Chapter Seven

"How long until the hunter's moon passes?" I asked, my hand on my growling stomach.

"It is hard to say," Edward said, "- decides when to make the moon part."

I sighed and looked around the cave. It didn't offer much. And I still couldn't figure out where that waterfall was. I was both tired and hungry.

"What is wrong?" He asked, "You made the disappointment sound."

"The disappointment sound?"

He sighed exaggeratedly, to show me what he was talking about. I chuckled.

"I'm hungry. And I'm tired. I really want to go back to my shelter."

"I will feed you." He said, standing, "Give me just a little time. I will be back."

"No! Don't leave me!" I said, grabbing his hand, "Please. I-I'm scared I'll get attacked again."

"Do not worry," He said, patting my arm and smiling softly, "You are in the cave of the sun. Nothing can harm you here."

I stared at him for a moment before nodded, "Okay. I believe you. How long will you be?"

"I will not be gone for very long. I will bring you back the things you require."

He ran out of the cave. I sighed and looked around, seeing if there was something I could use as a makeshift chair. Sitting with my back against the stone wall was starting to hurt.

I looked around at the cave. It was beautiful. I wondered if the sparkling rocks was the reason it was called the cave of the sun.

As I was looking around the cave, I saw an opening. Even though I wanted to stay in one spot, curiosity got the better of me. I carefully walked through the opening and came to an even larger opening.

It was even brighter in here. My eyes were wide as I took everything in.

I can't believe Edward didn't show me this place. It was a large area with a small waterfall falling into a pond. I sat on the rock and looked down into the water. It was clear, much like the freshwater I drank from.

I took a sip of the water. It was freshwater. I sighed happily and drank until I felt bloated. I stood and walked around the area, looking at the walls.

Something along the wall made me pause. I cocked my head to the side and squinted. There seemed to be writing along the wall. I couldn't understand it. I knew a little about ancient languages. But this didn't look like anything I had ever seen.

I placed my hand along the wall and felt the indents that the markings had created. As soon as my hand touched the wall, the indents lite up in an array of colors. I gasped as I felt strong, yet silent vibrations coming from the wall. Suddenly my entire body was tingling.

"Isabella"

I heard a soft voice call my name. I was extremely confused because the voice sounded exactly like my own.

As I was trying to decipher if I had called my own name, my vision suddenly went black. In the blackness, there was a flickering light. I tried to focus on the light, but it continued to flicker and reveal strange images.

"Dheede," My voice said again.

"- carved that." Edward's voice echoed through the cave, causing me to scream and jump in surprise. His eyes widened, "I apologize! I did not mean to frighten you!"

I placed my hand over my chest, "I-it's okay..."

"Are you alright?" He asked as he cocked his head to the side. "You are panicked."

"I...I don't know... it was so weird," I said as I turned back to the wall. "I... I kept hearing... Ah," I said softly before shaking my head sharply. "Ugh. Sorry, I think I'm just hallucinating. I haven't eaten in a long time."

Edward stepped forward and placed his hand on my cheek before crouching down and peering into my eyes deeply.

"You do not appear sick. If you are entering starvation then you must eat immediately," He said. "I brought Tricith. It is very nutritious."

"Thank you," I said. "What does Tricith mean? What language is that?"

"How about you sit down and eat?" He said before helping me sit on the ground. He sat in front of me carefully and placed the sack on the ground beside him. He reached in and pulled out a wooden bowl that was covered with a lid that was held down with a large piece of leather. Or something like looked very similar to leather material, except the color was a very bright yellow.

He opened the bowl and picked up a piece of meat before holding it to my lips. I chuckled awkwardly before grabbing it.

"Thank you, but I can feed myself. I promise," I said as I popped it into my mouth. I almost moaned at the taste; it had been so long since I had a piece of warm, hearty food. "You got back really fast. I thought you'd be longer."

