Dignity [1]

Luna had finally collected her thoughts. She needed to convince Liam that the right path going forward was with her.

A flash of his abdominal muscles as her gaze slowly slid lower appeared in her mind...

Her face blushed again for a moment before she scolded herself internally for having such a ridiculous thought. Focus on the task at hand!

Here's what she knew. The next Breaking is coming. She even had a rough idea of how long they had left. She didn't know how, but she knew when and where it would start thanks to her Nan. It was unstoppable without Liam's intervention.

However, to get to where they had to go would be an arduous journey at best. Just the thought of the unknown dangers on the road ahead made her nervous.

Liam climbed back to the top of the turret and looked at Luna who appeared lost in thought on the ground below. 'Her eyes are absolutely mesmerizing...' He quickly scolded himself for having such a ridiculous thought. Focus on the task at hand!

<You two looked a lot alike just then. Like Quagmire looking at a woman, or Sanji looking at a woman, or Master Roshi looking at a woman, or…OW!>

After dealing with the distraction that he was pretty sure would become a tumor if he kept hitting it while it was attached to his arm, Liam leapt down from the boulder.

He nodded at Luna with an indifferent face. One that said 'I see absolutely gorgeous innocent fox women all the time, you're just another one of the boys to me.' Or at least, that's what he thought it looked like in his head.

He then continued forward back toward his base in silence with Luna following nearby, not uttering a word, a look of consternation on her face.

'Stupid Luna he is an Ancestor! He probably sensed the dirty thoughts in your mind and is now giving you the cold shoulder because you don't know how to show respect!' Luna felt like she was dying from embarrassment.

'It's a wonder he didn't kill me for profaning his 6..8…10..STOP BRAIN!' Luna clobbered herself to keep her mind straight. The sudden action caught Liam's attention and he looked at her with concern.

"Are you alright?"

"What? Oh yes, just a little fatigued from the fighting and almost dying. I'll be fine once we get some water in us and rest."

"Oh, ok." Liam continued walking while casually speaking over his shoulder "I only have one bed back at my place, it's pretty shabby."

'only one bed?' 'only one BED?' What is he implying? We just met, and while yes he did save my life, I'm not that kind of [Fox?]girl!'

Such was her thoughts as she was having a battle in her mind with her newly discovered obsession with his abs. she wasn't planning to give the goods away that easily!

While Luna was having such ludicrous thoughts in her mind, Noona also spoke up.

<In other words, he is asking if you brought a sleeping bag or a tent. Wipe that crooked grin off your face, also... you're drooling.>

Luna's mind cleared in an instant. She wiped her chin and found she had in fact been drooling. What? What is wrong with her? Why is her mind so focused on…that…kind of stuff? She is supposed to be working toward saving the world, she is not some Huli that can't control her urges or impulses, otherwise she would never have been the candidate for the next Saint.

Luna froze. Everything that happened in the last few hours flashed in her mind like a motion picture. She looked up and saw that the full moon had risen in the sky. her urges and impulses. The dark didn't impact her much as a Huli, and she hadn't even considered the fact that Liam seemed equally fine in the low light.

As she looked at the moon, she realized it was a little past the zenith. It should be just after midnight. Horror filled her face as she did math to consider how long it had been since she had left the tribe. It had been a little over two years. Two years of fighting and bloodshed as she moved toward a vague direction given to her by her Nan.

Today was the start of her Quickening. Her 21st birthday that typically is celebrated within the Huli tribe with close family and...potential suitors.

For the Huli, it is the period in which their lifelong partner is decided. Their hormones and genes are at their strongest. The better the partner that the female Huli receives genes from, the better her core development becomes. This led to female Huli being overwhelmingly stronger than the males, and a matriarchal society as a result.

However, if the Huli were…taken…before their coming of age, they would be tainted and impure. Especially if it was by a non-Huli. Their offspring will even reflect this with dark colorations marring their beautiful red to white fur, and more vulpine facial and bodily features.

'The Quickening lasts for a full month as long as no partner is chosen. I must get it together. I can worry about my Quickening later, now that I know what's going on I just have to suppress it. Remember the mission. Remember the mission. Remember the…'

Once Luna had realized her own peculiar emotional state, she had been trapped in her own mind as they walked up the path to the cabin. She hadn't noticed when the small wooden building appeared in front of them, and hadn't noticed when Liam muttered something before shutting the door behind him.

'What did he say? Darn it I wasn't paying attention, oh man… what now…ok Luna, just calmly walk inside and pretend you didn't notice what he said. I'm sure he will repeat it.'

Luna braced herself and started to push the door open. As she did she chanted her mantra in her mind 'remember th-' "guok! Pfffftthhhhhsshshshs'."

Blood sprayed from behind Luna's hands as her eyes greedily took in the sight before her. Liam was changing his tattered ripped pants into another pair. His…dignity… was no longer reserved as it was seared into Luna's eyes. She remembered thinking just before she passed out '8…10…12…"