It had been a couple of days after the incident in the town center. Eyes would stare at Noble each time he would pass them in the snow covered tiles of the sidewalk. A new scarf, almost the same color of his previous article of clothing, was wrapped around his neck to cover his mouth and nose. Hands in the white fur jacket he couldn't seem to let go of, Noble just walked around the town, staring at the lanterns being hung above him.
The Luna Festival was held each year to celebrate the moon goddess and what she had given to her followers. The enormous country of Lunis on that little planet they called Alerea. It contains celebrations that consist of feasts, dancing, music, and overall interaction. Lanterns were a biggie in the tradition each year. It is meant to symbolize those we have lost, and mimic the ascent to Luna's sky. Souls become stars in her easel of moon dust if they were worthy of divine paradise. So, in more basic terms, they are honoring our dead friends, family, and the founders of Meridth. On the more positive side of the festival, there is many proposals of marriage as well as romantic feelings rising to the surface. Noble was never going to be one of those people, as sad as it is, but it was going to be alright. All he needed was his little sister and his friends . . . Right?
Noble had to collect himself quite a number of times on the walk as he would cough harshly, despite the herbs his much harsher mother had stacked inside the fabric. His chest hurt tremendously for the whole day, but he had grown prone to ignore the aching throb. It was normal to see him ache every so once and awhile. He was weak to sickness, and even the intensity of the coughing was alarming him.
Then, he thought back to why he was on his little soul-searching walk.
"You cannot just go running away from your responsibilities," The ring of his mother pierced his ears as she and Sam walked inside the little home, "One of the elders told me what happened, and I have to say I'm rather disappointed in you."
Noble stayed silent, in hope that she would give him a break. Then again, she didn't know that he had met his partner for life, his animal soul counterpart. His silver eyes stared into what seemed like nothingness.
"Not only that, but you had the audacity to kiss the thief as well?" His mother slammed her bag of supplies on the floor next to the kitchen. The redness of her anger was still settling on her pale face, "I should restrict those two from coming here for the next couple weeks."
"Big brother?" Little arms wrapped around the teenager's neck, and Noble snapped out of his emotionless gaze. The little body of his little sister rested on his lap while Sam herself stared at her older brother with worry, "Are you okay? Did that scary man hurt you?"
"No . . . he didn't." Noble's face softened at his sister that was beyond her years.
After that, he did nothing but hold his little sister until he couldn't take his mother's scolding any longer. It was understandable to why she was yelling at him. Running off into the woods for a second time when told not to the first time? His mother was beyond pissed at the thought of almost losing her child in that cursed forest again. Sam wasn't fairing any better at the thought of her older brother magically disappearing one day either. Plus, the incident that had happened in front of the whole village only added to his family's grief.
"Can't please 'em all, can you?" Noble whispered to himself, laughing dryly at his just as dry humor. His throat was like a desert though, and the dry winter air wasn't helping one bit. The boy grabbed both ends of the scarf laying on his chest, tugging it longer but tightening the space in between the fabric and his mouth.
Lanterns were beautiful at night, Noble declared inside his mind. He could just stare at them for hours on end until he was able to lift one up and force it to the night sky. It happened every year, but Noble never got tired at the sight. However, something was oddly painful about the image to Noble. His little sister would always tell Noble that he looked so longingly and painful while he watched every lantern swirl across his face.
"Oh, look who we have here, huh?" A deep voice snapped Noble out of his endless gaze at the colorful lanterns only to see Callum with a couple other beat tamers beside him. Noble slid his gloved hands inside the white fur coat, hiding his clenched fists.
"What do you want?" Noble asked with a strained voice.
"Oh, you know what I'm here for Embers," Callum replied with venom.
"Actually, I don't. Care to explain?"
"I need the explanation from you because it seems like we have a fairy in our village!" Callum smirked. One of his friends, dark in color and very scary looking to noble, stepped forward with a grin just as large as Callum's.
