Solí's father decided that they shouldn't use any more of the bear tribe's lilacs, so the summoners and their wolves used up all the lilacs Solí acquired from the fox tribe and otter tribe.
The wolf king sent these summoners, which numbered about twenty, ahead to survey the village and make sure beastmen didn't lurk in the area. Then the remaining summoners gathered up every bag and basket the bear tribe's people would lend them, and they went out into the forest to search for their own lilacs.
After giving these orders, he beckoned to his son and daughters and used his own personal stash of lilac petals to create a circle for the four of them and their wolves. Kuao handed Solí the extra sword, knife, bow, and quiver, which she attached to her belt and back.
The king took up his sword, knife, and bow. "Tahur aha kite kouhu," he said, and they turned to mist.
It took only a spot or two for them to mist-travel to Itaone. When they arrived, they stood together in their misty state while their wolves spoke silently with the wolves of the summoners who had left first on surveillance.
The village and the surrounding area is deserted, Pango told her. It should be safe.
Alright. Solí and her sister and brother and father all removed the mist makutu.
"Wow, look at that!" Miraka pointed to the field of lilacs, her mouth open wide in wonder.
"Isn't it amazing?" Solí asked.
"It's got beastman sorcery written all over it," Kuao said uneasily.
"What do you mean?" Miraka asked.
"Maybe you never noticed, but the kangata can control animals and all the elements. That's what makes them such formidable foes. But they can also control plants."
"Why would the kangata grow a flower they know we need for our powerful mist makutu?" Solí's father asked, almost as if he was wondering aloud.
"You think they know what the lilac does?" Miraka asked.
"Why else did they burn it when they invaded our village?"
"Exactly," Kuao said. "This feels like a trap."
"Why would they trap us? They already chased us off." Miraka frowned and then tears started forming in her eyes.
Solí hugged her sister tight. She couldn't explain to her family that this was a gift from her beastman soulmate.
"We just need to hurry then," Solí suggested.
"The wolves will keep watch while we work," the wolf king said.
So they set to work.
"What do you want to eat for your birthmoon?" Miraka asked Solí as they began to harvest the lilac.
"When Tokah and I visited the otter tribe's village, they fed us boiled seal meat. It was delicious," she said as she yanked lilac sprigs from bushes.
"I will send a mistwalker to go bring you some," her father said. Even though he was the wolf king, he joined in on harvesting the lilac.
"I'd like that."
"When we get back we can all bathe in the river while we wait for the food," Kuao said. "We'll need the baths, that's for sure."
Solí already felt warm in the late spring heat. They got to work in earnest, tearing out the lilacs and piling them high. Nearby, other summoners worked in the field. They started to sing a moon festival song, and Kuao joined in.
Miraka and Solí added their high voices to the low bass and tenor voices of the summoners. Solí couldn't help but cry as the words to the song reminded her of better times, back when her mother was alive.
"When the mist forms in the mountains,
When the rain falls on the river,
When the petals drift in the wind,
We sing this song.
When the waves crash on the shore,
When the birds sing in the trees,
When the fish leap in the water,
We sing this song.
When the fireflies light up the night,
When the hummingbirds hover above,
When the butterflies migrate to the valley,
We sing this song.
When the sun sets and the full moon comes up,
When the owl hoots and the wolf howls,
When the stars come out and tell their stories,
We sing this song."
Solí wiped the tears from her face. The song reminded her how she missed her mother and her older brother so much. Her throat closed up so that she couldn't sing anymore. She'd miss her entire family for the rest of her life starting tomorrow.
The others continued singing while her thoughts drifted to her future. Where would she and Pango and Aer'ehk live? How would they survive day by day? Could they ever have a family? Or would it only be the three of them for the rest of their lives?
I don't know if I can do this, Pango.
What's the alternative? I don't want to die.
Maybe I can explain the situation to my father and ask him if I can stay.
He would have to be okay with allowing your soulmate to live, knowing that he ordered his men to attack our village. That won't end well.
Maybe I can get Aer'ehk to agree to only see me at night. Then I can just keep my life like normal.
Aer'ehk wouldn't allow you to marry Tokah. You can't get out of your betrothal without explaining that you have a soulmate. There's no way around this, Solí. We have to leave and be with your soulmate, no matter how much I hate the idea.
"What's wrong, Solí?" Miraka said, and she realized her sister had been watching her as she stood there close to tears.
"I'm just going to miss you when I move to Panui," Solí lied.
"I'll miss you too, but we'll see each other all the time," Miraka said. "Besides, we might live in Panui for a while."
"I think, thanks to all this lilac, we can bring everyone to the Kohatu stone," their father said suddenly. "We may need to stay there until the high king decides what to do with us."
"Do you think we might be able to live in Patapu?" Kuao asked. He seemed excited by the idea.
"Maybe, but I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you." Their father frowned. "The tribes with bonds with the fiercest animals always end up on the border."
"Then why doesn't the bear tribe live on the border?" Solí asked in a rather spiteful way.
"That is a good question. Maybe it's time someone asked the high king why the bear tribe gets to have an easy life," Kuao said.
"Now, there's no need for that. Let's just get back to work," their father said, so they dropped the conversation and focused on harvesting the lilacs.
While they worked, they took turns telling stories of their happiest memories growing up in Itaone. Solí went first and talked about how much fun it was growing up to have her birthmoon on the puawai (lilac) full moon festival. It made her feel like everyone was celebrating her birthmoon.
Miraka told a funny story about the first time she helped cook food and burned the bread. Kuao told a story about the first time he shot a buck on a hunting trip. Their father had been there, and he'd been very proud of him.
The wolf king told a story about the day Solí was born. She was the loudest baby he'd ever heard, and he couldn't sleep all night. "I'm going to miss how you kept me up all night," he said with a sad smile at her.
"I'm going to miss you so much!" Solí said with tears in her eyes. Her throat went tight. "More than you know," she added under her breath.
"Let's take a break and eat lunch," Kuao suggested, so they pulled out the food they'd brought and stopped working to eat.
~*~
1250 Words ~ 27477 Total
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Soulmates Across Borders
Fantasy|| Open Novella Contest 2023 Shortlist || 4x Featured || In a realm where soulmates are bound by the ancient and mystical Värian life bond magic, love and loyalty collide amidst the chaos of an endless war. At the volatile border between warring nat...
