'What the hell were we thinking?' Nyell silently grimaced as he plastered his back against the mast, nudging Miell with his elbow to push him out of his personal space and wrapping an arm around Layla's waist to drag her back inside the narrow crow's nest. Because she was so small, she had to fling almost half of her body over the railing to get a good look at the sea. She was precariously lying on her stomach, her legs dangling behind her as she tried to find her balance. Nyell caught her just before she lost her grip.
"Be careful!" he admonished, looking down at the girl, who was struggling in his arms to climb back on the railing. She would occasionally have these kinds of childish outbursts and become unreasonable when her curiosity was piqued. Perhaps because her body was sturdy and her regenerative abilities were otherworldly, she seemed to have no conception of danger and often found herself in hazardous situations without realizing it.
"Stay inside the crow's nest! And no pouting. You're too excited and can't keep a good grasp on your sense of balance. Yes, I know you would survive a fall from this height, but it'd inevitably end in pain for you. I'd rather you don't get hurt under my watch, alright?"
Nyell pretended not to notice Miell's curious stare as he gently and patiently coaxed Layla into settling down. Whenever she was delighted by something, her usually calm demeanor would vanish, and she would become reckless. She was like a kid who couldn't contain her overflowing enthusiasm and bounced around without a care in the world. Needless to say, that was bad for Nyell's heart. Watching over her could get incredibly stressful, and it was draining. Thankfully, the crow's nest was a one-person lookout point, and it was cramped enough that Layla couldn't get away and run around unsupervised.
'And here I thought Isa was a rowdy brat…' Nyell inwardly sighed, wondering why Layla was always so unrestrained with him, yet so obedient with Allen. 'Turns out I never had to take care of a real troublemaker before. I feel like one second of inattention on my part would result in a disaster on her side.'
"Do you mind if I pry?" Miell asked.
"Yes, I do," Nyell snapped back as he finally let go of Layla, allowing her to stand on her tiptoes and peer at the harbor and the sea. She used the railing to pull herself up, but not too much this time. Allen did ask her to follow Nyell's directives, after all.
"I'll still pry," Miell disregarded the gruff reply with a smile. "You know, I believe it's the first time I've ever seen Layla leave the Lord's side. She has always stood in his shadow wherever he went. So, you can understand why it piques my curiosity that he'd allow her to follow you around instead of keeping her post."
"Does it, now?" Nyell scoffed, side-glancing at the beastman, who was still standing too close for Nyell's comfort. The platform was too small… Maybe he should just throw him off. It'd make more space for him and Layla to move about. "I believe that's not what's bothering you. Aren't you annoyed that I've got a guard by my side and you can't pester me with whatever questions you had in mind without our discussion reaching Allen's ears?"
Miell flinched ever-so-slightly at the accusation, but his smile didn't falter. No, it instead grew wider.
"Oh, so you knew."
"Did you take my lack of knowledge about the world as me being dumb?" Nyell rolled his eyes, one hand grabbing Layla's robes just in case she had another bout of tantrums. He then nonchalantly continued to explain, "I might not know much, but it doesn't mean I don't know how living beings act. There's no way a stranger would approach me without an ulterior motive, especially when someone like Allen is paying special attention to me. Logically speaking, you'd have tried to extirp information out of me with idle chatting. Just to let you know, it's the kind of underhanded method I hate, so you better be straightforward if you want to get anything out of me."
This time, Miell's mouth twitched.
"Also, whether Layla had come with me or not wouldn't have changed anything. I'd have tattled to Allen, anyway. I'm pretty sure he has already figured out your little scheme, and he's just playing along. I think I've made myself pretty clear. So, what do you want?"
Nyell's tirade left Miell speechless for a few seconds. It didn't take long before he burst out laughing, however.
"But I did intend to show you the ship's layout, too," the beastman winked as he leaned more comfortably against the mast, just beside Nyell. "I'm not the kind to take away without giving. I might have tried to gather information through idle chatting, but I wouldn't have gotten frustrated if you said nothing, either. Don't be so distrustful."
Silence was Miell's answer. The elders' hypocrisy and betrayal were still fresh in Nyell's mind, and although he was aware that trust issues could hinder him in the long run, he didn't care. He'd rather be skeptical and miss some friendships than regret it later. Once bitten, twice shy, as they say.
"Will you stop it with the death glare?" Miell sighed. "You'll need to get used to people's curiosity, you know? I have a hunch that rumors about you are already spreading in town. Allen is known for not associating with anyone, yet he's bringing you around and looking at you with so much love that it might as well burn people's eyes. Everyone will want to know who you are!"
A stifled laugh escaped Nyell. Love? Who was looking at whom with love? Whatever. It was better not to clear the misunderstanding. It might serve him later on.
