Being topside felt AMAZING. The sun was shining, the air was fresh and slightly cool with a light breeze. I stretched my hands towards the sky and took a deep breath in then let it out slow.
"Nothing beats the sunshine and fresh breeze." I said to Kian.
He stood next to me wearing white cotton-looking pants with a drawstring. He wore a white sash over his left shoulder and a white braided arm brace. He had on a bracelet of some kind of animal bones and his hair was swept up in a bun with a huge rib bone stabbed through it. Apparently everyone would be wearing white today because of the ceremony tonight. I was to wear white out of respect.
"Would you rather live up here than below in a lake city?" Kians voice was pleasantly low and seemed alluring. However, I tend to be very good at over thinking and over analyzing everything. Which would explain my attraction to his voice. It's not pulling me in. I was doing that to myself. Attraction can cause madness after all.
"I would. I'm a human. That's what we called ourselves in my world. Sunlight is essential for a healthy body and mind. Without it, our skin loses its glow and our minds become slow and sad."
"Wow. How long does it take for that to happen?"
"It can begin in as little as a few days. It really depends how healthy we are to begin with. If we eat properly, we're more resilient."
"Are you really so fragile? What do you need to eat to be healthy?"
"Well, we need a healthy balance of fruits, veggies, grains, and meat. Meat from fish and birds are best for us. Especially fish." I smiled at him and started looking around. "Where can we find those crystals you were talking about?"
"This way." He said and started heading through the long grass and into the woods. "I'm great at hunting and cooking meat. I barter for the rest. I can get a substantial amount of the other stuff in exchange for bigger pray."
"What can you barter if you can't hunt?" I asked.
He paused a moment and then said, "Our clan will take care of you. You don't need to worry about that."
"But I'm leaving once I can be escorted to the village. I'll need to be able to take care of myself."
Kian stopped moving forward and looked at me. I felt rooted to my spot and a bit weak in the knees when he said, "If, however unlikely, my call is answered by another and I cannot support you, you will need to expound on your own talents. There are accessories, cloth, stones, crystals, or maybe weaved baskets. These things are what females usually use to trade. Though I have never met a female that was left to support herself alone. Even if she doesn't have any mates, there are usually pursuers that will gift females with the things they need."
I hugged myself and looked away. "Are the crystals far?"
I felt his hand brush my arm and I turned to look at him. He moved forward and I moved back until a tree stopped me. His hands came to rest on either side of me. His scent was pleasant. It reminded me of a warm day in the early fall.
"Tell me you're feeling what I'm feeling. Everything about you attracts me. Your appearance. Your scent. The very sound of your voice seems to penetrate through my body and makes my heart race." He said quietly.
I swallowed hard, trying to find my voice. "Please Kian. Don't. If I follow you into this and you end up finding another female after the call…" I closed my eyes and shook my head. "I've already been left for another in my last world. I've been plain left all my life. I couldn't bear it if the same pattern followed me here. I was told to be happy here and that's what I plan to do. I will protect my heart from that pain. I am attracted to you. Drawn to you. But I can get over that if-when you find your mate."
I looked up at him after speaking, showing him the determination in my eyes. He saw that I meant it.
"Alright Wren. We won't discuss it." He pulled away from me. "But I do think you're wrong. What has happened to me has never been heard of. I have gone to different clans and different cities, even just random locations in the woods. No one has heard my call. I was going to stop calling, but Jinn thinks she's the one. I want her to know without a doubt that she is not. Then she will stop pursuing me and move on. I believe this whole strange thing is because of you. Our Goddess sent you here to live and your are going to need protection. I am one of the strongest males in my clan and you will need my strength. You are a sweet and frail female in this world. You will need protecting."
I fiddled with my hands. "And if Jinn does hear your call?"
He gave a sardonic laugh, "If she hears my call I'll eat my tail."
Kian watched me for a moment before heading off towards a bush with rope like branches with long wispy leaves the color of limes and I followed him inside to find a big boulder sitting against the trunk. It was covered in colorful algae ranging from all spectrums of the rainbow. Kian started wiping down on the rock and the algae scraped off like glops of pudding. But underneath the algae were smooth and rounded crystals set in the stone. Indigo, fuchsia, teal, orange, ocean blue… they were so beautiful.
