Gifted Pelt

Chapter 43

They stand there for a silent moment before Kōri tugs on her hand. "Let's go."

Astrila laughs as Kōri pulls her towards the hills that surround the village. "Where are we going?"

He looks back at her, a grin lighting up his face. "To the one place you haven't seen yet! Seal Rock!"

Astrila lets out a laugh at his excitement, her heart swelling with joy. Beyond any part of his facial structure, it is the pure delight on his face that makes him beautiful. She stops for a moment to just gaze at him, still despite his tugging on her arm. When he realizes that his tugging isn't moving her, he stops to look at her, his face filled with curiosity.

"What is it?"

She gives him a small smile. "You."

He stills entirely and just looks at her. They're both frozen in time that way, each staring at the other as if they have all the time in existence. As if one of the sídhe Astrila read about in their research was slowing time around them for eternity. He takes a small step towards Astrila, then another. Kōri takes one of her hands in his own, their calluses scraping together. She finds her calluses to be sensitive, so sensitive, despite the hard skin they are made of. Astrila tilts her head back slightly to look at his eyes, shining bright in the sun. His voice is quiet, breathless, cautious like he is afraid of losing something.

"What did you mean by that?"

Astrila just shakes her head. She doesn't know how to put what she is feeling into words, it seems so strong and vast, like the waves crashing against the glaciers. If she tries, she thinks her words will tumble away like a falling chunk of a glacier, and will only make a mess of things. So she stays silent and just shakes her head. The light in Kōri's eyes dims and he turns away. He doesn't understand what her shaking her head means, he must have gotten the wrong idea.

Astrila opens her mouth to stop him, to bring his quiet joy back, but nothing comes out of her mouth beyond a soft sound that is blown away by the wind. Kōri starts off again across the tundra. Astrila follows him, her footsteps silent as the starlight gleaming across the snow at night. She wants to explain to Kōri, to at least try, but his silence isn't one of calm. It's an unapproachable silence, a shield against the world. He's holding back something, his emotions possibly, but why? What possible reason could he have for closing himself off?

Her thoughts whirl around her as they make their way towards the cliffs surrounding the island. They are tall and ominous, but also a little like guards. They protect the island and the selkies who live here. It isn't until they start the incline down to the cove below that Astrila is drawn out of her thoughts. She looks up at Kōri from her position beside him and frowns. His eyes are stormy and his face is set in a stony position, a wall against the world.

"Kōri."

His head shifts slightly to look at her. "What?"

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

Astrila scowls. "That's a lie. I can see it in your face. You're trying to hide it, but in doing so, you're just giving it away anyways. So what. Is. Wrong?"

Kōri sighs and his expression melts away as quickly as the tide recedes from the shore. "You don't know."

His statement should have been a question, but it's cut across in a way that leaves it as a sentence full of resentment. Astrila sighs.

"I may not know for certain, but I can guess that it has to do with what a said earlier."

Something flickers in his eyes, a hint of sorrow? "Yes, that's right."

He takes a step towards the cove and the rock sitting at its center, but Astrila doesn't follow. Instead, she sits upon the snowy ground and tilts her head to watch him. He doesn't notice at first, but it isn't long before he feels the strain and stops. He turns back towards her and frowns.

"What is it, Astrila? Don't you want to go to the rock?"

"I do, but not while you're upset. I'm not moving until you explain it, so come over here and sit down."

"Really? You want to do this now?"

Astrila raises an eyebrow. "Is there a better time to talk about it? I certainly can't think of one."

He sighs and steps over to her, plopping down in the snow. Surprisingly, he doesn't make as much as a dent in the snow as he normally does.

"What do you want to know?"

Astrila snorts out a laugh, but it isn't one of amusement. "Everything, Kōri. Absolutely everything. I want to know what upset you and why it did."
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What do you think the answer is? Why does he keep reacting this way? Did you like this chapter? Tell me your thoughts!

Happy reading and I'll see you next chapter!

~Goddess of Fate, signing out.