As Mo' an swept her eyes over the public square packed with food stalls, her golden eyes seemed to shine brighter than ever, giving the impression that they sparkled with a thousand lights. It made her appear somehow childish, like a candid child in front of a treasure.
Although Mo' an was a proud warrior, and some would even say a battle freak, she was also a foodie at heart. Knowing this, her tribe had decided to throw a feast in her honor before her departure. For the past few days, they had worked hard to gather a large number of ingredients to create dishes that were tastier than each other. Everyone put their shoulder to the wheel, giving birth to this extravagant display of food.
Truthfully, their feast looked like a festival, a lively one at that. Those who weren't busy managing a booth wandered around with a broad smile plastered on their face, tasting the snacks and meals offered here and there, while the people holding a stand heartily called the passersby to come over and try their cooking.
There was no money involved in the process, and everyone was free to take whatever they wanted as long as they ate it all. No matter the age, wasting food wasn't allowed at the risk of someone shoving it down your throat. Thus, no one had their eyes bigger than their belly, and they all took a bite to know if they loved the taste or not before ordering a large portion. Most people even took the time to ask the cooks what the ingredients were and such.
All in all, it was harmonious, and loud laughs could be heard through the noise from time to time. Sometimes, the laughs were soft and clear, extremely pleasing to the ear; some other times, they were childish, carrying a hint of innocence that melted the heart. Old and young voices mixed together, and melodious and rhythmic sounds of flutes and hand drums drifted into the public place, making everyone's feet itchy for a dance.
Soon, Mo' an got drunk on the atmosphere, and a broad smile bloomed on her handsome face, making a few girls in the vicinity gasp. With her keen ears, the teenager heard them despite the ambient noise, and thus she turned her head toward the slightly embarrassed girls.
Of course, everyone in the tribe knew Mo' an was female, which included those young grils, but they had momentarily forgotten her gender when they saw her smile. This particular expression on that gorgeous face of hers was simply a weapon of mass destruction! She shouldn't be allowed to smile so happily! Hence, it wasn't their fault! They were but mere mortals who knew how to appreciate beauty.
Amused, Mo' an frivolously winked at them, exaggerating the gesture until it lost all of its sensuality and became nothing but comical. The girls couldn't restrain themselves and burst out laughing, heavily hitting their thighs. A hand in front of their mouth, they tried to retain some of their dignity, but the grimaces Mo' an made were too hilarious. They contrasted vividly with that gorgeous look she had as a boy. Her face had lost all of its elegance, turning into a monkey's. How could they not laugh their ass off?
Their reaction was quite to her taste, so Mo' an puffed out her flat chest, feeling proud of her performance while Shi'an, who was strolling by her side, hid his flushed face with his hands, pretending not to know who that fool was. As days passed by, his cute little sister became more and more like their elder brother, and he couldn't help but wonder what led her astray.
That brother of theirs wasn't an example to follow!
Before the teenage girl could add another layer of foolishness to her frivolous act, she heard someone call out her name. She instinctively turned her head and looked into a pair of crystal colored eyes.
The man smiled brightly when he noticed he succeeded in getting her attention. He had a deep scar that ran on the left side of his face, from his temple to his jaw, and only one jaguar ear stood proudly on top of his head, the other one was half-missing; it seemed to have been torn apart a long time ago. His long, dark-blond hair fell down freely, reaching his tailbone.
He wore ample clothes that couldn't hide his well-developed musculature. The empty left sleeve of his grey top stood out, but the teenager didn't even glance at it. She was used to the sight.
"Mo' an! Come here, come here! Look at what I've got for you!" baited the man behind his stall, shaking a big piece of oily meat right under her nose.
Unsurprisingly, his shameless actions worked, and Mo' an strolled closer to the booth.
Tiel, who was close to his friend, almost cried out the moment he saw the middle-aged man, "Dad! Did you go hunting alone again!? Do you have a death wish!"
"What? Because I'm short of a leg and an arm, I can't do anything anymore but sit at home? What do you take me for!"
"You! Stupid old man!" fumed the young beastman, almost angered to death by his easy-going attitude. If he ever ended up bald before old age, that would definitely be his father's fault. "Your wooden leg isn't as flexible or as strong as a real one! What will you do if it breaks along the way, and you're stuck in the middle of nowhere!? Crawl all the way back home!?"
"Don't worry so much, young man," suddenly laughed a woman behind their back, making Tiel tense up and glance over his shoulder.
It was a tall woman with many scars running on her tanned skin. She was holding a basket full of vegetables, and without waiting for Tiel's reply, she slid behind the stand, kissing La'en on his cheek in passing. "If something happens to your father, he just has to scream, and we will hear him no matter where we are. From who do you think you inherited that loud voice? Certainly not from the neighbor, I'm telling you!"
