Closed Something On My Mind (Nai'a)

[Erekez]

Erekez smiled as he saw the bundle of grass that Nai'a had managed to find. "Fantastic! That's brilliant for getting the fire started. Thank you Nai'a." He looked over at the scrap of pier he had managed to find. It was no use to them in a block as it was. It needed to be broken down to size. For now, they needed to find a few more rocks, else the fire wouldn't remain in a stable form for very long. The slightest coastal breeze could blow anything out of the fire and in their direction. The stone circle would prevent anything escaping, and also help it keep its shape. Finding rocks wasn't the problem. It was finding reasonably sized ones that was difficult. Most seemed to have been worn down to the size of pebbles. Some where larger, some smaller, but most relatively to small. Erekez had found some decent ones, but nothing impressive. Instead, he'd resorted to collecting numerous smaller rocks. They would need to be keep in place after certain periods of time, but they were better than nothing. The cool, night air helped to keep him from overheating, but Erekez still felt sweat tickling down his forehead from the exertion. Smiling over at Nai'a as he returned, he could only wonder what he smelt like to her. Presumably her kelvic senses would pick up a much stronger smell. Unfortunately, there wasn't much he could do about it. Throwing his rocks into a pile, Erekez retrieved the pier wood. From where the wood had soaked up water and dried out again, the wood had split. Erekez took the opportunity to ram a few of the narrower and sharper rocks he had collected into these splits, using another, bigger rock to hammer them in the rest of the way through. The wood was stubborn but relented eventually, splitting it into smaller pieces for the fire. So far, so good. After placing the rocks in as best a circle as he could, Erekez placed a decent amount of the dry grass that Nai'a had found in the centre of the circle. After, he leaned some of the pier wood against each other over the top of the grass. This would allow the air to circulate as the grass started to burn, letting it be carried to the wood. Erekez searched through his pack for his flint and steel. Taking the flint in his left hand, he held it close to the grass underneath the wood. The sparks needed to hit a good amount of the grass before it could burn, else it would just fizzle out. With the steel in his right, he struck downward across the flint, allowing the sparks to fly forward and into the grass. Nothing much happened immediately. He tried a few more times, hoping that he could get enough of the grass burning to start a fire. Erekez had even moved in the way of the wind, shielding his work from anything that could put it out. As the grass began to burn, Erekez smiled as small flames began to appear, feeding it more grass to help it grow, but not enough to smother it.

[Nai'a]

Nai’a gave Erekez a small smile, happy that she actually did something right with this building of a fire. Once they found rocks, Erekez placed them in a small circle, to help keep the fire in place. Then he placed the dry grass in the circle, then placed the pier wood over the top of the grass.

From there he got out his flint and steel and stroked it a few times, and the fire ignited in a brilliant show of flames, illuminating the darkness that had fell upon them. The warmth of the flames were welcomed, the temperature had dropped a little since Syna had went down, and Leth now reigned the sky. Nai’a was enamored by the flames, watching them dance and lick the piece of wood that Erekez had placed in the small circle, her bondmate placing more of the grass in the fire to keep it growing.

After a few chimes the fire was still going, maybe it was hot enough to cook the food? ”So is the fire hot enough to cook the fish Kezzy?” Nai’a asked her bondmate, with an hopeful expression, her stomach making a rumble at the thought of food.

[Erekez]

Erekez smiled up at Nai'a as her stomach rumbled. She'd be able to eat the fish raw as a dolphin, but he appreciated that she was waiting for him. "It should be good enough to cook the now, yes." He added a few of the damper pieces of wood he found to the fire to keep it burning for now. If the fire died, he'd need as much of the dry wood as he could to try and start another fire. Reaching for his backpack again, Erekez replaced the flint and steel and instead pulled out the two wrapped fish he had bought. Setting them to one side, Erekez realised he had nothing to hang them over the fire with. How did you survive outside the city if you were this unprepared? He had to improvise. Erekez grabbed what was remaining of the dry wood, managing to break off some slivers to use as sticks. They weren't perfect, but he hadn't intended on cooking fish on the beach at night with his bond mate and absolutely no materials. Learning curve, you find yourself doing unexpected things when with others. Especially if they are a pink dolphin who is capable of beating you around. Spearing one of the pieces of fish, he dug the other end into the sand, hanging the fish over the fire. Erekez placed a rock at the end in the sand to prevent it from dislodging and causing the fish to fall into the fire or sand. He picked up the second and turned to Nai'a. "Would you like to eat yours raw? Or would you like it cooked like mine?" He had no problems with Nai'a eating it raw, but she had waited this long so he felt he should check that she did want it cooked before eating it. If so, he'd just do the same with her piece as he'd done to his own.

