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Mystic Heart Odyssey

Part 7: Downtime

Chapter 8

Time for Kuna to channel some Disney princess energy, because why not? And yeah, the scene at the end is something I've wanted to do for a while. Coming up with decent lyrics was a pain in the ass, let me tell you.

Incidentally, though I made my own lyrics here, the song I always imagined Kuna singing was something like Mummer's Dance by Loreena McKennitt. Look it up if you're not familiar with it! As a bonus, there's also a good male cover on Youtube by a guy named Kenneth Elan, so look that up, too, if you want to imagine Kuna singing it. I kind of imagine his voice is slightly higher pitched than Kenneth's, but not by a lot. It's a decent approximation.

-Llox

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Kuna was having a good day. He'd had a good night's rest, got an early start on foraging while Lykou slept in, then had a pleasant morning conversation with the konuul- other than some disturbing revelations, of course. And once they'd each set out for their own supply runs, he'd had more than bountiful success. The valley was full of useful plants. He made sure to stock up on apples, but also found a number of leafier things that tasted decent enough. He knew he couldn't subsist on fruit alone, as much as he enjoyed it.

He was also thoroughly appreciating the valley on the whole. The sights were breathtaking at times, and the air was filled with birdsong and the sounds of the river and the various streams feeding into it. The creatures were diverse and fascinating to watch. And of course the mysterious statues were everywhere, captivating him with their beauty and mystery. He periodically took time to get a closer look at them, admiring the expert craftsmanship, as well pondering their origins.

At one point, he noticed a patch of trees that seemed especially popular with the squirrels and certain birds, so he decided to take a closer look. Much to his delight, he found their branches heavily laden with clusters of nuts. He used his magic to get a lift from a thick cluster of vines, then sampled some of them. Realizing they were quite tasty, he happily started collecting some to add to his supplies.

The small critters all around him kept a safe distance from him, but didn't outright flee. Other than shooting him wary glances, most of them seemed content to enjoy their own harvest alongside him. And that was more than fine by him. Once he'd collected enough, he lounged on a tree branch and watched all the small creatures dart around with a content smile.

"Heh... good thing I'm not still a konuul, or this would be a very different, much more frustrating situation," he mused to himself aloud. He giggled slightly as he imagined a young Lykou struggling to focus as all the little critters darted around him in such numbers. After a few minutes, he stretched a bit, then sighed contently. "You know... if Lykou didn't have friends and family to get back to, I'd be tempted to try and convince him to settle down in this valley. You guys have a great home, here," he idly mused to a pair of nearby squirrels, who just stared at him blankly for a moment, then continued gathering food from the tree.

After lazing around for a bit, he plucked a couple more nuts from a branch above him, then cracked their shells and popped them into his mouth, enjoying the flavor as he crunched them up. It was a very nice change of pace from everything he'd been eating for a while. He grabbed another handful and began slowly snacking on them, one at a time. While he was lost in thought, pondering how they might taste with a bit of salt, one of the braver squirrels started sneaking up close to him. He finally became aware of it when it was only a couple feet away, on a nearby branch.

"Oh, hey there," he said, surprised to see one get so close. His reaction initially spooked it away, but it started creeping back after it realized he wasn't chasing it. The two of them watched each other for a minute, each wondering what the other would do.

Suddenly, in a burst of bravery, the squirrel quickly darted over, snagged a nut from his hand, then bolted away again, startling him. The sereva yelped in surprise. "Wh-hey!" he playfully complained, though he grinned as he did so. "You little shit!" The squirrel sat up on a higher branch, staring at him as it gnawed away the spoils of its theft. Kuna snickered and plucked another nut out of his hand and held it out towards the creature. "Here. Plenty more where that came from. Don't worry, I won't bite. Can't make promises for my friend, though. So take advantage while you can."

