A New Plot

In the woods.

~Tahni and Ayla~

"I heard that your sister's plan went down the drain."

Ayla traced her left foot through the fallen leaves scattered about the path.

"It's becoming hard to choose who my family is now. I guess it's time for me to find a good man and make a family for myself."

Tahni's face glued to the front were not interested in the Nymph's gay. The both of them were walking through the woods.

"How about your mother? Isn't she no longer of worth to you."

Tahni stopped abruptly,

"What's of worth to you, Ayla?"

Ayla halted too and turned to Tahni, whose expression was ambiguous,

"Getting Vulcan to be mine, then carrying his child."

Tahni scoffed,

"You know that that is a mere illusion. It's just a wish, something that's very much far from reality. You really think you can mess with Athena?"

Ayla looked past her to the bark of the tree few metres behind Tahni.

"Be scared for yourself Tahni. No matter what you say or what any other person says, it's not and won't be enough to change my mind. Do you even have an idea how loyal Nymphs could be to their own words? Haven't you imagined how loyal they could be to their mistresses, talk much of their own self."

Tahni shook her head,

"But you do know that you're being rebellious."

Ayla chuckled softly and drew closer to Tahni. She held Tahni's left hand and resumed the pace while Tahni followed without struggle.

"Sometimes, when you fight for love, you don't care whether or not you're being rebellious. I'll tell you a story of these lovers."

She paused and continued,

"A Babylonian story of two lovers. Babylon is a city quite remote from your settlement,but not unreachable."

Tahni didn't dare interrupt.

"The man fell in love with the daughter of his father's enemy. The lady, same plight. Both fell in love defying the storm of enmity stalking both their families."

"They were only able to talk to themselves through a hole in cracked walls built by Queen Semíramis, of Babylon, to separate the one from the other."

"But one day, they thought to break barrier and meet at a tomb outside their settlement. A place of plague and zeal. Of love and want. Of bothers and peace."

"But the lady, beaten and crushed by the will to love and be loved. The strong urge to abscond with her lover, she got to the tomb firstly. But instead of meeting her lover, she met a young lioness, whose jaws were smeared by fresh blood of a cattle it had feasted on. The lioness, snarling and roaring as its tongue traced the jaws of the fountain. A quest to soothe its thirst. Lucky not to have been spotted by the cat, she made to run, but the dread snactched her cloak. It fell behind her."

"Did she die?"

Tahni's heart seemed at the peak of splitting.

"She didn't. The lioness didn't see her. But when it left the fountain, it found her scarf and gored it in its bloody mouth. I was there. I made a rustle and distracted the lion who skedaddled."

"How did you do that?"

Tahni couldn't help but ask.

"It's a trick up a Nymph's sleeve. I played a hollow tune with flute carved from the bark of the East wind. The greatest fear of any Wild cat. Especially the lion."

"Continue."

Tahni urged. Ayla continued, sliding her arm now around Tahni's waist.

"When the man got to the woods, he searched for his lover, calling her name to and fro. Until he came to the scarf smeared with the blood from her arms. But with wrong judgement, the fellow plucked his sword and drove it through the timid skin which blushed under the rage of the metal. As he died, he cried, "Ah! My lover had been devoured by the jaws of a treacherous cat." His blood splattered on a mulberry tree under which he had committed the rite."

"By the gods!"

Tahni exclaimed but that didn't get to Ayla as she continued,

"I led the lady, with the rage of the wind, out of the forest, but she struggled. The will of her love tamed and made confetti of the winds' dark hymns. She found her lover, cold, and battered by the struggling breezes. She wailed."

"That's unfair."

Tahni's voice was beginning to break. Ayla kept on her pace,

"Nature hardly gives you a fair. She only gives you a chance to make things either fair or even."

"What happened to her then?!"

Tahni's voice was high.

"She killed herself too with the hope that in the land of the dead, she would find her lover. And the love which didn't survive on earth, shall do, in gloom."

"And what did you do?"

Tears were beginning to trace light dances down Tahni's cheek, though her voice was yet stable.

"I led her soul to her lover's, caught in between the space. Then I led them to the grove of Askov, the wandering souls' temporary shelter. I couldn't take them through the gates of the heavens, else I wouldn't be here today. My spirit would had been reaped by the father of all gods, Zeus. Even Nymphs have their limits as well as Athena."

Tahni sighed. She cleaned her face with the back of her hand.

"But what if Vulcan doesn't like you? What if he doesn't love you? What would you do."

"I would --"

She stopped walking then turned sharply at Tahni , taking her arm off Tahni's waist.

"You would?"

Tahni tossed her head up in anticipation.

"What did I just do?"

Ayla asked. Tahni thought for a while then went,

"Oh. You stopped."

"If Vulcan was to tell me he doesn't love me today, I wouldn't bother him anymore. But if he doesn't say otherwise, not even Zeus would stop me, I'd rather have my spirit sucked, fighting for whom I love."

Tahni gave a resigning sigh and then looked to the front. Then they heard approaching footsteps and indistinct voices.

"People are coming. Hide."

She shot, but Ayla threw her arm around her waist and pulled her closer. She kissed her quickly and they both were transformed.

"What's a wall-gecko doing on the bark of an Acacia?"

The first man said to the second who shot,

"Are you here for a wall-gecko of for Prium? How about you take that Slow Loris home with you too."

"Don't be tacky. I was only being reasonable."

The first man argued.

"Being reasonable is finding Prium now. I love the fact that she's persistent and would make that witch pay. If she finds the sorcerer soon all work will be done."

The second man explained but the first nudged him in the side as they both walked through the path,

"You love her persistence or her boobies. You only think of winning her over. That's all you do."

The first had teased.

"Don't be stupid. She doesn't even really have big titties. You have no idea what you're talking about. Retard."

The second guy hastened his footsteps at that, hurrying through the woods.

"I was only playing. Wait for me."

"You do have legs, don't you?"

The one at the front called without looking back.

"Miargos!"

The first hurried, trying to catch up.

"Miargos? It's been forever now."

Prium said, seating at the base of the acacia tree.