A Wolf's Howl, A Fairy's Wing

At sunset, Erik went to meet his date for the evening. Dressed in the same fantastical, black and purple suit he used on Emma's date, he knocked on the door to Naeku's room within the palace.

Surprisingly, he was actually holding a bouquet of flowers in his hand and wore a charming smile. Since this was his first time going on a first date, he wanted to go traditional. He'd never had this chance before, either before or after the awakening, so he wanted to see what it was like.

It didn't take long for the door to open, revealing an elegantly dressed werepanther… who was not Naeku. "Oh my, don't you look dashing," the woman Erik knew as Leila, Naeku's aunt, giggled. "And you brought flowers! Such a gentleman!"

Erik grinned charmingly at her compliments and dipped his head. "Why, thank you, Lady Leila. You look quite beautiful yourself!"

Of course, since she was in her werepanther form, Erik had no actual idea if that was true… he wasn't actually attracted to this form, and didn't believe he had the qualifications to judge it. Something Leila realized.

"Hehehe, you lie well," she giggled amiably. "Unfortunately, my true beauty will have to remain hidden until you sweep little Naeku of her feet and join our family!"

Erik didn't mind being exposed and smiled slightly. "I will look forward to that day with bated breath."

Leila grinned, nodding, "Good answer! Now, little Naeku is a little nervous, so—"

"I'm not nervous!" Naeku's frustrated voice suddenly echoed from inside. "D— Don't give him the wrong idea! I just… can't decide on a dress…!"

Leila winked at Erik, before gently closing the door. "Please give us another minute!"

Chuckling, Erik rolled his eyes and decided to wait a little. If he remembered his movie cliches correctly, this was actually par for the course.

In the end, it took another fifteen minutes before the door opened again, and it was finally Naeku greeting him. "H— Hello," he greeted him with a slightly nervous stammer, unfortunately still in her werepanther form.

Once again, she was dressed in an airy, ancient-Egyptian style garment inlaid with jewels and gold thread. despite her distinctly inhuman form, she looked elegant and pretty.

It was clearly designed to fit her werepanther form perfectly, but Erik couldn't help but imagine what it looked like if her face were human, and her curves were filled out more.

Still, he wasn't about to say that. Instead, he smiled charmingly and handed her the flowers in his hand. They were a colourful Söl native, created by Elora, and released a pleasant smell. "You look beautiful, Naeku."

Naeku took the flowers, and chuckled. Sniffing the flowers, she looked over at him with a playful twinkle, quickly regaining her confidence already. "Hehe, aunty was right… you do lie well. I'll need to be careful!"

Erik sighed theatrically and with regret, "Sigh, you see through me like I'm made of glass, my lady. I only wish I could appreciate your elegant form for it's true beauty!"

He decided trying to lie and tell her she really did look beautiful to him like this would only backfire, so he made the most of what he could do.

Fortunately, she liked it. "Hehe, nicely done," she chuckled, before putting the flowers in a vase next to the door and stepping outside. Erik offered her his arm, and she hooked hers with his. "So, where are we going, my lord?" she asked, coquettishly.

Erik smiled and moved towards the palace's exit. "I figured we'd split the evening in two: one for me to get to know you, and the other for you to get to know me… So, I was hoping you'd tell me where we're going. Show me your world!"

* * *

Naeku readily agreed to his proposal. After leaving the palace, she led him over to one of the city's largest spires and they climbed to the top where they found a small, domed lookout spot.

Before them, the entirety of Enkare Nkai was sprawled out into all four directions, truly displaying both its majesty and sheer size. "I can see why you like this place," Erik smiled lightly, panning his gaze across the horizon.

Next to him, Naeku nodded softly, a slightly conflicted frown on her transformed face. "It's… an important spot, true. I like watching the world from up here, but," she pointed downwards, "it's also the place where I lived before the awakening."

Erik blinked and needed a moment to realize what she meant. But then, realization dawned, and his eyes widened slightly. "Ah! Your village, before the awakening…"

Before responding, Naeku was about to sit down when Erik stopped her. At first, she was confused, but then he waved his hand and pulled a thick blanket from his storage space. "Hehe, convenient," the werepanther smirked playfully, before sitting down on it.

"Very convenient," Erik chuckled, happy to impress the girl he was trying to charm.

After they were comfortable, Naeku nodded. "Anyway, yeah… This spire was located exactly where my family's home stood before the awakening."

She waved her hands at the surroundings. "The rest of the village also stood around here, but it took up like ten percent of Enkare Nkai at most. It was small and boring… but you only realize how good things are until they change, right?"

A fond smile spread on her lips when she talked about her past, and Erik listened attentively. "Right," he then chuckled sadly. "I had much the same thought after the awakening."

Now was the time to focus on her past, however, so he quickly got back on track. "But… what happened to your village then? How did Enkare Nkai appear?"

Naeku sighed a little, not fond of remembering this.

"If it's difficult to talk about, then forget I said anything," Erik immediately interjected, not wanting to ruin the moment. Find your next read at My Virtual Library Empire

"No, it's fine," the werepanther smiled softly, her eyes gazing over the city. "We should get to know each other, and that means both the good and the bad..."

She took a deep breath and explained. "You've probably noticed my mother isn't around… that's because she died in childbirth."

Erik felt the urge to apologize, but he suppressed it and continued listening.

"That was a long time ago, though," she continued softly. "But it's important to know for what comes next, because… Enkare Nkai appeared out of nowhere. One day after the awakening, when we were still mourning the humans among us who combusted, we were all suddenly teleported outside our village, and that was when Enkare Nkai appeared."

She spread her arms dramatically and spoke with disbelief and awe, "Right in front of our eyes! It shimmered into existence within moments, and we were all understandably shocked."

Then she dropped her arms, her expression twisting into something difficult, "But… our village was gone. Not even a trace left, including…" she sighed, "Including all pictures and mementos of my mother."