Noble thought of the possibilities of what to say next. He could explain it to the nut heads, and maybe they would leave him alone for time being. Yet, he couldn't reveal a piece of knowledge of just what he was paired with. It wasn't like they were going to believe him in the first place anyways, right? Or he could tell them to screw off for a change. They didn't need to pry into Noble's life as they own it.
"And who needs to know?" Noble's voice was surprisingly strong and relentless. Usually, a dry throat would defuse any kind of chance of sounding any or at all confident.
"Who needs to know?" Callum mocked, "Well, that just makes you all more useless? A beast dud and a fairy? The Moon Goddess must really hate you for forsaken you with such bad luck."
"Well," Noble snapped back, "It isn't any of your god damn business, Callum. If you want to go beat someone up, then go beat yourself since I'm sure you're not getting action of Izzy anytime soon."
Noble felt some sort of pride in his gut when Callum's face lit up in a red flush while his friends held in their laughter. That was what topped the cake for Noble.
"You wretched little - "
"It's not worth your trouble."
A frill of red hair entered the scene with a stern gaze right on the small boy.
"But Izzy - !"
"Just let the boy go, Callum."
This had Noble confused. His stare shifted from protective to curious from her sudden change of heart. Her eyes told him to back off and not start anything. He squinted his eyes, trying to read just why she was being this way. He sent back to her that he was somewhat grateful but cautious. The boys backed off at the command of their pack leader being restrained by a women two times smaller than them. Noble darted for an opening.
Noble gapped in a breath as soon as he deemed his hiding spot worthy. He didn't know what just happened as it processed faster in his mind. His eyebrows joined together in confusion, and oddly enough, frustration. He certainly wasn't used to this kind of attention, but in the current forecast, Noble was most likely to run into more of that kind of trouble in the future.
When was it going to end? Noble wondered to himself.
In due time, The voice in his head replied with certainty. Noble sighed, rubbing his nose into his scarf. He had more important things to worry about anyways. Today was the first day of the Lunar Festival, and it more a day of celebration than the worry of what might come of the future. Noble deserved it after all, didn't he? It was about time he had returned from his walk anyways. He needed to get ready for tonight's activities.
"Are you feeling a little better, sweetie?" His mother asked in a calm town as soon as he opened the door to their home.
"I guess you can say that," He replied in his red scarf.
"That's good. Sam is getting her outfit ready, so I can finally put on the paint." His mother left her chair and stopped in front of her son with a small smile, "I suggest you go make yourself presentable while I ready your sister. As soon as I'm done, I'll do you, okay?"
"Alright," Noble replied simply.
His legs carried him into the long hall full of doors. He passed the bathroom door and his mother's own bedroom. A squeal strained Noble's ears as soon as he passed a certain little girl's room. He smiled, turning his head to gaze upon an angel.
"Mommy said I could wear a dress this time!" The small girl giggled in her place, spinning and twirling in a dress Noble hasn't seen until now. Their mother must have sewn it for her or asked the seamstress to create it for the occasion.
"Aren't you going to be cold?"
"No!"
"How so?"
"Mommy made me some heat rocks to carry around." Sam pulled out a small rock the size of a large pebble. It was gray in color and smooth to the eye. These rocks were self-explanatory. They were created to become heated rocks to aid in cold weather or in some cases, cook.
"Alright little buggy, it's time to paint on the dust." Hands wrapped under her arms to pull the five-year-old up into her mother's arms. Sam smiled in response, "Go get ready, Noble."
"Yeah, yeah, I'm on it." Noble chuckled. He finally arrived at his room where it was neatly cleaned, to his surprise. Oh well, He thought. He had to wear something loose and showed some skin. Despite his sickly ways and the cold weather, it was required to show some skin since the moondust painted on every beast tamer's skin would last for the week. It was tradition, and it showed that we were children of the moon on her new year.
