She stared up at the sky, knowing full well that the thoughts she might have could call upon another goddess. Yet what Sana saw now calmed her. In a most paradoxical sense, it grounded her. The moon was partially covered by clouds. 

“I really enjoyed today,” Mia smiled at her, “thanks.” 

Sana tore her gaze away from the moon and wrapped an arm around the woman’s shoulders. “So did I.” Then she felt the other’s attention stray away. It didn’t often happen with her, but with Mia it’d happened almost as much as Sana’s mind had drifted away. “You’re somewhere else though.”

Mia laughed. “Could say the same about you.” A pause. “Who goes first?” 

“Your name comes first in the alphabet.”

She laughed again. “Okay." A pause. The other woman pursed her lips, before looking down at the floor. "It’s an ex I had from a couple of years ago. Pathetic, right?”

Sana shook her head. “I’d say it‘d be if you were pining after someone you’d never been with.” 

“Ooh,” Mia said. “The one who got away?”

The one who was never there, Sana thought. “You could say that.” 

They walked on in silence. 

“You know, I’ve never found someone like that afterwards,” Mia murmured, her grip on Sana tightening. It was comforting. “Sure I fell for them, but it never felt that right. Not sure if it makes sense.” 

“You don’t feel at peace with others?” 

“No,” Mia sighed, “and I find myself comparing people to them. Even someone as incredible as you.” She looked up at her. “No offence.” 

“On another day,” Sana laughed, “I would’ve been.” Being sub par to another mortal? It was unheard of. “But I get it. No offence either.” 

She chuckled. “None taken.” 

Sana stopped in the road. She turned to face Mia. She was beautiful. Red hair, deep brown eyes, and lips shaped like a heart. 

“Did you say I was incredible?” Sana asked. 

Mia smiled, her eyes flitting down to the ground. “I mean, yeah.” She gave her a look. “At first I thought you weren’t gonna be sweet like you are. Plus you’re funny.” A small frown. “You’re pretty perfect.” 

“Pretty too?”

Mia winked. “You’re fishing.” Then she cupped Sana’s face. “But you are.” She leaned forward, but slowly. 

Sana closed the distance for her. It was a lovely kiss. Sweet with just enough passion. It was exactly what Sana needed. 

She let herself sink into the embrace. They stood there for some time under the moonlight. Then it got cold. They went to Mia’s place. It was all what Sana needed. 

And now, as the moonlight shone into the room, Sana was wide awake. Mia was fast asleep beside her. Watching the thin rays of white seep through, Sana realised something. 

This wasn’t what she wanted. 

Mina would have said it was unwise to leave Mia’s place in the morning after breakfast. She would have said it was foolish to travel to the forest. Yet Sana had transformed into a dove and taken flight. The feeling of flying was just about as freeing as she could want. She almost understood the fool Icarus for becoming drunk off of it. He was still a complete idiot for allowing himself to stray to where his father had told him not to, but Sana understood. Now she just had to hope that the moon would not burn her feathers. Or freeze them? She didn’t quite know how that worked. 

Sana passed the tents. There was no fire burning. They were on the move. 

She continued, not being able to see much from where she was. What if she transformed into an insect? 

No. Not a chance in Tartarus, or as the mortals said, hell. Being a bird or a cute animal was as low as she went. Some had no problem with turning into a rat, but Sana failed to see how a rat could be one, attractive, and two, anything close to representing who she was. 

Sana made her feathers match the colours of the forest some more, a ersion of the dove, but it was fine. 

She landed on a branch, listening for any footsteps or murmurs. Instead, she heard sounds of fighting. 

She shouldn’t have been worried. Dahyun was immortal. She couldn’t die.

Still, Sana flew below the branches, stopping at some to look around. 

Then she heard a voice. It was Dahyun.

“Get down!” 

Sana flew to where it was, gasping when she saw it. Well, as a bird, she technically sqauwked. 

The beast was huge. Close to the dragons the mortals often talked about. It had a long body of pitch black scales, no wings, and deep gold eyes. 

It was surrounded by the huntresses. Some wore armour. Of those who weren’t, Dahyun stood among them. All of them were dirty, bloody, or both. 

The hunters were letting arrows fly or running at the monster, but the projectiles were either deflected or the girls were knocked away. 

