POV Alfred
"I don't know Great mother. I think the chosen Alpha will feel a calling in his heart"
I reply to the old woman still sitting in front of me.
Both she and the old father, are still looking at me with a look of a teacher who expects his student to know the answer to the question.
"And what do you feel in your heart?"
The old father asks tenderly, so that I dispel my suspicions that it is my vanity that is this voice whispering inside me.
" Is it me...?"
I don't know if it is a question or an answer.
" Of course it's you, hollow head!"
Says the older mother, tapping my head lightly.
I bet that this "hollow head", she learned from Akira. Only she calls me that.
Alpha, Akira, calm down!
"Am I Alpha? I mean, am I the chosen warrior? Akira and I, we were made for each other like the roar of a wolf and the moonlight?!"
I am elated that I can barely process all this information.
" If you don't believe it, how do you expect Akira to believe it?!"
The big mother says and it really makes some sense.
" You are right, big mom. I need to be confident. "
I get up on the floor as fast as my heart beats with happiness and hug them warmly.
"I need to tell Akira!"
I have a feeling that if I don't, my heart will explode. But this time, they are not so excited.
" Son, perhaps your first and greatest lesson will be that big things don't come easy for all of us, especially for an Alpha. And when it comes to the heart, everything gets a little more difficult. No one knows what the key is that opens the chest of feelings we carry here!"
He points to my chest.
" At certain times, even we don't know it ourselves, mind you. "
" Don't worry, old dad, I will fight for Selena. There's nothing that city boy has that I can't offer either!"
✧✧
" A car? I can't believe it!"
I mutter softly, hiding behind a tree.
I see that just like me, Richard has changed. We have grown up and become grown men with responsibilities. He for his father's money and I for my people's sacred territory that their money cannot pay for. And as much as it pains me, I have to admit that this metal freak is attractive.
"A lifeless horse?"
I try to follow the explanation he gives Akira.
Would she once again be seduced by his antics? If not, it's about to happen. Akira is not willing to waste time and neither am I. However, he needs to understand that what exists between Akira and me is bigger than his greed and his passing feelings...
"Akira's not going anywhere with you!"
I surprise them both, and Akira even more when my hand instinctively holds her arm. I don't care how stupid my reaction is. In my defense, she has held me to her fate and now that I am fully certain I exist to protect her and that is what I will do.
" I'm sorry, who are you?"
Richard asks, a little irritated.
" It's Alfred, my friend. Don't you remember him?", replies Akira in an attempt to calm the tempers between us.
" Oh, you look so different, Alfred. I'm sorry! Akira always talks about you. Is this another one of your pranks?"
He looks back at my hand holding Akira's arm.
" No. Her parents have given me the assignment to take her home, and so I will. Your car ride will have to wait, Richard..."
And deep down I hope it never happens.
" But it makes no difference whether it's me or you taking her home!"
He defends himself.
" Why not? Only your sister or the big city ladies can obey their parents and have rules to be respected?"
Akira says.
Richard and I are taken aback.
"Akira, I didn't mean to say that..."
Richard is confused and so am I.
" It's okay, good night, Richard. Let's go Alfred."
I am not understanding anything, however I dare not disobey.
" What happened at this dinner party?"
I ask as we are far enough away from the gate.
She is more irritated than when she misses a prey on the first try.
" Come and I'll explain!"
She suspensefully asks, and my curiosity only increases....
✧✧
" A little lady doesn't hunt. They just drink tea, do embroidery, take care of the house, play instruments, sing, dance..."
Akira imitates the accent of big city people, I can't tell if it's a representation of Mister Jeremy or Richard. All I know is that I am enjoying seeing her for the first time seeing things as they are.
"Their life must be pretty boring..."
I say before looking at the vastness in front of us.
We are sitting on a cliff and can see most of our town. The little houses are so tiny from up here. But in compensation, we are free like the wind that blows through these mountains and we stand firm and strong like the oldest logs in this forest.
"You don't understand, Alfred. I put too many expectations on that dinner, in this case on my future..."
She sighs a little sadly.
" I know. But give me a chance to show you that this here..."
I invite her to look around us, at our real place.
" It's all you need, and nothing matters more than your home."
" Hum, and how will you do something that even my parents couldn't do in twenty years?"
She challenges me with her stubborn smile, not taking my proposal seriously And I expected that, old dad is never wrong.
"The day after tomorrow is the moon festival. Will you be my escort?", I am preparing myself since the last full moon to make this invitation.
She hesitates, which makes me anxious.
"Alfred, we have a problem."
"What?"
" I also invited Richard to the Lunar festival...."
Oh, great! It can always get worse, right?