There was an awkward minute or so of silence and stillness between the two, until finally the squirrel darted over and grabbed the offering. He chuckled as it skittered off again to eat from a safe distance. "Cute little thing," he mused, then sighed and hopped down from the tree, returning the flora he'd used to get there back to something approximating its normal state.

As he walked back through the woods, with a bag full of freshly harvested food, he twirled around and hummed to himself. He could hardly remember the last time he felt so good. It was a beautiful forest valley, and he marveled in all the colors of light shining through the trees' leaves. He wasn't sure what it was, but he felt at peace. After some thought, he blushed as he realized a big part of it was no doubt thanks to Lykou.

He wondered what the konuul was up to. Sure, the sex had felt great- amazing even. But beyond that, just knowing he was that much closer to his friend made him feel like he could walk on air. Of course, it wasn't quite as much as he really wanted, but it felt like a step closer to it. And even if he still couldn't quite admit his feelings to the canid's face, he knew it was only a matter of time before he built up the courage to do so- even if it would still have to wait until after their journey. He hoped that wouldn't be much longer.

He blushed and grinned as he remembered their little bit of intimacy the previous evening, biting his lip as the events replayed in his mind. One of these days, Lykou, he mused to himself. I hope we can kiss while we're... doing things. He giggled and spun around again as he walked. I bet that makes sex even better, somehow... I wonder if he'd be up for another round tonight?

Eventually he had to shake the thoughts out of his head before he started getting himself worked up. Good grief, he mused. I'm either more of a hornball than I thought, or this damn crush is making those urges worse, too.

As he started meandering back towards their campsite, he stopped dead in his tracks when he spotted a statue that stood out from the others. His bubbly thoughts immediately fled in favor of mystified ones. Standing proudly in the palm of another large set of stone hands was another creature he'd never seen before... or had he?

It was definitely a wild animal. On all fours, no opposable thumbs or clothing, etc. And yet... he couldn't shake the uncanny resemblance it had to the subject of his affections. A quadrupedal canine creature, with a very fluffy look. And like a few of the other statues he'd seen, it was painted with an unknown substance that made its markings clear. And they clearly resembled those of a konuul.

It was standing on all fours, in a stalking pose. It had shiny gemstones for eyes, which were somehow carved, polished, and set in the right way to look like actual eyes- pupils and all. The details in its fur even looked soft, had they not been made of stone. It seemed almost life-like, to the point where he even half expected its eyes to start following him as he approached.

Mouth slightly agape, he walked over and circled the statue, running his hand over its features. There was no mistaking it- if a konuul was a wild animal instead of a person, he couldn't imagine them looking any different from the statue he was examining. "What in the world...?" he mused aloud in a hushed voice. "Talk about surreal..."

He ended up staring into its eyes thoughtfully, full of questions. Finally, he pried himself away and tried to make note of the location. "I definitely need to show you to Kou..."

*****

After discovering his new ability with the axe, Lykou decided to give hunting another try, despite being even more tired than before. The discovery had definitely renewed his confidence a little, even if he still suspected he'd be better off waiting until he was more rested. Luckily, there was no shortage of potential game in the forest. He figured that even if he failed, he could at least practice with the axe some more, since that seemed to be helping him 'attune' to it.

He eventually encountered an odd tripedal creature that was foraging by itself. Other than the three legs that held it up, its only limb was a long, whip-like tail. Its neck was especially long as well, though, and it was using it to reach up and munch on leaves from the trees. He paused for a moment to marvel at the oddity of the creature, before considering it as potential prey. He imagined the core of its body might have a fair amount of meat, but it was hard to be sure. From the look of it, the thing's legs and tail might not be terribly meaty. He followed it for a short while as it meandered through the forest, occasionally stopping to snack some more.

Just as he was making up his mind about whether or not to try his luck with ambushing it, he spotted something else interesting in the distance- buildings. He and the creature he'd been making their way up along the edge of a cliff on the side of the valley, and he caught the sight of something white out of the corner of his eye that clashed against the various colors of the treetops down below. Sure enough, when he turned to get a better look, he saw what appeared to be a rounded stone rooftop, with a few openings in it. He could just make out a few pillars and other structures standing among the trees near it as well.