[Nai'a]

Nai’a clapped her hands happily, ”Great! I am starving.” Nai’a spoke excitedly. It was true, she was starving an ready to eat. She watched as her bond mate placed his fish on a stick, hanging over the fire, and braced with a rock.

He leaned over and asked if she would like to eat hers raw, or if she wanted it cooked like his. It was such a sweet offer, letting her know that he knew her better than she thought he did. The Kelvic shook her head from side to side, ”No I will eat mine cooked like yours. That is… If it isn’t too much trouble.” Nai’a gave him a small smile. She did not want to be a burden on the man, he had after all pretty much built the fire himself, and he was going to have to cook the fish too, since Nai’a did not know nothing about that either. She felt a little inadequate at the moment, women were supposed to know how to cook, that was how it was supposed to be, right?

Nai’a sighed softly and waited while Erekez placed her fish on a stick near his, and leaned over on her bondmate. She laid her head on his shoulder and watched the fire dance around the fish, then she looked up at him, ”Erekez, are you scared of anything?” She knew it was a weird question, but the man seemed so powerful to her. She could not see the man being scared of much of anything really, the thought seemed slightly silly.

[Erekez]

Glancing sideways at Nai'a, Erekez could only think about how obscure the question had been. They were still getting to know each other, but what had caused her to ask such a question? He remained silent for a while longer, watching the flames curling around the wood and grasping at the sky. He took a breath before he spoke. "Yes." It was arrogance to think there was nothing he had to fear, and ignorance to ignore it. Although, his fears weren't physical. "Failure, making mistakes, loneliness," Erekez paused, pondering his next answer. "Dying." He continued to stare at the fire. "I'm not really afraid of what I can't control. I see no need to get worked up over things that have nothing to do with me or my own actions. It's what I can control and can still take place from my own actions that I fear. If I fail at a task, I've let people down. If I make a mistake, it is usually at somebody else's expense. If I'm alone, I become careless." Erekez moved away from Nai'a and towards the fire. "And dying? It's more of the unknown side, that I fear, of having my life taken from me. I don't fear death, it is a natural part of life, but I don't know how I'me going to die. Will it be quick? Painless? Will it happen as I fall asleep one night, or be the result of a failure or mistake?" Erekez idly grabbed the sticks and turned them so the opposite side of the fish were now facing the fire. He might turn them again in a bit, once the other side had cooked similar to the first. After making sure they were secure again, Erekez sat back down beside Nai'a, putting an arm around her and pulling her close. "And now I am with you, I'm scared that my own shortcomings may come to harm you."

[Nai'a]

The long pause of Erekez made Nai’a feel as if she may have over stepped a boundary of some sort. Maybe she should not have asked such a personal question; she hoped that it had not upset him too much. His answer though made her thoughts go silent. They were the normal fears of people, the fears that one stays up late at night wondering about, then wondering why they were even thinking about it to begin with.

She was happy that he shared such personal information with her, it was touching, made her feel closer to him. But what seemed to shock her the most was the fact that being with her was now a new fear for him. She felt slightly conflicted about that. She felt as though she was now a new burden for him to worry about late at night, when the mind would not seem to sleep. Then again, she could understand where he was coming from, although she knew that he could never hurt her.

Nai’a gave him a small smile, ”Aw, Kezzy. You could never harm me, physically, emotionally or mentally. There is nothing that you could do that would hurt me.” Nai’a glanced away from her bondmate and examined the fire. There really wasn’t anything he could do to hurt her, and short comings was impossible for the man, in her eyes he was perfect. Sure he had his flaws like everyone else, but she looked past those flaws, and saw the imperfections as perfect.

Nai’a cleared her throat, ”I fear… Dying as well. Only because being a Kelvic I know that I have a short life-span. So I fear dying before my work here is done. I fear leaving those I love too soon. I fear that I will not accomplish anything with my short life, I will just live and die, with nothing accomplished.” The Healer brushed a pink strand of hair behind her ear, still staring into the dancing flames.

