Lexa slipped into the forest, under the cover of the trees. She moved cautiously, being careful not to make the branches and leaves creak under her feet. She sighed, alone at last; she was going mad from being followed everywhere. She wandered the silent forest for a few minutes, savoring the moment, then suddenly froze. Without turning around, she exclaimed:
- Charly, Paul, you can come out of your hiding place!
At first, nothing moved, but after a few minutes, two figures, one very slender and the other stockier, stepped out from behind the trees into the light. Hands on hips, Lexa waited for the two friends to join her, absolutely furious. They both looked contrite, and Paul's freckled cheeks grew redder and redder, which didn't appease her anger:
- Can I know why you are following me, morons?
Charly raised his hands defensively, as if trying to appease a wild animal. Or to protect himself against it.
- Lexa, Lexita, my darling...
She raised an eyebrow, daring him to find the right words to manage to appease her. Paul chimed in, the words coming out of his mouth like cannonballs.
- Carter asked us to watch over you because he was worried and he knew you wouldn't want him to stay. so he discreetly took us into the territory and we were waiting for the right moment to approach, but we saw you leave and we thought that Carter wouldn't be very happy to leave you there alone. So we followed you. D-sorry.
Charly gave him a big slap on the back of the head, grumbling:
- You moron!
Lexa, her , she was literally seething with rage.
- So he really doesn't trust me?! No, what an asshole! Wait until he comes home, let's see which of us needs the most help!
The young sportsman with chocolate-colored skin put a hand on the arm of the young woman, sighing:
- You know he didn't mean to hurt you, Lexita. He just worries a lot about the baby and you.
She forced herself to take a deep breath, which was shaking with anger, and gradually calmed down, only to feel minimal anger at her mate and friends. She closed her eyes, took another breath and, continuing on her way, called over her shoulder:
- Since you're here, might as well come with me instead of following me like creepy stalkers.
They followed her , and they walked through the forest in silence for a few more minutes. After a moment, Lexa stopped and faced them again, warning them in such a serious tone that the boys shuddered.
- What you will see here is one of our most sacred places. You have to not tell anyone. Absolutely no one, Understood?
They shook their heads in acceptance, and the girl pushed aside a curtain of leaves they hadn't noticed before. She gave them a sad smile and whispered, stepping aside to let them in, which was not easy with her stomach:
- Welcome to Qualum Sean, our city of the dead.
They enter, expecting to find themselves in cold, damp and dark old catacombs, but find themselves instead in a cave full of luminous crystals of all colors. There were little shrines all over the place, with the names and pictures of the people they were dedicated to. The ceiling of the cave, also covered with crystals, had a large hole in the shape of a circle which looked out into the sky. Perplexed Paul turned to Lexa, who had just entered, and asked:
- What is this hole for? It's not dangerous for your altars, with the wind, the birds, all that...
Lexa smiles:
- In our culture, we believe that we join the moon goddess when we die. It's a way for our deceased to have access to their offerings when the moon shines on them.
Paul widened his eyes.
- So, we agree that it's not a cemetery here, huh?
He was glancing around anxiously, and Lexa burst out laughing.
- No, we burn our dead. Afraid of the zombies , Paulito ?
He gave her a panicked look and, seeking support from his friend, he exclaimed:
- Yes quite ! and there is no shame in that! Hey, Charlie? Charly ? !
But Charly was not listening, busy admiring the place. Lexa let him wander for a few more seconds before declaring :
- Come on, let's go to the back.
The damn cave seemed bottomless, even to Lexa, and it took them about ten minutes to reach the final altars. But... Lexa fell to her knees, not believing her eyes. She let out a desperate scream, and it echoed on the walls and through the forest, alerting everyone.
Carter sat up in his seat: his mate needed help. Without asking for his rest, he jumped to his feet and began to run, all claws out.