(A/n, Since Nikki is genderfluid, I'll be switching pronouns for them, it might get confusing if you're not used to it, but you will evantually come through)
Yashvanth and Keshav were sitting atop a tall tree. Yashvanth's hands were healing quickly. He had wrapped one around Keshav's waist, who was seated on his lap. With another, he was twirling Keshav's golden locket. "I love this place" Yashvanth said. "It's very quiet, no one to disturb you and the view is amazing" he said. "You look quiet, Keshav? What are you thinking of?"
"I am worried about my family" Keshav said, playing with the flowers he had picked up."It's been almost a month, they must be worried" he said. "But I don't want to leave you"
"I don't want you to leave" Yashvanth said, his hand now moving to Keshav's lips. "Stay here a few more days? Let my hands heal completely. I still can't carry heavy stuffs for too long… And it should take at least a month for you to get completely detoxed from the venom." Yashvanth said.
"I think I'm fine. I don't get headaches or nausea anymore" Keshav said. "But yeah if you say so… Look what I made!" He said holding a pair of flower garland.
"Those are so beautiful!!" Yashvanth said as he grabbed one of them. "It looks like a marriage garland" He spun Keshav around, making him face him, using his wings to support his back.
"I want to spend the rest of my life with you" He said, putting the garland round him. "I love you"
"I love you too!" Keshav said, putting the garland around him. Yashvanth pulled him towards himself and pressed their lips on a kiss.
"Keshav and Yashvanth sitting on a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!!"
They froze hearing Devrath, Nikki and Raghav coming their way. "Awww, looks like we interrupted them" Devrath said.
"Yashvanth da didn't think anyone would come here" Nikki said.
"Look at you guys, looking like a married couple" Raghav cooed.
"Keshav made these" Yashvanth said
"You guys are so cute…." Nikki awed. "I miss my Ishaan" He pouted.
"Ughhhh stop thinking about that vampire, will you?" Yashvanth cringed. "The likes of Kaalesh"
"Oooh my god" Devrath smirked. "They're clearly inspired by you" He said looking at some tree tops at a distance.
"What is it?" Yashvanth looked at the direction Devrath was staring at. "Oh God!" He laughed too.
"Da you're laughing at tree tops?" Raghav asked.
"Nope" Yashvanth said. "Something below it"
"That's Tejas' cousin! Sindhu, I guess that's her name!" Devrath said.
"And that's Rekha from the camp!" Yashvanth said.
"Sindhu-Rekha who? Sindhu Rekha what what?" Nikki excitedly said glancing at their direction. "I hate not having eagle vision" He flew toward the direction.
"Nikki! You don't't go about stalking ppl… Aishhhh" Raghav flew after Nikki.
Under a tree, Sindhu, a wood elf, was being pressed against it while being kissed all over by Rekha, a Tree Nymph. Her hands inside Sindhu's robes. Rekha's lips slowly reached Sindhu's.
"Aaaaaaaaiiiiiiiieeeeee" Nikki, who had been trying to catch a glimpse of what's happening, slipped from the branch they were sitting on.
The girls froze on their tracks. "What the hell?" Rekha said.
"Listen here you…..!" Sindhu said. "You did not see anything that happenned here" She ran away with Rekha.
"Nikki why are you always creating trouble!!" Raghav pulled their ears.
"Da…da sorry…Aiya aiya aiiiiiyyyaaaayaaaa"
"What was the reason to pry!" Devrath face palmed.
"Nikki, why so naughty" Yashvanth said, quickly putting Keshav down, who he had been carrying on his arms. "Keshav, I should only be giving you piggyback rides for now" He said massaging his arms. "That bitch Bheriya!" He cursed.
"Just apply the medicine again" Keshav said reaching out to the pouch Yashvanth was carrying and applying the medicines on his arms. Yashvanth sat on the roots of the tree. "Sindhu need not have run away like that man!" He said. "She should know she has her Bhrata Tejas by her side" He said.
"Her father is very high ranked elf, it's naural to be skeptical" Devrath said.
