Scene One
As Morkeet pushed the door open and made his way into the house, he called out.
"Anati? BrouGan? Are you here my friends?"
An eery silence ensued then suddenly broken by the sound of footsteps charged in.
Arthur instinctively stood in front of Loran, now considering the possibility of there being a threat waiting for them.
They heard a howl as the footsteps rounded the corner!
(Voices) "Uncle Keet!"
Three little children shouted in joy before jumping onto Morkeet, hanging off his arms and legs.
(Morkeet) "Sadeock, Mirrèi, Tellè, you are all getting so big!"
Morkeet twirled around in the open room the three children laughing and howling.
Arthur and Loran smiled brightly watching Morkeet play with the children.
But then they noticed that the children weren't human, they weren't even Elves.
Sadeock the oldest was a boy around nine years old, he had black hair, a pale red tint to his skin tone, also he had two small white translucent horns peeking out of his forehead.
And lastly, he had a tail, but it was different from the rest of his strange features, almost foreign as it appeared to be a wolf's tail.
Mirrèi the second oldest was around six, she had a slight pink tint to her skin and she had beautiful silver hair.
Her notable oddities included the same tail as Sadeock, but rather than having horns, she had a pair of wolf ears on the top of her head.
And the youngest Tellè was about three years old, she had pale white skin and short black and silver hair. She had the wolf tail and ears like her older sister, but she also had one horn which was visible, and a small bump on the other side, which was the other horn slowly growing large enough to break through her skin.
(Woman's Voice) "All right pups, you best be getting down from Morkeet, he is tired from his journey, and… Oh, I see we have other guests!?"
A woman walked in from the other room which the children had come from.
(Sadeock) "MOM, Uncle Keet is here!"
(Morkeet) "Hello Anati, how have you been my friend."
(Anati) "I'm doing wonderful, and I'm sure we will have much catching up to do once BrouGan returns from the shop. But tell me who are your friends?"
Anati looked over at Arthur and Loran with a smile.
She was beautiful with long silver hair, bright blue eyes, and the odd traits of having a Wolf tail and ears.
(Morkeet) "This is Arthur and Loran, I found them stranded in the great forest."
(Anati) "You always seem to bring home something interesting when you are adventuring,"
Anati turned and curtsied to Arthur and Loran.
(Anati) "Welcome to our home, I hope you will enjoy your time here."
As if a barrier had suddenly been lifted, the three children ran over to Arthur and Loran dragging them farther into the house.
Sadeock circled them, smelling and poking at Arthur's legs.
(Sadeock) "You look weird! Uncle Keet, he looks like you but he doesn't smell like you. Are you a Wizard? Your arms aren't big enough to be a fighter. Are you stronger than Uncle Keet? Uncle Keet is he stronger than you? I bet my dad could beat you up!"
(Mirrèi walked up to Loran) "You are so beautiful! I love your black hair. I hope I'm as beautiful as you when I grow up. Do you have any kids? I bet you are a great mom, like my mamma. Do you know how to make rabbit steaks? They are my favorite! Mamma makes them when we find them at the market. I bet mamma could teach you!".
And Tellè simply walked over to Loran and held onto her pajama pant leg, sucking her thumb and looking up at Loran.
(Anati) "Alright Pups, that's enough, you are overwhelming our guest. Go clean up your toys we have to make room for them."
"YES, Mamma!"
The three of them took off on all four rounding the corner and howling.
Scene Two
(Anati) "My apologies, the Pups don't get out as much as I'd like them to, I never can keep track of them once they get loose. So they get excited when guests come over."
(Arthur) "It's alright, kids are just curious, there is nothing wrong with that. Thank you for having us, it very kind of you."
Arthur gives a slight bow to show his respect.
(Loran) "… Yes, thank you!"
Her cheeks turn a rosy red.
(Arthur) "Are you okay"?
(Loran) "Yes…, she just asked if I was a mom and it caught me off guard. I'm too young to have kids."
(Anati) "How old are you my dear?"
Her tail slightly swaying giving away her curiosity.