Dahyun was firing arrow after arrow, getting closer with each shot. 

The beast had closed its eyes. The arrow bounced off easily. Then it charged. Not for Dahyun, but for the other group. They scattered, but one stood firm, steel in her eyes. Hardly recognisable from the shy girl Sana had met before. 

Dahyun was at Kendra’s side in an instant. The purple-haired goddess held two blades in her hands, her bow attached to her back now. The look in her eyes was nothing less than predatory. 

The beast reached them. Dahyun leapt into the air, daggers out. She sank them deep into both its eyes. 

It roared, rearing its head back. 

Then it tried to throw her off, spinning around. Its tail first struck Kendra, launching her to the side, and then at a tree. With a deafening crack, the trunk broke and the tree fell. It was on its way to hitting Kendra who had gotten to her feet, but she was dazed. 

The seconds passed more slowly for Sana. She wasn’t sure if it was because she was a god or because she’d turned into a bird. Things seemed sharper. 

If they swear a vow to me, they become my responsibility.

She changed her form, becoming an eagle, larger than a normal one. She extended her talons. She pushed her with her feet, unsure if it would hurt the girl. With the momentum and Sana’s own strength, she pushed Kendra out of the way. Her wing was caught underneath the tree. 

Sana screamed. It came out as a screech. She pushed at the tree, trying to move it away, but it was no use. 

She heard the beast roar again, this time higher. 

The other girls cried out. Kendra lay on the ground, her eyes closed, the side of her face bleeding. Had Sana done that?

Sana saw to her right that Dahyun was off of the beast’s head, hunched over. Her bow was broken in half. The beast lay on the ground, knives still embedded in its eyes, and arrows sticking out of its mouth. It was dying. 

Then she straightened and went straight to Sana. With a simple pull, at least it seemed as such to Sana, Dahyun lifted the tree trunk. 

“Come on,” she said softly. “I know it hurts, but you have to pull the wing away.” Her eyes gave away the pain she was going through. Yet now she wore a thick dark coat. She hadn’t been wearing it before. “Someone take care of Kendra,” she called over her shoulder. Then she looked back at her, tilting her head to the side a few times. A few chirping sounds left , ones that Sana vaguely understood. She'd known that Dahyun had a connection to animals, but she'd never truly believed it. 

Sana pulled her wing away. These were bones she wasn’t used to having. They were in agony. 

“That’s it,” Dahyun smiled, “you’re a brave one.” Her silver eyes had lit up. “I almost wish you weren’t from dad.” She knelt down beside Sana, reaching out tentatively for her wing. 

Sana wanted to scoff, but knew it would only be some sort of hoot or sniff. How could Dahyun think she’d come from Zeus? 

“I’m not gonna hurt you, promise.” Dahyun gathered Sana in her arms. “The opposite actually.”

Sana knew she was a bird and that she should have turned back into a human, but that would negate everything that was happening. She wanted to see what Dahyun was like when she wasn’t around. If only for a little while. And to be in her arms, even if her arm was in agony, made her feel a warmth that she hadn't felt in quite some time. 

She’d seen two different sides of Dahyun today, ones she’d never seen before. There was the one that defined her as the goddess of the hunt, and this one. It was a gentle expression, one filled with concern and gratitude. Nothing Sana had ever expected she’d see. Especially directed at her. 

____

The eagle let out a noise akin to a whine. 

“It’s alright,” Dahyun murmured. She bound the wing to a makeshift splint. They weren’t injuries that would mean it’d die on its own. Just ones that would take a little bit of time. Dahyun had lots of that. 

“You get to stay here.” She grabbed a softer pelt from her bed. Then she knelt down and put it beside the bird. “There.” She it lightly on the head. It closed its eyes, very clearly enjoying itself. The sight made her smile. 

Standing up, Dahyun turned back to her table. Her back was on fire. It would heal, of course, but it burned.  

She would’ve cleaned the wound by now, but it was on her back. That was more than a bit difficult. And now the cuts at the base were bleeding into her top. She'd switched it a few times, making the bloodied shirts disappear. 

“Dahyun?” A voice came from outside. It sounded uncertain. 

“Come on in,” she replied. 

Kendra appeared, a bandage wrapped around her head, while her arm was in a cast. 