He was so distracted that when he moved a bit closer to the cliff to see if he could see a clear path to the buildings, he accidentally dislodged a cluster of stones and other debris. Luckily, he managed to catch hold of a nearby shrub before he fell over. But all the noise unsurprisingly spooked the creature he'd been stalking, much to his chagrin. With a heavy sigh, he decided to finally head back to camp, though he made a mental note to tell Kuna about the buildings. With any luck, they might pass near them when they resumed their journey, and he was curious to see if they had any hints about who might've decorated the valley with so many statues.

However, on the way down the cliff, he froze when he spotted another one of the large, colorful birds he'd tried hunting earlier in the day. This time, it was alone, and distracted by gorging itself on berries from a large bush near some trees. His belly rumbled faintly as he imagined the taste of a big helping of roasted turkey for dinner- he still wasn't sure it'd be the same, but he liked to think it'd at least be similar. Fortunately, he was still far enough away that his stomach didn't give away his presence to the beast.

Okay that's it, I'm getting this one, he thought to himself as he gripped the axe firmly in his hands. He hunkered down low to the ground and started slowly creeping forward, using the various foliage between him and his quarry to hide his approach. Every time the bird paused its eating to look around, he froze and held his breath. Oh so slowly, he got closer and closer. After a certain point, he realized there wasn't enough brush to hide behind and get any nearer, so he decided to yet again try throwing the axe.

He focused. First, on his breathing- steadily, in and out- then on the axe in his hand, and finally on his target. He didn't want to leave anything to chance this time. He tried again to remember his battle with Elzhan, when the potion let him use his strange ability consciously. He tried to imagine the strange lines flowing through himself and everything around him. He also remembered the glowing points that he'd seen on his, Kuna's, and Elzhan's bodies, and tried to picture where they might be on the bird in front of him, figuring they were important somehow.

Finally, he looked down at the axe one more time and ran a hand over the flat of the blade. He couldn't help but feel like it was trying to say something to him again. He realized he'd been favoring vertical throws in the past, so he decided to try throwing the axe sideways again, hoping to aim for the bird's skinny neck. He didn't think it was the smartest idea, but something told him to give it a try. With one more deep breath, he got into position, then hurled the axe with all his might.

He immediately tensed up when he saw the axe go wide and fly past his target without even scratching a feather, spooking the bird in the process. It felt like the world slowed down again as he watched his weapon go sailing through the air, well away from where he'd wanted it to go. It was also spinning a lot more than he'd expected. Out of instinct, he mentally tugged back on the axe and cursed his aim. But just as the bird was starting to frantically bolt off, the axe came sailing back to him- and caught the creature's neck along the way. In one clean sweep, the spinning axe severed the creature's head before returning to Lykou's grip.

He stood up and stared in stunned surprise for a moment as the bird's body stumbled for a brief instant before slumping lifelessly to the ground, bleeding from its neck. After coming to his senses, he rushed over to inspect his kill. A grin slowly crossed his face as he glanced between the body and his axe. "Fuck yeah! Finally!" he cried out in relief, then knelt down to look things over a bit more. The bird definitely had plenty of meat. And he liked the colorful feathers- he wasted no time finding and plucking a suitably large one and tucking it into his hair.

"Wow... this might just be my cleanest kill... ever," he mused aloud, comparing the axe's blade to where it'd smoothly cut through the neck. He glanced down at the head and thought for a moment, then buried it under some debris. "Thank you for the meat, buddy. I promise I'll do my best to use as much of you as possible," he said quietly, then looked back at the axe with a satisfied smile. "That's how things should go. Quick, clean, and hopefully as painless as possible. No more spears- I've got to practice with you more."

