Chapter 7 - The Confession

Setting: Celebration in Martin's Land

It is a wonderful sunny day for everyone in town. People are back to their daily grind and from an alarming nightmare of the beast and werewolves battle, the roads are cleared, businesses are already open and wide smiles in the eyes of the mortals are dominating their town. 

This is the favorable day that everyone deserves after beating the Kaplawa Clan. The underworld creatures in the forest are celebrating their victory by sharing the fruitful feast laid on a long wooden table in the middle of the forest. Rainbow-colored fruits are meticulously displayed catching every creature's hungry palates expressing their strong desire to take every single fruit to satiate their appetite.

Every creature is all dancing, gracefully moving their hands and feet to the tune of their magical music led by Bulingaw's tiny fleeing fellows. A mix of Mediterranean and western music from Nano's percussions and Mermaid's string instruments with birds' soft chirping sound can be heard all over the forest.

The lovely inspiring music of dignity and happiness is shared by the members of the Tikaluna tribe. Their traditional victory dance is the highlight of the celebration where everyone carries their respective flags while circling the huge abundant trees of the enchanted forest glorifying the gods and goddesses of nature.

Martin sits dignified beside the huge Pine tree with a cup of dark coffee in his hand. He is talking with Nano about ways to protect the townspeople and expel the Kaplawa Clan from the town. 

"The mortals do not deserve this, King Angus should be responsible for the lost lives of the people, he broke the law, an agreement of our ancestors to keep the peace and order between the two groups."

"But Lord Martin, I heard that Victoria planned the attack and King Angus has nothing to do with it. It was Victoria alone who told the clan to send chaos to the town." Nano sips from his white ceramic cup with a golden lining at the bottom.

Martin seems confused, his narrow anxious eyes turned to Bulingaw and called him, "Bulingaw." A friendly encouraging voice caught Bulingaw's attention and jerked his head away from the dancing mermaids. He quickly runs to Martin and Nano's spot and eagerly leans his large brown-furred ears forward to what Martin wants to command him.

Martin continued, "Send your creatures to King Angus' palace and spy on their plans, observe their strange moves."  Bulingaw nods with delight in his eyes and heads to his members to set a meeting.

Enya, the enchanted goddess, abruptly displays her pastel-colored long gown with rainbow streaks on it and appears in Martin's sight and slightly taps Nano's back, "Something serious going on?"

Nano eagerly replied, "Yes join us, we were talking about King Angus's unpredictable ploys, and Victoria's deceiving moves."

Without listening to Nano, Enya immediately sits beside Martin and tilts her head to his broad shoulder, "I missed you..." Her soft alluring voice awakens Martin's attention and forgets what he and Nano talked about.

He touches her luscious golden straight hair and runs his fingers through it, "What's with the sudden sadness in your voice, Enya?"

"Enya? Can't you call me in a much sweeter name? Oh! How I love to hear it, Martin." She rubs her head to his big arm and teases Martin.

Nano becomes jealous, he chooses to leave Martin with Enya giving him hand signs and exits. As he moves away from the scene, he gives his last glance to Enya, shaking his head with hopelessness. He admires Enya since childhood but he chooses to hide his feelings because he knows that he can't beat Martin in any aspect. His pure love is his only edge, and his only weakness.

Martin rests his back and stared at the mermaids enjoying the feast, "You know that I care for you so much, you are my best friend, nothing more and nothing less."

"But I want more Martin, or what do you want me to give up so that I can have the heart of yours that I have been longing for years?" Enya slightly pushes him with sweetness and crosses her arms in front of her chest.

He displays a crooked smile but slowly places his hands into her left arm, clamping Enya's smooth skin above her elbow, "The truth is, I want to have a family of my own. I want to build a big family. I want to have children, beautiful children who will continue to protect the tribe. A loving wife who will support my endeavors. A perfect wife who will bear perfect children."

"Really?" Enya looks at him with enthusiasm and hope.

"But I should find a Luna, a female wolf, and besides..."

Enya cut Martin's words, " But you are the Lord, you have the full power to amend rules, a mixed breed is now possible."

"But you are a dear friend of mine since we were young, our mothers are best of friends, our fathers are best of allies in our tribe, it is such a disgrace if you and I will choose our emotions over the tribe's honor."

Enya widens her eyes with delight, "So you mean... you have feelings for me?"

"No! Hahahah! Of course not!" He strongly disagrees and gives his silly laugh and continues, "Everyone in the tribe knows that we're best of friends, that you and I being together is shamefully impossible."

Enya slowly bowed her head and pinch her fingers, "But you said about choosing your emotions...I thought you..., you know how much I love you dearly, right?"

"Enya...when did you feel intimate love for me?" Martin asks intriguingly.

Enya squeezes her almond eyes and confesses, " Since the day of your coronation..."

Stunned by her answer, Martin is curious, "But that was... when I was 12 years old, why?"

" We were playmates Martin, we are almost cousins and I admit it, I hate you before because my mother always teases me that I should lead the forest someday and I thought I should make my own rules aside from the tribe's rules that you will impose."

Martin smirks, "But why? We are in one tribe, meaning, one tribe one rule."

"Yes, that's why I hate you because I know my fairies should bow under your rule well in fact I am their leader." Enya sighs, " I want to see a mixed breed of creatures resulting in a wonderful design of nature."

" To be honest Martin, when I saw you wearing the crown of the leadership of Tikaluna Tribe, I was in awe, when the four elements of nature surrounded you, you transformed into a different being, to a wonderful being made with love and power."

Enya continues with her eyes beaming with passion, " I realized that I have loved my enemy for a long time. That you have been my protector and safeguard when we were kids. Do you still remember when we were scolded by our mothers because we played near King Angus palace and we might be killed by the beasts?"

Martin chuckled, "Yes, you were so stubborn that time and you want to pick the huge black rose in their garden and Victoria caught you and she cried endlessly."

"And you plead and kneeled in front of King Angus, you lost your pride just to save me, and it was not the first and last time that you protected me from our enemies. When my father died, you were there to uplift my soul, your everyday gifts and humor made me secure and loved."

"It's because I love you Enya, and when we were kids you were the only one who had the guts to befriend me, everyone was aloof with me in the forest but you introduced yourself to me and gave me the sculptured branch of a tree and you said it can be a wand to shoo away the bad spirits in the forest. You introduced Nano and Bulingaw to me, and you are my best of friends, a gift of nature to the tribe."

"Why can't you imagine a future with me, Martin? Well, it is fine with me if we remain the best of friends, but I am just thinking of the possibilities of us, together with protecting the tribe with our future children."

"At one point, you are right," Martin nods and continues, "we have known each other for so long, we mastered each other's strengths and weaknesses and we have the same dream for our tribe, but... Something is bothering me these past few days."

Enya lifts her right eyebrow, "What is it? This is the first time that you kept a secret from me." 

"A blurred vision of a woman dressed in a long white gown always appears in my dream. I never had a dream about a woman before, I always dream of my ancestors telling me how I should lead the tribe." 

Enya turns her head to Martin to see the emotion in his eyes, "Is it a mortal?"

"Yes, she is always barefooted in my dreams, and her hands always wanted to take mine."