Loona walked a few steps behind Aisell through the tall, golden grass. It was late summer in Korafia and the stems of the grass were bursting with seeds which Aisell let her fingers drift through as she walked setting the new life adrift on the evening breeze.

She couldn’t help but marvel at how different Aisell was here. She was still the same woman. She still had her golden hair, her milky skin and her piercing blue eyes but she carried herself differently. If Loona didn’t know her better she’d have thought there was another person inside of her friend’s body.

Aisell always moved with grace and elegance but above all she moved with purpose. She walked tall, her head back and her shoulders set, taking the quickest route to where she was going. Loona had followed her through the streets of the Tannhäuser before. Despite being taller and an experienced resident of bustling cities she had trouble keeping up with Aisell’s skilful ducking and weaving through the busy streets.

But that woman was nowhere to be seen here. This woman, although she moved with grace and elegance, drifted along. Her shoulders were slouched, her arms drifted along behind her and her head looked around to the beauty of the Korafian countryside rather than scouting for the best route.

Loona was infatuated.

“Not far now.” Aisell turned to her with a smile. “Just past the treeline.”

Loona nodded. Not quite ready to speak. She’d only been here an hour or so but whatever had gotten into Aisell had infected her too. It had been a busy few months. Some off world reporting stints, helping Nonah get her first book published and then having to pretend she was the author instead of her friend. The lie weighed heavily on her. As did the guilt of occasionally seeing just how much Nonah wanted to get out there and talk to the small groups of dedicated fans who loved Nonah’s work just as much as she did.

But out here all that stress and guilt seemed to have misted over.

“Where is it we’re going?” Loona asked.

“It’s a secret!” Aisell replied coyly and looked back just for a second.

Loona didn’t complain. She was more than happy to follow. Her gaze wandered from Aisell’s golden hair, down the barely visible nape of her neck to her bare shoulders. She followed the delicate straps of Aisell’s blue dress which fit snuggly against her torso. Down and down some more, over the curve of her hip and out along the gently swaying pleated skirt to the pale skin of her legs and then…

“Ooof!” Loona said as she walked right into the back of the woman she had been too busy admiring to notice she had stopped.

“Sorry…I was a bit busy enjoying the scenery.” Loona quickly covered.

Aisell replied with a dry smile. “It is lovely this time of year.” She ducked under a low hanging a branch and trotted down a well shaded, slightly worn track that led into an ever thickening wood. “It’s this way. Try to stick to the trail.”

Loona took a second to look around the wood. It was much darker under here, the thick, teal leaves of the trees obscured most of the sun’s low light. Either side of the trail were thick clumps of plants. Some pretty flowers and some stinging nettles. If they bothered Aisell she wasn’t showing it. Loona started along the, path happy she had stuck with a full length pair of jeans.

****

Lerwin slowly placed one foot in front of the other, crouched low with his bow in one hand and the other resting on his quiver. He couldn’t see Rognar who had disappeared up a nearby bush in attempt to get a better view of their quarry. They had been out since dawn this morning, following a sarnai through the forest. They were a rare feast at this time of year. And they badly wanted to bring it home.

Lerwin and Rognar had grown up together, played together, practiced together and dreamed of being hunters together. Now, on the eve of their third birthdays they were ready to join the ranks of the hunters. It was a role that was losing its importance since the tribe had started purchasing most of their food from the Marises but it was a dream they had both held for as long as they could remember. And they’d be damned if they were going to give it up and become farmers.

Lerwin stopped as he heard a series of chirps coming from the treetops. The untrained ear would hear a berrybird, but he heard his friend. Rognar yelling to his friend would alert every creature, both predator and prey, around. So instead they whistled like a harmless bird that would be ignored as part of the normal forest background din.

Three short tweets and then a fluttering whistle.

“West…down by the river.” Lerwin said inside his head and turned his direction towards the river.

The young hunter crept slowly forward, taking care where he put each step. He could hear the river getting closer and louder. The sarnai didn’t have the best hearing of the animals they hunted but they heard well enough. Their eyes were their best defense though. Big, round and on the sides of their head, they had an excellent view of everything going on around them, night or day. He needed to catch it drinking, when its attention would be elsewhere.

