Chapter 9: The Falls

Tuesday, The Trees

5:00 pm

Three days have passed with little excitement for the two traveling Magnorolians. Nia and Mikhale huddle under a tree to stay out of the downpour as Mikhale tries to find any identifying formations. He points at the map and traces the path they were on earlier that day. He shakes his head and folds it back up.

"We'll have to wait until the storm passes to figure out where we are," he says as he looks out at the rain.

Nia remains silent, but nods and turns to look up at the trees.

She grabs hold of the lowest branch and pulls herself up. Mikhale wraps his fingers around her ankle and gives her a curious look.

"What are you doing?"

Without answering, Nia beckons him to follow her. He rolls his eyes and sighs. She helps him up and they climb for what feels like forever.

Nia stops about halfway up and stretches on her stomach along a very wide branch.

"Mik, you need to see this," she says as he moves to lie down beside her.

They look out through the leaves and see a beautiful waterfall a few miles away. Fog sat gathered at the bottom where the water comes to a calm and a rainbow arcs over the top. Nia is blown away by the sight before her and turns to look at her lifelong friend with a smile. He smiles back and there is a twinkle in his eye that she's never seen before.

Mikhale moves closer and Nia looks deep into his hazel-blue eyes. She's only ever seen this color a handful of times when they were children learning to use their more human forms. His wet skin glistens in the dimming sunlight, making it sparkle. Her breath catches in her chest as she looks at his face. It's as though she were seeing it for the first time. Mikhale leans forward and gently kisses her plush, round lips.

Nia feels as if her breath has left her lungs and she kisses him back just as softly. She pulls away slowly, trying to catch her breath.

"I'm sorry. I just... couldn't resist," Mikhale says breathlessly.

"Don't be," Nia whispers as she shakes her head, smiling.

She moves forward and kisses him. His face softens and he pulls her closer. Mikhale breaks the kiss, panting, and chuckles.

"I think we should change before we get carried away," he says, pulling away.

Nia giggles and nods in agreement. Back to back, they sit and remove each soaked layer of clothing. Nia pulls her pack between her legs and starts to rummage through it. She looks over her shoulder at Mikhale and smiles to herself. He turns his head and looks at her face. The young woman giggles again and turns back to continue looking for dry clothes.

A shiver racks her body and Mikhale feels it. Nia continues to rifle through everything in her pack. She groans when she comes up empty; even though she knows she packed some.

"What's wrong?" Mikhale asks over his shoulder.

"I'm certain I packed extra clothes, but I can't seem to find them," she states, agitated.

Quickly grabbing the shirt he intended to wear, Mikhale hands it to his friend.

"You can wear this. It should be long enough."

The material is soft and thick. Nia believes it should keep her quite warm and appears to be long enough to cover everything. Pulling it on easily, she adjusts the shirt so it rests comfortably against her thighs. Nia turns slightly, curling a leg under her bottom as she puts everything back into her pack. Mikhale turns around and looks at her in his shirt and his eyes go wide.

Tracing from Nia's bare feet to her wet, brown hair, Mikhale's eyes devour her. She looks over at him, finally noticing that he's sitting there shirtless, and lets her eyes travel from his navel to his wet, blonde hair. As they stare at each other they move closer, until they are mere inches apart. Mikhale stares into Nia's dark emerald eyes and realizes they aren't just flecked with blue but gold. She can't keep her eyes off his broad shoulders, strong arms, and his sculpted stomach.

Their eyes meet when their noses are nearly touching. Mikhale rests his hand on top of Nia's, gently rubbing the soft skin with his thumb before she moves to weave their fingers together. Mikhale leans the rest of the way forward and encompasses her lips with his. They melt into each other as the rain continues to fall around them. Mikhale lays Nia back, their fingers still entwined, as he continues to kiss her passionately.

He runs his hand, slowly, up her side and grabs a handful of the cotton-like material at her waist, bunching it up and lifting it slightly from her thighs. Nia gasps and he chuckles softly, plunging his tongue between her kiss-swollen lips. Her fingers grip the nape of Mikhale's neck as their tongues twist and glide over each other. Mikhale's lips and tongue travel down and attach to her neck, leaving small love bites and a trail of wet saliva. Nia knows they must stop before they go too far.

The timing isn't right, though they do love each other, they are still too young to mate and it's not the love Nia is searching for. Mikhale is her best friend, her confidante, and she may care for him, but until they are mature she will not know for sure if they are intended. Nia doesn't wish to hurt him, and she knows that it could, but he should understand as this is the way of their people. Mates are lifelong for Magnorolians and can only occur after they are mature. They mate physically as well as mentally.

She pushes against Mikhale's chest gently and he stops kissing her neck. He looks down at her blushing face and sighs softly.

"You're not ready, are you?"

Nia blushes fiercely and looks into Mikhale's eyes.

"I don't think I am... I don't want to rush into anything before Blooming Day," she says softly.

"I understand," Mikhale says before rolling off and lying there beside her on his back.

They listen to the rain until the sound drowns out to silence as they fall into a peaceful slumber.

Blooming Day - A three-day period of metamorphosis. Similar to that of a butterfly or moth, a cocoon covers the delicate body of the Magnorolian. They are at their most vulnerable in this state and most don't survive (if outside the confines of Mother Tree) due to complications or violence.