A/N: It's an update! I've been reading some more books to enhance my writing and word usage (like it makes any difference now). There's not much I'd like to say other than apologies for a short chapter; I can only dream of so much content before I wake up. If you enjoyed this installment, don't hesitate to let me know. Of course, if you see anything funky, let me know so I can fix it! Being my own editor isn't as good as you'd think. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
Summary: A wish upon the Mother Star was all it took to flip Velkhana's world upside down. She had exactly one year to learn about the hunters. One year to realize her purpose and question everything as she came to know it.
Chapter 4
People might call you crazy for stepping into the unknown but what they don't know is the darkness might be worth it.
— Unknown Hunter's notes
Three months later.
The woman sat at the round table with a large frown stitched across her face, beaming at the book in front of her. On it sprawled words she learned over the past three months with the hunters. She remained wary of their warm smiles and outpouring support each time they interacted with her. For some reason, she felt they would turn on her in a moment's notice, a blade pressed to her exposed neck. The air filled with loud sounds, shouting, and weapons sharpened to deadly perfection. The woman would concoct multiple scenarios of these two-legged creatures pinning her down before hogtying her to then do god-knows-what. She hated it.
Yet, it never happened. These two-legged creatures cloaked in beast hide, cotton, and tough linen brought her food, water, and clothing upon the rise of a new morning. And like each morning, she'd hiss and growl at them from the corner she turned into a safe spot. Anyone who got too close would be warned. Her mind couldn't understand why they didn't let her go; she had nothing to offer but aggression.
Everyday at the fall of night, she would sit by the window with eyes traveling across the dark blue yonder, absorbing its serene magnificence. The gorgeous cerulean-tinted skies and its dotted stars were something that evoked a feeling of bliss and relaxation inside her, with exception of the Mother Star. The pesky star hung westward every night twinkling from the heavens, mocking her form cocooned in human flesh. Thoughts processed through her mind but her mouth was unable to verbalize them until very, very recently.
"...My… my name is… C-Cathy." The woman pronounced the words in the book. "Cathy… likes to… eat… fruits… and v-ve-get-tables."
"Bravo!" The pencil-shaped teacher named Grenda clapped in victory at her reading attempt. "You've done well!"
The woman remained indifferent with eyes hopscotching across the page, formulating sounds and words in her mind. She had no idea her voice was capable of such things. The more you know, she thought.
"Now, try reading some more."
Golden eyes traced the next sentence. "Cathy… has a home… in As-As-Astera." She pronounced with difficulty.
"You're doing great."
She pursed her lips and continued, "Astera… is h-home to… m-many Hunters and a… P-Poo-gie."
The woman stopped when her ears picked up the sound of heavy footsteps echoing from the outside of the classroom. Her heart madly beat in her heart. Was it her time to die? She tightly gripped onto the page, deforming the edge in fear. The wooden door swung open with the Commander holding a basket packed with ripe, colorful fruits. In one fluid motion, Marten placed the basket on the table and greeted Grenda and her with a warm, welcoming smile.
"How's our student today?"
"Excellent!" The teacher praised. "She managed to read a couple more sentences today. Her pronunciation is a little off but I'd dare say she improved leaps and bounds."
"That's great to hear," he nodded. "Has she told you her name?"
The middle-aged woman shook her head. "No. I'm starting to think she doesn't have a name. I suggest we offer her a name of her choosing. What do you say, Commander?"
The voiceless woman silently observed the two humans converse; she had no idea what was spoken between them. The one with the silver hair laughed and smiled while the other one with thick green framed glasses clapped in delight. A small anxiety bubble brewed in the pits of her stomach, forcing her heart to beat harder, faster. The woman drew in a ball of fresh air to calm her tingling nerves.
Marten took a seat beside her, startling the poor woman. A small yelp escaped her lips. He picked up a pencil and wrote out several words onto the paper.
"I've written several names down." He spoke. "A name is a title you keep with you until you journey to the Sapphire Star. Go ahead and pick whatever name you'd like and we'll call you by it."
The frontal region of her mind slightly throbbed, signaling the advent of a headache. She reached out, tracing each word with the tip of her fingernail. Slowly, she recited each name in her mind, attaching it to the sounds she learned. The woman was clueless at best.
"Eli… za." Her finger rested on the name. "Eliza."
Grenda watched as Marten's face momentarily went blank. He remained wordless until a small smile rippled across his lips.