"Wow! Are these common?" I asked.
"Not really. I happened on this rock many months ago. I was waiting until I found my mate or decided to leave the clan to harvest them. They make beautiful charms for jewelry and can also be bartered for things. Swallowing one gives you vitality and nutrients for the rest of your life. You still need to eat and drink, but the benefits from this stone brings a certain health to your entire body. You become your loveliest."
As he said the last part, he held out a crimson red stone to me. Ironically, it looked like a grape sized wonky shaped heart. I looked up at Kian and he said, "Go on. Swallow this one."
I took the stone from his hand, fingertips brushing his cool hand. I squeezed the stone with my fingertips and it felt just as strong as a rock. Can I really swallow this?
"It seems like a rock. Are sure this is edible?" I asked.
He took the rock from my hand, holding between two fingers and brought it to my lips. "Open." He said, voice steady and urging.
Looking into his eyes, I opened my mouth. He placed the stone on my tongue and a sweet berry-like taste emitted. I enjoyed the flavor for a moment before swallowing. I waited for a moment.
"I don't feel any different. Do I loo-" All of a sudden a shudder erupted, starting from the back of my neck and rushing down to my body and limbs. The exhilaration that followed caused me to gasp and I collapsed. Kian caught me just before I hit the ground and a warm pleasure rushed over my skin. Throwing my head back and gripping his arms so I wouldn't fall, I waited for the feeling to subside.
I sighed when it was all over. Realizing I was locked in an embrace with Kian, I stood up and immediately felt energized. I backed up from Kian and he let his arms fall away. I looked at my arms and they were perfect. Not a single hair nor a hint of dryness. They looked practically air brushed and I kept blinking, trying to see if the light glow would fade off.
"I'm a human torch." I said.
"You are the most beautiful female I have ever beheld." He sounded breathy and I looked at him. He was staring at me in awe.
"Do I really look that different?" I asked.
"Come to the lake." He said and grabbed me by the hand, leading me quickly through the woods. When we finally reached the lake, I looked at my reflection in the still water.
My fiery red hair was gleaming, my fair skin glowing, and my light green eyes looked glassy, as though they were perfect marbles.
"Is this why the girls here are so pretty?" I asked.
"Yes, but it seems to have enhanced your natural beauty even more so. I watched your lashes thicken and grow, your skin became more robust, your hair shines and became very silky. You'll have to fix your hair because it grew out of place."
I touched my hair and realized it was loose and almost falling out. I took it down and it cascaded just past my bum. It used to be to my waist!! It grew five inches in five seconds!! It felt like pure silk. As I looked down, I noticed my tummy was tighter, my curves more defined, and my shirt was tight on my. My boobs!! I didn't need any more there!! I pulled my hair over my chest and said, "Can I still get a stone for Lonna?"
He held his hand out, full of colorful stones. "Take as many as you'd like. I have a whole pouch full." He gestured to a purse at his waist and I took three of the eight he held out. Two lavender and a teal.
"It almost seems wasteful to make this into a piece of jewelry." I said.
"She will love it and if she always wears it, she can use one if she's ever in a bind."
I smiled and looked up at him. "Thank you for the stones."
He smiled back, a brilliant white teeth smile that would make any girl melt. His lips were a touch full, but not overly pouty. Aaand I'm staring. I shook my head and said, "Let's go back. I need to make a necklace for Lonna."
Kian shift down into his crocodile form and I took the same place on his back as I did the first time. Once inside the bubble under water, I let go of his neck and sat up on him, feeling the hard bone-like bumps and scales. Looking over the side where his belly and legs moved through the water, I wanted to feel and see if it was scaly too. I slipped my hand down his side and felt a smooth underbelly. It was soft to the touch. A small smile crept on my face and I sat up again, enjoying the way his body swam through the water, weaving from side to side in one fluid motion. "What an incredible world I've entered." I said quietly, admiring my perfect skin and riding on a croc. Nothing in my world compares to the exhilaration.