A New Mission: Ash to Fire

Awakened

After Miles' and Zu's bout of literal hot love in the hot springs, Zu thought it apt to take Miles to a place where he could cool down. They both left under the soon-to-be-ending darkness of the daily eclipse, Zu leading Miles on her new cliff Ikran to a beautiful, shallow spring basin that had a tall, narrow waterfall that fed into the spring over the edge of a dark-rocked cliff wall. The spring itself emptied into a gently moving stream that meandered through the illuminated forest. The shallow spring was surrounded by deeply bioluminescent plant life at its shores, as well as under the water causing the spring to glow.

However, perhaps most stunningly, the waterfall flowed over plant life that grew up the rocky basin wall, nourished by the water, and so the waterfall also glowed white and purple. It was beautiful. And alien.

Miles sometimes forgot the alien beauty of the world he now called home, these reminders making him appreciate it for the first time again; especially with his new, ever-changing outlook on the world around him. His asshole former self did, in a sense, come to appreciate some aspects of Pandora in his fifteen years at Hell's Gate, but it was more from a wild, untamable, and hostile land perspective, less about true, authentic appreciation.

The pair landed at the banks of the spring. Miles didn't want to get his gifted new accessories wet, so he took them off and left them by Cupcake who rested contently in some reeds having lapped up water. She was also probably a little overheated from the time she spent near the hot springs. Zu left her leather Ikran-taming leggings and gloves by her new mount, who was less relaxed than Cupcake but was quiet.

Both animals seemed indifferent to one another, which slightly saddened Miles and Zu, them remembering the cute little relationship Cupcake and Karuk shared, though neither commented on it.

The spring was only about five feet at its deepest. Miles and Zu, holding hands, their tails curling happily, their glowing pores adding to the ambient bioluminescence, moved toward the waterfall, each step they took causing the illuminated springbed to shine brighter in reaction to their feet. Miles looked up into the falls, the cool, heavy water flowing over his face. He was good to still have his camo capris on since they would continue to cool him as they dried while they flew. Zu left her clothing on too.

The two stood looking up under the refreshing water with their eyes closed. Miles, his slightly longer hair hanging wet over his forehead, turned his head down and looked at Zu while she still had her eyes shut under the water, the light from the falls upon her beautiful face. Without warning he bent down to lift her by her thighs onto him, bringing her face to his, and he kissed her. Zu, surprised, let out a playful scream and a giggle, then brought her hands to his wet face and kissed him back, the water flowing over them both.

Eclipse was ending and it was time to head back to the village. Miles and Zu expected that by now some of the outlying clan warriors would have already arrived, and he was anxious to see what the total numbers would be for the Ash People's war party. They went to their Ikrans, Miles putting his utility belt, holster, armband, and gemmed belt back on, and Zu simply held her leather gear over her arm.

As they were about to mount their Ikrans, Miles asked, "So... have a name for your Ikran yet?"

Zu looked at Miles, then peered at her Ikran, smiling at his cute pigment-less white splotch over his right eye. He made a gentle bray towards her when she looked at him. She actually didn't have a name for him yet. Now was as good a time as any to pick one. Zu looked down and around, then Cupcake caught her eye, the light of the newly emergent Alpha Centauri B shining on her smooth indigo hide. Zu thought for a moment, Cupcake in mind, Miles waiting for her to respond.

She grinned and said, "His name is... Za."

Miles turned his mouth up in a mildly impressed face. Simple. One syllable. Stuck with the trend of common "Z" names for her people. Zu and Za, that was cute.