Loki felt heavy and uneasy. He had been groaning and sweating heavily in his sleep for moments longer than for comfort. He had been wanting to wake up but all efforts were in vain. It was as if something was hindering him from making up. The slightest sound escaping from his lips took a great deal of effort from him. He felt like he had been screaming but all that he had done was whimper helplessly. It was at this point that Nataku was awakened from the sounds he had made and she sat up immediately, spotting Loki tossing in his bedroll.
“Must be a nightmare…” she muttered and began to crawl towards him, past Odin who was sleeping quietly. She was careful not to shake the tent or move too much to disturb the sleeping Aesir of Light. She shook Loki gently, muttering his name lowly to wake him up. Loki awoke and sat up the moment his eyes snapped open. Nataku blinked as she watched him look around and when Loki saw her, he softened, coming to his senses.
“You were dreaming.” She said, wiping off the sweat on his forehead.
“Horrible…” he muttered, breathing heavily. Then he curled up into a ball as small as he coul and snugly tuck himself towards her warm body. He snuggled against her as if silently asking her arms to be wrapped around him. And it was then that Nataku thought he choked a short sob.
“Nataku!”
Nataku’s eyes snapped open to find Odin’s worried face over hers as sunlight suddenly entered her eyes. She gasped and sat up surprisingly, her cheeks catching warmth. Loki was having a nightmare, wasn’t he? What happened? Had she been dreaming? But it didn’t matter. Odin looked panicked and the expression on his face was more than enough to say that there was something wrong.
“What happened?” she gasped.
“Don’t tell Loki…” Odin was getting strained. Had the situation turned bad to worse? Nataku wanted to get out of the sleeping pod but told her self to catch more details. But even before Odin could tell her anything more, there was a large shout… obviously from Loki.
Nataku’s heart leapt with her dashing outside and hearing Odin utter something about being dead. She stood in battle stance, the rings of light in her grasp.
“Huh?” Loki’s eyes widened upon seeing the battle form of Nataku. He was holding a ladle, bending over a small black cauldron hanging over a fire. Nataku blushed and her jaw fell a bit. Loki’s gaze went past her and he straightened, pointing the ladle towards Odin who was currently crawling out.
“You’re a very incompetent cook!” he yelled.
“I didn’t mean to!”
“You botched our breakfast!” Loki put his hands on his waist, ladle still in grasp. Nataku’s rings of light vanished and she relaxed, blinking dumbly at the exchange between the brothers.
“You don’t just toss in the ingredients and stir it up to make it look like some kind of Ogre’s porridge! Some God of Knowledge you are!” Loki was pouting, talking to Odin but was looking at the bubbling cauldron, “Now how do you suppose could I fix this?”
“Well, I thought Nataku could do something before you found out…” Odin said sheepishly.
“GRAAAAA!!” Loki shouted, his cheeks flaming red and motioning to throw the ladle at his brother who hid behind Nataku. The battle Aesir blinked. Who in the right mind would guess that these two bickering young men were the sons of the Divine Couple? Now she knew why the Queen Mother had asked her to tag along.
Baby-sit might have been the right term, after all.
“I could catch us a rabbit.” Nataku said, holding up her hands.
“Yes, yes…” Odin nodded with a faint smile, his hands on Nataku’s shoulders as he peeked from behind.
“Stop that!” Loki glared, stomped and motioned to throw the ladle realistically this time.
“Stop what!”
“Stop hiding behind her! You’re annoying!”
“No, no… It’s no problem, Master Loki. I am all right.” Nataku gave off a short smile and Loki blinked as if expecting an answer other than that. Then his shoulders dropped followed by a short silence that somehow seemed to be forever before he muttered, “Yes… I forgot…” It was Nataku’s turn blink this time as Loki turned towards the cauldron, his back facing her.
What did she say?
“Loki…” Odin was serious, released Nataku’s shoulders and went to Loki.
What didn’t she say?
She heard Odin muttering lowly to his brother as he put a supportive hand on Loki’s right shoulder. Loki was looking away from Odin but his face was too obscure for Nataku to see his reaction. But she just stood there and watched them, hoping that somehow they would let her know what they were about. But all she could hear were low words… Something foreign, something of another language… And she did not understand.
“Here.”
A wooden cup with milk found itself before Loki’s face and he gasped, looking up at Nataku who was handing it to him. For a moment he hesitated then took it. He drank from it and he looked up with only his eyes moving and he saw Nataku still smiling at him and the moment he did, he took the glance away.
“It’s from a wild goat.” Nataku began as Loki kept on drinking and Odin eating on the meat she had brought back, “I hope it is okay. I know it’s not like the one in Asgard but…”
“Selioph echqaoia anores, Nataku-isha…?” Loki said and Nataku gasped.
“Nemeroznia.” Odin replied after swallowing, “Medien seliophnia theouliaz yoinari. Echqaoia ramala yoinari. Sa, Nataku-isha?”
And Loki did not answer.
Nataku blinked at the exchange. She did not understand and she was feeling anxious being around. Somehow, she felt she knew the language. Somehow, she thought she could understand. The language was too familiar and she thought she knew it. But then again, she didn’t so how come it felt like the brothers were talking to her in that certain language? Was she missing out on something?
“Why do you look bewildered, Nataku?” Odin said, “We were only speaking Lithios.”
“Oh, yes… Lithios…” She tried to understand but the expression on Nataku’s face didn’t change. Lithios. Lithios. Nataku repeated the name in her head. There was a ring to it and yet it still spelled an unfamiliar tinge to her.
“Nataku.” Loki was looking at her. He was looking worried, looking pained, looking panicked…
Lithios. Lithios. Her mind voice repeated. She must have heard of it somewhere. She searched her mind in vain and she blinked blankly at Loki, lost in the rummaging of her thoughts to pay attention any longer
“Nataku, Lithios.” He said with eyes she thought she saw a little shiny with tears, “Echqaoia ramala Lithios, Nataku, sa? Echqaoia ramalaion Lithios. Lithios, Nataku. Lithios.” He looked as though he wanted to take her by the shoulders and shake her and ask her to say she understood. It was as if she had to understand the language but no matter how hard she tried to at least look like she understood, she just didn’t know what Lithios was.
“Lithios!” Loki stood up angrily, making harsh sounds and he trembled, “They… Even Lithios… Is gone…!” He spoke on more sentences in Lithios and Odin replied, seeming to calm is outraged brother. Nataku backed a little, suspending a disturbed stare at Loki and feeling slightly uncomfortable from the situation. Loki caught her staring at him in this manner and he grunted and left, dashing farther into the woods.
And as Nataku looked at the wooden cup lying on the ground in the middle of a small pool of milk, she recounted his face. And as she did, she thought she saw sparkles dropping from his eyes.