A Wolf's Howl, A Fairy's Wing

"What— What is this…?" Naeku muttered, completely caught off-guard, her body trembling.

Erik shrugged a little awkwardly. "It's exactly what it looks like. At least, I hope it is—memories can change slightly over time, after all." He was surprised at how nervous he was, yet he knew how badly this could blow back on him if she didn't appreciate it.

Yet, it didn't appear like there was any reason to worry. Without another word, Naeku stepped inside the room, eyes filled with emotion. Erik casually followed her, his earlier nervosity already forgotten.

On the other side of the door was a simple house made of wood, bamboo, and stone. They were now in what looked like a living, or communal room, with a table, some couches, several pictures, other knick-knacks, and even a tv. The furniture was simple but looked sturdy.

All-in-all, it looked relatively more comfortable than what you might expect from a small, semi-hidden village in the middle of nowhere.

'I wouldn't really want to live here, though,' Erik muttered in his mind, his gaze calmly panning cross the room. 'But maybe that's just a preference thing. I've always preferred a cold climate, and this place screams sweaty, sticky summers.'

A few steps away from him, Naeku was ignoring him completely. Her hands were dreamily drifting across the surfaces of any furniture or item she could get them on. Finally, she stopped by a picture frame and extended a trembling hand.

She hovered in front of it for a while, her other hand balled in a fist and pressed against her chest. "Don't worry," Erik comforted from a few steps away, knowing what she was thinking. "You can touch it."

As if given permission, Naeku's hand shot forward and grabbed the picture, relief flooding her body when she realized it was solid or at least felt that way. She had no idea how Erik had done any of this, but she didn't care just yet. For now, she wanted to indulge.

In the picture, a beautiful, bronze coloured woman was hugging a pregnant belly, while a younger Ankhur had his arms wrapped around her shoulders. They smiled joyfully into the camera. Slowly, tears began to drop from her eyes.

"I— I never met my mother, but… I grew up with so many stories about her, that I feel like I know her," she muttered softly, her gaze lost in the picture. "But it still wasn't the same… I wanted a mother, but all I had was picture and stories, and then… after Enkare Nkai appeared, I didn't even have pictures anymore."

Calmly, Erik took a seat on one of the couches, his eyes on her. "Will you tell me some of those stories?"
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A small smile spread across Naeku's lips, even as tears were still spilling down. "I thought the second half of our evening would be spend on you…?"

Erik chuckled and shook his head. "Please, like you could focus on anything else right now. Besides," he grinned playfully, "if all goes well, we'll have many years for you to get to know me."

Naeku giggle-sobbed while she turned around to face him. "Cheeky!" she cursed without any real meaning behind it. Clutching the picture in her hands, she walked over the couch and sat down on it.

At first, she kept a respectful distance between Erik and herself, but he wasn't having any of it. "Oh no you don't," he grinned, before grabbing her waist, and pulling her against him.

Naeku was feeling far too vulnerable to resist, but she did pout a little. "You're so pushy!"

"Oh?" he smiled, before taking his hands off her and sticking up in the air. "I didn't mean to force anything. Feel free to sit on your own again."

Unsurprisingly, Naeku didn't get up, instead choosing to settle in and putting her head down on his lap. "You're still pushy…" she grumbled resentfully, despite the feeling of comfort spreading through her body.

Erik shrugged noncommittally and lowered his hands again. Slowly, he started caressing her furry, transformed head with one hand, while keeping the other on her stomach.

Naeku was now clutching the picture to her chest and lying on her back. Her head rested on Erik's lap, and she looked up at the familiar ceiling with a fond smile.

They stayed like this for a moment, until the werepanther spoke up again. "Her name was Hana…" she smiled softly. "And she was kind to a fault!"

She sighed and started telling him more about her mother, a bright smile on her lips, and joyful energy in her voice. "Even though our village had always been a close-knit community of humans, vampires, and shapeshifters, there still occasional conflicts… but not while my mother was around!"

Her voice was filled with pride as she continued, "Many of the stories were about that, like this one time when two clans were feuding, and she intervened…"

* * *

Over the next few hours, they stayed in the same position while Naeku regaled Erik with stories of her mother.

Eventually, however, she was all talked out and sighed, falling silent. Meanwhile, Erik simply continued caressing her head, just like he'd been doing for hours already.

"It sounds like your mother was a great woman," he finally commented. "I would have liked to have met her."

Naeku nodded, a soft smile on her lips. It seemed like a weight had been lifted of her shoulders. "She was a great woman, and… I think I would have liked the opportunity to introduce you to her."

"Really?" Erik smirked, raising an eyebrow. "We're already at that level, huh?"

Naeku, too, began to smirk. "Hehe, let's just say our first date was a success… but I'd still like to get to know you, too."

Finally, she sat up, turned around, and narrowed her eyes at him. "Anyway, I think it's about time you tell me how you did this!"

Erik looked at his empty lap with disappointment, before shrugging with a sigh. "That stone I asked you to touch simply read your most surface-level memories, which were mostly of this place, since that had just been brought to your attention. The rest was easy."

Naeku smirked and scoffed as she looked around at her childhood home… which should have been destroyed. "This… is easy? What even is it? An illusion?" She looked down at the picture in her hands with sadness. "I guess… I guess I probably can't take this with me, right?"

Erik nodded calmly, as if indifferent to her sadness. "Yeah, it's illusion and sensory trickery. It makes you think you're touching something, when you're just waving your hand in the air."

Naeku trembled slightly, clutching the picture in her hands a little more tightly as she nodded. "F— Figured as much… It— It was still great to see her again…" she muttered, trying not to let the grief break her voice.

Yet, a grin slowly spread on Erik's lips. "At least… such is the case with most of the stuff in this room…"