He pushed further on across the forest floor and took cover behind a large root. He sneaked a look over the top. There it was. Only the top of the sarnai’s thick coat of fur was visible. Not a clear enough shot. The tree had roots running in all directions from its base. Lerwin quickly and stealthily hopped over the one in front and hurried to the next. It was a better spot. He could see most of the back of the beast. It was easily twice the height of a man and four times as long. It had thick, grey fur. So thick that only the best placed arrow would penetrate its skin. On the top of its head were two small, round ears and below them were two large round eyes as big as a man’s head. It was stooped low on the bank of the river with its short trunk in the water.

Lerwin heard a chirp and looked up. Rognar was watching up above with his spear pointed along the escape route of the sarnai. He signaled to Lerwin to take his shot.

Lerwin let out a deep quiet breath and steadied himself. He knew if he didn’t bring home the sarnai that his family wouldn’t starve but he was no less nervous. His pride was on the line. With winter coming it would be hard to get his title of hunter this year. They’d have to start again in the spring. He’d be almost four. That was way too old. He was going to catch this sarnai and he and his friend would bring it home. He was going to get his mask.

He pulled an arrow from its quiver and poured a vial of liquid over it. It was a poison drained from an insect. If the arrow pierced the sarnai’s hide it would slowly render it paralytic. They’d have to chase it down; wear it out. But if he could make the shot, the hard part was done.

Lerwin fixed the arrow and pulled back the string. He looked upwards to Rognar and nodded. He nodded in return. He fixed his gaze on his target and pulled the string back as tight as he could…

 

****

“Do you know where you’re going?” Loona asked looking around the dimly lit forest.

“Yes! Of course I do.” Aisell caught a small tree with her arm and spun round it to face her friend, her dress flowing in the wind. “I’ve been exploring these woods since I was a kid. I know them inside out.”

“We’ve come a long way and it’s getting dark…are we even on your property anymore?”

Aisell shrugged her shoulders and carried on. “Our property ends a few dozen units inside the woods. I’m not sure who owns this.”

“No one has ever caught you?” Loona hurried and walked alongside the blonde woman.

“Nope…I’ve never seen another person here. Not even a Human from the tribe. It’s a bit far from home for them.”

Loona nodded and carried on, occasionally ducking to avoid a low hanging branch. The temperature had dropped under the canopy. She knew she should have brought a jumper. There was the sound of running water up ahead. It was getting louder but there was no sign of any streams or rivers.

The path curved round to the right as it approached what looked to be an impenetrable wall of wooden stalks intertwined with vines. Loona expected Aisell to follow the path but instead she turned sideways and forced herself into a tight gap in the wall of flora.

“Aren’t you coming?” Aisell asked pausing her advance for a second to remove her skirt from a rogue twig.

“Sure…” Loona said and pulled her bag round to her hip and pushed herself into the gap behind Aisell.

It took Loona a few minutes, some untangling and a few scratches but she eventually she made it through to the other side. She stumbled as she stepped out and braced herself for the fall but was quickly caught by Aisell.

“Careful!” Aisell smiled and pushed her dazed friend upright. Their eyes met for a second and Loona blushed.

Loona brushed herself off and checked her clothes for holes. Satisfied all was in order she looked up to her surroundings. She stopped and gasped.

“This is what I wanted to show you.” Aisell smiled nervously.

Behind her was a river, a few units wide that gently flowed under a low canopy of trees with large red leaves that almost seemed to glow in the dying evening light. Rays of orange light that made it through the gaps in the canopy split the mirk and danced on the surface of the rippling river.

The thing that struck Loona most about the scene was not just its beauty but just how isolated it felt. The thick forest and low hanging leaves kept the view limited to a just a dozen or so units in any direction. It was like being in a bubble made out of the forest.

“I found it when I was about six. It was easier to get through the trees then.” Aisell sat down on a rock that looked as if it was used to being a seat and she slipped off her shoes before dangling her toes in the water.