"Is that Bheriya coming our way??" Raghav said.
"Bheriya only transforms on a full moon night, stupid!" Yashvanth lightly boxed his ears.
"And that's a fox, not a wolf" Keshav asked.
The fox came towards them and materialised into a human.
"Oooh it's Tarun! Hey, Tarun!" Yashvanth gave him his hand. "How are you bro!"
"I'm fine bro" Tarun said, banging their shoulders together
"Yashvanth, I needed just your help" Tarun said.
"What happened?"
"Follow me" He took them to a tree.
A small satyr boy, of about 3, was seated on it's branch and crying.
"He's just not getting down!" Tarun said. "Come down boy, jump!" He held up his hands, the boy looked down, got scared of the height and cried more.
"No wanna tomeeee" He cried. "BA tomeee. MA tomeee"
"How did he get up there?" Devrath asked.
"He climbed up, but I guess he can't climb down now" Tarun said. "I was hunting just nearby and saw him"
"Isn't that baby Eklav?" Yashvanth said, Devrath looked carefully at the boy.
"It IS EKLAV!" Devrath exclaimed.
"Who's he?" Keshav asked.
"He's Meera Chyaama's son" Yashvanth said.
"Your aunt?"
"No no no, she took care of us a lot in the camp, I call her Chyaama out of affection" Yashvanth said.
"She got Married to Hakesh Kaka, He worked there too, and Eklav is their youngest kid." Devrath said.
"They have 3 kids in total, eldest is Brijesh who's 8, and then Medha who's 6, then baby Eklav, he's just 3" Devrath said.
"Are you just gonna say the whole Ram Katha before rescuing him?" Tarun scolded them.
"Going Tarun" Yashvanth flew to tree.
"Eklav, come, come!!" Yashvanth drew out his hands.
Eklav looked at him.
"I wan go Ma Ba" he cried.
"Bhrata will take you to Ma and Ba"
"Leally? Battati will twake mi?"
"Yes yes! You live on that house right?"
"Otay!" Eklav leaned and let Yashvanth carry him, who brought him down and passed him to Devrath.
"Meera,'s place is nearby, let's give her a visit too" Devrath said and started walking still carrying Eklav.
"And I'm gonna go back to hunting, see ya!" Tarun said, turned back to a fox and started hunting.
They went to a place covered with trees. It was decorated with beautiful flowers all over.
A Nymph was scolding two satyr kids.
"Why are you both always fighting?"
"Ma! Bhrata ate my apples"
"Well, I didn't see your name on it! It was on the table for everyone"
"Okay, I'm taking all your toys because I don't see your name! Oh! And your chocolate too! And your favourite toy mace!"
"Maaa, tell Medha to stop"
"YOU BOTH STOP FIGHTING!" They got scolded. "Go to the corner, time-out"
"They're lucky, we used to get beaten by sticks" Devrath muttered under his breath.
"MA MA MA MA!!" Eklav jumped off Devrath's arms and ran to his mother.
"Eklav! Where were you? Where's Pitashree?" Mi-ra hugged him.
"Chyaama! He climbed up the tree and couldn't get down!" Yashvanth said.
It was only then that she saw him.
"Aah Yashvanth! It's you guys! Come in nani, take a seat" she called them inside.
She greeted Devrath, and their cousins, and then she saw Keshav. She was surprised seeing a new boy, and she smiled at him.
"Meera Chyaama, this is our friend" Yashvanth said. He interwined his hand around Keshav. "Well, my very close friend" He said making the younger blush.
"Keshav!" Meera said, staring at him.
"How do you know his name?" Yashvanth said.
"Um... From that locket!" she said and pointed at his locket. "It's very beautiful… The leaf skeleton is perfect!"
"Ooh, it's beautiful isn't it?" Yashvanth said.
"My mom got it for me when I was born" Keshav said.
"Come sit down, I was just making some milkshake" she said.
"I love milkshakes" Keshav shyly said.
