Aella (manxman) - ON HOLD - Chapter 29: Chapter 29

I sneaked inside the den again and went to where he usually sleeps. I kneeled down to hold the leather cloth that he lies on. I felt it under my fingers and sighed.
It's been a few hours already. Maybe he wasn't coming back now. Did Alev take him hunting? He looked so tired yesterday, I was certain Alev would bring him back to rest after their trip to the Leader.
Feeling a bit down, I took one last look around Alev's den and left. After more hesitation, I headed back home.
My Aella went on a mission yesterday, one that was very difficult for him. Cailyn couldn't wait for him all day as he had to go tend to something. But I remained at the border with Alev. The Aello was very worried and he couldn't stop pacing. I could feel his regret to let Ceri go the second we lost sight of his sunny curls. Alev tried to send me away many times, but I explained that I was concerned as well. I don't think he appreciated that, though. He wants to protect his son from everything, including me. And I deeply respected that.
Seeing that I didn't show any animosity towards him despite his unwelcoming behavior, he finally stopped trying to get rid of me.
I knew I had no place near Ceri in their eyes, but I didn't care. I just couldn't leave while knowing that he was alone. He was trying something for the first time, crossing a whole territory and facing the Aellas once again. The fact that he tries so hard makes him so cute that I want to hide him from the world and cherish him forever.
By the end of the day, Alev and I were very nervous because he hadn't come back yet. We feared the worst may have happened. And every time our eyes met, we would silently debate going after him. It was wise of Cailyn to send Aellos to wait with us, because at some point, Alev actually crossed the territory and was going to bring his son himself. He was stopped by the Aellos immediately, but not after two Aella-hunters came out of nowhere and threatened to send a spear into the heart of anyone who steps over their land again.
We realized that we were being watched, most likely by more than the ones we saw. The fact that the hunters were roaming their territory was supposed to calm Alev and me, but the grumpy Aellas refused to answer me when I asked about my Ceri.
They didn't even say that he was late or on his way or that he was captured, they just rudely refused to answer any of us. I tried to reason with them, but to no avail. Alev remained his usual silent-glaring self, while the other two Aellos kept making advances to the Aella-hunters.
I never understood how they could be attracted to rudeness and unjustified animosity. I always found people who were demanding and unkind, very overwhelming, suffocating even. And even though I know most Aellas were not particularly as bad as the ones I experienced, none of them came close to the beauty of my Aella.
He's a man. Yet unlike most Aellos, he's sincere and helpful. He's eager to learn everything about the forest and the sea. He tries his best and loves to think about the meaning of the things around him. To him, a squirrel is not only a tiny animal, it's an amazing small creature that moves quickly and is difficult to catch. He loves the idea of living inside a hole in a tree, eating pine nuts all day, and then hugging his fluffy tail at night. When he told me about this, I found him to be intensely adorable.
I silently vowed never to kill a squirrel again.
My Aella is so kind and understanding. He never asks for anything, not even to be fed or clothed. He thanks me for the tiniest things that I do for him and never demands to be compensated for allowing me to touch him. He has a smile more radiant than the sun itself, and cheeks that blush like the first roses of spring. Or his hair? He has the most daring hair, with curls that stir the strings of my heart every time they dance around his eyes.
My shoulders slumped and I stopped walking. I closed my eyes and dropped my head back, thinking about the details of his beautiful face. I groaned as I remembered the way my finger ran down his soft neck, and then my hands discovered his slender delicious body.
Heavens, I am so proud of him, so happy with him, I so love him
And now I miss him.
I sighed, feeling suddenly very lonely. I thought I became used to always being on my own. Now I can't stand being without him.
As soon as the forest cleared and I saw the area surrounding my den, I halted immediately.
Down on the rocks, Alev was crouching and facing the sea. He was pointing somewhere and talking. And just beside him, my Aella was staring at him with admiring eyes. Alev pointed in another direction, he was probably talking about some of the islands surrounding us, and Ceri laughed and nodded. He was sitting at the edge of the rock where he loved to be, with his feet dipping playfully in the water.
