A Star's Element - 3. Luno's Sanctuary

Tobias

He has little flowers attached to his head. I have never seen something like that before. They are all a dark blue. It isn't exactly a flower crown. They almost look like they are being held by his ears.

Not entirely sure how I feel about that in all honesty. Clearly he is not entirely human.

I try and look into the mage’s eyes but only see worry and a hint of frustration. Well that can’t be good.

“Do you think you can walk?” He asks.

I push up on my front legs and then carefully try to stand on my back ones. It seems fine. There is a small bit of pain but I think I can manage.

Why would demons be after this mage? Surely they would know not to chase after humans. They were covered in shadows as well.

Raiyo.

I will have to talk to him about this, but I really don’t want to. He is pretty...scary. Yes, scary.

Is it fine if a grown man can call a god scary, right?

The mages sees that I can walk and removes his cloak from my back.

“Forgive me if it gets chilly, though I think you will be fine,” He gives a bright smile. “I will heal you better when we are home.” He walks into the dark cave’s depths.

Surely he can’t see in here. I can thanks to this form’s night vision, but surely a mere human can’t. Perhaps he has used this cave for quite some time.

I keep close to his side. Not exactly sure why. I just feel the need to protect this mortal. I’ve never met him before yet my instincts are telling me that I must. It’s...weird.

The mage is powerful so why do I feel like I must protect him? I risked my life with Raiyo’s minions.

As soon as I heard any danger, my mind instantly wanted to protect the mage.

Luno. That is his name.

He is very weird. Obviously an animal person. Luno is way too nice. I do not like it, nor trust it. I do not even know where we are going. Something about a Sanctuary. I know I sure as hell never heard of this.

So far it only looks like a regular cave. It has a chill in the air and it feels damp. The only light source is from the phoenix perched on Luno’s shoulder. It emits a faint orange glow. It doesn’t really light up anything however.

“Would you happen to know what those things were?” Luno asks. “I’ve never seen something like that. They were scary. I wonder why they would try to hurt us. I didn’t think anyone would be mad about bringing back the forest. Maybe it was the humans? They tend to do things that nobody should d-”

I just block him out. He talks way too much. I mentally roll my eyes. Much too bubbly. I have been injured and he just wants to ramble on and on. At this rate, I might die from a headache.

The smell of pine reaches my nose. I sniff again and it is getting stronger.

Is this a tunnel? Well that is pretty convenient I guess. However, I don’t remember there being any pine trees in the forest before.

“Oh, you smell that?” Luno chuckles beside me. “Welcome to my Sanctuary!”

The air grows colder and Luno skips his way ahead of me.

Skips.

Maybe I should turn back and claw my way out of the stone wall.

A small fluff of white falls in front of me. Then another follows after. Then more. Is it...snow?

The further I walk, the more snowflakes begins to drop. The top of the cave has disappeared and then a cloudy sky is there to replace it.

Without looking, my front paw sinks into cold snow. I freeze.

Am I seeing things?

The area around me has turned into a snowy land with snow covered trees everywhere. A few animals are here. A small polar bear family is together and playing in the snow. A gigantic white elk with horns that branch high over its head turns to look at me. It does not even seem afraid of me.

“Don’t get lost, cutie!” Luno’s voice shouts ahead of me.

I sprint after him, a little bit out of fear. Surely he is the most real thing here. I am going completely insane!

Luno’s laughter carries in the air, I follow it and soon find myself with a interesting image.

Luno is completely tangled in the arms of a giant white furred monster. It’s bottom lip is pushed out with giant tusks, the creature’s eyes glow a bright yellow and it has four brown horns that stick out of the top of it’s head.

It is hugging Luno. A scary, monstrous beast is hugging Luno.

“Stop!” Luno yells but he just dissolves into laughter. “I have to help my new friend!”

The giant makes a low rumbling sound and then slowly lowers Luno back to the snow covered ground.

“Oh don’t be so sad. We can play another time!” Luno turns his gaze to me.

“This is Avric.” He grins and pats the white beast’s leg. “He’s a yeti! A creature of the cold but he has the warmest heart!”

Luno hugs Avric’s hairy hand and then pats it before turning to leave. I quickly follow.

We pass by a gigantic frozen lake. Luno only glances at it for a moment before continuing on.

A faint blue glow swims under the ice but it disappears almost as soon as I saw it.

I run after Luno. I will not be ashamed to say that I am a bit scared of that right now.

As we continue in whatever direction Luno is going, I notice that to our left is a woodsy area that is completely free of any snow. Instead the trees are covered in beautiful red leaves. They fall from trees but almost as soon as they reach the ground, they reappear back in the branches, only to fall again.

The sky seems cut off. Behind it is sunny. It is very strange. Clouds hang low over the winter area. It is perfectly sectioned off.

Small rodents dash around the trees and even stop to watch us pass. Well, mostly Luno.

The ground shakes as something starts to sprint towards us. A flicker of white weaves around the fall trees. It is almost half the height of the trees and it is coming our direction.

