Chapter 9 The Cave

"We are about three days away."

Atouk made the comment mid-day. I felt uneasy for some reason. I was observing my surroundings as best as I could but, to no avail.

That afternoon, Atouk found a rock I've never seen before off the path. I thought it was an insect at first, or maybe part of one. An almost chitinous shape with an ominous red and black color.

"Take this rock and smash it on the other regular rocks over here."

I picked it up in one hand. It fits in the palm of my hand and was lighter than I thought. I walked over to the other rocks that Atouk was standing by. I brought it up and back down onto the knee-high round rock before me.

The sound was almost metallic and echoed. A green light spread out from us and green floating dots remained behind the initial shockwave. I tried to grab one, but I managed to catch nothing.

"What is this?"

I looked down and saw my body was covered in these green dots. I looked up at Atouk and he was also covered in them.

"This is an unusual find. These can be used to craft a tool that can detect life. Bring it with us. We can get this tool crafted for you and sell the rest for some coin."

I've been here for almost six months now and this is the first I've heard of any currency. I had not even thought about it for some reason. I guess being in jail has some disadvantages.

"Hmm?!"

Atouk was alarmed for some reason. I heard a few leaves rustle above me. I looked up and a lifeform covered in the tiny green lights was descending on top of me. I brought my arms up to protect myself from an attack. I landed on my back.

My eyes were closed. I was expecting a bite, claw, or sharp weapon of some kind. Whatever it was, it was soft and heavy. Something forced its way through the middle of my arms. I felt the furry softness under my chin.

I can hear... purring? I opened my eyes.

"Lake!"

I knew that voice.

"Mery?!"

I hugged her.

"Lake, I am so happy you got out. I thought we had left you to die. I did?"

"Princess Mery!"

Atouk was as surprised as me. Mery backed away and let me up. Two other panthers showed themselves. They had no markings on them whatsoever. They were not happy to see a human and thus, stayed back.

"Hey, how come those two are not covered in the green lights like us?"

"Well, the..."

Atouk began.

"Humans. Always clueless. A real hunter knows how to conceal themselves, even from tricks like that rock."

One of the other panthers answered.

"How did you get out Lake? Yes, how!"

I could hear Mery's excitement in her voice.

"Princess, We must get back. We need to keep moving."

"I get the feeling your buddies don't like me."

Mery turned to them.

"You two can go back yourselves. Atouk is a fine warrior. I will be fine with him. Let my parents know I will be behind shortly. Try to keep this from my sisters though."

They lowered their heads. They turned to walk away and disappeared far ahead of us.

"Mery? You seem to talk differently when you order people around."

"I had to learn to control how I talk when I'm in public. I did? I represent my royal family. Even if I am not next in line for Queen."

Atouk cleared his throat.

"We can talk and walk. We don't need to stay here for that."

We followed his advice and walked while chatting. We caught up on how Atouk and I met and the battle with the giants. I tried to avoid anything that would lead to the fact that I had the potion of Rage in me.

"Wow, you are really that strong?! You could be a warrior of exquisite caliber. You could?"

"Well, I 'can' be that strong at times but, I have to meet certain conditions. I'm not sure on the conditions, myself."

"That's unusual. It is?"

"Well, when we first met, I did admit my situation was unusual. That still seems to be the case."

I shrugged my shoulders as I said that. She giggled a bit.

"Your clothes are so ragged. They are? We do need to get you into something new and clean."

"Oh, hell yeah. That would be nice."

"Hmm? Ohellya? What is that?"

"Oh, I suppose you may not have the same ideas about heaven and hell, here. Where I am from, Many believe in one God that created all. Including a place where people's spirits would go when they are good and loyal to him, Heaven. He also created a place for people's spirits that are bad or disloyal to him. Hell. Do you have a god, or gods that you believe in?"

She began to look up.

"We have many gods. My people pray to different gods depending on who they feel the most affinity to. My family mostly pray to a god that is said to protect our people over ourselves."

"That sounds like a noble god for you to pray to."