I watched them for a brief moment before I stepped closer.
"This is truly a lovely surprise" I said when Alev's stance went taut.
"You're back!!"
"What are you doing here?"
Ceri went to answer, but Alev beat him to it. "We're leaving"
I raised an eyebrow and Ceri looked at him in confusion. I leaned down and crouched to give Ceri a quick hug. Quick, as in, his father was definitely jamming a spear through my heart in his mind. With the look of 'love' that he was giving me, I think he was starting to like me.
I ignored the death-threatening eyes, and turned to my curls of joy, "You were waiting for me?"
Ceri nodded eagerly making me smile.
"We've been here for hours", Alev said.
"Um... maybe one hour", Ceri whispered. I chuckled and apologized, "I'm sorry you had to wait. I was actually in your den"
"Really!"
"Yes. I caught some nice fish for you. I thought we'd eat them together."
"That's a great idea!" Ceri said excitedly, "I'll help prepare them!"
"Actually, I left them in your den, but I can catch you more"
Alev frowned, "You went inside my den?"
"Just for a brief moment. I just put the meal inside. Don't worry, Aello. I covered it well, so it wouldn't attract animals"
Alev groaned and looked away. Okay, maybe I shouldn't have gone inside his den without his permission. It was his personal territory and I should've thought better so I apologized once more.
"We're leaving." Alev stated again.
Ceri looked up at him pleadingly. "But father..."
"Another time. Now we're leaving"
Ceri whined and gave him the most adorable pout. It was so cute, even Alev looked uncomfortable to turn them down.
"What is this about?" I asked, and Ceri grinned widely, "Alev agreed to let me spend the day with you."
My heart swelled with the news, "Alone?", I asked hopefully, and Alev answered roughly,
"We're leaving!"
"Please, you already agreed to this"
"Yes, please?" I pleaded with the same eagerness as my Aella. But while Ceri's imploring eyes made him noticeably soften, mine made him sneer.
"Please, trust me. I can do this, I promise! I want to spend the day by the sea. Also, I want to eat pears with Ithel and make a fire and eat fish. And-and go visit our tree. I miss it so much! I'll show it to you, father. It's a huge tree with the most beautiful view ever! It's the best tree on all islands, like, everywhere!"
I was grinning like an idiot, watching the way Ceri's honey green eyes twinkled with passion. And without looking away from my beauty, I said to Alev, "I will keep him close and safe, I promise"
Alev mumbled something and then sighed. He stared at his son for a moment before announcing.
"I do trust you, Ceri. Like you wanted, I will let you spend a day here. I will come get you tomorrow morning and take you home"
"Yes!!"
Alev headed to the forest and Ceri called him, "Would you like to stay and eat with us?"
"I'm going hunting."
With that he left us, and I felt overwhelmingly happy with this situation. I slipped into the water and face my Aella.
"I am honored to have you here, again, in my territory"
He blushed lightly and I noticed his toes curling in the water. "I did as you told me. I spoke to Alev honestly. We went to see Cailyn first thing after we woke up. On the way back, he asked if there was anything I needed or wanted. I told him I wanted to spend the day with you."
"I can only imagine his reaction"
"He actually checked my neck to make sure I didn't have a fever", I laughed and he continued, "I told him I wasn't sick, though"
Yes, but my guess is that you were blushing, my love
"It took some convincing, especially when I told him I didn't want to go back before sunset. I think he misunderstood me at first, he thought I didn't want to stay with him. But I told him I wanted to play with you"
I stared at him and tucked one of his curls behind his ear. He blushed again and chuckled, his mesmerizing eyes shyly avoiding mine. I wanted to kiss him so badly, but I wasn't certain Alev had actually left yet. So I tore myself away from him.