He carefully gathered up the carcass and slung it over his shoulder, making sure the neck was hanging in a way that he wouldn't get too much blood on him. Luckily, it'd already bled out a good bit on the ground, so there was less of it coming out by the time he lifted it up. With a satisfactory kill finally in hand, he began making his way back to the campsite.

Despite his fatigue, he did his best to hurry. Besides his belly desperately crying out for food, the sun was approaching the mountaintops. He didn't want to have to navigate in the dark, especially given that he'd wandered much further than he'd intended in his search for fresh meat. At least without needing to try to avoid being spotted by potential prey, he was once again able to fully take in the sights and sounds of the forest around him as he hiked back. The statues reminded him of the buildings he'd seen in the distance, and he couldn't help but wonder what secrets they might contain.

However, halfway back to the camp, something jarred him out of his thoughts. For a brief moment, he thought he'd seen Kuna out of the corner of his eye. He'd have loved to have met up with his companion on the way back, even if they both generally made a point of going separate ways when he was out hunting, for obvious reasons. But when he turned to look, he stopped in his tracks and stared in bewilderment at what he saw.

A creature was darting away, having been spooked by his passing. It paused some distance away to look back at him. It had antlers. Its markings and other features looked strikingly familiar. The creature's resemblance to a sereva was uncanny. But it was quadrupedal, not bipedal. After a moment, it turned to continue on its way.

Enthralled by the strange encounter, Lykou cautiously followed it. After passing through a more dense cluster of trees and brush, he looked down into an open meadow, where there was a small heard of the creatures grazing around a small stream. After watching them in fascination for a few minutes, he decided to try something. "Uh... hello?" he called out.

The creatures immediately all looked over at him, then turned and fled. The agile way they dashed away reminded him of Kuna as well, particularly that first fateful day they entered each other's lives. Still, they were clearly wild animals, not intelligent beings. "Talk about strange," he mused quietly to himself as he watched them flee. "Wonder if Ku's seen any of those things..."

*****

Back at their camp, Kuna had just finished setting up a fresh fire in the firepit and setting out some flat stones in key areas for Lykou to use whenever he got back. With that out of the way, he settled in and snacked on a cluster of leafy vegetation he'd collected. He glanced up at the sky and started to get a little worried as he noticed the sunlight slowly being replaced by the star-speckled deep purple of the night. At least he knew he could use his magic to find Lykou, if it came down to it.

Luckily, he soon heard some trudging through the underbrush and looked over to see his friend approaching in the distance. He smiled and hopped up to go greet him and see if he needed any help. He wasn't about to touch whatever creature the konuul had killed, but he could carry the canid's bag, waterskin, and axe. "Hey Kou!" he cheerfully called out as he got closer, then smirked. "Murder time went well, I take it?" he teased.

Lykou stuck his tongue out at him briefly, then adjusted the carcass on his shoulder a little. "Took all day, but yup. Finally got one," he replied. "Quickest, cleanest kill I've ever made, too. Using the axe took some getting used to, but I definitely think I'll stick with it over spears from now on."

"Yeah?" Kuna replied as he began walking alongside the konuul. He hazarded a quick glance at the bird corpse and cringed briefly. "Oh, wow. Chopped its head straight off in one swing?"

"Yup. Doubt it felt a thing," Lykou confirmed. When they got to the edge of the camp, he set the bird down and breathed a sigh of relief. He looked around at the camp, noticing the fire set up with the stones, Kuna's stuffed bags, and a small pile of what were presumably sewing materials laying nearby. He smiled at the sereva. "Thanks for getting things set up. I take it you had a good day?"

Kuna nodded and quickly grabbed him into a big hug once the bird was out of the way. "Definitely! This valley is beautiful. If not Lakefire, I'd happily live here."

"It is pretty gorgeous, isn't it?" Lykou agreed and wrapped an arm around the sereva in return, then looked down at his axe. He grinned and raised it up. "Hey, let me show you something."

"Oh? Figure something out?" Kuna asked.