”I fear hurting those I love. I fear that I am never going to be a good enough mother. I fear becoming a failure.” Nai’a felt like a small weight had been lifted off of her. Sharing such information with her bondmate made her feel like she could trust him more. Him knowing the most deepest and personal things about her, holding it in his hands, and knowing that no matter what he would never use that against her. That he would always be there for her, to protect her. It was a nice feeling knowing that someone would always be there, no matter where her journey in life may take her, no matter who turned their backs on her, Erekez would be there, right beside her through it all.

[Erekez]

Erekez smiled at Nai'a's words, but it was a smile that he had spent years perfecting. It was a mask. He truly appreciated her words, but he couldn't believe them. Erekez didn't doubt for a second that Nai'a was lying, or putting on a façade, in an attempt to hide what she really thought, he just didn't believe that he was the kind of person she made him out to be. Her heart was in the right place as she spoke to him, but he couldn't understand how she could make such a bold assumption after only two days of knowing him. As she spoke of her own fears, his throat tightened. He could sympathise with Nai'a's words, but felt he had less of a right to fear dying than Nai'a did. As she said, Kelvics lived for only a fraction of a human's life. It took 20 years for a human to mature, but a Kelvic could've easily died in that time from old age. Those that had slightly longer lives would already have reached halfway. Thinking about it, I don't even know how old Nai'a is. Erekez thought about what Nai'a said. In a way, her fears were similar to his own. There was a certain kind of comfort in that knowledge, knowing that he could share his own fears with another who would be able to appreciate what he was feeling at the time. Putting on a brave or happy face had come quickly with practice but, even then, there were some emotions that were too strong to be able to cover. "Whilst I can't see the future, I would still say you have no worries about being good enough to be a mother. You are aware enough of the responsibilities to know not to take it lightly and will take the role as seriously as it should be." He could say that, but Erekez had absolutely no clue about raising a child himself, but he felt that it was one things that Nai'a shouldn't feel the need to worry about just yet. She needed to be able to enjoy herself whilst she could if she felt that strongly about it. "How about this Nai'a?" Erekez turned away from the fire and the fish, moved away from Nai'a slightly to turn himself towards her. He took the glove off his right hand again, feeling the wind brush over his skin as Lykata was revealed again. "Let's make an oath, under Rak'keli, Eyris, and every other deity you and I worship." He reached his hand out to her. "We'll always have each other's back when we need them, regardless of the situation that they are called to. To always be the most honest and reliable person the other could find, as bond mates, and as friends." Watching the glow of the fire dance across her face and figure with a flickering, golden light, Erekez felt a smile tug at his face with no input from him.

[Nai'a]

Erekez words made her smile a half smile. They were encouraging to her, but she knew that she would beat herself up every day and night, worrying if she would be a good mother or not. It was a fear of hers, simply because more than likely the child would be human, would grow slowly, and Nai’a would be dead before really seeing her child at his or her prime age. It was unfair to say the least, to know that she would never be able to watch her child grow, to never be able to be a grandmother. How could she be a good mother, when she couldn’t really be there for her own child? The whole thought stressed her out, to the point that she just wanted to hurl, so she banished the thoughts completely and whispered a thank you to her bondmate for his words.

Then her surprised her by taking off his glove and extending to her. Saying that they will take an oath under the deities that they worshipped, that they would have one another’s back, no matter the situation that rears its ugly head at them. This brightened her spirits, making the warm smile appear on her face once more, and she nodded her head happily, grasping her bondmate’s extended gloveless hand. ”I will always be there for you Kezzy. Even if I am near death, I will stand beside you in a war.” Nai’a giggled a little and shook her bondmate’s hand. She was happy for the oath that they were taking. It made the bond stronger between them.

The Healer peered over at the fish, realizing that they forgot about their dinnger, ”I do believe our dinner is done dear.” Vaspira said, pointing at the slightly burnt fish, chuckling. She leaned over and grabbed the fish on the stick, and handed her bondmate’s his, and started to eat slowly on her own.

The fish tasted good to her, so salty and fresh, with only a hint of that burned charred taste, which only enhanced the natural flavor of the salty fish. Her stomach rumbled happily as food began to enter her stomach. She really needed to remember to eat, for her child’s sake.