"What would you like to do first? We can do anything you want"
He slipped into the water to join me, "Really? I want to swim. Can you teach me again?"
"Sure! This time, we'll do something even more exciting"
"What?"
"How about swimming here a little, and then I'll take you with me for a dive?"
"Diving? Under the water!?"
I laughed, "It's only diving if it's under. But don't worry. We'll take it slow-"
"I-I don't think I can do that"
"It's alright. We can do it another time when you're comfortable. I just wanted to show you where the beautiful reef was"
"A reef?"
"Yes. There are many colorful fish that swims there and different kinds of beautiful corals"
"I love corals!"
I smirked and pulled him until the water reached above his waist. I reminded him how to lay comfortably on his back and let the sea cradle him.
We swam, we jumped in the water, we played with the fish, we caught fish, we chased each other... Needless to say, he refused to leave the sea until he finally held his breath enough under water to see the set of corals that colored the beginning of the reef.
We sat on the branch that stretched over the sea. The sun was going to set soon, and Ceri insisted we'd watch it from here, on our tree. I sat with my back against the tree, my legs dangling from either side of the large branch with Ceri in front of me. He was humming joyfully as he altered his necklace, adding small bits of corals to it.
I watched the way his hands treated the corals delicately, his mouth tugging into a pretty smile. I leaned forward to kiss his temple. He chuckled and leaned closer to me. I wrapped my hands around his waist and moaned in satisfaction.
"This is where you should always be, Ceri. This is where you belong"
"Yeah. I really love this tree"
I laughed lightly at his adorable obliviousness. Then I took advantage of his focus on his necklace to kiss and nip on his shoulder. Shortly after, he was squirming in my arms, and I felt victorious when he put down his necklace and turned to shyly place his lips over mine.
That was actually why we hadn't noticed the sunset until it was already gone.
Before it was completely dark, we went back to our den. I laid with him between my arms as he told me about the details of his visit to the Aellas.
"...... Please don't tell anyone about this, but the Aellas were more than worried. They started panicking and searching the forest for any other Aellos invading them. And even though I wasn't there to hurt them, there was something about the way they reacted..."
"Did they try to harm you?"
"No, I mean... it's not that. They didn't like the fact that I went back there. But it wasn't just because they didn't like me. This time it felt much bigger than that. They were genuinely scared from the Aellos! They truly feared for their children and especially their daughters. I told them that the Aellos didn't mean them any harm, but they were too terrified to hear me."
I sighed and rubbed my thumb against his cheek, "It wasn't your fault, Ceri. None of it is"
"I know. But still, the reason they were so shaken was me, I caused them to question the Aellos' intentions. Ithel, some of them were hiding their daughters."
"I can't say I expected this, but I understand. If the Aellos were to break the truce and attack their clan, the Aellas will definitely not win. Maybe the hunters could hold them back for a couple of days, but they will soon run out of hunters. The women and children will not be treated nicely. They are cherished now because the Aellos can only keep them for a short while before they are forced to let them go back to that forbidden territory. But if they stopped respecting the laws, the ones who are going to get hurt are the children and the Aellas."
"But why! Why can't we all live together? The Aellos are everything that the women speak about on the mountain, all year! I mean, we're the same tribe, right?"
"True. But the Aellos can be far more violent than what you know about. I don't know if you heard about this before, but a few are actually banished from this island. They either hurt an Aella on the Agape or tried to kidnap one... We're a hunting tribe, Ceri. Niceness is not taught to us, only strength and pride. Unfortunately, many of us take that too far."
He pouted as he thought about my words. As much as I wanted to shield him from any violence, he needed to understand the clan he lived among now.
"I don't think Leader Sosanbra likes Leader Cailyn", he said with a chuckle, and then he whispered, "she called him old wolf!"
I laughed loudly, "That suits him perfectly"
"The message was clear and very nice. But Leader Sosanbra believes Cailyn is threatening them. Or more like, ordering them to do as he wishes. I told her the gathering with the children was only a suggestion, but she didn't believe me."