"Yes, it did not take me long to acquire food. And clothing for you." He said as he held out a large wooden plate and a pile of clothes.

I smiled, "Thank you. Where'd you get the clothes from?"

"My mother." He said, "She also sends her welcome. She cannot wait to meet you."

"Why didn't she come up? I would've loved to meet someone like me."

His eyebrows scrunched, "You are not like my mother."

"Oh." I said, "What is she like?"

"How about you finish eating first. Then you can change."

I sighed, wishing he'd give me an answer. But I was starved, so I went ahead and finished the bowl of food he had given me. I was pleasantly stuffed by the time I reached the bottom of the bowl.

"Did you eat enough? I have more food if you are still hungry," Edward said.

"No, I'm stuffed." I chuckled as I patted my stomach. When I noticed that Edward was confused about what I had just said I quickly added, "I mean I'm full. I'm not hungry anymore."

Edward smiled and nodded before reaching into the bag and handing me some folded cloths.

"Thank you," I said as I took the clothes. I placed the clothes to the side and reached up to untie my bikini, but paused when I noticed that Edward hadn't left and was staring intensely at me.

"Edward?"

He looked into my eyes, and then shook his head, "I apologize. I—, I've never been around a female that…" He shook his head again, "I will leave."

He walked out of sight and left me to change. The outfit he brought me consisted of a long skirt that covered my rear and my front, but completely showed my legs. I felt strange wearing it and not having any underwear on was a little comfortable. I tried to wear my bikini underneath it, but it didn't feel right.

There was no top, per say, just a necklace with several brightly beaded strands. I stared at it for a moment before sighing and calling Edward back.

"Can you help me?" I asked as I covered my naked breasts. "I don't know how this goes on."

"Of course," he said. I moved my hair with my free hand so he could tie it around me.

Apparently, it was a lot easier than I had imagined. Edward tied the beads around my neck. The beads weren't very generous, as they fell between my breasts instead of covering them. I blushed and crossed my arms in front of my nipples.

"Would you like me to fix your skirt?"

"Is it not tied correctly?"

He chuckled, "It is not. When you walk it will fall down."

"Oh, well then please tie it. I don't want to flash you."

He sighed and kneeled down in front of me, "I wish I understood you. I understand your words, most of them, but some of the things you say sound so strange to me."

Edward was so big that even though he was on his knees in front of me, his head still came up just slightly above my collarbone.

"Sorry," I said, staring at the wall as he fiddled with the skirt, "Where I'm from, we say a lot of idioms. I don't know if you know what that means."

"I do not." He said, "May I braid your hair as well?"

"Braid my hair?" I asked.

He nodded, "Unmated females have their hair braided to show their intentions."

"And what intention does braided hair show?" I asked.

"That you are not interested in mating," he said, "Before coupling, the female will ask her new mate to undo her hair."

"Oh, okay," I nodded as I turned and allowed him access to my hair.

As Edward brushed the large knots out of my hair, I noticed how long it had gotten. I was surprised by its length. It had rested right between my shoulder blades, but now it was down to my waist.

"Wow, my hair has never been this long before."

"The females' hair grows long," Edward said, "- puts a piece of herself into every chosen female. One of the gifts from her is long hair."

"Who is that? Who are you talking about?"

"The females cannot pronounce her name and they are not permitted to rename her. - is like the other side's god. But she is female. You may call her goddess if you refer to her."

"Okay," I said, "Can you tell me about your people? Are the females like me?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do the females look like you? Or like me?"

"The females… the females look different."

I could see I'd have to be a little more specific, "Do the females have tails?" the question popped into my head because his tail had wrapped around my ankle. I was still creeped out by how thick it was and the fact that he even had a tail.

"No the females do not have tails."

"Are they tall and big like you?"

"They come in different sizes. But none are as big as the men are." He said, tugging my hair into two large strands.

"What is on the wall over there?" I asked.

"It is a promise written by -. New mates will come here, and the males will read this promise to their mate."

