Daughter of Luka (LGBT+)

Forty-Eight 🌑

An affectionate-sounding laugh escaped Yara's lips. 

"Naomi is a very generous kid," she told me. 

That much was for sure. 

"Go ahead!" Naomi said, as she walked over to me, her hand outstretched with a chocolate-chip cookie in it. 

I gratefully accepted the cookie and ate it. It was delicious. 

"I made those," Yara said, with a smile. 

"You're an amazing chef, Yara," I replied, with an appreciative tone of voice. 

Naomi then reached out to take my hands in hers. 

"Fifi, Fifi! That's what I'm going to call you," she said. 

I chuckled, this time around. 

She then jumped up and grinned at me. 

"Do you want to come and play with me? I have dolls and I have these shapes- this one is a triangle! Did you know that? I learnt that at school," she said confidently, as though very proud she knew this. 

I smiled back at her, proud too. 

"You're a smart cookie," I said. 

Her chocolate-brown eyes widened, as her mouth came slightly agape. 

"You're right, I am!" she said. 

"She's obviously inherited Uziel's confidence," Yara whispered to me, which caused me to smile in good-natured humour. 

"Oh, you're very pretty! I'm glad you're now a part of our family," Naomi said, with warmth behind her every word. 

The warmth was inherited from her mother, I believed. 

"We should definitely play something sometime, Fifi! Pinky swear it!" she said authoritatively. 

Yara gasped, as she broke into laughter. 

"Naomi, you're being so demanding!" she said. 

"Swear it," Naomi repeated, as her cheeks grew red. 

I held out my pinky and promised that I would play dolls and shapes with her the next time I was there. 

"Yay!" Naomi exclaimed, with another burst of excitement. "It'll be so much fun!" she said. 

"Yeah it will!" I said in agreement. 

Naomi then quickly cuddled me, before she walked over to see what her dad had brought her- a selection of fruits, cheese sandwiches and chocolate cake. She was one lucky girl. 

"Fifi...do you want some of my fruit? Have you eaten today? You must be hungry," Naomi said and her eyes widened with concern, as she held out an apple. 

Uziel reached out to ruffle his daughter's soft hair. 

"Want something, Ophelia?" he inquired. 

"Sure," I said. 

"I'll go get you some pasta, Ophelia," Yara said, as she began to head out of the room. 

I thanked her. 

As Naomi proceeded to eat and play with her toys, Uziel turned to me. 

"When she's sixteen, Naomi will become a wolf, too," he informed me. 

I nodded in understanding. 

"She's fascinated by them," he added, as he bobbed his head towards one of the walls of Naomi's room, where there were a few pictures of brightly-coloured wolves. 

"Hey, Naomi," I said. 

She turned to me with a bright smile. 

"I draw, too," I said. 

"Wolves?" she asked, with genuine curiosity. 

Uziel looked as though he was holding a laugh in. 

"Oh yeah! Wolves all the time," I said. 

She looked thoroughly impressed with that. 

"You need to show me them! Colour with me some time please!" she requested. 

"I'd love to," I said friendlily. 

"How are you feeling?" Uziel asked me, with genuine care behind his gaze. 

"I'm alright," I said, "Why?" I added. 

"I think Luka wants to talk to you," he informed me, as his eyes glanced towards the doorway, where Luka was stood. 

I knew that I couldn't keep Luka waiting. After all, he was the leader of the wolves. 

"I'll see you soon," I whispered to Uziel, before I stood up and went to see Luka. 

"Can I speak with you, Ophelia?" he asked me. 

I nodded and the two of us made our way into his office again. 

I looked towards one of the walls where I found one of his own artistic creations was presented- a picture of him and another, larger black wolf. 

He noticed me looking towards the picture and smiled. 

"That was Accalia's grandfather and I," he explained. 

Based upon his expression, I could tell that Luka missed his own parents greatly. 

"I'm aware of the duty I have to do for my people, Ophelia," he continued, "The same as what my father did before me. I must protect the tribe. If anything was to happen to them, it would be catastrophic," he said it rather dramatically, but I could tell he truly meant every word. They meant everything to him. 

"Nothing is going to happen to them, Luka. We won't allow it," Mr. Z said, as he came to stand behind me. 

I turned to him with some surprise. Talk about appearing out of thin air...

He wandered over to Luka and squeezed his shoulder in an act of reassurance. 

"Nothing is going to happen," he said again. 

"Is there someone out to get us?" I asked. 

Mr. Z turned to me, this time around. 

"No. At least, we don't believe so. However, we have to be careful," he said, "And with this sickness spreading through wolves, our time is running out to find a solution." 

There was a certain intensity to his gaze that held me in place. 

"I'll search the forests tomorrow, but for now, I promised Uziel a race," he said, his expression becoming a little more light-hearted. I could tell, from the flames that flickered in his gaze, that he had a competitive spirit. 

Mr. Z, Zachariah, then left the room, leaving Luka and I sat in the worrying silence. 

"We'll figure something out, Luka!" I said optimistically, "I know we will. I want to help, too." 

He smiled appreciatively at me, before his expression turned to a much more serious one again. 

"I thank you for your altruism, Ophelia, but I'm not sure how much we can do," he said. 

I felt my heart sink. 

"Well, we can't give up! We have to keep happy in times of darkness. We have to be that light. No matter how bad things get, we can get through them," I said cheerfully. 

After my mini-speech, Luka's eyes flickered with appreciation. 

"Thank you, Ophelia," he said.