"Mhmm. Watch," the konuul said, then turned away from the camp and took a deep breath, concentrating. He hauled back, then tossed the axe through the trees. Just as it was about to hit the ground at the end of the throw, it slowed, then flew back to his hand. He beamed at the sereva.

Kuna gawked at him for a moment, then grinned and bounced on the spot a little. "Alright, Kou! I knew you could do it!"

"Beats the hell out of having to always run over and get it," Lykou said, then smiled sheepishly. "Especially with how often I kept missing things today. But hey, the practice paid off."

"I bet. You must be pretty exhausted by now," Kuna replied, rubbing his shoulder softly. "Why don't you have a seat and tell me over dinner? You can, uh... deal with that," he said, gesturing uncomfortably towards the bird with his head. "Later."

Lykou took a sip from his waterskin, then flopped down by the fire. "I'll snack a little while I rest up, but I'm looking forward to tasting that thing," he said, glancing back at his kill. "I'm hoping it'll taste like turkey. And after today, I damn well deserve something like that."

Kuna chuckled and sat down next to him. "If you insist," he said as he made himself comfortable. "By the way, I saw an especially... interesting statue today."

"Oh yeah?" Lykou asked after grabbing one of the last of the smoked fish from his bag. "How so?"

"Well... I don't know how else to say this," Kuna said, furrowing his brow. "It looked... like you, sort of. Or, well, a konuul in general. Except... not."

"...come again?" Lykou asked, his hand stopping halfway to his mouth with the fish in it.

"It looked like if a konuul was a wild animal. Standing on all fours, no clothing or anything," Kuna said, scratching his head. "But otherwise the similarities were pretty crazy. Same markings, same pointy ears, same fluffy, slightly curved-looking tail. And fluffy looking in general. Even had gemstones for eyes that were the same color as yours."

Lykou slowly lowered his hand, staring at the sereva in mild shock. "...that's... strange..."

"I know, isn't it?" Kuna continued. "I can't imagine what it m-"

"Ku, it's stranger than you know," Lykou interjected, staring at him.

"Oh?" the sereva asked with a confused expression. "What do you mean?"

"I... was going to tell you something similar. Only it wasn't a statue," Lykou informed him, causing the sereva's eyes to widen. "On the way back, I saw these... creatures, that looked very sereva-like. Same fur colors and such, and they had hor-, er, antlers. Only they were on all fours, too. And clearly just simple animals."

"What the fuck...?" Kuna asked incredulously. "Really?"

Lykou nodded. "I even tried calling out to them, in case they were some weird kind of sereva-like people that don't look quite like people. It just spooked them," he said, then smirked. "Their run even slightly reminded me of the way you run. All nimble and bouncy like."

"The w-" Kuna retorted, then furrowed his brow and grinned. "Bouncy?? What do you mean bouncy?"

Lykou giggled. "Well, maybe a bit moreso with them, but you do have a little spring in your step sometimes. Especially after, y'know... yesterday," he said, winking.

Kuna blushed, then playfully batted at the konuul's arm. "Oh hush!" he responded, then narrowed his eyes and grinned. "Bet I can think of some better ways to 'bounce' sometime."

It was the canid's turn to blush. He snickered and poked the sereva's nose. "I bet you can, you little hornball."

Kuna poked his tongue out and continued staring at him through half-lidded eyes. "Might even be able to demonstrate later, if you want."

Lykou grinned back at him. "Is that so?"

"Mhmm..."

They stared at each other for a few moments as various thoughts raced through their minds. But eventually, Lykou sighed and leaned back, breaking the eye contact as he looked up at the sky. "Unfortunately I don't think I have the energy for that," he said regretfully. "After today, as soon as I'm done butchering that bird, I think I'm gonna have to head straight to bed."

Kuna's ears drooped a little, but he smiled despite the disappointment. "Yeah, I can imagine. All that hunting on top of the sleep deprivation must've been rough."

"Yeah, it's a miracle I can even think straight at this point," the konuul said after nibbling on the fish a bit.

