Chapter 14 Berries
The second time Nico visited the lake he brought berries. He spent nearly an hour choosing them. Which annoyed him. Greatly. Because it was ridiculous. He was not trying to impress anyone. He was not nervous. He was not thinking about Moon constantly. Those were lies. But they were comforting lies. The berries rested inside a small woven pouch hanging from his belt. Bright red cloudberries. Wild blueberries. Sweet forest strawberries. The best he could find. The entire walk to the lake felt strangely longer than usual. Nico blamed the forest. The forest knew better. When he finally reached the water's edge Moon was already there. The celestial sat atop a fallen log. Long black hair shimmering beneath sunlight. Several glowing fairies danced lazily around him. Moon looked up.And smiled. The expression struck Nico with exactly the same force as yesterday. Which was unfortunate. Because he had hoped that feeling would stop. It did not.
Moon immediately stood. Happy. Genuinely happy. As though he had been waiting. The thought made Nico's stomach do strange things. Moon approached. His jet-black eyes seemed darker beneath daylight. Endless. Calm. Beautiful.
Nico quickly looked away. Moon tilted his head. Confused. The celestial had already learned that Nico did that. Whenever their eyes met for too long Nico looked elsewhere. Moon found this amusing. The fact irritated Nico. So he immediately shoved the berry pouch into Moon's hands. A distraction. Moon blinked. Then looked inside. His eyes widened. The reaction alone made carrying the berries worthwhile. Though Nico would never admit that. Moon carefully picked up a blueberry. Studied it. Then ate it.
His face lit up. Nico immediately lost a battle against his own heart. Because Moon looked genuinely delighted. Like a child discovering treasure. The celestial quickly tried another. And another. And another. Soon he was sitting cross-legged beside the lake devouring berries with alarming enthusiasm. Several fairies joined him. Moon actually fed them. The tiny creatures sat upon his shoulders and hands while eating crumbs from his palm. It was ridiculous. And somehow adorable. Nico hated that word. Adorable. Especially when applied to Moon. Because it was accurate. Moon suddenly offered him a berry. Nico stared. Moon held it closer. Waiting. The hooded boy accepted it silently. Moon smiled. A victory. For some reason. Neither understood why. The afternoon passed peacefully. Moon showed him flowers growing near the lake. Nico showed him how to identify edible plants. Moon taught fairies to sit on Nico's shoulders. Nico suffered greatly. Mostly because the fairies liked him. And because Moon laughed whenever he tried removing them. The sound became increasingly dangerous. Every time Moon laughed Nico wanted to hear it again. Which seemed unfair. The celestial eventually discovered Nico could carve wood. That became a problem too. Because Moon immediately wanted to watch. So Nico spent nearly an hour carving a small bird from driftwood while Moon observed from beside him. Very closely. Far too closely. Moon watched everything. Every movement, Every cut. Every detail. The concentration made him strangely beautiful. Not that Nico was looking. Much. When the carving was finished Moon accepted it like a priceless treasure. The celestial held the tiny wooden bird carefully. Almost reverently. Then smiled. That smile again. The one that made Nico forget how breathing worked.
Moon pointed at the bird. Then at himself. Then at Nico. The meaning was obvious. Friend. Nico froze. Friend. Such a simple thing. Yet the word carried unexpected weight. Because it had been a long time since friendship felt this easy. No expectations. No demands. No pretending. Just peace. Just Moon. The realization settled quietly inside him. Dangerously. The sun slowly descended. Golden light spread across the lake. Moon eventually lay upon the grass. Watching clouds drift overhead. After several moments he patted the ground beside him. Invitation. Nico hesitated. Then sat. Moon immediately frowned. The celestial patted the grass again. More insistently. Nico realized his mistake. Lie down. Not sit. The hooded boy obeyed. Reluctantly. Moon seemed pleased. Together they watched clouds drift across endless blue skies. Neither spoke. Neither needed to. The silence felt comfortable. Natural. Safe. For a long time nothing existed except sunlight. Clouds. The lake. And each other's presence. Moon eventually turned his head. Nico felt it immediately. Those black eyes studied him quietly. Curiously. Not judging. Not expecting. Simply looking. The way someone looks at something precious. The realization nearly stopped his heart. So he quickly looked away. Moon laughed softly. Again. The sound followed him all the way home.
That evening Eemil immediately noticed something.
"You were with him again."
Nico remained silent.
Eemil narrowed his eyes.
"You like him."
The statement hit far too close.
Nico ignored him. Unfortunately that was answer enough.
Eemil stared.
Then looked absolutely horrified.
"Oh no."
Matias looked up.
"Hehehe?"
Eemil pointed dramatically.
"He's worse than me."
For the first time all day Nico smiled. And somewhere beneath silver moonlight a celestial boy slept peacefully beside a lake. Holding a tiny wooden bird. And dreaming about blue eyes.
The days passed quietly after that. Perhaps too quietly. The battle royale still raged somewhere beyond the forests. Chosen fought. Chosen died. Future gods will be chosen, Future kings were being forged through blood and fear. Yet around the lake peace remained. As though the world itself refused to disturb it. Moon spent most of his days there. Sometimes gathering flowers. Sometimes speaking with fairies. Sometimes simply watching clouds drift overhead. And almost every day Nico appeared. Never announced. Never explained. He simply arrived. As though the forest itself carried him there. And somehow Moon always seemed to know when he was coming. Ashkar noticed this. The young dragon. The silver-scaled hatchling had grown considerably since Moon first found him. No longer small enough to fit inside Moon's arms. No longer clumsy enough to stumble over his own tail. His wings had grown broader. Stronger.
