Moth Ch. 003

A physicist might have a hard time enjoying this story, seeing as the low surface tension of the water in this world might confuse him. Suffice to say, their world is not ours; their trees do not rely on capillary forces to drink.

Please forgive the redundant copyright messages, I've found that sometimes my stories are copypasted in part and used elsewhere.

Copyright of Nanna Marker 2010.

In spring, three years after the seer had died, the moths and butterflies of Aribo forest --home of Lei and Oli, faced true horror.

"What will we do, what will we do," Lei's mother had been chanting that to her youngest as if it were a lullaby. The child, who was still a larvae, was not comforted, and wailed in between sucking the woman's breast.

"We hide," said Lei's father. "None of us have it yet."

"But what if one of us gets it?" wailed Lei's older sister. "What then?"

"None of us will get it," stated Lei's father.

"We can't stay inside forever," said Lei's oldest brother, sharpening his spear. "We will need food."

"We can stay inside a good while longer," stated Lei's father.

Lei didn't interfere. Her family's fears seemed so unreal. She knew the plague killed more than half of those it hit, but she had never yet seen anyone with it. The warning had been yelled by a plague messenger, but no neighbours within yelling distance had had it yet. If everybody did as they should and stayed away from everybody else then it wouldn't spread, and everybody who didn't yet have it would be safe.

There was nothing to fear really.

They had plenty bows and arrows to fend off anyone trying to get close. More than plenty.

Through the first night after the plague-warning, Lei was infected by her family's fear. Out of their terror the plague grew from something imagined to something real.

By dawn she was holding her bow with a tight, white-knuckled grip, and when a voice yelled her name from outside she nearly fainted. It had to be Death himself.

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"Lei," screamed the voice. "Lei."

Her father rushed to the ledge of their small hive, and raised his bow toward the sound.

"Lei," screamed the voice.

Her father shot an arrow, and the voice screamed with pain instead. It wasn't until then that Lei recognised it. It was Oli. Her Oli.

"Father, no," screamed Lei and rushed to the ledge.

Her father was already stringing another arrow. She pushed his arrow arm, ruining his aim.

"It's Oli," she screamed. "It's Oli."

Her father pushed her so hard that she fell.

"No," she screamed, struggling back to her feet, as he again raised his bow.

Her brother came out and got between her and their father. Instead of hopelessly trying to fight past her brother, she jumped off the ledge and flew into her father's aim, placing herself between him and Oli who had landed on a branch.

"Lei," yelled her father, "get back here."

Lei darted for Oli.

"No," screamed Oli. "Don't..." He held a hand out toward her, fingers spread, but she was already at him and wrapped her arms around him.

"Get away from me," sobbed Oli and tried to wrestle out of her protective grip. "I'm plagued."

Stunned Lei released him and Oli stepped back.

"Lei," he sobbed, and raised his arm, showing her the red boils of plague on it. "Why? Why did you have to touch me?"

Fear filled her throat and she stared down at her own arms which had held him.

"I came to say goodbye," sobbed Oli.

Behind Lei, back on the ledge of her home, her family was wailing with horror and grief. Her mother's scream was most distinct of all.

"My baby," the woman wailed, "My little girl."

"Why did you touch me?" sobbed Oli again. His voice stung harder than the fear.

Lei's eyes returned to her friend. Her father's first arrow was sticking out of Oli's upper thigh. Blood was streaming down his leg.

"You're hurt," said Lei, and swallowed her fear.

"He is hurt," she yelled back over her shoulder. "We need bandages and straps."

"Fly away," yelled her father. "Both of you."

"We need bandages," yelled Lei.

"Go now," yelled her father. "Leave or we shoot."

Lei turned and her eyes widened with disbelief. Her father, her sisters, and her brothers, were all aiming bows at her.

"Leave now, or die where you stand."

"We need..." began Lei again, but was interrupted by an arrow landing in front of her feet.

"Lei," sobbed Oli, "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for you to..."

Another arrow landed in front of Lei's feet and she jumped back.

"The next one will kill you," yelled Lei's father.

"Flee," said Lei, and pushed Oli off the branch, leaving him no other choice than to fly. She jumped after him.

Posted on literotica.com with permission of author: Nanna Marker; literotica ID ellynei.

Oli was still weeping when he landed, he had only flown far enough for them to be out of sight of any hive.

"Don't come near me," he screamed, when Lei landed close to him.

"Your leg needs mending," said Lei. She was not weeping.

"I'm plagued," sobbed Oli, limping backwards away from her. "Don't touch me or you might catch it too."

"I've already touched you," said Lei.

"You only touched me once, there's still a chance you aren't infected."

Lei leapt forward, jumped onto him, and pushed him, back down, to the branch. She curled both arms around his head, spun her legs around his as best she could, and started licking his face.

Oli struggled, screamed and kicked, but couldn't get her off him.

Lei licked his cheeks, his lips, his nose, his forehead, and finally licked all his tears off his cheeks. She kept licking, till he lay still below her emptied of all fight.

"Now I have it too," she said.

"I love you," sobbed Oli, and wrapped his arms around her.

"You're my friend," replied Lei. "I'd never abandon you."

"I wish you had," said Oli, sobbing heavier than ever.

The pair spent the dawn tending to Oli's wounded thigh. Neither of them was a healer but they had luck on their side. The arrow had done as little damage as a fully embedded arrow-head could possibly do to an upper thigh. Lei used her breasthider as a bandage. She wouldn't have anything worth hiding until fall anyhow.

"We need to find a plague camp before we get too sick," said Oli. "All we need to do is survive till winter. Once we emerge from our winter-cocoons the forest will be rid of the plague."

"Plague camps are for those who wish to return when the plague is gone," said Lei. "We will survive, but I am never going back. I will never refer to those cowards as my kin again." Lei spat off the branch as if something vile had entered her mouth. "They wouldn't even throw us bandages, and that would have been perfectly safe."

"But where would we go?" asked Oli, gently.

"We will fly to Altwar," said Lei, her voice frozen with repressed anger.

"Altwar," repeated Oli, and closed his eyes with disappointment.

"There I will be the best friend you ever had," said Lei.

Oli pressed his eyes harder together, trying to hold back fresh tears. He wouldn't have believed he still had any left if not for them pushing against his eyelids.

"And there," continued Lei, "I will find you, and you will be my great love."

Oli opened eyes and mouth wide with surprise, gaping at the young moth in front of him.

"Up close, you really aren't handsome," said Lei, with a small apologetic smile. "And, you do think I am beautiful, don't you?"

"More than anything," said Oli, and pulled her down to him. "More than anything in the world."

He hugged her tight and laughed up at the treetops. It didn't matter if their offspring would be moth, butterfly, beetle, or abomination. He would love them as he loved Lei.

"Altwar," he whispered and kissed her white cheek.

"Altwar," promised Lei.

*

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