Beyond the Shadow of a Doubt: Hunter x OC

The Gift

Hunter reigned the fathier to a halt with a gentle pressure on its neck, leaning back into Lyra as the animal's cloven hooves dug into the soft earth. The air was piercingly cold in their noses and lungs, but as he slowly turned in his seat, the discomfort faded into the background, quickly replaced by the awe of the sight that lay before them. Hundreds of small, glowing lanterns were floating into the sky; they were crafted from flat, broad leaves carefully woven together to allow the light to shine through. Lyra was motionless as well, maintaining her hug against his back as she stared, enamored.

Three huge moons hung low in the sky, each one evenly-spaced and luminous in different shades of purple and blue. They provided a backdrop of cool tones that contrasted beautifully with the warm glow of the orbs drifting up toward them. The wind picked up a bit, making the lights dance in the sky and sending a shiver down Lyra's spine. Hunter turned to slide off the fathier, landing nimbly and reaching a hand up to her as she jumped down next to him.

"The observatory can block some of the wind," he suggested, leading the way to the large cylindrical building. She followed, wrapping her jacket tightly around herself as they took shelter against the wall to watch the lights in their graceful flurry. Hunter stood with his arms folded, slightly behind her and to the side, the colorful scene playing out across the horizon beyond Lyra's brown hair that ruffled occasionally in the breeze. His heart rate was picking up again as he moved a fraction of inch closer to her, and he clenched his fingers into fists beneath his crossed arms.

"Isn't it stunning?" Lyra whispered, glancing over her shoulder at him. She was surprised to see an odd expression on his face, brow furrowed and jaw set. "No?" she asked, a wave of anxiety crashing over her as she began the mental search for possible reasons for his seemingly unhappy appearance.

"No, sorry," he said, face breaking into a warmer, more neutral expression. "I... uh... Yeah, no, it's great."

"It's okay if it's not," she said with a self-conscious chuckle, turning back to face the horizon. "Sorry if I kept you away from bed for this."

"No, really," he insisted, again moving a hair's width closer. "I was thinking about something else. This is way better than being down there. Maybe even better than bed. Heh."

She sighed, shoulders rising and falling as she tipped her head slightly to the side. The ocean stretched out into oblivion, its surface shimmering with distorted reflections of the three moons and all of the lanterns above as they grew smaller and smaller, eventually burning out into biodegradable little puffs of ash and leaves. Part of the sea, off to their left, caught her eye – she'd initially thought it was light from one of the moons, but it had a distinctly different glow, a bright blue-green. She squinted, trying to make it out more clearly, and was perplexed by its appearance as it slowly formed three solid lines that all squiggled toward one single point on the shore.

"Hey," she said softly, turning back to Hunter, who jumped as though jolted out of a dream. "Look... Look at that." She pointed, thoroughly confused. She'd heard of bioluminescence, but usually it was in horizontal lines that paralleled the shore, cresting on the waves in matching shapes and angles. This, however, was unlike anything she'd ever seen. Hunter followed her point, stepping forward to stand beside her, shoulder to shoulder. The wind caught his hair, blowing it in his face as he studied the phenomenon, and her eyes roved over his face with a lingering warmth before she jerked them quickly back to the sea.

"Each line looks like it's coming from one of the moons," he murmured, his voice as smooth as the serpentine lines in the ocean below.

"But what are they all leading to?"

"It's down to the East a little bit... Might be that steep part of the island where we walked by that river?"

"So they're pointing at the river?" she mused, shivering again. The fathier snorted, having taken to unbothered grazing nearby. Lyra looked at the animal, ideas formulating in her head, then glanced at Hunter, trying to gauge his own interest and willingness. "Want to check it out?"