The stresses of her life was really beginning to overwhelm her, making her forget things she really should not forget. She felt bad for her little Meka, whom she knew she would have to give away soon, due to not being able to care for him properly. Her dear friend that accompanied her to the city, her companion through all the worries she had experienced. Maybe she wouldn’t have to give him up, maybe she could handle it. At least she hoped she could handle what Spring had in store for her.

[Erekez]

Damn! Again? He had very little skills when it came to cooking, but when travelling, if you made a mistake then you had to deal with it. As Nai'a handed him his own, Erekez took the time to inspect the damage he had let the fire do. If she hadn't pointed them out, they probably would've been a lot worse. And it had been going so well until this point. The fish fell apart as he bit into it, keeping its flavour, even with the slightly burnt exterior. This was one of his better results. Most others were far worse than this, Erekez was thankful that Nai'a had caught them, else there wouldn't have been any point in buying them if he was just going to let them turn to ash over a fire. "I think we can consider this a joint effort." Erekez stated between mouthfuls, and a rather successful one at that. "Wouldn't you agree?" He saw no reason why she wouldn't. They both had a part to play in creating the fire, and both did with cooking the fish. It seemed fair to say. Erekez sat in relative silence, watching the flames again and occasionally adding more of the dampened driftwood they had found. It was an idea to use it sparingly to preserve the amount of wood they had and extend the life of the fire. Erekez also thought about letting the flames die lower so it wouldn't be as big when it came to putting it out for the night. Turning to look out over the sea, Erekez became aware of the rhythm of the waves as the glided across the shores. Pushing upwards, pulling backwards, in a soothing motion. The moonlight illuminated the crests of the waves, making them appear as silver ribbons dancing across the water's surface, dotted with glittering lights from the stars above. Looking outwards, down Matthew's Bay, Erekez thought about the Konit Isles, as he had at the beginning of the season. Back then, he'd considered it as his next destination after Zeltiva. After meeting Nai'a it looked as if he was staying for another season. He had also not given up on learning familiary, the primary reason he'd come to Zeltiva. It looked as though it had already benefited him, causing him to meet his bond mate. Thinking about what he might do after leaving Zeltiva, Erekez thought back to Nai'a's earlier words. Moving his almost finished fish away from his mouth as he spoke, he turned to Nai'a. "You said you were afraid that you wouldn't accomplish anything in your life Nai'a. Can I ask what it is you were planning to do? Or was that just a general statement?"

[Nai'a]

Nai’a devoured her fish, rather unlady like, being mindful of the tiny bones of the fish. When she was finished she placed the bones beside her on the sand, she already had some fish bone she used as piercings on her body, no need for anymore. She let out a soft sigh, her belly finally filled after being hungry almost all day. Her attention was brought back to her bondmate when he mentioned the joint effort.


”Yes I agree. We make a great team.” Nai’a said with a smile. It was true they did make a great team, a great bonded team at that. It was exciting to see where this bond was going to take them. The silence dwelled on around them, as Nai’a watched the flickering of the flames. The warmth of the fire felt great in the small cold breeze.

The Kelvics mind wandered up at the moon in the sky, Leth. She read the love story of Leth and Syna in a book before. It was a great tale that always brought tears to her eyes. How the lovers came to be, how they only spent a short amount of time together in the sky as Syna went down and Leth came up. How Leth was a monster, but Syna’s warmth changed him. One of the reasons she was drawn to the God, the fact that he changed in the face of love. The other fact was because she heard that they were creatures of Leth that roamed the Mizahar, and that intrigued her even more. Maybe one day she would be able to see those ethereal creatures she had heard whispers of. Either way, Leth was always there when ever she needed to reflect and think, his cool and calming moon light always soothed her nerves, making the turmoil inside easier.

Erekez tore her attention away from Leth, and back on him with his words of what she wanted to accomplish in life. ”Oh you know. Since I have a short life span, I will not be able to watch my child grow to his or her full potential, never experience being a grandma, never do anything great like go on an adventure, travel to different lands. That sort of thing. Things other people get to enjoy that I know I will never be able to.” Nai’a sighed softly, a depressed look over came her face, but she quickly banished it with a sad smile. ”What about you? What are your plans in life?” Nai’a asked, gazing into Erekez’s bi-colored eyes she adored so much.