"Well, just take it easy. You're done for the day," Kuna said, rubbing the canid's shoulder again. "If you need anything, just let me know. Still have plenty of water?"

Lykou picked up his waterskin and shook it a bit, then shrugged. "Enough for tonight. I'll top it off tomorrow when we get back to traveling," he said, then perked up when he remembered what he'd spotted earlier. "Oh, by the way, I saw some actual buildings in the distance today."

"Really?" Kuna asked, intrigued. "How big?"

"Varied a bit, I think," Lykou replied. "I only saw one roof clearly and it was fair sized. But I could kind of make out some other bits through the trees near it. I'm hoping the trail to wherever the next arch is takes us close enough that we can take a quick look."

"Sure. They might shed some light on whoever put all those statues and carvings everywhere," Kuna said. "Or at least there might be more art to look at."

"I figured you'd be up for the idea," Lykou said, smiling. "Thinking about taking up carving or sculpting sometime?"

Kuna grinned and shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe. I think I'm more into painting, but who knows?"

"Sunstone makes good chisels," the konuul pointed out. "I'm sure Kitza would be glad to put one together for you back home."

"I'll keep it in mind," the sereva replied. "Hey, speaking of creative stuff, how's it going with that instrument you've been working on?"

"Almost done, actually. Still working out the best way to attach the strings, but then it should be playable," the canid said, then yawned and stretched. "If dealing with this bird wasn't going to take what little energy I have left, I'd work on it tonight."

"Well, I'm sure you'll have plenty of other opportunities," Kuna assured him. "We could even stay here one more day if you want." He looked around at the enchanted-looking forest around them. "I know I certainly wouldn't mind."

Lykou chuckled and rubbed the sereva's back softly. "I wanna get home, Ku. But hey, we'll take our time walking tomorrow. Maybe we'll end up needing to camp in another part of the valley tomorrow night. Don't know how far away the arch is, anyway."

"Fair point," the sereva conceded. "At least we'll be well-supplied now anyway."

"Mhmm, exactly," Lykou said, then sighed as he glanced over at the product of his hunt. "Well, better get started while I'm still able to keep my eyes open." He smirked at the sereva. "Might want to slide over to the other side for a bit."

"Noted," Kuna said with a grateful smile, then gave the canid a quick hug before repositioning himself to the other side of the firepit.

*****

The bird was large enough that it took several hours for Lykou to fully butcher it and cook the meat. He cooked as he went, eating some of it in the process. Much to his delight, it tasted similar to, if not exactly like the turkey he craved. And there was a lot of it. Once he'd thoroughly filled his belly, he made sure to salt the rest, before tucking it into his food bag. He saved some of the bones as well, but most were not strong enough to be of much use.

After he finished, he settled in for the night and dozed off while Kuna remained by the fire, using the burnt end of a stick to doodle on a large rock nearby. When he ran out of space, the sereva went back over the things he'd collected during the day, then laid back and stared up at the stars contently. He wasn't quite tired enough for sleep yet himself, so he instead just basked in the beauty of the night.

A few hours after Lykou had fallen asleep, he woke up again to a pleasant sound not far away. As the fog of sleep left his mind, he realized he recognized what it was. Whereas that morning he'd had the pleasure of waking up to Kuna humming cheerfully, he was greeted with an even more pleasant surprise this time- singing.

Lykou grinned and sat up, rubbing his head a bit. He then peeked out by the fire and saw the sereva leaning back against a floral mound he'd conjured up with his magic. His arms were behind his head, as he reclined there, staring off into the distance and quietly singing something to himself. The konuul couldn't help but stare and listen for a minute as he melted a bit on the inside, his unspoken feelings surging forth again. Oh shit, he thought. Not only is he a talented painter, but he can really sing, too! Fuck me...

