Nyell hadn't lied: he wasn't interested in destined mates and their importance to shamans. He was even less interested in how crucial the ceremony was for the White Moon tribe. But now that Allen didn't want him to know, it was a different story. Maybe the White Moon tribe's chief had already gauged his personality and said what he said so he'd inquire about it. With that in mind, Nyell might be playing in his hands. But so what? That was that, and curiosity was curiosity.
"Why are you hesitating to tell me now?" Nyell smiled, a dark shadow flashing in his emerald eyes. "You were so eager to tell me everything a few hours back, and now, you're keeping your mouth shut. Isn't that weird?"
Lapis averted his eyes, looking just like a trapped mouse. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and he eyed the passageway. It drew a chuckle out of Nyell. He had noticed before, but this man was fun to tease.
"Hm?"
"Don't toy with him," Corriel sighed, bending over Lapis' shoulder to flick his son's forehead before turning his attention to the White Moon tribe's beta. "But I admit I'm also curious about that ceremony. It seems to involve the moon god and goddess, which, by extension, also involve mates."
The moon god and goddess, Tyellis and Mirva, were lovers cursed by the sun god. They were damned to spend most of their eternity away from each other, no matter how much they craved their lover's embrace. They were close enough to catch a glimpse of their partner's shadow every night but far enough so that they couldn't engage in sweet talk. They could only meet during the two full purple moons, where the moons passed in front of each other. The moonlight then turned purple as the colors cast by the two moons mingled together, a sign of their reunion.
It was said that when people took a mate during such a night, they would forever be in love, no matter the distance that separated them and the tribulations thrown their way. Their bond would stay strong and never break, just like the moon lovers who only met once every few years yet still loved each other deeply.
That was a famous superstition that even Nyell knew, all thanks to his sister. She had almost turned him deaf with how much she brought it up every time she laid her eyes on the moons. The moon lovers' story was so sad but so sweet—her words, not his.
But Nyell had a hunch the White Moon tribe's beta wasn't looking for an eternal love for his chief. There must be something else.
Biting his lips, Lapis shifted on his butt like a child trying to escape their parents' scolding. It took him a moment to mumble, "What's the point of knowing when Allen won't be back in time anyway?"
"Depending on how important it is," Nyell grinned, which gave him a somewhat devilish look, "I can always bring him back by the skin of his neck. We didn't know which region of the jungle he was in before, but now..."
"…?"
"He smelled of a certain plant that only grows in a specific area," Corriel kindly explained. "Of course, it doesn't pinpoint his exact location, but it does tell us where to search. However good he is at hiding his tracks, if we know where to look, he won't be able to escape us. The jungle is our home, after all."
"…"
"So, how about you tell us?"
"You two don't know how scary Allen can be when he's unhappy…"
"No, we don't. But I've come to realize that he's quite an annoying man. What he said earlier can be viewed in two ways: a warning for you, or a way to stir up my curiosity. I vouch for the latter. And if I'm wrong, we can always say I coerced you to reveal whatever you're hiding because Mister was too busy fraternizing with the enemies to tell me these things himself. How does that sound?"
"You're petty, aren't you?"
"You bet I am!"
A chuckle escaped Lapis. Then, he lowered his eyes. He hesitated a while longer before finally sighing, "Alright. But before I tell you why the ceremony must take place, I have to contextualize our geographical position."
"Don't you live on the mountain bridge?"
"Yes and no. We don't venture in the mountain's south side much as it's your territory, but the north side is ours."
"Don't venture much, huh?"
"Now is not the time, son."
Nyell scoffed but let the matter be. Lapis let out a wry laugh, pretending he hadn't touched a sensible subject, and continued, "The north side is pretty much just the ocean."
"Ocean?" Nyell cocked an eyebrow, and his father also showed a hint of curiosity. "What's that?"
"Oh, right, you wouldn't know," Lapis scratched his cheek, wondering how to explain it. "It's like a lake but so vast it stretches until it reaches the horizon, and so deep you could flip the mountain bridge upside down, and the mountaintop wouldn't even be close to touching the bottom."
"That's hard to imagine."
"To put it bluntly, it's a land of water."
"That's even harder to imagine."
"Anyway, we have a few coastal settlements and— "
"Coastal?" Corriel and Nyell chorused.
"It means near the shore of the ocean, kind of. So, I was saying we have coastal settlements. We mostly depend on fishing to feed ourselves and do a lot of business with the traveling merchants who stop by. Essentially, we're more of a coastal tribe than a mountain one."
"I think I'm following…"
But what traveling merchants? Where did they come from, if not by the east and west of the mountain bridge? The water? Like that could be! But Nyell decided to keep his questions to himself. He'd have all the time in the world to ask them after traveling to the White Moon tribe.
"Since a few months back, the tides have been weird, and the tidal waves are growing bigger and more dangerous by the day, to the point of swallowing settlements. The sudden change took us by surprise, and we lost almost a third of our tribe to the tidal waves. The people were either crushed, drowned, or dragged to the ocean, never to be seen again. And before you ask what a tide is, it's when the ocean recedes or when it comes back. It's hard to explain if you haven't seen it with your own eyes."
Nyell and Corriel nodded. The important thing was that the tides were currently destroying settlements and killing people. Got it.
"And how is it related to the moon god and goddess?"
"They rule over the tides. Whatever reason the tidal waves are out of control must be thanks to Tyellis and Mirva. And, well, the ceremony is essentially about reaching out to them to appease them. Only…"
"Only what?"
"The shaman conducting the ceremony must be powerful enough to contact the moon lovers, and he or she has to be accompanied by their mate."
"And why is that?"
"Well, Tyellis and Mirva won't answer otherwise. They only give their time to people who have found their mates, and even then, if the couple doesn't satisfy them, it isn't rare that they outright ignore them."
Nyell felt his mouth twitch.
"Tell me honestly: do you think forcing your chief to mate with someone random will do the trick and get these pricks' attention?"
"It's better than not trying anything."
"And you're wondering why the heck Allen flew?!" Nyell pinched the bridge of his nose, telling himself that screaming his lungs off wouldn't do any good. "I don't know how important destined mates are to shamans, but I do know what regular mates mean to werewolves. We take one mate for life, which is not a decision to take thoughtlessly."
Lapis shrunk onto himself and mumbled, "But the chief lives for his tribe. It's just a small sacrifice to pay…"
"Easy to say when you're not the one sacrificing yourself!" Nyell spat out. "He must give up his marital happiness for something that most likely won't work?! That's bullshit. If your tribe is so rotten as to drag down their chief for their survival, it isn't worth the sacrifice!"
Although Nyell would give up his life for his tribe, he knew his people (excluding the elders) wouldn't want that, nor would they be happy about it. It was another reason he kept his deal with Allen a secret. Of course, it was to protect his pride, but also because a few hotheaded idiots would kick the White Moon tribe's chief out, claiming that they would rather be spirited away than sell one of their own.
What was the point of living well and happy if it was at the cost of another tribe member's well-being and happiness? Nyell couldn't comprehend it. He might not realize it or want to admit it, but he had inherited his father's soft side.
"And what's with the foolish idea of relying on gods? They're fickle beings who amuse themselves by tormenting mortals."
"I know, but what can we do?"
"Like I know! Think for yourself!"
"…"
Lapis felt like crying, but he had no tears to shed!