cracking sound echoed through the open space as the stone broke off into two pieces. With the sudden and rapid disappearance of his arm rest, Zed toppled comically to the ground, yelping as he went.
"Zed?!" Her angelic voice called out as he scrambled to return to his feet.
"Fine!" He replied hastily, his voice breaking slightly as he rapidly returned to a standing position. "I'm fine!"
Zed turned his head towards Eliza and Bonzo, who both wore identical dumbstruck faces as they stared out past Addison towards the other approaching girls.
He had no idea what they were looking at, and turned his attention back to Addison as she approached him, her gorgeous face leaning in to examine him with bewilderment.
"Zed!" Addison said, "Are you okay?"
"Ahh, yeah." Zed said, chuckling nervously as he tried to pose in a nonchalant manner next to the rock, which no longer looked like a duck. "Just, um... You look—I mean... Wow."
He groaned inwardly, certain that his face was burning now. Jeez, she looked incredible. Like, so incredible that it should be illegal. How in the world was he supposed to focus on anything else tonight, with her looking the way she did?
Addison's smile broadened. "Thanks, zandgrome. You look pretty great, yourself."
She winked at him, and he smiled, before glancing down at the now partially demolished rock. Zed glanced guiltily over towards Mayar and Qamar.
"Um, sorry about that. I hope it wasn't, ah, important?..."
Mayar giggled at him, and Qamar was biting back a grin as it fought to overtake his stern facial expression.
Qamar shook his head, not entirely succeeding his attempt at looking stoic.
"Technically, these rocks are sacred." He replied.
"Oh, zhur." Zed cursed, glancing back down towards the destroyed duck-rock.
"Qamar is teasing you." Said Mayar, nudging her friend, who chuckled as he met Zed's worried expression.
"Yes, I am." Qamar admitted. "I mean, they were sacred to our ancestors. But no one has paid them any mind for centuries. They're basically just decorative, at this point."
Zed huffed out a short sigh of relief.
"So, where's Aruna?" Addison asked, brushing a lock of dimly glowing hair from her face.
"She is sleeping," Qamar said. "She has first shift watching Charon in the morning, the elders and her father insisted that she be well rested."
"Oh." Addison said, clearly taken slightly aback.
"Bet she's not happy about that," Wyatt interjected. "She strikes me as the type of person who always wants to be in the center of the action."
"She is a little displeased, yes. But we have a scheduled rotation. And we all have to work together to keep everyone safe, until the other moonstone is located."
"I mean, I could probably help," Addison interjected, much to Zed's horror. "I have some powers, so I could always—"
"No!" Zed nearly shouted, making one or two people around them jump. "You can't go near that guy! Remember what happened last time?"
Addison glowered at him, somehow still managing to look drop-dead gorgeous.
"Yeah, well," She replied frostily, hair glowing brighter as her annoyance flared. "You didn't exactly fair too well with him, either!"
Zed wanted to argue that point; but truthfully, he didn't really have a good comeback.
She was right; the last time he'd been face to face with Charon, he'd ended up feral in the woods.
At least she'd gotten a few good kicks in during her encounter.
"You're right," Zed said, shoulders slumping slightly. "I just... I really, really don't like the idea of you guarding him, Ads. That guy is completely insane!"
"I agree, Starlight." Said Mayar, gently interrupting the couple's small squabble. "Until you are better trained, and stronger in your abilities, it would be unwise to leave you alone with Charon. He's too dangerous and underhanded."
Addison still looked as though she wanted to argue, but she could clearly see the wisdom in her sister's words.
"Addy," Zed said, pulling her close. He sighed involuntarily as he felt the warm skin of her back beneath her long hair. Wait, the sweater was low cut in the back, too? Was she trying to kill him?
She giggled at his clearly scattered thoughts, and her laughter seemed to burst the small bubble of tension that had built between them.
"Sorry I got all... Protective." Zed grumbled, though he couldn't exactly feel bad for wanting to protect his future wife. But he knew that Addison was strong and independent, and perfectly capable of handling herself in most situations.
"It's okay, Zed." She said, reaching upward on her tiptoes to kiss him softly on the cheek. "I know you meant well. And I know I'm not ready for guard duty, at least not yet."
"Perhaps we should start giving Starlight some lessons in her spare time." Said Qamar, who swiveled his head back to face them. He has been gazing over at Bucky, who was... Blushing? Weird.
"That would be great!" Addison said enthusiastically. "I could definitely use some pointers."
Qamar offered her a small half-smile, which was eclipsed by Mayar's broad, beaming grin.
"Excellent!" Mayar said. "We can start practicing the day after tomorrow. No lessons on a day of celebration, obviously."
"Yeah," Zed said grinning broadly, "Tomorrow's gonna be all about fun. The food is supposed to be awesome, and Eliza and Bonzo found some old netting we can use to play beach volleyball."