Noble found a suitable hunter's garb that wrapped around his skinny torso. The leather was rough on his skin, but he found warmth nonetheless. Both arms were exposed, revealing pale flesh and just as slim arms. Noble had enough meat on his bones to not classify as deathly, but he was still underweight as usual. He thought about removing the scarf, but removing it would feel like he was ripping apart himself. It was the only symbol he had close to the mysterious Raja, his beast.
He stared at himself in the mirror, content with his choice. His silver, moon eyes trailed over his attire, not missing one drop of molten metal that swirled in them. His light-brown hair needed to be tamed, so Noble did his best to control the curls that littered his head and forehead. He stared at himself, but Noble didn't feel that pang of guilt or disgust. He actually felt somewhat comfortable with his traits for the first time. A certain warmth flowed through his stomach, warming his body. Even his cheeks flushed a nice pink, and Noble begged to wonder why this was.
The image of himself with a smile next to his friends flashed in his head. It was from the eyes of another, but Noble felt so much . . . curiosity and contentment. He was seeing himself from another perspective, which was weirdly satisfying to hear. He watched the small clip in his head as he laughed with Daley and Mylo by his side, and a jump of happiness rushed through him. Noble giggled to himself, and a knock on his door brought him back from his little daydream.
"Someone's happy," His mother laughed, leaning up against the doorframe of his bedroom. Noble cocked his head in response before he realized that he had actually giggled to himself in front of his own mother.
"I guess you can say that," Noble answered.
"Well, I had to sit Sam down on the kitchen table so her's would dry quicker. For you, It's much easier to apply since you can't show much."
"Thanks, Ma. You're the real mother of the year."
"You bet I am." With a paint-stained thumb and a jar of moondust, Noble's mother did her best to try and create art on Noble's skin. She painted his arms in traditional Lunar designs that elders had permanently scarred into their skin. She had even taken off his warm scarf to paint his sensitive neck. He had laughed the whole time she tried, and for what seemed like forever, she finally got to his face. Two lines were painted on his pink lips and the swirls that the first beast tamer had been implanted on Noble's cheeks. She stood back when she was done, looking proud of her masterpiece.
"Well, what do you think, Ma?" Noble waited for a response, but Sam was the one to beat her to it.
"You look like this man in our book at school. What was his name? It was this pretty boy with pretty hair and pointed ears - "
"Niles, the Hero of Hellu," Their mother identified, "Said to conquered most of their land and met both brother suns, Hesperides and Orion. He is the one who watches the great desert that connects Lunis and Hellu."
"Yeah, that guy! I think?" Sam's eyebrow lifted, and she glanced at her mother confusingly.
"Well, thank you, I guess?" Noble's voice was dipped in doubt and dried with confusion. Their mother chuckled before motioning for the both of them to follow her. She sat on the kitchen table with the jar of moondust on her right and several brushes on the left.
"Usually, I do this myself, but I think you both deserve to do it. Do you mind putting my marks on now, sweethearts?" Both of her children's' eyes shined a the rare opportunity. Sam carved badly painted roses and animals while Noble did his best to keep the same tamer marks she painted on him. He wasn't an artist, not nearly as professional as his mother was, but this activity was oddly calming.
Noble felt closer to his family now because of it.
"Noble?" The boy turned his head to find warm eyes staring back, "Tell me what happened with that thief."
Noble's muscles tensed at the mention of Raja. The last time she spoke to him, it was bitter and hateful. Now it was calm and collected. What changed now?
"First off . . ." He trailed off, "He most certainly isn't a thief. What was in his bag was handcrafted by who knows, and what was inside was barely enough to be worthy of being called 'stolen'." Noble's voice was stern, but collected like his mother's, "Secondly, I can't really explain it . . . It just was the blur of the moment for him. Daley pushed him towards him anyways."
"Were you feeling nervous? Big pit in your stomach with a patch of some sort of warmness in your head?"
She took the silence as a yes.
"Noble - "
"No, don't you say a word." Noble frowned, lifting his bag of supplies over his shoulder while he neatly placed his newly herbed scarf around his dried neck, "Let's just go, shall we?"
And they went.