His red scales turned silver scales reflected sunlight like polished mirrors. Soon it will change colors again a sign that the dragon is maturing. Moon often found himself staring in surprise. Because every morning Ashkar seemed larger than the day before. The young dragon remained fiercely protective. Especially regarding Nico. At first he had hated him. Ashkar disliked mortals on principle. Mortals were noisy. Complicated. Temporary. And most importantly they kept taking Moon's attention. Which Ashkar considered a personal offense. The dragon had spent weeks glaring at Nico whenever he visited. Occasionally hissing. Occasionally attempting to sit directly between them. Once he had actually pushed Nico into the lake. Moon had laughed far too hard about that. Ashkar still considered it one of his greatest accomplishments. Yet things had changed. Because Moon liked Nico. And if Moon liked someone then perhaps they weren't entirely terrible. That was Ashkar's logic. Simple. Absolute. Dragon logic. So eventually the hatchling stopped hissing. Stopped growling. Stopped trying to bite Nico's boots. Mostly. Now Ashkar merely tolerated him. Which was practically friendship. The dragon sat beside Moon one afternoon. The lake shimmered beneath golden sunlight. Fairies drifted through the air lazily. Nico carved wood nearby. Moon braided flowers into Ashkar's neck scales. The young dragon tolerated this with enormous dignity. Or at least attempted to. Suddenly Ashkar froze. His silver eyes widened.Moon noticed immediately.
"Ashkar?"
The dragon lifted his head. Looking south. Far south. Beyond the forests. Beyond the rivers. Beyond the mountains. Something called him. Not a voice. Not a sound. An instinct. Ancient. Powerful. Unavoidable. It lived inside his blood. Inside his bones. Inside every scale. The pull felt familiar despite never experiencing it before. Moon understood immediately. The realization filled him with unexpected warmth.
"Oh."
Ashkar looked at him.
Confused.
Moon smiled softly.
The same smile parents wear when they suddenly realize their child is growing up.
"It's time."
The dragon blinked. Then looked south again. The pull remained. Stronger now. The fairies sensed it too. Several became quiet. Ashkar shifted uneasily. The dragon had followed Moon everywhere. Everywhere. Like a hatchling duck following its mother. Like a shadow. Like a second heartbeat. He slept beside Moon. Ate beside Moon. Explored beside Moon. If Moon climbed a mountain Ashkar followed. If Moon entered a cave Ashkar followed. If Moon sat beside the lake Ashkar appeared moments later. The idea of leaving felt strange. Wrong. Yet the instinct remained. Calling. Waiting. Moon gently rested a hand against the dragon's neck. His fingers brushed silver scales. Remembering the orange scales Ashkar used to have when he was smaller. Warm despite their metallic appearance.
"There are others."
Ashkar tilted his head.
Moon looked south. Toward lands neither of them could see.
"Dragons."
The young dragon's eyes widened slightly.
Moon smiled.
"They're waiting for you."
Ashkar's wings twitched. The instinct pulsed stronger. A promise. A future. A place he belonged. The realization settled inside him. Not replacing Moon. Never replacing Moon. Simply adding something new. Something larger. The dragon lowered his head. Pressing it gently against Moon's shoulder. The celestial laughed softly. Several fairies immediately landed atop Ashkar's horns. The dragon ignored them. For once. Nico quietly set aside his carving knife. Watching silently. Ashkar glanced toward him. The young dragon considered. Then finally walked over. Nico immediately looked suspicious. Which was understandable. Ashkar had attempted murder several times. The dragon stopped in front of him. Silence. A long silence. Then Ashkar bumped his head lightly against Nico's shoulder. The equivalent of a dragon handshake. Nico blinked. Twice. Moon looked delighted. The fairies erupted into excited laughter. Ashkar immediately regretted everything. The dragon turned away before anyone could comment. Moon laughed harder. The sound echoed across the lake. Warm. Bright. Happy. No sadness touched it. Because this wasn't goodbye forever. It was simply growing up. Simply becoming what he was meant to be. The afternoon passed quietly. The sun drifted lower. Golden light painted the lake. Eventually Ashkar climbed onto a rocky cliff overlooking the forest. The wind caught his wings. Silver scales shimmered beneath sunlight. For a moment the dragon looked back. Moon stood below. Smiling. Fairies circled around him. Long black hair danced in the breeze. Beautiful. Safe. Home. Moon raised one hand. A simple gesture. Go. Ashkar understood. The dragon spread his wings. Massive now. Powerful. Magnificent. Sunlight blazed across silver scales. The world seemed to hold its breath. Then he leapt. The cliff vanished beneath him. Wind rushed past. Air filled his wings. For a single terrifying moment he fell. Then instinct awakened. His wings beat once. Twice. And suddenly he was flying. The sky welcomed him. Clouds parted. The wind laughed around him. Ashkar roared. A joyful sound. A triumphant sound. A dragon's first true flight. The roar echoed across forests and mountains. Moon watched him climb higher. And higher. And higher. Until he became a silver star against endless blue. The fairies cheered. Nico watched silently. Moon smiled. No tears. No sorrow. Only pride. Only happiness. Only love. Because sometimes loving someone means letting them go where they are meant to be.
Far above Ashkar soared southward. Toward the edge of Elyria. Toward ancient dragon lands. Toward destiny. And beneath the endless sky a celestial boy stood beside a lake. Watching. Smiling. Certain they would meet again.
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