Stardust

Chapter 10: Leshouin

       In her dreams, Fenala was floating through space. She looked through the vast expanse of emptiness, except that it wasn't empty. Everywhere she looked, with a backdrop of stars, there were colors. Colors mixing and flowing, swirling and pulsing through the darkness, creating a landscape of light before her very eyes. She noticed as she floated through this wonderous lightshow, that there were three stars closer than the rest, forming a small triangular constellation. When she focused on those three stars, Fenala could see that the colors gathered more closely around them, the pulsing quicker and the patterns of light becoming thicker, obscuring what she could only assume were planets orbiting each of the stars. Just as she felt her body floating closer, a spaceship came into view. A massive ship, larger than any she had seen before, drifted by her and moved towards the three stars. Fenala reached towards the ship and tried to call out, but no sound came from her, just a puff of light in front of her face. And then she woke up.

       Fenala stirred in her bed, the vivid dream still running through her mind as she opened her eyes. She pushed herself up and looked around, looking for Yuval or Reka. In the dark of the small room, she could make out an outline of a figure in the doorway.

       "Yuval?" she called out to the figure, hoping it was him who watched her.

       "He isn't here" Reka said as she moved from the doorway to sit in the single chair in the room. "He is performing Lesha R'han." She paused and then offered an explanation. "It is the ritual that changes our form."

       Fenala, still wearing the only set of clothes they had brought from her ship, moved to sit on the edge of the bed facing Reka. "So you can change freely to have legs or a tail?"

      "Yes." Reka answered simply.

      Fenala frowned in the darkness. Why was Reka so obtuse and short with her? She tried a different question. "Can anyone do this ritual?"

       Reka made a sound like rocks grinding and stood up, moving to the doorway. She whispered something and pressed her hand to the wall and a crystal that had previously been unseen lit up and began to glow, basking the room in a dim green light.

      Fenala sighed at the lack of response but was happy at least to be able to see. She too stood from her spot on the bed and began a series of stretches. While she stretched her limbs, she thought on her situation. Fenala had been trained especially for this mission. To venture into space. To fly through the veil and save her people...but...what was she suppose to do once she made it to the other side of the veil? She stopped midway through her exercise, starting at this realization. They had never told her what she was to do after. Everything had been drilled into her about making it through. That was the only important thing. She calmed herself down and resumed her exercise routine. She would just have to find a way back.

       Sometime during her exercise and musings, Yuval had returned, noted by his voice outside the doorway to the small shell building. He entered the room as Fenala finished her last stretches, notably walking on two legs instead of floating along with a fish tail. Unfortunately. to Fenala's embarrassment, this also meant he was exposed. Her face did flush as he approached her, but the dim light of the crystal didn't make it obvious. 

       She stood and greeted him, brushing some of the dirt from her pants. "Good morning. Is Reka going to do the ritual too?" She said gesturing towards his legs. 

      "She is there now" Yuval said. He studied Fenala and then turned away as he moved towards the door. "Come captain, there is much to do this day."

       "Wait!" Fenala half shouted, raising her hand to grab his shoulder, stopping him. "I have some questions I'd like answered before we go anywhere." She let go of his shoulder as he turned to face her again, but kept her expression firm as she looked him in the eyes.