My heart stopped for a moment, then beat wildly in my chest. He just asked me to marry him! I felt the magnetic pull, like I wanted to be stuck to him like glue at all times.
Yes~ I heard a voice in my head.
I agree with my instincts. I don't want to be apart from him, ever.
"Let's do it." I said, confidently.
His tail swished uncontrollably, making me giggle a little. He leaned in for a steamy kiss. When he stepped back to take a breather he said,
"Tonight."
"Tonight??" I asked, surprised.
"Right now, in fact." He started rummaging through his bag.
"Marshall, um… This feels a little unceremonious." I struggled to find the right word. I know that marriages happen here within days, and that natural mates don't need a ceremony. I still feel like we should like maybe involve his family or something?
"I don't know what that means. But I want to forge the bond. Tonight. Right here and now. " He looked into my eyes, all seriousness. "I wont lose you again."
I gulped. We were practically nose to nose. Without thinking I nodded in agreement.
So there we stood, in the light of the moon, on a dirt path which was in the middle of a field. Just him and I..
He used a strange cord he had in his sachel to tie our arms together while we held hands. His eyes had a rare shimmer to them, I felt mesmerized . his good looks, his intoxicating smell, this magnetic feeling. The romantic atmosphere was the icing on the cake.
"Repeat what I say, but for you."
"Okay."
"In the name of the gods, with their divine blessing, do I take this woman." Marshall started
"In the name of the gods, with their divine blessing, so I take this man." I repeated.
"We come together as equals, to forge this bond of love, trust, and faithfulness."
"We come together as equals, to forge this bond of love, trust, and faithfulness."
"I vow to love you as I love myself, to place my trust in you, and to be ever faithful"
"I vow to love you as I love myself, to place my trust in you, and to be ever faithful"
"Should I not fulfill these vows, may the gods reap my soul and batter my body."
I hesitated a little with this one, as it seemed a little extreme… but I repeated him nonetheless.
"I Marshall, wish to forge the bond with you, Mika. May we be bonded forever,"
"I Mika, wish to forge the bond with you, Marshall. May we be bonded forever,"
The rope binding our hands glowed brightly, our arms felt warm, and I suddenly felt warm and tingly all over.
Ever since I was a kid, there has always been this feeling of emptiness in my chest, like I was missing something. I chalked it up to lack of love from my parents.
Now, I realize, it was him. My soul was missing him. I feel something indescribable. Like we have become one.
'My Mika. My Mate.' I heard Marshall's voice in my head.
'Marshall~' I heard the voice in my head purr back.
He leaned in and kissed me deeply. His calming scent surrounding me like a blanket and filling me with warmth. I felt a light shock course though me, from my heart to my toes, followed by the feeling of butterflies in my chest. He pulled away, the look on his face telling me that he felt it too.
We walked back to Lashwood hand in hand. When we got there, Marshall was denied entrance to the city.
"But I was allowed in earlier by Ishi." I tried reasoning with the tall woman in front of me.
"That is the business of Ishi only, I do not allow him inside. Only you." She had a thick accent that would be similar to a Jamaican accent on earth. She was tall, muscular, dark skinned with dark hair was in braids and adorned with gold accents. Her green eyes stood out against her dark appearance, making her even more attractive. Her body was well proportioned; She wore a leather bralette and long skirt that was slit along the sides from her ankles up to her hips.
I sighed. I know they don't usually let other races into the city, Dania and I were lucky to get in so easily. I had hoped that using Ishi's name would help get Marshall in.
"It's okay, Mika, I can sleep down here." Marshall said.
I looked up at him, he didn't seem upset or disappointed. He seemed to be content. "I'm sorry… I don't want Dania to worry. I'll come back for you in the morning and introduce you to her."
He smiled and leaned down to plant a kiss on my forehead.
The tall woman grunted in mild disgust and indicated that we should ascend to the city. She transformed into a black panther and climbed the tree with precision and grace.
I crouched down to draw power into my legs. I knew Marshall was watching, which made me a little nervous. I was neither precise nor graceful. I leaped, hoping I judged my strength appropriately. This time I undershot my target, however I used Marshall's move from earlier and pushed off a branch nearby to launch me towards the platform. I landed without help, looking cool for once.
I smiled at the black panther in front of me. I got the impression she just wanted me to hurry back to the hut. I didn't want to seem rude so I told her to have a good night before I scampered off to our house.
I walked in, the house was well lit, and there sat Dania at the little table and chairs.
"MIKA!" She yelled in relief. She stood up quickly and as she did, she knocked over a huge pile of nut shells. Looks like she has been stress eating again.
"Hey, sorry about that." I said, subconsciously making myself smaller. "I didn't mean to be gone so long.. it's a long story."
She stalked over to me, and looked me over before coming in for a big hug. "I'm just glad you are okay. I was worried when it got dark and you didn't come back." Without explanation she started sniffing me, which tickled.
I giggled and tried to pull away but she had a firm grip on my shoulders and wouldn't let go of me until she was satisfied.
"You smell like wolf." She said. "Something else is there too, but I can't place it."
"Oh um… haha. That's part of the long story."
"Come, lets sit down and you can tell me everything." She guided me towards the little sitting area and sat down with me.
I told her how I was in the market and caught the scent of someone familiar. "He must have come here looking for me when I disappeared." I yawned, a wave of exhaustion hitting me. "Dania, I'm really tired. can I finish the story in the morning?"
"Of course! I want to hear every detail though."
We both went to our beds. I fell asleep as soon as I laid down, exhausted from the crazy day.
*. *. *. *. *. *. *. *
Sunlight streaming through the window warmed the skin on my face, telling me it was daytime. I went to stretch but felt like the blanket was holding me down. I opened my eyes to see Isola, couched over me, staring at me.
Startled, I jumped, which caused her to jump back too. We were each crouched on the bed, facing each other. My ears and tail were standing straight up, her ears were relaxed and her tail was swishing.
She continued to stare at me like I was some sort of fascinating freak. I decided to break the silence.
"Umm… Good morning."
"Good morning." She said calmly, like it was totally normal to stare at someone while they slept.
"What are you doing here?" I asked as I got up from the bed and got dressed.
"Waiting for you to wake up." Isola said back.
I looked over at her and found myself drawing parallels between her behavior and that of my cat bella. She used to stand on top of me and bat my face with her paws until I woke up. Especially if she wanted something.
"Is there something you want?" I asked her.
"Yes. I want to run a few tests with you."
I sighed. These people are too much. They really do resemble their beasts. I wonder if she would chase a ball of yarn if I threw it. I snickered to myself as I went over to the table to make something to eat.
"At least let me eat something." I said, as I felt her following close behind me.
"Of course, of course. Do your normal thing, pretend I'm not here." She said back. Looks like she plans to continue observing.