My right hand brushed against her left ear as we walked. She did not seem to pull away. I decided to gently grab her ear and stroke it once from the base to the tip.

"Did you need something? Did you?"

Her ear was so soft.

"No no, sorry. I got distracted."

She slowed her walk just enough to headbutt my leg and rub the side of her face on it. She ran up ahead and began chatting with Atouk.

"How did you hurt your leg? I can see you favoring it a bit. I can?"

As they caught up with each other, I began to wonder how they knew each other. She seems to trust him quite a bit. A lover? I remembered that she said she was betrothed. Is Atouk her fiancé?

Some time passed and it was getting dark again. Atouk found a cave not too far off the trail and scouted it out.

"It has not been used in some time. We should be safe here tonight. I will keep watch outside just in case."

We all wandered in. I could see a little ways from the light that was still present outside. It got darker further in. I found a spot against a wall that looked like it might be comfortable and sat down. I leaned my back against the wall and eyed Mery who was about to move further into the cave.

"I want to go explore the cave. I do? Do you want to come with me? There are probably some interesting things further down. There are?"

I shook my head.

"I can barely see as is. I don't think I'd be able to see anything further in."

"OH, haha! I forgot humans have limited vision. I did? I guess you are going to miss out."

"Be careful, Princess."

Atouk spoke before he went back outside. She disappeared into the darkness of the cave.

I began to recall things from my past. Before I came to Eyse. My parents. My brother. My family. My friends. The memories I made with them. A lot of happy memories, sad memories. I spent all that time in the elf jail and I hardly thought of them. I just slept and kept thinking of all that I had been through in those first few days. And Sophie. Hoping she was okay. I used to chew my nails. I stopped after about a month in the jail because they just kept growing back within seconds.

Without warning, it seemed like the whole world began to shake.

"Lake?"

I took a deep breath and leaned forward. My eyes were closed. My whole body shook again. This time, I felt pressure on my left arm. I opened my eyes. They were still heavy and groggy.

"Lake? I was only gone for a short while and you already fell asleep. You did?"

Mery was next to me, face to face. The light was almost gone outside. I barely made her out but, her voice was the key to my recognizing her.

"Sorry. I was just thinking of home. I don't think I will ever see it again."

"Oh no. That's so sad. I don't know what I would do without my family and my people. Why cant you go back? Was your home destroyed?"

I reached out and found her shoulder with my left hand. Upon the feeling of her soft fur, I unconsciously began to pet her. From the base of her head back down to her shoulder.

"My home is still there as far as I'm aware. I was brought here against my will. I still don't know how I got here. How do you get home if you don't know where you are?"

"So, you were kidnapped? Were you?"

"I'm not sure. I suppose it's possible."

She must have been sitting down before because I could feel her stand up.

"Come, follow me. Do you still have that stone from earlier? Do you? The one that makes the green lights?"

I reached into my pocket which was luckily still intact after all I went through. I pulled out the stone that Atouk told me to keep.

"I still have it. Should I use it now?"

"No no, save it for when I say. If you still can't see, keep your hand on me. I shall lead you slowly. I shall?"

I found her back with my right hand and worked my way up to her shoulder blades.

"Follow."

She reminded me.

She walked slow and told me when to watch for larger rocks around my feet. I found my way with little trouble, thanks to her at my side. We did not travel too far in but, far enough that no light could enter from outside. I felt soft sand under my feet. She led me over to a large, lone rock in the soft sand.

"Use the rock here. Here, right? The green lights can't go through the solid stone so they should only light up this room in the cavern." I placed my left hand on the large rock and pulled the small red stone out of my pocket. I used my left hand to keep a brace as well as help me guide myself to the target.

*crack*

I did not use much of my strength to hit the rock, the lights came out all the same. The two of us had lights around us again but, not nearly as many as last time.

I could make out the cavern around us. The tiny green lights attached to the floor, walls and ceiling in various locations. It was a fairly bare room. It was cool to see all lit up.

"In a stagnant location like this, away from the outside weather, the lights will last much longer. They will?"

"This is nice."