I immediately put myself between whatever is coming and Luno. I ready myself into a battle stance.

Luno just pats my head and walks around me. I keep my eyes on him for any possible danger.

The white blur has finally reached the edge of the fall area to gaze into our snowy one. It is a gigantic wolf. It’s fur is completely white but the very top of it’s head and back are green. Almost like moss is growing on its fur.

“Well hello there, pretty lady!” Luno reaches out with his hands.

The wolf lowers its head and allows Luno to pet her snout.

“You haven’t knocked over any trees while I’ve been gone have you?” He asks.

The wolf just huffs through its nose and Luno just snorts. “I’ll fix it tomorrow. I am a bit busy right now.”

He pats her nose and then turns back to me.

“You don’t have to be afraid, handsome.” He winks at me and runs his fingers through the fur on my neck.

I like it when he calls me handsome. ‘Cutie’ sounds like he’s treating me like a child.

“This place is a safe haven for all you spirits!”

Ah, he thinks I am an animal spirit. Well, I have a feeling he won’t be happy to learn that is not true at all.

I rub my head against his side and he continues on.

I would much rather we walk in the fall area. Surely he is freezing in his ‘clothing.’ He keeps walking barefoot in the snow as if he doesn’t feel a thing!

As we continue walking on, a strange small group of creatures flies towards us. They look like little ponies, expect they have wings and have long bits of seaweed attached to their legs. Also they are about the size of my hand.

“Oh!” Luno yelps as they all leap onto him. I quickly come up behind him to make sure he isn’t hurt but he is just laughing around in the snow as the flying seaweed ponies pepper him with...kisses. Kisses.

Surely I am dreaming. Perhaps those demons have knocked me out with their magic.

Luno has um...nice thighs.

No! Stop it. That is improper. It isn't my fault he is wearing an outfit that makes it easy to see that shit.

Luno manages to get up and then scoops up a handful of snow.

“Ready?” He smiles and then throws the ball of snow into the air. The flying ponies fly after the ball and before they reach it, it explodes into bits of pink petals. They ponies scream and start trying to eat the falling petals.

Um, the fuck?

I watch the ponies massacre the petals before realizing Luno has already walked on. I sprint after him. The ponies freak me out. Not to mention the snow turning into flowers.

This whole place is very worrying.

“That’s my home.” Luno points forward to a small shack that is surrounded by a small stream of water. Little stepping stones are here and there to make it easier to the shack.

Huh, I expected more from a powerful mage. You’d think he’d go for grand.

I look past the small shack and then I see the grand.

Behind the shack is another two areas. In one place, there is an open flower field. The colorful flowers are like a blanket and cover just about every inch of the floor. There are small trees here and there. I swear I see a forest troll standing with a bunch of birds making nests in his mossy hair.

Oh! The moss wolf is there again. She just tackled the troll.

The area next to that is filled with water. Further in is a beach and then a rocky cliff. On top of the cliff is a woodsy area. The woods drop down and then begin to curve its way into the snowy area. I see a giant griffin staring at us from a nest closest to the winter area.

There seems to be a visible line between all four areas. It is almost as if it is cut off perfectly. The grass between the fall trees and flower field are separated by a thin brown line of dirt. I am going to assume that is the same for everything else.

“You are free to stay wherever you like. Just absolutely no killing of others.” Luno turns to me with a stern look. It is washed away almost instantly with a smile as he scratches my chin.

Oh my gods.

I quickly shake my head to bat his hand away. Luno just giggles and turns to leap onto the flat stones that dot the small circle of water surrounding his shack. I am not sure if I am supposed to follow or not.

“Come on!” Luno calls with a wave of his hand. “I need to heal your burns.”

Oh, right. All of this made me forget I had been hit. It honestly doesn’t hurt at all. If he wants to heal the scarring then who am I to stop him.

The shack is pretty small, there is one wall completely knocked open. Lavender flowers and vines cover most of what is on the outside and the roof. The roof is a bit broken. Two giant holes are there.

A gigantic bed fills about half the shack. Why he would need such a thing, I don’t know.

There is a small bathtub that sits out in the open. Not at all separated. What is separated however, is the toilet. It hides in a small closet sided room.

Thank the gods.

It would be weird to just use the restroom in front of all these spirits and wildlife. The missing wall doesn’t leave any privacy whatsoever.

There is a small area that I think is a kitchen area. I mean...it looks more like a block of wood with some old dried leaves on it. This spot seems rather sad compared to everything else.

“You are free to stay here if you want, Enfi and Kulu both stay here.” Luno turns his shoulder and Enfi the phoenix, flies off to a long nail sticking out of the wood above the bed.

Luno then lifts his blue scarf off, except it is not at all a scarf. It is a snake. A winged snake!

“This is Kulu. He’s my little water spirit who loves to sleep around my neck.” Luno allows Kulu to flick his tongue against his cheek. With a small laugh, Luno lifts his arm. Kulu wraps around it before he spreads his bright blue feathered wings. He has two sets of wings. One near his head and another around his tail.