"That's a lovely name. We'll call you by that name from now on. Sounds good?"
She nodded, an action she learned from Grenda confirming her choice. Shifting in her seat, the new Eliza diverted her gaze back into the book.
"Commander, a word, please?" Grenda tapped his shoulder and headed outside.
Grenda waited outside with arms firmly crossed on her flat chest. When Marten gently closed the door behind him, her face immediately expressed concern.
"Pardon me if I'm overstepping my bounds but isn't that the name of your late wife?"
"It is."
"Do you think it was wise to suggest that name to her? I don't think it's good for your health, sir."
Marten pushed out a forced smile, approaching the wooden railing. Curling his gloved hands on it, he started, "You don't need to worry about me," he voiced. "I've accepted my late wife's passing many years ago. The name just came as I wrote it."
Grenda watched a breeze roll through Astera, giving life to the Commander's heavy winter clothes. "I don't think it was a wise idea, sir."
"I know." He answered without looking back.
"But I guess the decision has been made, isn't it?"
"It has."
Grenda shrugged and retreated back into the warmth of the classroom. Everyone knew how much Marten loved his late wife, a woman who journeyed to the Sapphire Star far too early.
Blasted cancer. She cursed internally and shook her head. Why must it be cancer of all things?
The slender woman returned to her wooden seat. Eliza glanced up from the page, gently tilting her head to read the teacher's expression. She could tell the woman was deeply troubled by something. Well, whatever it was, it was not her concern; she was momentarily occupied at overcoming her current reading obstacle. Her eyes targeted the picture, accompanied with printed words. It was a hand painted picture of a Fulgur Anjanath, a meaty, titanic-sized monstrosity which roamed the Reach in search of its next meal, dead or alive. The reptile's patterned skin, leathery wings, and a decibel-breaking roar made it a fearsome monster in the Reach. Hunters that crossed it were usually pummeled into the ground or worse, zapped into tiny little crispy pieces.
Velkhana once crossed paths with this reptilian menace when she felled a wounded Banbaro close to her den. As big as the beast was, it preferred to scavenge when an opportunity presented itself. Velkhana stood proudly in front of her meal with outstretched wings and feet dug firmly into the ice. With an arched back, she made herself intimidating with her tail pointing the sharp end at the fiend. Two vicious beasts exchanged roars, each trying to outdo the other. A symphony of screams reigned in the Reach that day. Velkhana stood her ground as the power of ice bubbled in the pits of her stomach, ready to ice the fool.
Her golden eyes traced every inch of the beast, thinking of what to bite into first. The tail? The right leg? The paper-thin wing membrane on its back? Or its meaty neck?
Stupid.
Eliza blinked, snapping out of her stupor. What was that? Did her thought do that? A wave of confusion washed through her while she attempted to better understand what her mind just did. It was an unusual feeling, to be able to think about something other than hunting, eating, mating, attacking, defending, and sleeping. Whatever this new thing was, she wanted none of it.
All she ever wanted was to return back to roaming the Reach in her original form, encased in crystalline ice. She thought about her spacious den, decorated with sharp, behemoth crystal pillars and a flattened nest she would rest and snuggle into every night. The image of home made her feel… sad.
"Eliza, would you like to go on a stroll with me?"
The sudden words from the side made her jump. Fierce eyes darted to the side, meeting Marten's soft gaze.
"You still don't know your way around Seliana and I thought I could give you a tour of it." he spoke. "Besides, I could use the exercise!"
The man burst out laughing while she continued to frown. Unsure of what to do or react, the woman with a new name simply nodded.
"Excellent. I'll be waiting outside."
Marten peeled away, heading off to the heavy door, and waited. In one fluid motion, she got up and pushed the chair back into its original position. Picking up the fur lined winter coat, she slipped into it then securing its metallic buckles. Perhaps the worst thing out of this experience was realizing how badly the coat smelled. She could even smell the person who wore this before her. It reeked.
Grenda silently observed Eliza head over to Marten with a nod. The man opened the door and within seconds, both disappeared from sight. Grenda could only hope the Commander knew what he was doing before things snowballed out of control. The last thing she, or anyone in the fleet wanted to see was Marten suffering a second heartbreak.
Closing the book she read, soft words escaped the woman's thin lips, "I hope you get your closure, Commander. We pray to the Mother Star and the Sapphire Star that you do."