(Loran) "I'm only eighteen,"
(Anati) "Oh? (Laughs) my dear, I was sixteen when I gave birth to Sadeock. But if the two of you are waiting that is fine, all couples go at their own pace."
(Loran) "No, we…"
(Arthur) "Loran and I are only friends. Actually, Loan has a boyfriend named Matt."
(Anati) "Oh, a thousand pardon,"
Loran looks at Arthur and for the first time since coming to Akriun remembers the life they had, they were only neighbors but it felt like they had been close friends for years.
It felt like they had been in Akriun for a long time, but they had only been there for three day.
(Morkeet) "I believe rest is in order for all of us, let us move into the bedrooms,"
Scene Three
As Arthur lay on the first real bed since he was summoned to Akriun, he felt such a nostalgic and disturbing feeling.
He knew he needed rest, but the thought of the curse mark activating, kept him in a state of panic.
He tried so hard to forget about his dream, but it was burned into his memory.
It was so real, the pain, the horror of it.
He looked over at the other bed, Tellè had climbed into bed with Loran and was sleeping soundly.
Arthur smiled and remembered for a moment that there was still beauty and innocence in the world.
And he gently dozed off with a smile on his face.
Scene Four
Loran woke up slowly, feeling a warmth against her that she hadn't realized was there.
For a moment she felt a rush of concern as she lifted the cover, but it all melted away as she stared down at Tellè snuggled up against her.
"Awe!" Loran whispered as she gently set the blanket down.
She looked over at the other bed and saw Arthur sleeping soundly.
It was a relief to see him finally at peace, he had been through a lot, and his nightmares kept him from getting proper rest.
She hoped this moment could last just a bit longer.
After they left their beds, they would have to go back to the world they had been dragged to against their will.
(Loran) "Just a little longer… please."
She whispered even as she heard footsteps moving towards the room.
(Anati) "Good Morning, breakfast is ready when… Tellè that's where you are."
Anati said, putting her hands on her hips.
(Anati) "Come on, it will be cold if you don't get a move on."
Tellè sat up, stretched yawning, and looked up at Loran.
(Tellè) "Hungwee?"
Tellè climbed down from the bed and pulled on Loran's sleeve.
(Tellè) "Comd on."
Loran followed, stopping only when they reached the door.
(Loran) "Wait. Arthur isn't getting up."
(Tellè) "He crying all nite, should let himb sleep,"
Tellè let go of Loran's sleeve and walked out to the Hall.
Loran stood there staring at Arthur in the bed.
She hadn't even heard him crying, did he had another nightmare?
Loran gently shut the door behind her, hoping that he could get a few more hours of rest.
Scene Five
As Loran followed Tellè out into the dining-room, she was greeted by Morkeet, Sadeock, and Mirrèi.
Mirrèi quickly made Loran a plate of food and tapped her hand on the seat next to her.
Loran sat down and forced a smile.
"Did you sleep well?" Morkeet asked.
(Loran) "Yes, it was nice…"
Loran's smile slipped, the smallest frown touching her expression as she stared at her food.
(Morkeet) "You are worried for Arthur. He was crying in the night."
(Loran) "You heard him too?! I didn't hear a thing… I slept through the whole night, but he…"
Loran felt a pressure on her left temple, and pain in the tip of her nose as the tear ducts threatened to fill and overflow.
(Morkeet) "We Elves are known for our good hearing, it was very faint, but I could tell it was Arthur. He whispered apologize as well. To someone named Tessa?"
(Sadeock) "Who's Tessa?!"
(Mirrèi) "Don't be rude!"
Loran sat there perplexed, she felt that the name was familiar, but she couldn't place it.
Arthur didn't have a girlfriend, or at least he always said he was too busy to have a girlfriend.
Did he lie? Or was Tessa someone else.
(Loran) "I...I don't know?"
(Morkeet) "Whatever the case, I'm sure it's best if we let him be,"
Morkeet shot a glance at Sadeock and Mirrèi, and the two of them quickly returned to their food.