Eclipsis: Water

Chapter 21

The next time someone spoke was to announce that they should hunt for a meal. This was suggested by Kōri, which didn't receive a form of annoyed grumble from Cetus, much to Alara's surprise. They had been eating the remainder of the fish that Cetus had caught, but it was early evening now, the sun beginning to fade.

Alara's legs were burning from walking for so long. She could tell that Kōri's were too, though he was evidently hiding his limp, and made a point of holding his breath whenever he thought that his breathing had become too heavy. This was to draw attention away from the fact that he was exhausted, but Alara could tell. She didn't say anything about it, because she knew that he knew that she was equally as exhausted, and he was likely to point this out.

We will be up in the air again soon, Al, Cetus said to her gently. From his place behind both fairies, he could see their energy depleting in full view. Not that he cared about Kōri's energy of course, but he was anxious for Alara to rest. He knew that she would much rather pass out than admit that she needed to stop.

Alara had always been like this, ever since she were young. She thought that having to take a break or ask for help made her weak, and the last thing she wanted to appear as was weak. She was an overachiever, feeling as though she had to be perfect all the time in order to be respected. She believed that she had to be strong in order to protect her little sister, always, because that's what older siblings do. And it was her lack of strength with her wing that had resulted in Ondine being taken. She would only allow herself to rest once her sister was back with her.

Cetus nudged the fairies towards a log to sit down on, telling Alara it would be quicker for him to hunt. They watched as the dragon stuck his head into the small pond repeatedly. Kōri masked a laugh poorly, snorting instead, which made Alara look over at him judgementally.

He had left space between them. Why was Alara bothered about -  no, she wasn't bothered. She was relieved. She didn't want to be in close proximity with the ice-fairy. She rolled her eyes in disgust.

"What? Don't you think he looks funny like that?" Kōri asked. He had assumed she was rolling her eyes at his snort.

"What?"

"Cetus," Kōri prompted, the nearing darkness casting soft shadows across his high cheekbones. "The way he's hunting."

Alara looked over at the dragon to understand what Kōri was speaking about. She hadn't paid much notice before; her mind too focused on the aching of her joints and Ondine.

"He's too big to get into the pond, see," Kōri said, laughing again. "I think it's just funny how he keeps sticking his head into the water like that."

Alara could see why this was funny; she allowed herself a small smile as Kōri laughed again.

"How are you feeling?"

The question paired with the gentleness of his tone had caught her completely off-guard. Alara made the mistake of turning to look at him, and saw what was poorly-concealed worry in his light eyes.

Worry? She thought to herself incredulously. What kind of world is this? A Moon, being worried for a Sun? Possibly about? No way.

She immediately snapped her head away, feeling her cheeks warm even though water creatures didn't have the ability to show physical embarrassment. Was this embarrassment? She wasn't sure. She felt too seen, the way that he had asked the question and the way that he had looked at her - was looking at her, waiting for her response. Why couldn't he have asked it in an indifferent tone?

Was he trying to see if she would lie? Was that why he was insistent on still looking at her, even though he had watched her turn away from him so quickly she had felt a crick in her neck? Why should he care if she lied? He didn't care about her at all.

"What kind of question is that?" Alara spat.

"A normal one." That same gentle tone. Did he see her as if she were a child on the verge of a tantrum? He was patronising her.

She felt herself exhale deeply. Her voice was much calmer once she replied. "Well, you don't need to ask silly things like that. I'm feeling fine."

"Are you?"

She didn't like that he hadn't dropped this. It's not as if they needed to speak. She would've been perfectly content with silence as they waited for Cetus.

"Just hungry, is all."

Maybe if she gave him some truth, he would stop poking at her.

"Alara -"

She span to face him, fixing him with an irritated look. "I just told you that I'm feeling fine. Why're you not happy with that? Do you want me to tell you that I'm distraught? Sick? Annoyed? Because I'm starting to feel the last emotion, directed at you."

"You're annoyed that I'm trying to ask you a serious question?" Kōri laughed in bewilderment. "Fine, leave it then."

"What about you, huh? How are you feeling, Kōri?" Alara watched his eyes widen at the mention of his name, and she was sure that this was the first time she had said it, out loud. It was strange on her tongue.

His eyebrows immediately snapped down to recover, however, and she watched his jaw clench. "I'm fine."

"That was the same thing I said. So you're fine, yes?"

"Yes." He answered through gritted teeth.

"Good."

"Good."

Alara scoffed at the ice-fairy's need to have the last word. Once Cetus had bounded back over to them, their meal of newts, water scorpions and more fish was eaten wordlessly. Cetus began to ask Alara what had happened, but she shook her head no, and he didn't ask again. Alara collected ramshorn snails and handfuls of lemon becopa to deposit in the bag for later in case anyone got peckish.

After they were all finished eating, both fairies wasted no time in returning to Cetus' back - Alara climbing and Kōri clambering, and they were in the air again. The trio unanimously agreed to sleep for the night once Cetus' stomach had blended in with the stars. Alara offered to take first watch - they had found a swamp to sleep in. It was rather murky, but it would do. She didn't want to waste any more time searching for a cleaner water source, not when she was feeling her legs begin to buckle from carrying her weight for so long. She was incredibly grateful that Cetus had flown her and Kōri for a while so that she could rest.

She signed internally as soon as she had immersed herself in the cold water, hearing Cetus faintly remind her to wake him in a few minutes. She jolted herself awake, receiving an annoyed grumble from Kōri, and she tutted in response. She kept catching her eyelids lower as the minutes went on, and each time she did, she issued a hard pinch to her arm, which did the trick.

Both Kōri and Cetus were asleep right now, she could tell by their even breathing. The faint sound of it was lulling her, alongside the gentle movement of the water. She was so tired, and her limbs so sore, and it was okay to only rest her eyes, she'd just rest them for a moment, resting doesn't equal sleeping, but what was in her hair?

There was some sort of weed caught in her hair, some annoying plant, and she reached up to untangle it, but the plant pulled harder - plants can't pull. Her eyes shot open to see a green-bearded elderly man towering over her, a malicious expression festering on his frog-like face.