I remarked. I sat down in the soft sand and leaned back with my hands behind my head.

"We both made it out. I'm happy you got out too, Mery. I didn't like seeing you suffer like that."

She walked over to me and laid down next to me. I had not noticed that it was colder in this room than the one outside until her warmth was next to me.

"When my rescuers came for me. I asked them to help you too, Lake. They wouldn't help because their only order was to get me out and no one else. I just wanted you to know that I did not want to leave you behind. I didn't? I'm sorry. Did you hate me when I left?"

I brought my left arm around her and began petting her again.

"Of course not. I just told you I was glad you got out. You seemed to order them around earlier, though. Why could you not order them to help then? Just curious."

"In enemy territory, the primary objective that is given will always be top priority. It is? The objective they were given was to get me to safety. The priority was to do that before anything else. That includes rescuing you, a stranger to them. You were?"

"That's okay. You were safe and I am not complaining."

"So, Mery. You mentioned that you got a fiancé before. You don't have to worry about losing him now. You must be happy."

She tensed up a little.

"My fiancé..."

She seemed hesitant.

"You and Atouk. Are you... is he?"

She huffed and I felt claws on my stomach and side. Nothing dangerous to a mortal. It was painful though.

"Okay, not Atouk. Dropping the subject."

"He has a wife at home already."

She sounded butthurt. That was a bad guess. I decided to keep my mouth shut before I made things worse. It was quiet for a while. I stopped petting her when she got upset but, I never removed my hand.

"Can... Can you keep petting my fur? Can you?"

I started up again at her request.

"My people have a custom for marriage proposals."

I felt that was out of the blue but, okay.

"We have names that everyone can know and names that are only known to someone we care a great deal about."

Uh...

"The standard proposal involves two lovers sharing their forbidden names."

She began to shift here and there. Like she was nervous.

"And... the marriage is consummated when the lovers call each other by their forbidden names."

She told me her name in the prison. Is she really saying that I am a quarter of the way married to her?

...And she called me unusual.

We hardly know each other.

"There is more. My people are shapeshifters. We can change shape but, we only do so for our lovers. If we marry our own kind, there is no change in the shape of our bodies. But, if we marry another race, we have the ability to take a generic form of that race. My kind have married elves, fairies and mermaids. There was even one of my people in the past who had wed a giant."

She shifted again. Her back was to me now as she lay on her side.

"There is one last thing. There is? We mate for life. Our forbidden name is ONLY given once. It can be used by the lover as much as desired but, one cannot say their own forbidden name ever again once it is said allowed. It is considered a bad omen. A second marriage is said to always fail and is looked down upon, by my people."

"So, the name is not given lightly?"

"No. It is not."

She had a sad tone in her voice. I guess she had the hope of at least having a husband before she died in jail. She had no idea she would be rescued. She may have starved to death if not for me.

Rationalizations, I thought to myself.

She has such a cute voice. She has a good heart and she cares for her people. Is that all the Pros? We hardly know each other. She is royalty, but I wouldn't be in it for the money or power. Seeing as how she 'is' royalty, would a commoner human without a reputation in this world, cause problems for her?

If she can transform into a human I wouldn't have to worry about taboo situations. That is, If she could not transform, I don't think a "yes" would be a rational answer. I was petting her because of her soft fur. I thought of her as a talking pet with feelings of her own. She is a living thinking being. Humans are just another kind of sentient being in this world and, not the only ones.

Thoughts like these made the time passage feel slow. After a while of uncomfortable quiet, I came to a decision. If I really am immortal, I may outlive her. I would literally have all the time in her life to get to know her. She made a hasty decision and if I say no, she will be punished for it. Not physically but emotionally. At the very least, I can try to be someone that she can depend on in life, rather than leave her with no one at all.

"I have come to a conclusion. I will not tell you what that is, unless you still want to hear it after I tell you one thing."

She rolled back over and lifted her head. "What is it that you have to say?"

I hope she doesn't run out, screaming bloody murder or something.

"The potion of Rage. I have its power."

She didn't move an inch.

