Maren awoke to the sound of birds chirping. Her eyelids cracked open, allowing light to fill her vision. The light of the midday sun directly above was made brighter by the stark contrast of darkness around her, as if she were in a tunnel. But Maren knew she couldn't be inside a tunnel. Last night she'd —
Then her memories of the night before came back.
The blood.
The Darkspirits.
Then, the feeding and all the light and ecstasy that came with it.
And Cora — beautiful, flaming and bright Cora.
Beside her, something rustled.
"AH!" Maren screamed, jumping to the side.
Cora let out an exhausted sigh, lifting her body through her half-awake slumber.
"Maren..?" she mumbled, rubbing her eyes.
Maren's eyes grew wide at the sight of her, remembering pieces from the night before. She remembered dancing in the sky with Cora, red and blue light raining down upon the castle. She remembered the sheer ecstasy of the night and fighting the ancient creature, extinguishing its life flame for good. Then she remembered–
Another flash.
Cora's lips.
The taste of her flesh on her tongue.
The way Cora's tongue felt on her body.
And the way her hands, her fingers, reached places that nobody else had ever ventured.
No that couldn't have been real, Maren thought, her face turning the color of Cora's hair. No that definitely didn't —
But when she looked down at the sight of herself — in her bare underwear with her shirt, unbuttoned completely and trousers nowhere to be found — Maren knew very well — something surely happened. Her eyes drifted to Cora, analyzing her sleepy silhouette for information of the night before. Her pants, undone. Her shirt draped around her like a blanket. And her brassiere, the only thing covering the top half of her body.
We didn't go all the way, Maren whined, internally spinning, but something definitely happened.
Cora lifted herself to a seated position, more awake now. Her eyes searched Maren, who sat there in stunned silence. Then, she smirked.
"Are you thinking about last night?" she asked with an irritatingly pleased expression.
Somehow, Maren's face reached a record heat.
"N-no!" she replied, woozy from the heat that spread over her whole body. "I-I'm just– I'm not– I — I…."
As Maren's mind glitched, Cora's expression seemed to dim. She pulled her legs toward her body, wrapping them in her arms. She placed her chin on her knees, hiding behind them just so.
"I was hoping you'd say yes," she admitted bashfully, a slight blush spreading across her face and ears. "I was thinking about it…" Cora averted her eyes for a moment, lowering them, as if her next words were difficult to ask. "Do you…regret what happened?"
Emotion welled in Maren's core — so much so that it brought the embarrassment and shock of the moment to a screeching halt.
"No!" Maren exclaimed immediately. "I-I'm not ashamed at all. I… I must admit that I don't even really know what exactly happened…Everything happened so fast and my memories are fragmented." Her eyes drifted back to Cora, whose eyes locked with hers now. Then, as if compelled by her lover's gaze, she asked the question she both wanted and didn't want the answer to. "What exactly happened last night?"
Cora blinked, keeping her gaze locked with Maren's. Then, she blushed and looked away bashfully.
"Did we–" Maren began.
"No," Cora answered, her tone soft. "We didn't go all the way…" her eyes drifted back to Maren's. "But we definitely…explored."
Maren's breath hitched, noticing the hot, intense look in Cora's eyes. She could see that ruby glow burn hotter with every second. She watched as Cora's eyes drifted across her body, taking her in slowly. Her eyes drifted down her face, pausing at her swollen pink lips. Her gaze was so hot that Maren almost thought it something tangible — feeling it as it moved down her chin, sweeping across the length of her neck. Cora's gaze moved down further, hesitating for a pause at her cleavage, traveling down the length of her stomach, toward her hips and thighs.
Cora's face burned hot, and she averted her eyes suddenly.
"We should go," Cora said, sliding her face behind her knees. "They'll be looking for us soon."
"I agree," Maren nodded, trying to shove down the hot burn that Cora effortlessly pulled from within her. She glanced upward at the gaping cavern mouth, searching its edges for an entrance but there was nothing. And suddenly, a sinking feeling replaced the burn.
"Uh, Cora," Maren grimaced. "There may be a slight problem." Cora lifted her head from her knees, looking around the cave with Maren. "I think we…we flew in here last night."
Cora's mouth tightened, remembering. "That we did."
Maren thought back to the events of the night before. She'd never felt so powerful in all her life. All those years of feeling helpless and useless suddenly came crashing down around her. Suddenly, they weren't icons of a Goddess they'd never met. They were divine beings in their own right — brave and powerful. But the problem was, she couldn't seem to remember how they did that. They danced in the sky like there was ground beneath their feet. They flitted through the air like they were running. Maren remembered the feeling of being so full of magic that it literally escaped her. It was more disorienting and exciting than being drunk. But that feeling overshadowed any technicalities of how it was executed.