"That's amazing, I'm sure you'll love this then" Meera said.
"Maa! Me wan mwik" Eklav said pulling her clothes.
"You will, Eklav, now be a good boy and go sit" she said.
"Meera I swear I'd left Eklav just for a little while and gone to get some greens.... Eklav there you are!!" A male satyr, who was holding a bunch of Iskush and Iskush ko munta , walked in. Eklav excitedly ran to him.
"Ba, whel wa u? Why u weabe me?" He cried
"HAKESH!!" Meera took out her slipper and started beating him. "I told you to look after Eklav!"
"I'm sorry Meera! I'd just gone for a moment!"
"Just for a moment eh? Then why did the Bird Prince have to bring him here?"
"Bird Prince?" Hakesh looked around.
"Hello Hakesh Kaka" Yashvanth bowed down. So did the rest.
"Hi boys, how have you been?" Hakesh said.
"Pretty fine" Yashvanth said. He looked around. "I'm here after really long"
"Yeah... I think the last time you were here was in Eklav's 1st birthday" Meera gave the boys Milkshake she had just prepared.
"I made Sel-Roti and Aloo" She said, keeping the round, rice batter fried bread on the table with the potato curry.
"OH GOD I LOVE YOUR SEL-ROTI!" Yashvanth took two glasses of milkshake and gave one to Keshav. "She makes the best food you know" He said. "She's the reason I became this strong!"
"Don't flatter me. You were very hard working"
"And what do you think gave me the strength? Your food!!" Yashvanth said, dipping the Selroti to the aloo and chomping it.
The other boys took a glass each, and so did the kids. Meera kept Eklav on her lap as she fed him the milkshake.
Keshav drank the milkshake. Certainly it was the best one he'd ever had. "This is Heavenly!!" He said.
"I'm glad you liked it" Meera smiled. "Have some more" She said and poured more on his glass. "Have some selroti"
"It's okay not a big fa-"
"Just have this" Yashvanth said shovling one in his mouth.
Keshav chewed on the Selroti. It was not dry and hard like the ones he was used to. It was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
"These are so so good!" Keshav said taking another one from the plate.
"Nani, Have as much as you want" Meera said, rubbing his shoulder "Treat it like your own house"
"We are basically like her children after all, isn't it Chyaama" Yashvanth said.
"You all are like my children" Meera said, her eyes drifting to Keshav.
"Take some Iskush and Munta When you leave" Hakesh said.
"Kaka… you know we don't eat veggies that much" Yashvanth said.
"Maybe not, but Keshav might like it. Do you?" Meera asked Keshav.
"Yeah I love them"
"KAKA CAN WE HAVE ATLEAST HALF OF THAT BUNCH OF MUNTA? AND THE ISKUSH TOO!" Yashvanth was urging Hakesh to give him as much of the Munta.
"You found a really caring boy" Meera told Keshav. "He sure loves you a lot"
Keshav looked at her surprised. They clearly hadn't mentioned anything to her.
"Oh, it's obvious from way he looks at you and is with you" Meera said. "Take some Fruits too" She handed Keshav a basket of different fruits.
"Thank you" Keshav said.
"Take care of yourself" Meera said, as the boys left.
Meanwhile in the Centaur's cave, around night time
"Tejas! Tejas! Have you checked on your folks?" Dhruv asked, looking at the stars.
"Naaaah, not in contach" Tejas eyerolled. "Why do you ask?"
"Because… according to the stars… The elves are not in a good state of mind."
"As if they ever are in a good state of mind" Tejas snorted.
There was a loud frantic knock at the door. Tejas opened. It was Shaurya.
What happenned?
Tejas signed.
Your Uncle Bhairav has gone mad, Sindhu told me.
Shaurya Signed
What happenned?
Tejas Signed.
They're planning to cut the trees! Belonging to some nymphs!
P.S : I love y'all, but Anyone trying to advertise something, be it any app or any paid service, will be blocked.
You can promote your books if you want to it's fine but pls don't comment asking to message you for covers.