"What's volleyball?" Asked Wynter, interjecting herself into the conversation.
"We'll show you." Bree assured her. "If you're half as good at is as you are football, you'll be in good shape."
"As long as she doesn't take off with the ball." Willa said, with a heavy roll of her eyes.
The group laughed.
"Come on, everyone," Mayar announced with a wave of her hand. "Let's go! Storytelling should be starting in a few minutes, and we want to get good seats in the meeting hall!"
She turned towards the entryway, a narrow opening between two large white rocks similar to the one that he had accidentally pulverized. Zed and the others followed hastily, and as the darkness of the tunnel closed around them as he felt Addison's warm hand reach out to grasp his. He smiled as he watched her hair begin to glow, flickers of white-blue light dancing out about her head.
Starlight was definitely a fitting name for her.
ZzZzZzZ
Addison glanced around excitedly, watching all of the Lunites crowd into the open, cavernous room. The acoustics of the room were lovely, with echoes bouncing back at her that were nearly musical in quality. She was surrounded by long, white manes of hair, aside from her immediate group of friends.
Though to Addison's surprise, they were not the only non-Lunites in attendance. There were several wolves present in the large gathering of people, as well as many zombies. She even spotted three or four humans amongst them, who had clearly come with their wolf or zombie friends. Addison felt a brief surge of pride towards her fellow citizens of Seabrook. While it was still very early on, the integration of the Lunite community really seemed to be going smoothly for the most part.
"This is great!" Eliza said to her side, elbowing her lightly to gain her attention. "Who would have thought everyone would adjust to the existence of aliens so quickly, huh?"
"I know," Addison replied with a grin, turning to face Eliza. "I'm pretty optimistic, but even I'm a little shocked at how much Seabrook has changed."
"Your optimism must be contagious, cheerleader," chipped in Willa, "because I'm not shocked at all."
Addison and Eliza both whipped their heads towards the alpha wolf in astonishment.
"Really?" Addison said.
"Really?" Echoed Eliza, an eyebrow lifting upwards towards her hairline.
Willa laughed, her freshly styled curls bouncing gently across her shoulders.
"Yes, really. I'm not the same, cynical wolf I was a year ago. And the people of Seabrook have changed just as much as I have. We're better. All of us. I'm not surprised anymore when people choose to do the right thing. I'm just... Proud. We've all come a long way, and it's showing tonight."
Addison grinned as Eliza leaned in to offer her girlfriend a tender kiss, and found herself reflecting on Willa's words.
Yes, they had all most certainly come a long way.
Suddenly, there was a loud, drumming sound.
Addison looked towards the center of the room, where two Lunites were each striking two large, hollow wooden tubes onto two large rocks. They were moving their arms in a rhythmic motion, as though they were both playing giant snare drums. It was unlike any kind of percussion she had heard before; though the resulting sound was oddly beautiful as the strange music reverberated through the cavern.
Then, the music stopped, and as the echoes dissipated, the crowd became quiet.
An older female Lunite stood, then, walking towards the center of the open space between the two large rocks. She looked as though she were in her late forties or early fifties. To her own astonishment, Addison realized that this would make the woman ancient, by Lunite standards. Around her, Addison heard a few Lunites snicker, and realized that they had found her thought amusing.
Whoops.
"Good evening, dear friends. My name is Hala," the Elder Lunite said with a warm smile. "And I am one of the leaders of this colony. On behalf of all of us here in the Crater, we wish to warmly welcome all of our guests tonight. We are honored by your presence, and overjoyed to become a part of your beautiful community."
There was a spattering of applause from the humans and zombies in the room, while the wolves simply nodded or made short yips and barks of approval.
Hala chuckled at the response, and smiled happily at the crowd.
"As most of you know, we gather in this place to share our stories with one another. This way, we ensure that our history is never lost. Now, new friends, we share these stories with you as well."
She began to stride slowly back and fourth around the center of the room, gesturing with her hands as she continued to speak.
"Tonight, I will be telling the story of Ainar and Liliana."
Oh! Mayar said quietly into Addison's head. I love this one!
Addison glanced at her sister, smiling excitedly. She then looked up at Zed, who was already listening intently to Hala. He was in learning mode, telling himself that it was important to learn Lunite history, since it was now Addison's history, too. She felt her smile melting into a softer grin, touched by the earnestness of the thought.
Then, she turned her attention back to the story.
"Long ago," Hala began, "our people lived happily beneath the surface of the moon. For a time, it gave us all that we needed to thrive."
Addison leaned forward, trying to picture what their civilization must have looked like. The acoustics of the room made Hala's voice carry so well that she could be heard from anywhere within the large space with relative ease.
