After leaving her alone and stranded on a tiny island the night before, Saka came back early the next morning with food. It was like returning to a wolf den where the little needy cub was awaiting its mother wolf.
When he arrived, though, instead of finding her asleep or lounging on the tree, Saka found the girl, wide awake, wide-eyed and pacing around the small island.
April accepted the food from Saka and sat down by the tree, scooping it up, and wolfing it down. He watched, his face blank, as the girl ate like a hungry animal.
"Thanks for the meal." She shoved the bowl into his arms, looking up at him.
He maintained his gaze, taking the bowl back where it disappeared at his back. Then he sat down and continued to stare at the girl, his thoughts a mystery.
April wondered what was going on in his head, why he did that. His deep, unwavering gaze that was beginning to rock her like waves. What was he looking at? And the thought of eyes reminded her. She had woken up early because she had something to tell him.
"D'you ever get dreams so weird, they felt real?" She crossed her arms.
The question lingered in the air for a moment before April frowned.
"Like, as in, having a dream which you know you're dreaming and you can say that you're dreaming."
Saka did not say anything but maintained his already penetrating gaze. Someone would have cut and run just due to the intensity of that look but April was busy caught up in the night before's events, she barely felt the heat.
"So last night, after you left me alone – again – I had this weird dream where I was in this room. It was dark, creepy and scary as hell. Of course, I knew I was dreaming and I wanted a way out but the walls kept running away." She mimicked her actions by demonstrations and gestures.
"I stopped and tried to get whatever force playing with me to let go but then this boy showed up. He was wearing some raggedy toga and blonde, like Safatore. Problem was he was cryin' and cryin' and cryin', I got a headache. So I walk up to him and try to lull him but then I start crying too. Next thing I know, he poofs right out of my hands and these black tears start pouring outta my eyes!"
She dramatically grabbed her own cheeks, her tails excitedly twitching with her narration.
"Then I wake up," she growled. "And I wipe my eyes only to see traces of that black stuff in my tears, for real!"
She looked back down at Saka.
"Ever had a dream like that?"
He didn't respond but just kept looking up at her.
"And that's not even the worst part!" She exclaimed, undeterred by his statue-like staring. "I had a dream the night before that I got eaten by a green dragon in my Sea of Memories. A green. Dragon!" She yelled. "That ain't never happened before! Every time I almost died in my dreams, it never… happened."
"I just don't die in my dreams–I'm not supposed to. But all I felt when I woke up from these two dreams was confusion. Right now, I'm not sure if it was real or not. Am I sane?" She grabbed a handful of her hair and exhaled, before finally noticing Saka was still quietly looking up at her.
"Saka, are you even listening to me?" She poked his arm.
He maintained his gaze for a moment longer before replying:
"Your speech changed."
April blinked in confusion.
"What? Did you even hear a word I said?"
"Unfortunately." Was the answer she got.
"So?" She pressed.
"It's amazing how masterful you are at making words that carry no worth sound impressive. I couldn't fall asleep." Saka responded, looking away and picking up the gray ball at the root of the tree. He threw it to her.
April clumsily caught the object, grimacing a bit as it smacked into her knuckles. She looked at the arm that had tossed the ball at her. Quite a throw.
"He's not afraid of breaking both our fingers," she sarcastically thought but decided to move past it.
"When I was seven, I kicked a rock while playing in the garden and lost a toenail. It grew back but… the memory still hurts." She raised an eyebrow. "How did you lose your arm?"
Saka turned away and started rummaging through his pockets. He took out a little pouch. A black and plain thing which he opened and turned upside down.
April narrowed her eyes, understanding what was going on but feeling a little bold.
"Last time someone mentioned his arm, he threw a fit… and a tree. But this Soul Tie of his should probably make him think twice before doing something drastic."
Saka glanced up at her when she finished that thought and she went stiff. But he returned his eyes to the pouch which suddenly spat out what amounted to a molehill of bones!
"Oh my– what the butt!" April jumped back, her face contorted with disgust. "What in the world… is that?!" She held onto her tails, cringing.
Saka picked up one of the rock-sized bones. "Lycan tailbones," he said.
"Wait, what?!" The girl coughed. "There's a whole heap of 'em! How did they fit in that tiny pouch? But most importantly, what are you doing with skeletons?"
Saka took out a dagger and calmly began, as April observed, carving the bone into a helix shape. He set it down and carved more helix shapes out of the bones. It didn't take long before April realized what he was doing.
"Wait… are you… making arrowheads?" She let go of her tails, her eyebrows raised.
"Your intellect is greatly baffling," Saka satirically replied.