“This…it’s beautiful. I didn’t think there was a place left like this on Archavia…an agricultural world yeah…but not here.” Loona walked slowly on the riverbank drinking in her surroundings.

Loona knelt and and sniffed a large, blue, cup shaped flower. She never could keep plants alive. She wish she could. “This place is unreal. It’s like something from one of Nonah’s stories. She would love it here.”

“No.” Aisell shot up and placed her hand on Loona’s elbow. She looked sheepishly into her friend’s eyes. “Sorry…I don’t mean it like that. I’ve been coming here for almost twenty years. By myself. Just me. You’re the first person I’ve ever brought here…”

Loona replied in the only way she could. She did what she’d been wanting to do since she’d arrived an hour ago. She leaned in and kissed her passionately, wrapping her arm around Aisell’s back and pulling her tightly into her.

****

“Yeb!” Lerwin yelled in a manner that someone from an English speaking region of Earth might yell fuck. “Yeb! Yeb! Yeb!”

He had the beast in his sights. It was his for the taking. And then that great oaf of a woman had near split a tree in two as she forced her way through a part of the forest she had no right to be in. The great noise she caused the sarnai to bolt down the river and Lerwin’s arrow to sail wide and into the river.

Lerwin threw his bow down to the ground, turned and kicked a nearby tree. “I hope the Great Spirit curses her nethers with sores!” he screamed angrily while gesticulating towards Aisell Maris with his finger.

There was more noise coming from the direction the Titaness had come from. A second, taller woman forced herself between two tightly wound tree trunks and then stumbled into Aisell’s arms.

Lerwin was about to start yelling more profanity at the pair, the arrival of the second lumbering Titan surely meant the end of their hunting for the day, when he became aware of the manner in which Aisell had caught the other Titan. It was gentle and tender. Aisell looked like she was enjoying it. Lerwin’s interest was piqued.

He picked up his bow and slung it over his shoulder and continued watching from behind his root.

They both looked nervous. He wasn’t sure why. Had they had a fight? Had they come to a quiet spot far from the other Titans to shout it out? Or was it something else?

There was a rustling and a light thud. Rognar dropped from the branch above and landed beside him.

“Do you have any poison left?”

Lerwin checked his belt. “Some yes. But it’s useless. Every animal in the forest will be far away from here until morning…”

“It’s not for a hunt. I’m going to cover my spear in it and stab Eyes Like Ice in the foot!” Rognar said with no small amount of bitterness, grabbing at Lerwin’s belt.

Lerwin dodged his friend’s grab and took a step away. “What good would that do!? It’d only make her foot stop working! Then she’d just be really angry and would chase us, limping through the forest and scattering any prey we could catch. Only the Great Spirit knows what Quendra would do with us when she found out!”

“Great Spirit be damned! She’s not supposed to be here! The forest is ours! She has her warm house!” Rognar sulked.

“Never mind that, there’s something interesting happening here. There’s another Titan here. A girl.” Lerwin pointed.

Rognar paused and looked up, watching the pair talk and smiled. “She likes Eyes Like Ice…”

“Aisell…” Lerwin reminded.

“Whatever, but look! That’s the look Mali the Pretty gives me when I play shy.”

“Funny,” Lerwin smiled. “She doesn’t look like she’s about to throw up…Ow!”

Lerwin rubbed his shoulder.

“You mark my words. There is affection between these two…”

No sooner had Rognar spoken those words the stranger grabbed Aisell and pulled her into her and kissed intensely.

Rognar just grinned. More pleased with himself than what he was watching.

“Wow…” Lerwin muttered.

“I know right? How good am I?” His friend beamed.

****

“Not even your sisters?” Loona asked.

She leaned back into Aisell who was sitting on the riverbank holding Loona in her arms. The pair were both watching the gentle flow of the river while idly stroking each other’s bare forearms.

“No, just you.” Aisell replied.

“You must have taken Luke out here. You said you were close?”

Aisell shifted, pulling Loona in a bit tighter. The sun had dropped lower and the river was chilling the air around them. “We were close on Titan Station. It’s not been the same since we got back. We’re friends. Best friends even, but I don’t think it’d be right for me to bring him here. This is my place.”