"Ah," I said, "Are we allowed to be in here?"

He chuckled, "We are not mating. For us to mate, I must prove myself. And then you must accept me."

"What do you have to do to prove yourself?" I asked.

"I must hunt the most dangerous male animal and bring it back as an offering to my intended mate. To show that I am a capable hunter. I will stand in front of my intended mate and accept lashes from the dagger whip. To show I will protect my intended mate from all dangers, even if it will hurt me. Then if my mate accepts, I will bring her up here and read this promise to her. Then we will consummate our mating."

I nodded, "Wow. That's a lot to prove yourself."

"It is the most sacred ritual among my people," He said, "I have finished your braids."

I wished I could see what the braids looked like. They felt pretty secure, and the ends of them looked pretty cool.

"So, are you mated?" I asked.

He laughed, "No. There are a few females who wished for me to mate with them, but I did not desire them as my mates. I did not take a mate when I became a man."

"Why not?"

"I just never made a connection with any of my female litter mates."

My brows furrowed in confusion. "Female litter mates? Like... your sisters."

Edward looked completely repulsed. "Absolutely not! That is vile!"

"Oh, sorry. Where I'm from litter mates means brothers and sisters. We usually use the term for dogs or cats."

"Well, they are not my sisters. I only have one sister, but she is not my biological sister because that is impossible. My female litter mates are the females that were born at the same time I was. There is always an even number of females and males born at the same time. But I never connected to any of them. Though they were very beautiful and kind."

I sighed. "I just have so many questions."

He chuckled. "We have a very long way to go to get to my village. You can ask me all of your questions on the way."

I looked down at my uncovered feet. They were still very sore from running last night. Just standing on them for this long was agonizing.

"I will carry you," Edward said as he turned and knelt down so I could get on his back.

I was going to politely decline, but my feet were very sore. And a piggy-back ride shouldn't be a big deal. Edward was clearly extremely strong and I didn't weigh that much.

I placed my hands on his shoulders and wrapped myself around him. Edward got to his feet, lifting me with him. His arm reached back and cradled my rear, so I wasn't hanging down. I was actually quite comfortable. I wrapped my arms around his large shoulders.

As soon as he started walking, I started questioning him. "So, were you the one helping me when I first got here?"

"I was."

"Why didn't you show yourself to me? I called out several times."

"You are the first female to fall from the sky in many years. I did not want to scare you with my appearance. I am aware it is unsettling for you."

I blushed. "It's… something I needed to get used too. But you don't scare me now. In fact, you're being so nice has actually made me like you."

He must've liked hearing that because he began purring again and his tail started whipping around excitedly. The sound was soothing and had an instant affect. I couldn't help but let my head fall forward against his back as I listened to it.

"Why do you make that noise?" I asked, trying to fight off the effects of his purring.

"I am sorry. Do you not like it?" He said before stopping.

"No, no." I said quickly. "I like it. I do really like it. I just want to know why you make that noise."

"It… it is how the men calm the women."

"Oh, so the sound will calm all the women?" I asked.

"No." He shook his head.

"Why not?"

Before he could answer, a loud horn sounded. Edward looked up at the dark sky. The moons had parted, and stars had now appeared in the sky.

"The hunter's moon is over," He said as he started hopping down large boulders. I had to close my eyes so I wouldn't be scared. "It'll be much safer for us to leave now."

I let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. I was hoping we wouldn't leave if it was dangerous."

"Never," He said in a bit of a growl. "I would never let any danger near you."

I bit my lip. I suddenly realized that maybe, just maybe, Edward was becoming sweet on me. With everything he's done thus far, it does make sense. Of course, his people could just be very hospitable.

As I was editing this chapter, I came up with some really great ideas. Hopefully all of the changes I made to it make sense and flow together. But more importantly, I hope all of you guys have enjoyed this chapter! Leave me a little review and let me know!