He was utterly enamored with both the situation and Kuna in particular. He quietly stretched out and propped his head up on his hands as he watched and listened in silence, careful not to let his friend know he was awake. The song ended sooner than he'd have liked, though. Since he'd missed a chunk of it before he woke, he wanted to hear what he'd missed. "Wow, Ku... that was beautiful."

Kuna yelped and practically fell over in surprise. "W-wha- Kou! I... uh, th-thank you??" he stammered out, blushing and generally looking flustered. "S-sorry if I woke you, I, um. I just. Uh..."

Lykou stared at him for a moment, then grinned. "Aww, don't go getting all shy on me now," he teased. "It's fine. Can't think of a better thing to wake up to. I had no idea you could sing!"

The sereva fidgeted and eventually curled up a bit with a sheepish smile. "I. Um. Well. Uh..."

"...Ku, you are so beyond adorable sometimes," Lykou said, then chuckled. He then got up and moved to join the sereva. When he got there, he lounged next to him against the floral support that'd been conjured up, wrapping an arm around him. "What was that song you were singing?"

Kuna shifted over and made some room for the canid with a somewhat silly, flustered smile. "J... just something m-my gramma used to s-sing to me... w-when I was little..."

"Aww, that's sweet, Ku... sing it again, I didn't get to hear the first part of it," the konuul urged him.

"N-no thanks, I think I'm done s-singing for tonight," Kuna stammered, then started sitting up. "All s-sung out. M-maybe I should get to b-"

"Hey. C'mon," Lykou insisted, gently pulling him back. "Only one that'll hear you is me. Why so shy all of the sudden?"

"Th-that's plenty," Kuna mumbled, grinning bashfully. "I dunno, just... I guess I'm... n-not used to it. Just... kinda started on a whim. Can't be that good, never practiced or anything..."

"Ku. You have a great singing voice. I was serious when I said it sounded beautiful," Lykou said encouragingly. "I guess you just have an innate talent for it. Either way, there's no need to be timid about it."

"Easier said than done," the sereva murmured.

Lykou stared at him flatly for a moment, then smirked and slid over, pulling Kuna into his arms as he adopted their favorite cuddling position, resting his head on top of the sereva's. "Here. This always helps, right?"

Kuna let out a small 'eep' as he was moved around, then blushed a bit more and grinned some more as he settled into the konuul's arms. "W-well, yeah... but-"

"And this way you don't have to look me in the eye while you're singing," Lykou interrupted. "Might help you feel less self-conscious."

After a moment, Kuna sighed. "You're not letting me get out of this, are you?" he muttered in a mixture of frustration and amusement.

"Nope!"

Kuna thought for a moment. "You know, I could just go ahead and doze off. It's kinda late now anyway."

"I'll tickle you back awake," the canid playfully threatened.

"Jerk," Kuna groaned, covering his face with his hands.

"Just trying to help you be more confident," Lykou replied, then gave him a gentle squeeze. "And like I said, I really want to hear the rest of the song. It's pretty."

Kuna sighed and fidgeted again. "F-fine... just... promise me you won't try to trip me up or make me laugh or anything silly."

"Why would I do that?" Lykou asked in genuine confusion. "The whole idea is that I want to hear you sing, you dork. Why would I intentionally mess it up?"

"'cus you're a goofball sometimes," Kuna retorted with a small grin. "Alright alright... um... gimme a moment."

"Sure. Take your time," the konuul responded, glancing up at the night sky. "I'm a patient audience."

The sereva took a moment to try and calm himself. He made a few false starts, where he ended up breaking down into little fits of nervous giggles. But with some gentle coaxing and reassurance from the konuul, he eventually managed to calm down and start singing again.

"When darkness spreads across the sky,

And the world you know lies asleep,

The spirits dance where secrets lie,

In the wilderness they all keep.

The mighty pine casts darkness on

The mists of that other world.

Whispered songs of heroes long gone,

Upon the cool breeze are swirled.

The world is filled with shadows,

But wonder hides within,

In moonlit glades and meadows,

Where enchanted dreams begin..."