"Our moonstone provided us with our powers, and helped us to grow in both strength and wisdom. The vast caverns, which stretched for miles beneath the surface, provided us with shelter and a home in which to live safe from the light of the distant sun. And the Lunar Sea provided us with water, which quenched our thirst and allowed us to grow the bountiful food that sustained us.
"For centuries, much remained unchanged amongst our people. The moon watched over us, and we watched over one another."
Hala smiled again briefly, but her smile faded as she continued to speak.
"However, as time passed, the Lunar Sea began to dry out. Our crops withered; and farmers struggled to produce the vegetation needed to feed our people. Some Lunites began to seek out homes high upon the natural stone formations, where they could gather some of the water which dripped like rain from the cavernous ceiling.
"One such being was a man named Ainar, who loved the sea dearly. He loved the sea so much, in fact, that he made his home atop a high stone cliff,which overlooked the water. He was alone, but surrounded by the waning ocean he cared for so dearly. Ainar remained there happily for some time. He lived simply, gathering his water from above and watching the calm, glass-like surface of the once-vast sea.
"But one day, Ainar traveled down the side of his cliff to trade with the Lunites in the village below him. There, he met Liviana, a stone worker. She spent her days carving beautiful sculptures, and loved living among the other Lunites. But once they had seen one another, their lives changed; for they had discovered that they were soulmates.
"Liviana loved Ainar so dearly that she left her home in the village to live alone with him, atop his isolated cliff. They were exceedingly happy together, in their little home. But each day, Ainar and Liviana would look down, and watch with worry as the water receded further and further. The Lunites below struggled to keep their crops alive, hauling water inland. It was backbreaking work, and many Lunites were beginning to suffer from thirst and hunger. Ainar and Liviana wished dearly that they could do something, anything, to help their people.
"As they sat watching one day, Ainar and Liviana finally realized that there was something that they could do to help. But it would cost them; for to help the others would mean giving up their beloved home. The massive cliff jutted out far over the ocean. If the large outcropping of rock were to fall, it would crash into the sea, raising the water level. This would stop the thirst and starvation, at least for a time.
"Ainar and Liviana were grieved that they would lose their home, but they were also determined to save their people. They went down into the village and discussed their plan with the elders there. By the next day, stone workers had already begun the arduous process of breaking off the massive cliff into the ocean. Liviana worked alongside them, as Ainar watched his home being destroyed.
"But as much as he loved the cliffside home, he loved Liviana more. And so he joined her and the other workers, slowly chipping away at the large section of rock. After three days, they had made excellent progress, and Ainar and Liviana were moving their final belongings from their little house. When suddenly, disaster struck."
Addison felt Zed's hand grip hers a little tighter. She glanced up to him, taking in his figure. He was clearly totally immersed in the story. Of course, he was always up for a good story, she knew, and Hala seemed to be an excellent storyteller.
"A massive meteor shower suddenly struck the surface of the moon, causing a catastrophic quake to shake the caverns below. This was a fairly common occurrence in our home, and would normally have caused little damage. But due to the hard work of the Lunites, the large cliff was now unstable, and shook dangerously as a deep fissure formed down the side of the rock.
"Liviana and Ainar fled from their home, running as quickly as possible towards the line of rock that promised safety on the other side. But as they ran, it became clear to Liviana that they would not make it to the other side. At least, not both of them. Liviana was strong from her years as a stone worker, and with a heroic effort, she quickly grabbed her soulmate up, and held him close to her. For a short second, they leaned into one another and they shared a passionate kiss.
"Then, Liviana swung her arms around and threw Ainar far, all the way across the growing crack in the ground. Then, bringing her hands down, she fractured the stone completely, and the cliffside fell away. She plummeted with the crumbling stone into the sea. Liviana's eyes remained locked Ainar as he cried out her name, until a billowing cloud of dust obscured his view."
Addison heard Wyatt and a few others gasp, and for a split second, she felt Zed's grip grow painfully tight. In his head, a memory flashed of his mother, throwing him to safety in a way that almost eerily echoed the story.
Zed gulped, and she winced as she felt him resolutely lock the painful memory back away, resuming his attention to Hala's words.
"As the cliffside crashed into the Lunar Sea, the water level rose instantly, sending waves of sorely needed water inland to the Lunites. Liliana had not only saved her soulmate's life, but the lives of an entire civilization as well. In her honor, the Lunar was renamed the Sea of Liviana.
"As for Ainar, he lived out his days walking the newly raised shoreline of the sea, now named after his love. He never found another mate, content to have known true love once in his lifetime. And as for the rest of the Lunites, they flourished for a hundred years. Until, after a time, the water yet again began to subside, as they knew it one day would. After that, the decision was finally made to leave the moon for earth."
"But thanks to Liviana, many Lunites and their descendants lived full lives. And her sacrifice eventually led to our arrival and survival here. All because of love."