"He's the Leader, Ceri."
"So is she!"
"No. Even though we're two clans, the Aellos' Leader is the tribe's Leader. His position is above hers. Also, he commands the stronger clan, so his word is pretty much all that matters."
"What if the Aellas don't agree?"
"Cailyn doesn't seek to harm them. I think he only wants to push them to open up more and get them to change some of the laws, starting with the three-year rule"
He frowned, trying to work everything in his mind. He kept absent-mindedly tracing my muscles slowly, and I adored the way his small fingers teased me.
"Hey, " I said to pull him out of his thought, "Don't over think this. You're just the messenger. Whatever both sides decide, it won't affect us. Maybe you gained something regarding your Prueba. But I don't think you should go back to that territory."
"Why? I did well!"
"I know you did. But it's somewhere I am not allowed to, and it scares me to think that I cannot come get you. Also, you said it yourself, the Aellas are way too agitated lately and even the Leader herself said that. Who knows how they might react to you showing up on their mountain again? I cannot risk you getting hurt. On this side, you may be living in the forest, but you'll have me and Alev to protect you. Over there...... there are people I don't want you to be with"
He frowned. I didn't want to nag him over that matter, but it was too important to ignore so I continued, "I don't want you anywhere near that Aella-hunter."
His eyes widened and he propped himself on his elbows. "No, it's alright, I promise! From now on, no one can bother me."
I chuckled. I loved when he tried to look invincible despite the fact that he was just telling me about how difficult his visit to the Aellas was yesterday.
"And why is that, valiant Aello?"
"I did well yesterday. I was brave like you told me to be!"
"I'm sure you were-"
"I said no! When I didn't agree to something, I said no, loud and clear! I glared and stood my ground fearlessly" he made a serious face and attempted to glare, "I spoke my mind and explained myself just like you taught me. I said no"
He was looking at me hopefully. I smiled, but inside me, a thump of fear started to grow.
"Ceri, dear, what did you do exactly? Please don't tell me you faced that horrible hunter"
"I did!"
"Oh heavens"
"No, it went great! I told Drita that I didn't want her touching me anymore-"
"Touching you??"
"Yes"
"How exactly was she touching you? Did she touch you yesterday?"
He hesitated and shrugged, "She did, but I told her firmly and boldly like a strong Aello, I told her to stop treating me like a child or like... someone she could treat that way. And I told her that I didn't need her protection anymore."
I went speechless. Why was he with her alone in the first place? What did she do exactly to push him to react and finally voice his opinion? Was this wise? Did we get rid of her, or did she still not understand to stay away from him?
"Ceri, I need to know exactly what she said to you"
He bit his lower lip and looked away, "She didn't say much. She looked angry, but I think she was really sad. And.... It was my first time talking to her that way, or to anyone, really. I was very disrespectful. I didn't show her, but I was really scared and uncomfortable to say mean things."
"So she didn't threaten you?"
"No. After that, she just let me come to you."
I pulled him into a tight hug, "You did well, Ceri. I am so proud of you"
He smiled against my shoulder and kissed me there. "I just did as you said. I heard your voice in my head, It was the only thing that gave me courage. I will always do as you tell me, Ithel. You're so smart"
I pushed him on his back and kissed him passionately.
"I love you, Ceri. To me, there is no other"
He smiled with a beautiful blush, and then kissed me back.
There is no other, my sweet Aella
I opened my eyes to a grumpy Aello stepping inside my den.
"Weren't you the one who got angry because I went inside your den without your permission? I thought you liked to maintain such boundaries"
"And I thought my son was supposed to always be on my side once I claimed him, yet here he is."
Instead of being irritated by his words in any way, I actually grinned and looked down at Ceri who was still asleep beside me.
"We're leaving." He stated.
