"What can I do to repay you?" Theia asked.
Wax looked out across the flowery field, then jumped to the ground. He began walking slowly away from her. "Nothing, really. I don't need to be repaid by a child."
"I see. If that is what you want," Theia said, watching Wax's tail swish from side to side.
"Anyway—" Wax darted left and right, gathering white lilies in his path and weaving them into a bouquet. "Here, take this. It's a thank-you from me. Give it to your sister. And tell her that I helped you!"
Theia knelt before him and accepted the bouquet. She looked at it for a moment. "Thank you."
"Well, if I was of help, then that's enough! Thank you for your audience with me! I have to go now—I need to continue searching for my precious wife!" Wax waved to Luna as he spoke.
"Okay."
Theia rose as Wax bolted through the lily fields, still waving. Weird cat, she thought.
She watched until he disappeared over the horizon. Then she turned, clutched the bouquet tightly to her chest, and ran back toward Luna.
***
The forest was full of dancing shadows spilling across the dirt path Theia ran along. Her radiant smile contrasted with the shadows. The thought of making Luna happy brightened her entire face, joy rushing through her like a spark.
"Thanks to that cat, I gathered a bouquet of white lilies, Luna's favorites! She will be so happy; she will look only at me!" Theia thought.
"I already forgot his name … But well … Doesn't matter!"
From within the dark forest, the cracking of branches echoed. Theia immediately stopped and looked to her left.
From the darkness something growled at Theia. She heard it but remained unfazed and thought, "A monster? I can't let it get to Luna. Why is it here? Mytri told me that they are rarely seen in the capital,"
Slowly it emerged; on its four long legs, it stood tall, its head closely resembling that of a deer. But its body was double the size of a normal deer.
Theia looked at the monster as it approached her, growling and staring at her. Its antlers were twice Theia's height, towering over her like a colossus.
Its hollow eyes stared into Theia, as if searching her soul.
Without a second of hesitation, it charged right towards Theia.
Theia extended her open hand and with a swift motion closed the hand. A semi-transparent hexagonal barrier appeared around the monster, enclosing it within.
In a matter of seconds the cube shrank to the size of a fingernail
She grabbed the cube and threw it far away from her, deep into a forest, and a boom sound spread through the nearby surroundings.
Theia stared at the empty space where the monster had stood. "Now it won't threaten Luna," Theia muttered under her nose.
"A—" Theia stared immediately towards her house where Luna lay helplessly. "I forgot; I can only do one at a time!" She shouted and ran with the bouquet in a gentle hug.
***
Somewhere on a hill overlooking the capital, within a tight forest Mytri fought massive monsters. They were hounds, twice the size of a normal wolf. Their fur was grey and their eyes were blood-red.
They traveled in a pack and attacked him out of nowhere. But to their surprise, Mytri was in a hurry, so he slashed right through their flesh, slicing them in half.
One by one they fell to his hands. In the end, twenty corpses marked his path. They had been dead the moment they crossed paths with him.
Mytri sighed, saying, "I don't have time for those; I need to get there fast." He tightened his calves, and with an explosive kick, he ran alongside the path, up the hill.
Mytri ran at a speed no human eye could follow. Only smears of light could be perceived as he ran. But to Mytri, it was as normal as walking; he could perceive each movement as if it were a still painting.
And so, like that, he made his way up to the peak of the hill; it easily overlooked the capital. Loranthel was like a thumb from Mytri's perspective.
Mytri looked to his left, where the path forward was down the cliff and stared for a short while before doing the logical thing. So he jumped down, as it was the fastest route to his destination.
Wind tore past his ears, screaming in every direction. His hair lashed wildly, and his cloak billowed upward, snapping and twisting in the gale.
***
Inside Theia and Luna's house, in the quiet of peace, Theia stood in front of the door to their room. Silently fidgeting with her fingers, her blush spread across her face and ears. She tightly held the bouquet in her arms.
"W-w-what should I do? What should I say? How do I say it? I don't know!" Theia thought.
"What will she say? What will she feel? I can't do it… Will she be happy?!"
"I don't know!" Theia inwardly shouted.
She slapped her cheeks and took a slow, deliberate breath, gripping the door handle. Her hand shook as she turned it, and the door creaked open.
Theia peeked in and saw Luna sitting with her back against the wall. Slowly Luna looked up, her cheeks flushed and eyes watery. "Theia? Oh… it's you. *Cough* I feel a bit better…"
Theia, listening to Luna, walked in near her while she clenched the stems of the bouquet so tightly that the petals bent under her grip.
A shiver ran down her arms, and her shoulders jerked with each unsteady breath. She pressed the flowers to her back, trying to anchor herself, but they wobbled in her trembling hands.
Theia's heart raced. She hugged the bouquet behind her back, eyes fixed on the floor. "I… I have something for you…"
Luna, drenched in sweat, tilted her head. "What is it?"
Theia swallowed her saliva, and with her sight focused on her feet, she said, "I-I thought that, since you were sick and feeling unwell, a…" Theia stopped, unsure whether to continue; Her vision wavered, the edges of the room swimming and twisting as if she were looking through water.
She hesitated, but Luna smiled knowingly. "Go on."
Theia's voice quavered. "I… I thought maybe… a gift… might… cheer you up…" She paused, and her fingers fumbled gently with the bouquet, "So I went out by myself and made…" Theia took a deep breath in and with a sudden, trembling movement, she thrusted the bouquet forward, right into Luna's face. "This!"
With her face buried deep in the bouquet, Luna erupted into laughter, which quickly turned into a coughing fit.
Gently, she took the bouquet from Theia's hands. Her eyes softened, and a smile spread across her face as she hugged the white lilies tightly. Looking up at Theia, she said, "Thank you. It really means a lot to me. I mean it."
Theia froze, processing Luna's words. Then, overwhelmed, she squatted down and hid her face in her knees.
Luna's gaze took in every detail, Theia's flushed face, her red ears, the faint tint spreading down her neck. It pleased Luna greatly.
***
A day ago, a cart covered with a rough brown cloth rolled forward, carrying a cage within. Two hooded figures sat inside, their eyes fixed on the colossal trees of Lorenthel, whose trunks had been repurposed as towering city walls.
The figure on the left tensed and whispered, panic edging his voice. "What do we do? We can't climb them—they're too high!"
The figure on the right turned slowly, his gaze shadowed beneath his hood. When he spoke, the sound was low and guttural, as though decay itself lurked in his throat. "Cut it out. This isn't a game. We need a way past them… before they spot us,"