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The swish of dried leaves echoes on the gentle breeze as treetops sway. Autumn leaves, brilliant and bold in their color, glow along the horizon line like firelight in the waning rays of day. Seasons have changed as they always do. Summer surrendered to fall, and soon fall will yield to winter. The push forward persists as a natural progression. Life continues. Three years have gone by since the battle between humans and the Uganna occurred. Three years of relative peace have passed. Looking out, I see that peace in action as the faces interspersed in the crowd are not all the same. While few Urthmen share the bond of friendship with humans and exist with more of a mutual understanding of tolerance, some friendships have developed and are demonstrated here now. Urthmen and humans share the space, all gathered to celebrate a momentous day.
Decorated simply but tastefully, the courtyard has been transformed from a hub of bustling activity to the center of a party. Pumpkins alternate with mums in a row on either side of a path swathed in a length of pale material and benches have been dragged from the dining area to the grassy clearing. Friends and family sit together. A sense of joy quivers in the air like the beat of butterfly wings. Sighing and feeling a pronounced flutter in my belly, I swallow hard against the lump gathering in my throat as my gaze focuses to the tall form waiting in the space around which the chairs are positioned. Oliver, clad in a button front shirt and dark pants, stands beneath a trellis of carved wood. Interwoven through the intricate latticework are white flowers tied together. Shifting his weight from one leg to another, he looks a mix of nervous and excited. I know the look. I saw it not long ago. Remembering that day just two years ago, my eyes moisten with emotion. I turn and scan the crowd for Sully. When I find him, I swear he senses my eyes upon him, for he turns and faces me, smiling his crooked smile, and my heart swells so large I feel as if my chest cannot contain it.
“Hey.” June sidles up next to me. With her hair pulled up so that just a few lose tendrils hang down and frame her face and flowers interlaced through her curls, she looks as though she could be the bride today every bit as much as Lark does. The thought makes my chest clench. She is young and I know the day will come, that many young men are interested in her, but in my mind, no one will ever be good enough for my little sister. Only the kindest, gentlest man who’d readily lay down his life for her would even be in the running. There will be time enough to find that one special person worthy of her love. Just not today; today is Lark and Oliver’s day. “You okay?” June gives my shoulder a gentle nudge.
“Yeah, sure,” I nod. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
June arcs an eyebrow at me, her eyes vacillating between my face and my abdomen. “You’ve been emotional lately, that’s all.” Her tone is gentle as it has been for several months now. In fact, I can’t remember the last flash of temper I’ve seen from her.
“I’m fine, I promise,” I assure her as Peter and his son, Ezra approach. “Weddings just make me sentimental.” I huff a curl off my forehead. The admission is hard. Being emotional as I am now is new to me, like so many other things. The world in which I spent the majority of my life growing never allowed for it. Now, however, with peace a reality, the opportunity to experience true appreciation for every aspect of existence has been presented.
“Avery, you’re glowing,” Peter says as he leans in and kisses my cheek.
“Yeah,” Ezra adds. “You look well.”
Feeling heat creep up my neck and color my cheeks, I say, “Thank you,” and tuck a wayward lock of hair behind my ear.
“This is such a happy day, such a happy time in life.” Peter’s gaze is pensive. I fully understand it, understand his words. The culmination of all that’s happened, of how far we’ve come and how much we’ve evolved as two separate species learning to coexist, is significant.
“It really is.” Looking to the direction opposite Oliver, I see lark. White gauzy material has been fashioned into a dress that hugs her torso then flares at the hips in flowing lengths that graze the ground and flowers resembling the ones in June’s hair have been wound around her braid. My breathing hitches and trembles.
Hearing the catch, Peter places a hand on my shoulder. He and his son are residents of Cassowary, a circumstance that would’ve been unfathomable not long ago. But now he and a few other Urthmen live here with us. We share not only the land and resources but cities as well. And while small groups of rogue Urthmen still exist in rural parts of the area, their numbers are small, diminishing with every month that passes. Peace is spreading. We are safe.
That sense of safety is multiplied tenfold when the warm scent of leather and sandalwood teases my nose. Strong arms hoop my generous waist and Sully’s hot breath caresses the shell of my ear. Rubbing my swollen belly, he says, “How are you? And how’s my baby girl?”
“Or boy,” I add quickly, though I suspect he has his heart set on a little girl.
“How’s my baby period. That’s what I meant to ask.” His gaze flickers to June who smirks and shakes her head.
“What?” I whine.
Throwing up her hands in mock surrender, she says, “Nothing, nothing. Don’t get all upset.”
I stomp one foot and plant a fist on my hip. “Hey! I’m not that bad. Am I?”
June and Sully exchange glances again and even include Peter and his son in their wordless interaction. “No!” they say in unison. Sully shakes his head and denies that I’ve been overly emotional vehemently. Laughter bubbles from them and from me, as well. Never in my wildest imaginings did I ever believe I’d be standing here now, married to Sully, pregnant with my first child and in the pleasant company of Urthmen, but I am. I am happy. Hunger, panic and fear are no longer my constant companion, my dark passenger. The future is filled with possibilities, with events to look forward to. It’s filled with hope. Working alongside the Urthmen and existing with them harmoniously has changed the course of history. Brighter days lay ahead. And I cannot wait to enjoy each and every one of them.