POV RICHARD " A wild rival? Comical!" Sacarmo takes over my mood. All that was left of company was my car, and if he could talk, he would be as upset as I am now. We have that in common: being irresistible to women, or at least I thought so. I'd rather bet that Akira Selena isn't smart enough to see what an advantage it is to have me on her side. Or just, she is so amazed at all that I can offer, that she can hardly choose what is best for her. How much effort will I need to make to please her? Isn't it enough that I have to return to this end of the world to woo a poor wretch who should be begging on her knees for my love? I hate Skyfall and everything about that primitive world of Selena. I hope my father is right about the riches that might be in store among those mountains, otherwise it will be a wasted time all the years I have come here and received absolutely nothing but this cold and closed faces of men who possess a foolish pride of who might measure strength with a Ro
POV AKIRA SELENAI admit how skeptical I can be about everything involving Skyfall, but on one thing, if not the last thing, not even the greatest among skeptics would remain indifferent. From living here so much, I know, that only something very magical would make everyone work hard before nine in the morning. Because the day does not go well with skyfallers, and even less so when the sky gives clear signs that today will not offer us its usual gray, but a splendid blue that has changed in such a short time.How did it happen? I wouldn't be able to explain, and frankly, no one is interested when there is so much to do for the party right at dusk. Men, women, old people and children all get together to make the preparations for the big day. In the decoration, many colors are mixed and apparently emotions too. This is how I feel when my gaze has just met Alfred's in the middle of the crowd. His strong arms are carrying tree trunks that will serve as firewood and seats around the bon
POV ALFRED Hours before meeting Akira at the festival preparations… My steps are calm. I don't want to frighten the beautiful bird that is preparing for its flight. I don't want to hit it with an arrow. I am afraid that its blood will stain my luck. So I risk a jump and my fingers pull a feather, in return, he pulls my finger with his big beak. Our encounter turns into a war until I get the perfect feather. The bird flies away and I return to near old dad who is amused by the whole situation. "Wouldn't a letter on a flowery paper be more effective?" I grumble. I am not at all confident in this plan. Because the fact that Akira has shown herself to be more open since she left the Rockefeller mansion doesn't mean that she prefers things like that over her imported jacket she got from Lilian or Christian's stupid letter. "Old father, this might be my last chance. I don't want to waste it..." I confess my longings, and honestly, there is no one better to listen to me than him. "T
POV RICHARDThe sun comes in fiercely through the window, beating down on my face while my eyes are closed and refusing to believe that this is the dawn of day.Oh my! If this is not a dream, what is happening in Skyfall?I have never witnessed such a sunny day, even though it is "summer". I get up in displeasure and go to the window to draw the curtains. My intention is to go back to sleep, but seeing those ridiculous little houses of the Skyfallers decorated with bright colors, I remember that today is the festival. It's been almost two days and not a single sign of Akira. My arrogance is enough to assume that she is waiting for me today with open arms and that this distance between us is just a ploy on her part to match the extremely coy matchmaking girls in the big city. I don't understand the reason for this, because I am not willing to give her any choices. She will be my wife and that will be our happy ending.I close the curtains, ending the depressing spectacle of these w
POV AKIRA SELENA I have left my little home, although my mother's words have not left me. However, the night is festive, and for many of us, the opportune moment to celebrate the best that unites us. The small streets are all lit up and nobody would get lost until the center of the small town, so there is no need for me to get lost in my worries about what may or may not happen tonight. I feel my hands cold and my heart racing. Because today, the festival is not only a celebration. It is also a meeting point and who knows, maybe the possibility of a romance being born in the hearts of the youngsters. Maybe this explains so many colors and the magical aura that involves everyone beyond the fumes escaping from the huge bonfire where some already dance around, others talk and the shy ones use it as a barrier to exchange glances from one end of our "ballroom" to the other where the open sky and the moonlight are our hosts. There is also an exchange of gifts as a show of affection bet
POV ALFRED There is no enemy that gives us more fear to face than the one that holds our heart as if it were an ant that could be crushed with a force that I never imagined words could have. To that enemy in question, it makes no difference that my strong arms are fighting against the tissue of my traditional suit, and it takes a little more effort on my part for me to fit inside it. There are also colored feathers between my straight hairs that go down to my shoulder, but even they don't guarantee me all the luck I need for this night. " My son is the most beautiful warrior of all. " My mother compliments me as I arrive. I almost didn't notice her presence, my thoughts tend to block my other senses when I'm thinking about Akira. That's what moonlight does to the wolf in us, it plays with our emotions just as it does to the tide and to the reflections of a river. And again I forget that my mother is still standing behind me, waiting for a response from her son. "Thank you, Mom!"
POV RICHARDThe simplest thing I can get for tonight, is a white shirt and black colored pants, even though it is made of the best cotton fabric in London. After all I have heard about Skyfall, there is no way I want to introduce myself to the savages, resembling the white men who stole the gold from their land. Because I don't want only the diamonds that may be in the lands of Skyfall, I want the biggest treasure of the whole region in the palm of my hand. And it has a beautiful name: Akira Selena! It intrigues me that they think she is special for some reason, and in fact, they believe that she, along with this warrior, could be Skyfall's salvation from ruin.It's funny how stupid it is, but I won't be the one to question it. If they don't doubt the prophecy, then that's all the more reason for me to take Selena out of here. Then they will feel vulnerable as the faithful who cannot turn to their God for protection in the face of our wrath when it is time to bring this little town
POV AKIRA SELENA After Alfred and I left the party, the chanting began along with the sound of the drum. It is another important moment of our festival, a prayer to nature. And in Skyfall, prayer doesn't mean fear, and even less is it the affliction of yearning for a solution to your fears. It means a sincere gratitude for what you have, and not much questioning about what tomorrow's fate will be, because whatever comes, whether good times or storms, both are seen as a strong wind that the branches of the tree-of-life will have to endure, just as we will endure our choices. And nature, in turn, listens to us and is moved, offering a song through the movement of all things, from the green leaves or those falling to the ground, the animals that make the night their best part of the day, and in the blink of an eye, everything harmonizes into one more melody that replaces that of the drum and the voices that are left behind. " Do you feel that, Alfred?" I ask, hoping I'm not the only on