Chapter 15

Ashley

The cave suddenly felt cold and unwelcoming despite the burning fire and the moss floor. Axon had only been gone for a few minutes and yet it felt like hours.

I needed to get a grip. Staring out at the rain was not going to bring him back any faster.

I headed for the storage baskets and rummaged through their contents.

Ah ha! There it was, the clay that Axon found yesterday. I'd been looking forward to making things with crystals in them.

I filled a basin with water and washed the clay until all the dirt and impurities rose to the top.

Once that was finished, I put the clay back in its covered bowl to be used later. It seemed like such a small amount. It'd be a shame to not be able to make lots of crystal-encrusted items while we were here. I looked over at the three tunnels that extended out from the main cave. I think I remember how to get back to that river. I know I told Axon I wouldn't go exploring, but is it really exploring if I'm just retracting our steps from yesterday? I'd be smart about it.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a clump of overgrown moss. I collected it in my satchel and then hunted for some more. Soon my satchel was full of pieces of moss that I could set down on the tunnel floor to make sure I knew how to get back.

Axon could easily find me, of course, but I didn't want to test that theory, at least not for a second time.

I lit two torches just in case one went out, and set off down the middle tunnel where we exited yesterday. As I walked, I dropped small clumps of moss on the rock floor to guide my way back.

Was it two right turns and then a left, or three? I decided to risk three right turns instead of two and was rewarded with the feeling of a fresh fall breeze against my skin.

I did it! I found my way back to the river, or at least I thought I had.

I exited the tunnel to an entirely new location that I'd never seen before. Tall trees that had been carved into statues of a goddess lined the entrance to a clearing. I dared to walk a little further and saw...ruins.

Crumbling stone houses covered in vines were scattered along a dirt path. I kept walking and found more and more little houses along with small gardens and what looked like play areas for children.

Axon said his people came here about three hundred years ago. Could this have been their first village? It certainly looked like it could be three hundred years old. I wonder why they left. This place seemed pretty idyllic. They had a rock face on one side and what sounded like a river on the other. This clearing was pretty large too. If any predators came their way, they'd be able to spot them from a distance.

I took a step toward one of the more sturdy looking dwellings when I heard what sounded like a roar. It sounded far away, but I didn't want to risk it. It was time to head back.

I followed the trail of moss I'd laid down all the way back to the main cave. I was relieved to be back but disappointed to see Axon still hadn't returned. He'd get back soon, I reassured myself.

I laid down on the bed of furs and sorted through my memories of where I'd just been. What was that place and why had it been abandoned? Maybe Axon would know. There might be some lore about his old dekes that no one had told us about.

Axon

I don't want to be out here a moment longer than I need to. Thoughts of Ashley swirled around my head, her bright smile, warm laugh, and luscious curves. The urge to get back to her was overwhelming. I forced myself to focus on the task at hand and cleared my mind so I could hear the sounds all around me. I quickly gathered some fire wood and placed it near the entrance of the cave before going further into the woods to do some hunting.

It was quieter in the forest now that it was fall, but winter was always my favorite season. If fall was quiet, winter was silent. The entire world felt like a silent sanctuary when covered with the cold snow that kept the animals underground in their burrows.

But for now, it was fall, and it was cold and raining. There was an animal not too far away from here, it sounded small like a hopper, but maybe I'd get lucky and find two instead of one. Two would be enough for a few more days.

My swift spider legs were silent as they cut through the wet leaves on the ground. The hoppers would not hear me coming. It would be an easy kill.

As I approached the small animal, something else caught my eye. Footprints, three sets of sirret-sized footprints dotted the ground. They looked fresh, but I could not tell who they belonged to. It was probably just my brother shifters hunting for the dekes. I would not worry about that now, not when I was so close to catching dinner.

I found two hoppers just as I hoped and made quick work of their deaths, spearing them right through the heart. I strung them to my belt and washed my hands in the river before heading back to my moon cave. My heart beat furiously inside my chest with each step that I took. Would I be able to touch Ashley or not, was the question that kept running through my mind. I'd find out soon enough.

I picked up my pace as soon as the cave mouth came into sight. I could scent Ashley from here, but I needed to see her with my own eyes. I stopped at the entrance of the cave and scanned the room. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw her sitting on our bed of furs arranging the crystals on the floor.

