Chapter 10: The Ice Melts

Chapter 10: The Ice Melts

[Cole]
“You idiot!” Dove went up to Cole and tried to send a fist towards his face but he swiftly ducked and slid away.

He quickly backed away from her with smiling eyes and a loud laugh that rang with an unusual jovial rhythm. She instantly paused in amazement.

Then, a smile spread across her face. It was a new smile, one that was innocent and genuine, and Cole suddenly felt a loud thud in his chest.

“That was a nice laugh,” she said.

Cole wasn't sure of what to say or do so he stared at her quietly and became aware of her long silver hair flowing furiously in an incoming strong gust of wind. An image of a waterfall emerged in his mind - his safe zone.

In the heat of the moment, Cole stepped towards Dove. “There’s one more place I want to go.”

She stretched out a hand at Cole who hesitated at first, then wrapped his fingers around her small wrist and pulled her alongside him.

After more smiles and laughs, they arrived at the riverbank. Cole watched silently as Dove stepped cautiously through the thin mist towards a large gushing sound and then halted at the extravagant sight of a wide waterfall. Its free-falling waters were like her long silvery white hair in the darkest night.

He went to her side and saw her face frozen at the unexpected magical scenery laid before her. She turned to him, mouth forming an O, and he smiled proudly back.

“Wow.” She finally breathed. “This is truly -- wow.” Then she scrunched her nose and slanted her eyes at Cole. “Is this your private place?”

Cole laughed and tore his eyes from her nose, shaking his head. “Anyone can use it, of course. But not many in the pack knew about this place; they don’t usually come this far.”

Dove stretched her neck to scan the area and nodded. “Yes, we did walk a bit.”

He looked slightly concerned. “Are you tired?”

“Not really. It was a good walk.” She went near the bank and sat on the bed of clean cold pebbles, then touched the water surface with her fingertips and shivered at the coldness.

She dipped more into the water, letting the clear liquid caress her fingers, as Cole came to her side again. She looked up and patted her free hand on the space beside her, and he sat.

After a while of silence, she muttered an apology.

Cole felt another thud in his chest. “For?”

“For forcing you to talk about things that were painful to you.” She sighed. “Everyone has a painful memory. I knew that and yet I ---. Well, I was a cub. There! I admit it.”

He threw his face at the sky and roared with laughter.

“Laugh all you want,” she grumbled with a pleasing smile.

Silence flooded in after his laughter subsided. And then he suddenly asked in a gentle voice, “Do you miss them?”

A long pause and a swim of her hand, and then she let out a heavy sigh. “To be honest, I do. And I hated myself for it. I know how they feel about me. But I still care.” She chuckled. “It’s a love-hate relationship I guess.”

Cole took it all in, then inhaled deeply and looked at the pale yellow-orange sky. “Well, I love and hate Jude too.” She turned to him with an are-you-serious expression and he returned a grim nod with a shut of his eyes. “So it’s normal.” He concluded with a pretend seriousness.

A new laugh from her and his heart started pumping harder. He turned from her again and focused on the waterfall while listening to the sweet melodic laughter until it mellowed into crispy giggles.

“I didn’t know you could joke like that.” She sniffed.

He smiled and thought, I didn’t know either. Then he sighed. “Maybe I used to.” He returned to her. “Make jokes all time.” He shrugged. “I can’t remember.”

Her face turned serious. “Well, we can’t remember everything in the past.”

“I couldn’t remember their faces anymore,” he whispered. After a pause, he added quietly, "My parents."

Her silence was his encouragement.

“Wish we had a camera then to take a shot of them. At least,” he paused to swallow the rising blockage in his throat, “I could remember how they smiled.”

Cole felt a slight pressure on his shoulder and turned to the lovely creature listening attentively to his every word. “They sacrificed themselves to save everyone.” He immediately turned from her stricken face, not wanting to see her reaction on what he was about to say.

“The Moon Goddess took them away. I was only ten. If she was truly our grace,” he grimaced at the phrase that had already become foreign to him. “ Why would she do that? They were devoted to her. We all were.”

Cole faced his young wife. “The pack gave her their trust entirely, Dove. Now we just want to be left in peace.”


******

[Dove]
I looked at those blue eyes, silently begging for my understanding, and I relented with a nod.

“Alright, Cole.” I ignored the tightness in my chest and forced a bright smile. “Let’s leave them with the peace they’ve worked so hard to achieve.”

He stared at me quietly, then reached out to touch my cheeks. I froze.

Then his strikingly handsome face came closer to a nerve-racking distance. When it tilted to the right angle, I squeezed my eyes tight in sheer anticipation and embraced the darkness when his lips pressed gently onto mine.

And then it was gone.

I heard a loud clumsy splash and opened my eyes to a lonely figure swimming towards the crashing waterfall. Hugging my knees and resting my chin on them, I watched on as the giant waddled towards the hard falling waters and stood below it.

Thinking about what Cole said, as much as he was right about his people, I am also not wrong about the Moon Goddess.

She is not cruel; and there is no reason for it. Deep down, I strongly hoped that there had been a misunderstanding. Because as much as she made these people suffer, I scrunch my nose at the thought, she also saved my pathetic life.

My thoughts drifted back to the large black cave, the broken columns and the engravings. I wondered if there was something I could do for Cole.

I straightened instantly, shook away the image of Cole’s sunshine smile, and corrected myself: I wished I could do something to help the pack and the Moon Goddess. I may not be able to serve her directly but I can still, well, serve her indirectly, I thought

The giant was returning and I scrambled to my feet, trying to avoid eye contact but I couldn’t. Staring at his face and recalling what he said, I felt a strong urge to check out the cave again.

Without stopping, he went past me and I blinked.

“Let’s go.” It was the old curt response but I no longer frowned at it.