Finding Thunder

Chapter 3

Lillian woke slowly, her eyes blinking up at the darkening sky. She snuggled deeper into the warm arms that enveloped her. She turned carefully in the gentle embrace and placed her head on the slowly rising and falling chest.

A soft smile pulled at her lips as Lucas's heart beat pulled her back into sleep.

--

Isonei smiled at the sleeping pair. It was time for the troop to move on to the next city. They would take the two with them, it would help them get closer to the Thunder.

She stared up at the brightening sky, a sense of peace filling her. She turned to the other nymphs and satyrs of her troop, "Let's begin packing up. We'll let the Child and his mate rest."

They hummed as they worked, the satyrs of their group drawing out the horses and mules that pulled their Vardo. The gentle tunes had other woodland creatures peeking their furry heads out of the underbrush and tree tops.

It took little time for the large group to pack everything away. With nary a thought, a couple of the troop had the nest with the teens safely deposited into the trailing Vardo.

--

Lucas woke to soft rocking, his face lax with lingering sleep. His grip tightened around the pleasant weight in his arms. He buried his face into the hair under his chin, relishing the familiar smell of his mate.

Lovingly caressing the ember locks of hair, he placed Lillian onto a spare pillow before sitting up. He could see now that the rocking was caused by the wagon that they had been placed in. He could see through the skylight that they were traveling through a wooded area that was densely vegetated but also brightly light.

He crawled to the Dutch door in the back of the wagon and used it to brace himself while standing up. Mindful of where everything was in the wagon, he unlatched the top portion and opened it with care.

The sounds of forest animals rang quietly in the air. He wasn't sure of how long they'd spent asleep but the level of peace he felt was a bit disconcerting considering that they had just fled their homes.

"Hello, Child. Did you rest well?"

The sudden words had Lucas's heart beating quickly in fear.

"Hush," the gentle voice soothed. "You need not fear me, I did not mean to cause you any fright."

Lucas clutched at the door jamb, "It's fine. I was letting my mind wander and did not see you." He smiled at the Nymph that had welcomed them. "You're Isonei, right?"

She smiled brightly at the young man, pleased with his ability to calm immediately. "I am pleased that you remembered me. Many do not remember details of what happens when they are near collapse."

"He has a mind blessed by Týr," Lillian called. She wrapped her arms around her mate's waist and smiled over at the beautiful hamadryad. "He can remember things a witch or wizard would need spells for."

"Did you sleep well Little Ember?" The woman asked softly, her head cocked cutely to the side. Lillian nodded softly her head nuzzling into Lucas's shoulder.

"We will be to our destination in just a hours time. I will introduce you to the others in the troop then." She smiled brightly at the two, "For now, rest and build your strength. You'll need it traveling with our troop." She laughed then, the sound reminding Lucas of the wooden chime his mother had on their porch.

--

A loud commotion announced their arrival to where the troop was headed. They gasped in wonder at the sight that greeted them. The first path that they traveled along had opened onto a large village square.

Fairy lights twinkled in the light of dusk while banners and streamers fluttered in the light breeze. The milling masses of people made way for the caravan shouting out greetings to those in the troop they knew.

In mere minutes Lucas and Lillian found themselves watching in awe as the Nymph troop set up their camp. There was no chaos as the nymphs used their powers to move crates and broken down tents.  Lillian was enthralled watching the nymphs and satyrs use their elemental control to blow up tents and lash them down with tree roots and fill up dunk tanks and pools by pulling water from the air and up from the ground.

They completed their tasks just as the sun was reaching its peak and they began to set up a quick lunch. Isonei beckoned to them and the empty spaces on their pallet of pillows and throws. "We wish to formally welcome you, Child of Magic and Mate, to our group, Twilight Jubilee!"

She stood behind the man she had been dancing with days ago, "This is my partner, Klyphotise; his element is water." She placed a sweet kiss on the man's cheek. Lillian found herself fascinated at the way his skin seemed to ripple out like water where the press of lips was placed.

She made her way to the next, "This is Ilaira, she is Klyphotise's sister and also a water spirit." The young girl waved quickly at the pair.

Next was a burly red skinned Satyr with long curling horns, "This is Xhac. He's a dual elemental or earth and fire." She ruffled the rich brown hair that seemed to be naturally spiked to look like mountains.

She placed one hand on each of the next two members, their skin a deep vibrant shade of green. Their hair was even more eye-catching than their skin tone, with its unique shade of blended reds, oranges, and creams. "This is Castelis and his sister Oreilhya, twin plant spirits. They help the villages we pass through by analyzing the soil they plant in."

"Here we have Tubil and Tereine." She placed a gentle hand on each head as she said their names. "They are the only members of the troop that are not full nature spirits." Nothing gave away Tereine as anything but a nymph but Tubil had a body that was fully human in appearances.

"And our oldest members, Proxdal and Corhaith." She placed her hand on the only other members that must be forest spirits. The first man, Proxdal had the same green tresses as Isonei but the were long and wispy like the leaves of a willow tree. "Prox is my Uncle and Corhaith is my brother." The last male looked like a chiseled version of Isonei with even longer flowing hair.

Lucas nodded to each member of the group while Lillian waved exuberantly to each member. "We thank you for your hospitality," his voice intoned.

Isonei took her place in the circle, "Let us eat and get to know each other."