I pulled myself to stand and headed outside, "Just let him wake up on his own. He was tired yesterday"
"He was supposed to rest from the day before"
"Yeah, but... we played a lot" And we slept late. Really late. I felt so proud of that thought and tried to hide my joy from the grouchy Aello. "I'll go catch us something for a meal. Let him eat and then take him home-"
"He's wearing new clothes??"
"Oh, yeah. He made those himself." On our first Agape. "He's really talented"
If anyone could soften Alev's temper, it was Ceri. Once he woke up, he insisted on showing his father what he learned about swimming and moving underwater. Of course, he took the opportunity to play around in the water. But still, he managed to lead his father to the beginning of the reef and show him the corals. Alev was definitely not used to being a parent, because the first thing he said was, "I know this reef by heart".
What I loved above all, was the way Ceri communicated with his father. He seemed to know how to interpret his scowls and silence. And that made Alev more and more talkative with his son. It was beautiful to see.
After that, Alev took Ceri to teach him more about tracking animals. Needless to say that I stuck along despite Alev's discrete and voiced protests.
"Here" Alev said as he touched the ground. Ceri hurried at his side and went on all four to observe the paw-print.
"This one's definitely bigger than the one we saw before! Maybe a bigger rabbit?"
"Not just the size. This paw looks different from a rabbit's"
"Then what is it?"
"A wolf", I said. Ceri awed and touched the ground again, while Alev and I stood in more attention.
"He's not far" he said.
"We can still get it"
"Are we going after the wolf?"
"No" Alev answered. I'm taking you home.
"But please! I want to see the wolf! I've never seen a living one! The Aella hunters always killed them before bringing them to us.
"There aren't as many dangerous animals on this island as there are on the other ones around us", I explained, with my eyes still checking our surroundings, "and that's because most of our tribe live and hunts here, so with the years, their number diminished slowly."
"What about all the tigers and wolves that the Aellos bring for gifts every year?"
"Those are mostly caught on other islands"
"Still, " he mumbled as he resumed walking, "I wish I could see a living one. I wonder how tall it is, maybe it has a very soft fur. Aella Moina was gifted a beautiful wolf skin once. She lets me touch it. What about its teeth? I wonder how big his..."
His voice trailed making both Alev and I turn to find him frozen in his place, a few feet from where each of us was. A growl erupted from behind the trees and Alev was immediately standing in front of him protectively.
Alev's grip tightened around his spear as he took a fighting stance. I didn't need to see it to know what he was facing. I instantly grabbed Ceri and pulled him away, before I grabbed his hips and hoisted him to a branch.
"Climb! Don't stop until you're high enough!"
He did so without questions, showing climbing skills I didn't know he had.
I went to join Alev who grunted immediately, "You're not needed". For a second, I wondered if he was talking to me or to the not so happy wolf that was growling at us. I didn't answer him. I just pulled out my own weapon and watched as he lunged towards the beast. I took one look back to see Ceri safely higher now before I joined Alev.
We were back shortly after with Alev carrying the limp body. I looked upwards until I found my Aella
"It's alright, you can come down now"
"W-where's Alev?"
"We're both safe", Alev answered as he came into his view.
"I-i-i-is that the..."
"Yes, it is", I climbed quickly to join Ceri and help him get to the ground safely.
"You killed it?" he asked his father, who, of course, didn't look pleased with me, again.
"I was about to finish it myself. I didn't need your help"
Alright, so thinking back, he actually didn't need any help. He was in fact truly skillful and really fast.
"I apologize. I used to hunt with my father a few years ago, and that's how we did it."
He paused to look at me and then nodded, "He was a good hunter"
"Th-thank you". I was suddenly very proud and thankful. I turned to see Ceri poking the beast's nose with the tip of his finger.
"It's not a big one, but it was quite smart. Do you like it?" I asked him.
He tilted his head to examine the prey closer. "It looked prettier when it was alive."
I laughed at that and I was pretty sure I heard Alev chuckle.