"And I have a hunch everyone will know who I am by tomorrow evening," Nyell shrugged. "So, be patient, and you'll know."
"Oh, please! My ship is scheduled to depart tomorrow morning at an early hour. Would it kill you to give me the gossip now if everyone is going to know about it anyway?"
To Miell's plea, Nyell squinted his eyes. A mischievous light brightened up his gaze as he smirked. Miell wasn't the only one who had been craving for information, and since he had tried to gather some from him, Nyell thought that he might as well return the favor. There was one question that had been lingering in his mind for the past few weeks, and he couldn't wrap his head around it. Although his father had been grateful for Allen's visit and offer to help, Nyell had always found it odd that a tribal chief came himself instead of sending his people, especially in a tribe rumored to be hostile to his own. Something didn't add up.
"Let me answer with a question: Do you know why Allen went to the jungle in the first place?"
"Oh, that," Miell tilted his head, his mind visibly racing. "There were a few rumors about the reason behind his sudden departure to the Devil's jungle. The most popular one is connected to the hearsay about the Sea Gods' sudden tantrum. People say the sea is trying to bypass the White Moon land to swallow the land of the sinners beyond the mountain range, and with that in mind, some believe Allen went to the jungle to investigate why that would be. Others say that he used this trip as an excuse to evade the elders' constant pestering about the ceremony to connect with the Lovers of the Moons. Everyone has been trying to push for one of their people to become his mate, even some foreign nobles. Now that the purple moons have passed, the fervor about that is starting to dwindle, although many are furious that the Lord abandoned his duty and didn't get a mate. A few greedy idiots are still trying to introduce their favorite candidates, unaware of what being a werewolf's mate entails. It's kind of ridiculous."
Nyell listened carefully, and a grin gradually curled up the corner of his mouth. Now, it made sense. Allen hadn't helped his tribe solely out of the goodness of his heart, but also to address the flying rumors going around. The disappearances in the Black Moon tribe were probably the most suspicious occurrence at the time, even though, in the end, they were due to a vengeful ghost. It had nothing to do with divine intervention or an evil plot so sordid as to attract the gods' attention or wrath. Something else was in play.
"…You're making a scary face."
"Sorry, sorry," Nyell waved Miell's worries away. "It's just that I really can't wait for tomorrow, now. It's gonna be one hell of a shitshow."
"Why?"
"Don't you already have an idea? As you said, foreign people who have no conception of what mates mean to werewolves, especially for shamans, are going to make a ruckus. I wonder how many won't be able to accept their candidates were not chosen, and how many won't be able to grasp the difference between a 'regular mate' and a 'destined mate'. Although I can already visualize the werewolves of the White Moon tribe cheering. It's going to be quite the eventful day, considering how spiteful Allen can get."
A loud, raucous laugh echoed as Nyell imagined the chaos that was soon to come. It seemed like the people of the jungle were looked down upon with contempt, and he couldn't wait to see the foreigners' doubtful faces. The land of the sinners, was it? He might as well live up to that name and wreak havoc. A devil should act like a devil, shouldn't they?
"Wait a minute," Miell gulped, staring at Nyell in disbelief. "Please don't be offended, but are you saying you're Allen's fated mate?! I thought he just brought you as a lover to mess up with the elders and get rid of the annoying flies! I'm sure many shared the same thought as I! But if that's not the case, then…"
"Sorry to let you down, but yes, I'm his destined mate, whether I like it or not, and not some fake lover," Nyell shrugged, having made peace with the fact. He could not run from it forever, so he might as well embrace it.
"Oh, by all Gods, this is huge."
"Come on, now, it's not that big of a deal. Fated mates aren't common, but they're not unheard of."
"What are you saying?" Miell looked at Nyell as if he were a fool. "In all of the White Moon tribe's history, the tribal chief has never taken a mate, much less found their destined mate! And because of that, most of them died young! Do you have any idea just how serious and precious your existence is? Oh crap, I need to talk to the captain and make him postpone our departure. We need to stay for the festivities! This is huge news. Goddamn, I can't believe it!"
At that moment, Nyell came to realize how big of a deal it was for the White Moon tribe's chief to have found his fated mate, and his face paled. Why hadn't Allen told him that yet?! The more he learned, the more he was left dumbfounded. He had already felt deeply troubled when he finally understood how vital destined mates were for shamans back in Dangu's cave, and now… Now he felt like someone was grabbing him by his shoulders and was trying to bring him down to his knees. A heavy weight he wasn't sure he could shoulder seemed to fall upon him. Just… How much had Allen kept to himself and how many more secrets were he still hiding? Nyell began to fear the answer.