Aisell sighed.

“And I don’t mean to sound bigoted but I don’t think I could see a Human like that. I did try, I felt for Luke, I really did…but it was something else. Not love love but love of a sorts…”

Loona intertwined her fingers with her companion’s and lifted her hand to her lips, kissing it softly. “You’re not a bigot. I know exactly what you mean. I’ve always been attracted to women…but when I bought Nonah that thought didn’t even cross my mind. And as I’ve grown to love her, I don’t love her.”

The pair sat quietly for a few minutes thinking and enjoying the feeling of being this close to someone they cared about.

“Aisell?” Loona asked with a higher tone than normal.

“Yes?”

“Did you just say you loved me?” Loona’s heart was in her throat.

“I think I did.” She replied. The gravity of her own words only starting to sink in.

“I think I love you too.” Loona responded.

They sat quietly. Continuing to run their fingers over each other’s palms and arms, terrified that if they moved or changed their rhythm in any way they’d scare the other one off and the moment would be broken.

“I’m going away for a while…” Aisell said after a while.

“Oh?” Loona asked.

Aisell breathed deeply. “I…I just don’t want you to get your hopes up Loona. I’ve never been one to stay in one place. I like to come home after a trip…”

“But you like to be off on your own.” Loona finished her sentence with a smile.

Aisell kissed the crown of Loona’s head and pulled her in tighter.

“I don’t have any expectations if that’s worrying you. I’ve no plans to drop my life in Tannhäuser and take up farming. And I won’t be mad or upset if I don’t see you for a while.” Loona said.

“You won’t?”

Loona sat up and turned to face her companion. “I’m no better really. I’m always running off somewhere. Off to the outer rim for a story or spending every night for weeks on end out on assignment somewhere. I feel terrible leaving Nonah even if I know she is with good friends. It’d be so much worse if I had a lover at home.”

Aisell looked into Loona’s eyes. She saw someone exactly on the same page as her. Who understood her. She leaned in and kissed her.

 

****

“I didn’t know girls kissed other girls…” Lerwin said quietly as he and his friend watched the two titanesses intertwined on the forest floor.

“I’d heard it happened…stories that Titan’s didn’t have a preference for boys or girls.” Rognar replied without taking his eyes off the view.

“I’m not sure what I prefer…kissing girls or watching them kiss each other.” Lerwin said, his eyes still fixed.

“Definitely kissing one is better…”

Aisell ran her hand under the top of her taller friend.

“…though these two are making me reconsider.” Rognar said wishing he wasn’t stuck on the sidelines.

The pair continued to watch the two Titan women who were both too wrapped up in each other to notice two Titan men let alone two finger sized Humans hiding behind a nearby tree root.

“We should go.” Lerwin eventually spoke up.

“What!? Have you lost your mind?” Rognar just about remembered to keep his voice down.

“This is wrong. It’s a private moment. I don’t think I’d like to be spied on if I was with a girl.”

“These two ruined our hunt! This is our spot! They’re trespassing!” Rognar argued.

Lerwin rolled his eyes and grabbed his bow. “You heard Aisell. She’s been coming here longer than any resident of the Great Tree has been alive. I think this is her spot. I played with her growing up. This isn’t right.”

“I’m not going anywhere.” Rognar said.

“You have to. We stay in pairs and you don’t leave your partner.” Lerwin said getting rather annoyed.

“You can leave if you want and explain why you left me alone at dusk when you get back. Then you’ll be in trouble for abandoning me. These two won’t be long. Let’s just hang around until they leave and then we’ll go home! It’ll be fine.”

Lerwin bit his tongue. Rognar was right. Unless Lerwin had to go get help he couldn’t leave Rognar. It was the rules. He threw his bow down and sat down with his back against the root facing away from the Titans. “Fine! Stay and watch. You have a foul mind.”

“I’m just curious is all…”

“Wrong is what you are. I’m sure Luke the Teacher would have a better word for you.” Lerwin grumbled.

****

“Where are you off to on this adventure?” Loona asked. She was gentle stroking Aisell’s hair. The pair were now lying on the riverbank with Aisell resting on top of her friend.