April scowled, blinking a couple of times, remembering and finally connecting some of the dots.
"So this is why I was tied to a tree and used as bait? So you can harvest lycan tailbones to make arrowheads for yourself?"
"Sharp as an arrow, you are." Saka answered.
"How d–" April gritted her teeth, trembling from head to toe from anger, feeling utterly used. "How dare you?!" She rasped. "Have you no shame? Like, at all?"
"Did I do something shameful?" Saka set down the twelfth arrowhead next to the others, all of them arranged in fives on the ground.
April felt her frustration rise inside her. She clenched her fists and stomped her foot, simultaneously barking:
"I want off this stupid island!"
Saka kept on working on his arrowheads so April took on a different approach.
"I have a feeling Safatore and the others are not really in a disciplinary hearing with this so-called Elf Council at all. You've been comin' an' goin', leaving me alone on this stupid mud pile in the center of this fishpond, going to do who knows what! How do I even know they're even alive? Or if we're even in the Castle of Ancients? The thing that I saw was a monstrosity!"
It was just her emotions steering her words at that point and the lack of any kind of response from Saka seemed to push her further. She wasn't even hearing what she was saying.
"For all I know, you could be lying and keeping me from the others because you're afraid I'll bring bruises to your pretty little face. If you're not gonna conjure up the path outta here, I'm jumping in the water!"
She marched to the edge of the little island and faced Saka, crossing her arms over her chest.
"I'm waiting!"
Her voice echoed throughout the room, high-pitched and petulant. It was only a moment after her outburst when Saka placed a finished helix arrowhead on the ground and faced her, his face black and lips slightly parted.
"Jump."
The dare took April by surprise. She opened her mouth to say something but couldn't find the words. So she turned and without warning, jumped!
The moment her feet almost plunged into the silvery waters, Saka raised a hand and the girl landed on a smooth, pale rock.
"Haha! See? I ain't playin'." She gloated, unable to hide her trembling and the shaking in her voice, though. She hadn't known she would do that, or whether Saka would have fallen for it.
She looked back and noticed a look on Saka's face that even he hadn't seen that coming, his eyes slightly wide and mouth ajar.
"Now you're gonna get me off this island." April boldly declared and began running forward, watching as rocks popped up to support her.
That was wild. Her heart was pounding in her chest.
Before she knew it, she was out of the room and came out into a corridor, panting. Adrenaline coursing through her veins, she sprinted off to some random direction. After a while of running, she stopped and looked back. Saka was nowhere to be seen.
She involuntarily giggled and wiped her brow.
"He is dumbfounded. Later, Sucker."
She scoffed and began jogging around, exploring the golden castle. Everything looked the same, the same as that Linwood Forest she had been in. Identical walls, ceilings and patterns. There were no distinguishable differences. And soon enough she got lost, feeling as if she was trapped in a maze.
"Huh." She frowned, frantically looking about but not finding a way out. She felt stupid. "For cryin' out loud!"
She ran, took a turn and suddenly halted in her tracks when she saw two figures standing there by a wall.
It was two men. Men with spears and matching green armor, their faces hidden behind matching green helmets, only their eyes visible.
"Halt! Who goes there?" The voice demanded, both guards focusing on the short girl in blue who stood frozen in a running stance.
"You there! Are you deaf?" The other guard asked. They both took a few steps towards her, their eyes getting stern, looking tall and imposing.
"How did you gain access to this castle?"
April flinched. They were asking who she was. These seemed like imperial guards, and they didn't look like the types to fool around. She could've told them who she was, but instinct told her to run, and run she did, swerving away.
"Hey! Stop!" They charged after her.
She was immediately caught, both guards nabbing her and holding her in place.
"How dare you defy an imperial order to stop?" The one on the left asked, his voice grave.
"You're coming with us," the second guard declared.
April squeaked as she was led away, struggling but failing to break free. In a few moments, the guards approached a huge door which opened up like fairy wings parting and dragged her inside. They jerked her forward, her hair flowing over her face and blocking her sight.
The guards bowed.
"We found this suspicious character lurking within the walls of Coa. She refuses to identify herself." One of them reported.
April blew her hair aside to see who she was being reported to but she came face-to-face with Safatore standing across the floor, a confused look on his face. A few feet to his right stood a few more familiar faces. Eon, Semacoar and Akka. They all wore comfortable and regal robes with their earlier colors. The whole gang was there, even the twin samurai sisters Kuri and Kakuro were present as well.
As were other guards.
She looked forward ahead of Safatore and gasped at the sight of eight stout-looking figures sitting high up on a jury's table, looking down at her.
The Elf Council.