They stood there together, gazing at the blue sky through the mouth of the cave.
"You wouldn't happen to remember-" Maren began.
Cora sighed, "No."
A long silence passed between them before Cora proposed her idea — climbing the vines on the side.
"Cora," Maren pursed her lips, "do you not remember gym class at the Academy? I have no upper body strength!"
Cora sighed, thinking for a moment. "Do you think you could hang on if I carried you up?"
***
Outside the cave, Maren practically jumped off Cora's back, letting her body fall to the ground dramatically.
"Oh Goddess, please don't ever make me do something like that again!" She cried, her cheek to the dirt.
Cora sighed, looking down at her, "It was only bad because you were moving so much."
Maren turned herself around, still lying on the ground. "Well that's easy for you to say! I haven't had to climb a rope in over two years. And I could hardly do it two years ago!"
Cora snickered at the memory, and sat in the grass beside Maren, leaning back on her arms. "I remember the way coach used to yell at you to climb faster," Cora grinned. "Didn't they make you take a team sport as a remedial class?"
Maren pouted. "Yes. Luckily I found out that while I have zero upper body strength, my legs are much stronger than the rest of me."
Cora remained silent, peering down at Maren's thighs, remembering how they felt in her hands. A flutter burst in her chest and she turned away, clearing her throat.
"Yes, well, you've always had nice legs," Cora said.
Maren snapped her head toward Cora. "Really? I would say yours are much nicer to look at. They're long and thin and elegant. Mine are short and chubby and I have little indents at the base." Maren gripped her thigh fat through her pants and jiggled them.
Cora blushed furiously in reaction and averted her eyes, turning her head away. "I suppose it's a matter of preference between us then."
Maren eyed Cora curiously, unsure of why she looked away. Then, she spotted the light crimson color that washed over Cora's ears. Was Cora being...shy?
A cheeky grin spread across Maren's face. "Cora," she cooed, teasingly. "Are you shy because I gripped my own thigh?"
Cora didn't look back. Her head remained locked in the opposite direction and she replied, "N-no."
Maren's eyelashes fluttered in unison with her chest at Cora's response. Is Cora being…shy right now? Then, another thought crossed her mind. This was an opportunity. Throughout their life, Maren was always the mature one. The one who only retaliated against Cora's teasing. But now, she finally found the one thing that made Cora bashful. And it was… thick thighs? Then, a memory from the night before resurfaced. The way Cora's hands found her thighs, gripping them just above the knee, lifting her legs above her body so that she could trace kisses, steal a taste with her tongue and dig her teeth into the plush flesh of her thigh. Her body thrummed with excitement, remembering all they'd done the night before. Still, it confirmed her suspicions. Cora liked Maren's thighs.
Maren smirked, quickly snaking her arms around Cora before she could jump away.
"Hey!" Cora protested but Maren ignored her attitude. She pressed her body against her, nuzzling into the curve of Cora's neck.
"You're so cute," Maren whispered, her voice low so that not even the birds could hear them.
The two of them stayed like that for a long time, taking in the moment. Birds chirped around them, and the chilled wind swayed the trees. Considering the gloomy weather from mere hours before, the sky was rather peaceful — calm after the storm. It seemed ironic, considering all that had happened just a few hours ago. The infestation of the Darkspirits, and the horror that they'd brought on the castle. To Maren, it seemed almost cruel for the weather to be so bright when the circumstances were so opposite.
"I wonder what it will be like when we go back down," Cora said, mirroring Maren's own thoughts. "If I'm being honest, I wish we didn't have to." Cora's palms closed around Maren's forearm, holding her for security. "I wish we could stay up here, just the two of us, just like this. Because it turns out that all we had to do this whole time was feed. If we'd just known what to do, then maybe nobody would have-"
Her voice cut off, but Maren knew what she was going to say.
- then maybe nobody would have died.
It was a harsh truth. One that sent sickening waves of guilt through her body. Maren understood Cora's feelings, the guilt and shame. She understood wanting to run away from it all, and hide where nobody would ever find them. But too much of a mess was made. Maren knew, regardless of why the previous Starblessed didn't leave them information on how to feed, that it was their responsibility to clean it up.
Still, Cora didn't need a lecture on duty right now.
Maren lifted her head from the crook of Cora's shoulder, letting the sun shine down on her, warming her skin. She inhaled deeply and whispered, "Do you feel that, Cora?"
The air was still thick with icy moisture that clung to their skin. But the sun shone down warmly upon them, and the birds still sang their cheery musings — a promise.
Cora tilted her head back with Maren, closing her eyes and mirrored Maren's inhale.
A light breeze flowed between them, brushing their hair back.
"Everything is going to be okay," Maren whispered.