Kulu starts flapping and then darts for the ‘kitchen.’ He rolls himself up in a roll and then pokes his head out enough for his eyes to peek on us. His tongue hangs out like a dog's.

“Come.” Luno pats the bed. “Just lay down here and give me a minute. It should heal fast.”

I guess I can see why the bed is huge now. I really don’t want to just stay in this form. I need to be able to talk. I have so many questions.

I mentally take a deep breath and close my eyes. A warmth fills my chest and then I feel the ripple of change surge through my body.

~~

Well, that did not go as planned.

Luno’s smile immediately disappeared. It was just awkward as we stared at each other. The small flowers in his hair actually turned grey. It was a little worrying.

Without a word, Luno got up and left. He went walking to the winter area.

I, of course, decided to follow. I do not exactly trust being here alone. Also, Luno forgot his cloak. I quickly wrapped it with my arm and morphed back into my animal form. It’s too cold in there. Plus, I am pretty sure that form would please Luno more.

It is a bit ridiculous that he reacted that way. I would have thought that since he seemed to love every living thing, he wouldn’t mind seeing me.

I guess I was wrong. I guess humans, or whatever he is, will hate on demons no matter what.

I quickly follow Luno’s scent in the snow. It’s a pretty strong floral scent and something else that makes me think of perfume. Not a crazy amount, but it is faintly there under the flowery smell.

I find Luno standing in front of the ice covered lake.

In a way not to disturb him, I hide behind a bush with red berries. On either side of me, there are two tall pine trees. Surely Luno can’t see me from here.

Luno slowly steps out onto the ice with his bare feet.

Seriously, he isn't wearing a shirt or pants. How the hell isn’t he freezing to death?

Luno continues to walk and then I see flashes of blue under the surface. A low humming sound comes from beneath the ice. Luno doesn’t even seem scared at all so I guess he is safe?

A large black figure is outlined under the ice. It swims below Luno and there are small blue lights on it. A giant fish?

A moaning sound comes from the creature and it swims in large circles, it circles around the edge of the lake.

Luno waves his hand around him and then the ice melts in a perfect circle. It doesn’t melt all the ice in the lake, but enough for whatever is down there to pop through.

He doesn’t sink into the freezing water below, but he hovers about an inch above it.

The creature’s shadow circles back to Luno and they seem to start dancing.

Luno almost looks like he’s ice skating in a circle of water. He skates backwards and he starts to make motions with his hands. The water in front of him slowly begins to rise.

The shadow of the creature starts to follow Luno and it also slowly begins to rise, as if Luno is lifting it.

No longer ‘skating’, Luno starts to fly into the air, the water rises with him as he goes higher and higher.

The shadow breaks past the water's surface and then my heart stops.

The creature uses the water to breathe. On its long neck are gills. It’s skin is wet and shiny. Dark blue scales cover it completely. I has a snout like a dog but no lips to cover it’s teeth. It’s razor sharp teeth.

It is a dragon!

It’s wings finally break the surface. They stretch wide and almost reach past the lake’s edges. Beautiful glistening blue wings. Small blue lights are glowing on the edges of each wing. A small night sky on each one.

Why is there a dragon here? They were some of the most powerful beings in this world, and there is just one randomly here. I thought they had died! Either that or they just decided to live somewhere else.

Luno is hovering in the air in front of the dragon’s head. The balls on this idiot must be fucking massive.

The dragon leans forward and closes it eyes. Luno leans his head down and...did he just kiss the dragon’s nose?

“Goodnight, Big guy!” I see Luno beam. The dragon huffs and warm air flares from its nose. It can be seen thanks to the cold. Luno giggles as the cloud hits him in the face.

“Aww, I love you too!” Luno rubs the dragon’s chin.

The water dragon turns its gaze to my direction. I stop breathing.

Luno turns as well. I hear him sigh and then he starts whispering to the blue monster.

I hear soft rumblings and then some growling. It leaves me a bit worried. Luno wouldn’t send a dragon after me would he?

I look at the bubble of water surrounding its neck. No it can’t leave the water. At least I think it can’t. I do not really want to find out.

The dragon huffs and turns it’s head to me. I hear Luno scoff and see him cross his arms.

He is pouting like a child to a dragon!

Those demons must have really done a number to me.

“Fine.” Luno sighs. He leans to kiss the dragon’s bony cheek. It is still staring at me.

“Sweet dreams!” Luno’s smile is back.

The dragon huffs another cloud at Luno before it retreats back into the water.

Luno waves his hand over the water and it freezes over once again.

I walk out of my hiding spot, though it did absolute shit for stealth.

Luno floats down in front of me, his arms are crossed.

“So,” He says, “Are you going to tell me what you are?” He looks down and kicks at the snow a bit.

I desperately want him out of the cold first. I lift my paw and show him the cloak wrapped around my arm. I doubt it would be enough to help him but apparently he doesn’t need it.

“Thank you.” He gives a small smile. “Let’s go back to my house.”

He doesn’t put the cloak on.