꧁𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒌𝒚꧂

○prologue○

"Lo'ak slow down!" A young teen was chasing her best friend who laughed at her struggle. It was the middle of the night and the two had snuck away from the village.

"You know when you said you wanted to sneak away, I thought we'd be doing something a little more exciting." The forest was lit by the multiple bioluminescent life surrounding them. The two were walking high among the ground on a large branch.

Lo'ak turned to her with a raised eyebrow, "Nîryni, we're both fourteen."

She playfully tugged his tail making him finally stop walking," That's not what I meant but it's cute you think I look at you in that way."

"So you're saying you think I'm cute?"

"Again, that's not what I meant, but sure you're decent looking I guess."

He shook his head with a smile and started to climb up their tree. It wasn't too special to look at but the memories were unforgettable. It was their safe place whenever life got too hard.

She followed his lead and climbed after him.

"I see you wore the beads I made you." Along the first few braids of his hair there were wooden beads in different sizes and shapes. He had even worn his hair down to show them off. They were a gift from the girl behind him for when he tamed his own Ikran.

"Duh, it was your day, why wouldn't I?"

Earlier this morning, marked the day she accomplished that same feat.

At the time she was nervous and almost wanted to back away with all the Ikrans staring at her but then she locked eyes with him. He looked at her with unwavering confidence that calmed her rapid heartbeat. And that grin he wore was so contagious that she returned it twice as big. Even her dad's comforting words had nothing on the effect the boy in front of her did.

"Well it meant a lot to me." The sincerity in her voice made the boy's lips quirk upwards and a rush of confidence made him boldly look down at her.

"You mean a lot to me." He reached a hand down to pull her on top of another large branch.

"Careful pretty boy, it's starting to sound like you have feelings for me." Her golden eyes twinkled with fondness as she firmly grabbed his hand.

"And if I do?" He pulled her up to sit next to him and waited for her response.

Nîryni only cheekily grinned at him, thinking that he was joking.

A comfortable silence encased them and they sat closely together while subconsciously intertwining their tails.

Lo'ak hesitantly reached inside the pouch he carried and turned to look at Nîryni. "I have something to give you."

Her ears perked up and she looked over at him with her hair falling over her shoulder.

"I know you've been training with my mom so I- "A beam of different shades of orange caught his attention.

"Wait, do you see that?"

Nîryni looked to where his eyes seemed to be glued to.

They both saw a rapid approaching wave of pure fire spreading across the forest, eating away everything in their path. They could see these large and unfamiliar ships landing nearby.

Out of instinct, Lo'ak put a protective arm out in front of the girl next to him. She gripped it with wide eyes and a small hiss leaving her.

"We need to get back. Now."

The gift he made her, completely forgotten.

♡

The people were in chaos. There were many screams of fear as they hurried to pack and evacuate.