"Ashley," her name came out more as a prayer than a word. It was a plea on my lips, a request to be near her, an uttered desire to worship her.

Her nose whistled with her sudden intake of breath, and even that small sound soothed my soul because it was very Ashley.

"You're back!" She beamed at me with a bright smile and waved for me to come closer.

I stalked toward her in a half jog and she held out a hand for me to hold.

I braced myself for whatever may come, the pain, or the pleasure, I'd surrender to it all.

Our fingers touched and then our palms. She intertwined her fingers with mine and...and...it felt good! I wanted to scoop her up in my arms and shout for joy.

"You have no idea how happy this makes me. It wasn't a fluke, it was real."

I cupped the top of her hand with my free one and engulfed her creamy skin with my blue.

"It's very real," Ashley giggled.

I pulled her hand to my lips and before I even knew what I was doing, I gave her a gentle kiss. The sensation sent tingles down my spine.

I pulled back to see her eyes had grown wide with surprise.

"Sorry, I'm just very excited," I ran a hand through my hair.

"Did it hurt when you kissed me?"

"Not really," I breathed.

"Maybe we can work on that sometime too." Her words were quiet, but I hung onto every last one of them.

"I'd like that."

We stared at each other for a long moment until she looked down at the ground and tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Did you have a good hunt?"

"Yeah, I got two hoppers. They should provide enough meat to last us for a few days."

"What about you? Did you keep yourself entertained while I was gone?"

Ashley's face flushed pink and she looked down at the ground again.

"You could say that. "

"Well, what'd you do?"

"I, uh," she bit her bottom lip and glanced up at me, but then quickly looked away again."

"I made a discovery."

"What kind of discovery?"

"I know I said I wouldn't explore the tunnels." she began, and my heart quickened. I didn't like the idea of Ashley exploring the tunnels alone. "But I wanted to find more clay."

"You didn't." I knew where this was going and I didn't like it.

"I was smart about it, I swear. I even laid down a trail of moss so I could find my way back."

She got up and tugged on my arm, encouraging me to follow her.

"See?"

My heart was racing and a million thoughts were racing through my mind. Ashley was a capable adult and I had no business telling her what she could and couldn't do, but I also hated the idea of her wandering around lost, and cold, or even hurt. I couldn't bear the idea of her getting hurt, especially not now, not when I finally get to touch her.

I nodded my head and grunted.

"You're mad." Her face looked crestfallen.

"Nope, not mad," I lied.

"You are mad, and I get it. I said I'd stay put and I didn't. But!" Ashley's entire demeanor changed as she pointed back down the tunnel. She lit up with excitement.

"I found something amazing! There's an old village down this tunnel with crumbling buildings and goddess statues, and-

"You went outside?!" I ran a hand down my face, unable to believe what I was hearing. She could have been attacked by an animal or taken by the other dekes if they had been around.

"Not for long! As soon as I heard a roar, I went right back inside."

"A roar?!" This just kept getting worse and worse. I wanted to pull her to my chest now more than ever. I wanted to hold her against me and never let her go.

"Just one small roar." She gave me a forced smile.

"You could have gotten lost or hurt," I lamented.

"You would have found me," Ashley teased.

"Nothing could stop me from finding my way to you, but that's besides the point."

"Aren't you at all interested in the village?" She changed the subject. "What if it was your ancestor's old village? Have your people always lived in the valley or did they move there from somewhere else?"

I'd never heard of our people living anywhere but the valley and I never thought to ask about it.

"I am interested in seeing the village, but not today," I admitted. I've had enough adventure for now and it sounds like you have too. "

"That's fair." The corners of her mouth turned up in a guilty smile.

"Do you need help with that?" She pointed to the prey hanging limp from my belt.

"No, I've got it. You just promise me you won't go anywhere when I've got my back turned."

"I promise," she smiled again.

"Walk with me," I tugged on her arm in the direction of the large flat rock I used as a table to skin the animals that I'd killed. I would have to let go of Ashley's hand again soon to prepare my kill for eating, but I could put off doing so until the very last moment.

"I missed you while you were gone," Ashley said in a voice barely above a whisper, as if she were afraid to say those words aloud.

I pulled her hand up to my lips again and gave her a reassuring kiss across her knuckles.

"I missed you too."