Chapter 24: One More Dance

Ferral woke up dazed. His head throbbed, like a massive nail was being hammered through his frontal lobe. He sat on the side of the bed, looking off into space. A pain pulled at his heart; it made him feel miserable. But Ferral took a deep breath and shook these despicable feelings away. He got up out of bed and took a shower, and brushed his teeth. Yet, through it all, he couldn’t completely shake the feeling of despair.

After getting dressed, Ferral walked down the stairs, joining his family and Dr. Atlas for breakfast. “You didn’t strike me as someone who slept in.” Dr. Atlas said before taking a sip of a large glass of orange juice. Ferral didn’t respond and sat next to Nia, a housekeeper, bringing him a plate of food.

“He’s right, you know,” Nia wiped the sides of her mouth, “You were tossing and turning quite a bit last night. Trouble sleeping?” Ferral scratched the back of his head, “Lot of thoughts going through my head.” He responded, not making eye contact. “If it’s nerves about tomorrow, I completely understand.” Atlas spoke, “I felt them too before coming out here.” Ferral sighed quietly, “Yeah, it’s only nerves.” He lied, then started eating his food.

Not much conversation happened at the table, other than Laura and Berus talking to each other. Ferral tried not to show any signs that something was bothering him, but Nia could tell. “Is something wrong?” She placed a hand on his arm. With his mouth full, he shook his head. “It’s only nerves,” He swallowed, “But I’m fine.” Nia didn’t look convinced, but went on with eating, finishing her plate. “Hey…” Ferral lightly grabbed her arm as she started to get up. “Let’s spend the day together, yeah?” Nia looked at him, a little confused at first, then smiled. “Just the two of us?” Ferral nodded. “Sure, let me get ready.” Ferral smiled back, and Leona walked, the two not breaking eye contact until she went up the stairs.

“Ewwwww.” Laura, Berus, and even Atlas all said, breaking out in laughter. Ferral looked at them, annoyed. He pointed at his kids, “You two won’t be saying that when you find someone. And you,” He looked at Atlas, “Real mature, Atlas.” He chuckled, “What? I’m only joking.” Ferral rolled his eyes, quickly finishing his plate and leaving the table.

Ferral went to wait outside. As he headed toward the door, Leona walked through it. Even catching her scent made Ferral angry. He wanted to swing a fist across her face, but that’s exactly what she wanted. So as the two passed by, they exchanged glances. Both were hiding their emotions, but even then, they could tell what the other was saying in their head. Once out the door, Ferral let out a long, exasperated sigh. “Lots of stress, Chief?” One of the guards at the door asked. “Yeah, but some time out of the village should help.” “Just be safe, Chief.” The other guard said. Ferral nodded, and when Nia came out, the two left.

They took a small stroll through the village. Greeting and chatting with the villagers. Once they left the village, the two continued on through the jungle. It was silent for a few minutes until Nia broke it. “So, what’s really bothering you?” She nudged his shoulder with hers. “Leona and I…we had a talk the other day. Some things were said that haven’t been sitting well with me.” “It’s about your old friends, isn’t it?” Ferral looked at her, surprised, “How did you…?” She smiled, “You talk sometimes in your sleep.” She looked up at the trees, “Clare, Buck, Belle, Amber. Those are some of the names I’ve heard you mutter.” She looked back at Ferral, “Who were they?”

Ferral looked away. He bit his tongue, not wanting to answer. “They were…friends of ours.” He finally spoke. “Leona and I. But, they were more than friends, they were family.” “What happened to them?” Ferral’s fist clenched; he could feel every horrible emotion begin to bubble back up. It made him sick. “They…they died.” He choked. “How?” Anger started filling Ferral’s body. He felt like he was gonna explode.

He whipped his body, punching a nearby tree. It shattered, tipping over and crashing behind them. He exhaled deeply through his nose, “It doesn’t matter. They’re dead, and that can’t be fixed.” Nia was stunned; she had never seen him so upset. How long was he holding this much anger in, she wondered. She moved slowly toward him, wrapping her arms around his stomach. “You didn’t mean to do it, I bet.” She held him tighter. Tears almost filled Ferral’s eyes, but he closed them tightly. “My very existence has taken so many people I care about.” He swallowed hard, “It’s all my fault.” “And you can’t forgive yourself?” “How can I?”

Neither said a word. “You never wanted this, did you?” Nia asked softly. “No,” Ferral said under his breath. “I just wanted peace, but it’s just not possible. Even now, I don’t know when I’ll lose you or the kids or the village. And if that happens….I don’t know what I’ll do.” His breath shuddered.

Nia let go of Ferral and walked in front of him. She gently put her hands on his cheeks. “You won’t.” She whispered. “How do you know?” “Because I just do. You’ll get to see your kids grow up to adults, have families of their own, and the two of us will grow old together.” Ferral gave a small smile, “That sounds perfect.” Nia smiled back, pressing her forehead with his, “And it will happen, I promise.” They moved back and gazed sincerely into each other’s eyes. Ferral felt better, but there were still lingering feelings. He pushed them away for the time and focused on the beautiful woman who stood in front of him.

For the rest of the day, the two explored the jungle. It brought them back to when they first got to know each other. They smiled and laughed, while the rest of the world seemed to vanish away. Towards the end of the day, they stared at the sunset. The gold and purple sky while the sun began its descent.

“Nia,” Ferral turned to her. “Spar with me.” He said. She chuckled, “Right now?” He nodded, “Come on, it’ll be fun.” “Alright.” The two got up, walking a few steps apart. They got into fighting stances and leaped at each other. They went back and forth, throwing light jabs and kicks. Their movements slowly became rhythmic, and it felt just like it did when they first fought.

Like a dance, they couldn’t take their eyes off each other. Everything seemed to slow down. Ferral swiped his right claw upward, but Nia dodged it. She grabbed the arm, turned around, and threw him over her shoulder. She slammed him on the ground. Ferral groaned for a second, but instead of feeling pain, he was laughing loudly. Nia hopped onto Ferral, giggling. Their laughter began to slow down, and they looked at each other for a few moments. Their faces moved closer to each other, and they locked into a passionate kiss. Nia ran her hands through Ferral’s hair while his hands slowly moved down and grabbed her waist.

The stars illuminated the night sky, while the moonlight shone on them. But to them, the rest of the world didn’t exist. Only each other.