“Grelau…” Aisell replied knowing what was coming.

“Oh? When?”

“Next week…”

“For how long?”

Aisell shrugged. “Dunno yet. I’m going to try to negotiate with the major entertainment corporations to stock our royal berry wine. They seem pretty keen. It could take a week or it could take a few months.”

Aisell knew the negotiations were done. Darkstar Enterprises had already agreed to pay a ridiculous amount per bottle to have exclusive rights to stock royal berry wine on Grelau. All Aisell was to do was to sign on behalf of her sisters. And the tribe of course.

“So…”

“Here it comes…” Aisell said inside her head.

“You’ll be on Grelau during this year’s Grand Tribute?” Loona asked as innocently as possible.

“I will likely be. Yes.”

Aisell paused waiting for the follow up. She smiled and shook her head. “You’re waiting for me to invite you? Aren’t you?”

“Yeah! I’ve never been to a Grand Tribute! It’s impossible to get a room! But you’ve already got one!” Loona said excitedly.

“I’ll be really busy. I don’t think I’ll be able to go to any matches with you… But if you like…” Aisell replied nervously.

“That’s fine. I understand. I’d be coming along for the Tol Bot, not to see you.”

“Huh!” Aisell mimed shock and rolled over to face Loona. “And there was me thinking you liked me!”

“I thought you’d want your space. I don’t want to intrude.” Loona said making sure to be as inoffensive as possible.

“It might be nice to have someone warm the share the bed with.” Aisell smiled.

“Me!? Warm!? I’m not warm! If you weren’t here to be a hot water bottle for me I’d probably have frozen to death!”

“You live in Tannhäuser! It snow’s there half the year and rains the other half.” Aisell laughed.

“Yes…well…” Loona stammered. “I dress in thermals there. I didn’t expect to need them here.”

Aisell stood up and extended her hand to Loona. “Come on then. Let’s head home before it gets dark.”

“Awww. I was enjoying sitting here with you. It’s so nice here.”

“Well I was going to suggest we go back to the house and practice warming the bed together but we can stay if you like.” Aisell said with a knowing look.

She had barely completed her sentence before loona was on her feet.

“Ready when you are.” She said.

Aisell turned and started to walk into the forest but not the way they had came in.

“I thought we were going home?” Loona asked.

Aisell paused and turned around. “We are. There’s something else I wanted to show you first. Something I think you’ll want to see.”

“Better than you naked?”

“I’ll leave that up to you.” Aisell said with a wink. “Come on.”

Loona turned, realising she had forgotten her bag, picked it up and hurried into the forest after Aisell.

****

Lerwin didn’t know how it happened. He had found himself running after his friend who had without warning jumped from behind the root and rushed to the side of the brown leather boots of Aisell’s partner. Rognar spent a few seconds jumping up, trying to grab hold of a loop of material on the back of the boots but it was too high for him to reach.

Despite Lerwin’s pleading Rognar ran towards where the two Titans had been sitting and hurried into a large, black canvas bag. Lerwin didn’t have a choice. He couldn’t go back to the tree without his hunting partner and he couldn’t stay here by himself. He ran at full pelt and dived into the bag that was lying on its side. He had barely time to get his bearings before the bag was hauled aloft and he found himself being rocked back and forth.

Lerwin looked around. He was sitting in an odd, cup shaped item made from soft cloth that he couldn’t really identity or work out its purpose. He thought it’d make for a good bed but sleep was far from his mind.

“Rognar! Rognar! Where are you!?” He hissed keeping his voice down.

It look a few seconds but Rognar’s blonde head poked up between some items beside Lerwin’s perch.

“How awesome is this!?” He said with an unabashed smile.

“It’s not awesome! Not awesome at all. We’re gonna get found. And then there’ll be questions! Difficult questions! Questions I don’t want to have to answer!”

“Relax! It’ll be fine. Call it practice for hiding. Stealth training.” Rognar waved him off.

“Eugh.” Lerwin said in disgust. “You are the human equivalent of what comes out of a shaar’s behind!”