"There's a limit to how loud someone can be! Dad's inner beast is a jaguar, not a darn wolf!"
"Of course not! Your father is not a fleabag!"
"That's not the point!"
Following the woman's arrival, a meaningless war of words began between the two.
While the mother and son duo were busy bickering, Mo' an slowly approached La'en, staring intensively at the roasted leg of what she supposed a giant rabbit. It gave off a sweet and enticing smell, and the lustrous color of the skin was alluring, making her salivate.
Gulping, she wiped the drool off of her chin before snatching the food under the man's laugh and taking a bite. She closed her eyes and let the savory taste spread in her mouth, slowly chewing the tender meat.
"It tastes good, right?" bragged La'en with a grin, completely ignoring his son and lover's quarrel. Their voice became a part of the background noise.
"It's delicious!"
"Told you!" nodded the man, satisfied.
With tender eyes, he observed her devour the roasted leg. There was nothing more gratifying than seeing someone eat what you cooked with such relish.
Once Mo' an was done pulling all the meat on the bone, she stared at it with a wronged expression on her face. La'en's roasting skills were famous in their tribe, and although she was friends with his son, she hardly had the chance to eat his cooking. One roasted leg wasn't enough to satisfy her stomach.
"Don't make that face! It looks like I'm bullying you," laughed La'en before rummaging in one of his pockets. He took out something and placed his closed fist above the stall, saying, "Land me your hand for a second."
Frowning, Mo' an stared at the smiling man, her throat suddenly dry. Still, she complied and put her hand under his. Then, his fingers moved, and an earring fell in the middle of her palm. When she saw the sturdy-looking jewel, her eyes widened, and her jaw almost dropped to the ground. She couldn't believe her eyes, and she even thought she was dreaming wide awake.
Quickly, La'en put his hand on hers, making her close her fingers. "I won't be there tomorrow morning to send you off, so I'm giving you my gift a little in advance. If you don't want it, just throw it out. I won't take it back."
Because of his physical condition that restricted his movement, La'en had to use a massive amount of spiritual energy every day to replenish his tired body and make it move the way he wanted, especially while hunting. Using so much energy wasn't without any drawbacks. To restore his spiritual energy, he had to sleep around 14 hours once every 12 hours. Mo' an was leaving in less than 10 hours, and he had to rest in 2 hours.
Thus, La'en couldn't give her his blessing tomorrow morning. He slightly patted her hand, saying, "There are still three uses left to it, so if you ever are in danger, don't hesitate to activate it."
Clenching her fist, Mo' an slowly nodded her head. She knew how precious this earring was. It wasn't only a pretty accessory, but also a powerful artifact, one that had been impregnated with spiritual energy.
Once activated, this particular jewel produced a small force field that could protect its owner from a certain amount of time. As long as it was a physical attack, it couldn't pass through it. Only spiritual energy with high purity could break it.
Such a treasure was a life-saving item that was worth its weight of gold, and La'en just gifted it to her like it was nothing more than an everyday earring. For a moment, she was at a loss, not knowing how to respond.
Before she could recover, La'en ruffled her hair, saying, "We never know what can happen on the battlefield. I just hope that one day, you can come back to us safe and sound."
Biting her lips, Mo' an slowly nodded, staring at her clenched fist. Even if she wanted to give it back, she knew La'en would refuse. In the worst-case scenario, he would hand it to her brother, who was leaving with her. Ultimately, it would still end up in her hands.
La'en pinched the teenager's nose, mumbling, "What with that depressed look? Shouldn't you be thanking me?"
"Yes, yes!" She pushed his hand, smiling brightly, "Thank you."
"You're welcome, you're welcome. And a piece of small advice, once outside, don't smile too much with that face of yours. It's going to attract flies."
Mo' an's mouth twitched. "How come no one ever told me that when I looked like a fine woman?"
Raising an eyebrow, La'en answered matter-of-factly, "Because you look better as a boy, of course."
The long-forgotten Shi'an let out a small laugh while Mo' an showed a conflicted face.
Those words, were they an insult or a compliment?
In the end, she decided not to overthink it. The teenager talked a bit more with La'en before dragging Tiel away. If she let them be, she knew his friend and his mother would bicker for many more hours. There were still many stands she wanted to pass by, and she also needed to find Nael, who had disappeared who knew where the moment they turned their back.
Since Mo' an only had one night left, she wanted to get the most of it with her closest friends. She had no idea when she could see them again, and thus she planned on partying with them until late at night. She would do her luggage afterward.
Because she was dragging Tiel by his wrist and looking in front of her, she didn't see him glance back at his parents, a sad smile on his lips. With tears in her eyes, his mother snuggled against her man while La'en waved at his son, nodding at him to let him know that he didn't need to worry.
They would be fine, even if he was not by their side. They would patiently wait for his return, no matter how long it would take.