"I said I was not from here. By here, I meant Eyse. I came from a completely different world called Earth. I ended up falling from the sky. I was so high that, I died when I landed on top of a hidden building. The only reason I am alive and here, Is because of the potion of Rage. It spilled on my broken corpse after the ceiling collapsed from my fall. It repaired my body and now, I guess I am immortal."

Again, she was unmoving.

After what seemed like an eternity, she lifted a paw and brought it over to my hand that had been petting her a while before. Was this her way of saying she is okay with it? When she landed her paw in my hand I felt a stabbing pain. She stabbed my hand with her claw. She retracted her claw and pulled her paw back to its starting point below her. I lifted my freshly gouged hand and watched as the wound sealed up. She saw this too.

"You really are immortal."

I had no idea what to expect. Her voice was calm. No excitement or fear.

"You understand the words I said before and why I said them, yes?"

She asked. I sat up. We were face to face again

"I do."

"I have heard your situation, but that will not change mine. It won't? What is your answer?"

She looked serious, almost sullen.

"My name is Lake. I have a name that was used all the time, back where I'm from. However, not one person has heard it said aloud in Eyse. That name is, Lake Andrus."

"Lake... Andrus."

She carefully said allowed. According to her words, we are now three-quarters married in her customs. She looked at me in the eyes.

"I have said my name once already, I can not say it again. If you say it, we are married. If you cannot say it, or forgot what it was, I will be alone for the rest of my life."

How could I forget? Unusual, like me, but so pretty.

"Meryt-Neith."

She sobbed.

"I feared, that I would have made the mistake of a lifetime in that prison. To be honest, I had no one that I loved before. I still don't know you well enough to say 'I love you.' But, if you are a good husband to me, I will be the best wife I can be. Thank you... for remembering my name."

She lifted up her body onto her hind legs. Her legs began to smooth over and straighten out into the shape of humanoid legs. The green lights were still present the entire time, but there was an almost magical blue hue around her as she transformed.

Toes and knees. Hips were forming. Stomach, human arms and a slender neck. She had a beautiful face with long straight hair. Roughly five feet in height. Maybe the dark cave or the dim green lights around us did not give me a proper visual but, her skin was jet black and her hair, a pure white. Her eyes were still the yellow cat eyes I got used to seeing in all the panthers around me.

This nude, black beauty was before me... I was speechless.

"This form is taken so that we may consummate our marriage. Prepare yourself."

Some of the green lights were around her lips. I could see a slight smile. I stood up so I could remove my clothes. I laid them down in the sand. She sat on half, I sat on the other. She leaned in for a kiss. Her lips were so soft. I wrapped my arms around her and she did the same to me. Her breasts pressed against my chest. My right hand met her left. They intertwined as we kissed.

My heart has not raced this much in, such a long time. She unraveled our hands and pulled her lips away. With both hands, she grasped me at the waist and traced invisible lines up to my chest. She pushed me until I lay flat on the ground. My left hand reached for her thigh while my right found one of her breasts. She was ready for the act.

Her hand went behind my head as she began to pull her face closer to mine again. Before she could, though...

"Wait."

I stopped her. The golden cat eyes looked almost betrayed.

"Is something wrong? Is it?"

"Yes. Just one thing. We are from two worlds. We are married according to the rules of your people in this world. I would like to do something for us, in homage to my own world. In my world, there is a big ceremony with lots of people."

She sat back to listen, my hands still on her body and hers now on my stomach.

"A religious man comes to sanctify the marriage and says many sweet things that show that the husband and wife are ready to devote their lives to each other. I don't need all that but, at the end, the husband and wife both say, 'I do.' These words complete the pact. Meryt-Neith, will you say it with me?"

She gave me a smile I had not seen before. Happy, sad, relieved.

"Yes, Lake Andrus."

"Okay. On the count of three. One. Two. Three!"

We said our, "I do's" in unison.

I let go of her breast to put my hand behind her head and brought her in for another kiss.

The night was just getting started. I would be lying if I said we did it all night long. We only had our fun three times before we tuckered out.

What fun that night was.