“I’m so sorry about today. I ,” she said. 

Dahyun smiled. “Not at all. You stayed today. Maybe that wasn’t the best decision,” she winked, “but I know I can count on you.” Especially if she’d never seen a beast like that before. 

“But the others didn’t almost get themselves killed,” Kendra muttered. 

“Maybe,” Dahyun shrugged, “but that’s why you should leave facing a charging drakon to me.” 

Kendra blushed. “And how’s things going with you? The others said you got hurt.”

The concern warmed her heart. “All fine. I’m a god, remember?” She waggled her eyebrows. “Anyway, worry about that one,” she pointed at the eagle who was watching them, surprisingly attentively, “might be immortal, or not, but there’s still a broken wing to worry about.” 

Kendra went to the bird, kneeling down beside it. “Hiya,” she said. “Thanks for saving me. You’ve got a pretty good swing.” 

Dahyun laughed. “Not sure what the technical term is for that, but I don't think that's it.” 

The other hunter smiled. “Whatever it is, thanks.” Then she stood. “Jennie cooked today. Should we bring you some or are you gonna come?”

“I’m not too hungry,” she replied. “If I am, I’ll raid the leftovers.” 

Kendra nodded, looking slightly more than unconvinced. No doubt she’d raise the concern with the others. 

They did have healers far better than Dahyun, but since she healed faster than any of them and nothing could kill her, not even a terrible infection, she wasn’t going to use those resources on her. 

With difficulty, she sat down at her desk. She was making a new bow. The last one had been very nice and it was now snapped in half. 

The eagle made a sound again.

When Dahyun looked up, she saw that it was no longer a bird. She seized her carving knife, hissing as she stood up. 

“Don’t kill me!” There was a tinkling laugh. “Or else all your work is for nothing.” 

Sana lay on the pelt. Thankfully fully clothed, but still in Dahyun’s tent. The splint she’d made had fallen to the floor.

“Did you send that bird?” Dahyun asked. And now the poor thing had vanished. 

She pouted. “I was that bird.” She pointed at her arm. It was bent very oddly. Her brow was furrowed. 

“Why did you stay as such so long?” What if Dahyun had begun tending to her own wounds? She wouldn’t want Sana being anywhere near her then. 

Sana sighed. “Well, I knew you wouldn’t help if you knew it was me.” 

“You are an immortal being,” Dahyun said. “You would survive, my brother would be happy to help you, as would any other.” She sat back down. “Out.” 

“You said I could stay.” Sana curled up on the fur. She looked more like a cat than a bird. 

“I said an eagle could stay.” 

Her good arm turned into a wing. “How’s this?” 

Dahyun rolled her eyes. “You still speak.” 

Sana stood, but with difficulty. “We don’t have to talk.” A hint of flirtation entered her voice. It was nowhere near as much as usual. 

Fighting a sigh, Dahyun said, “you can stay for a little bit.” She was being unfair. Sana had actually been the eagle. She’d saved Kendra. “Thank you for what you did.” Dahyun looked down at the bow. It would have a beautiful curve later. She ran her fingers along it, tracing the different grooves she still had to smooth over. Her way of working usually got her a fair amount of splinters.

Sana laughed. “There you go!” 

Dahyun wished she hadn’t said anything. “Do you know how to make a cast?” 

Sana straightened, her hand going to her arm. She winced, but nodded. "Can't do it with this arm though." 

Dahyun got to her feet, slightly surprised that Sana knew such a thing. Her back straining with the movement. “I’ll make you a simple one. By tomorrow I bet you’ll be healed.” She went to where the pieces of her bow lay. 

Then Sana gasped. “Your back.” 

“By tomorrow, I’ll know I’ll be healed,” Dahyun replied. 

“And if you get infected?”

“Two days more, perhaps three.” She retrieved her broken bow. A shame. It had been such a nice bow. “So I’ll get this done and—“ 

The end of her shirt was tugged up. 

Dahyun reached behind her and stopped the hand. “Three days, Sana.” 

“Let me at least clean the wound.” 

“No.” She pulled away. “Let me make the cast and then we can find you a tent elsewhere.” 

The hand took her arm. “Dahyun, it’s just a broken bone.” 

“And these are just a few cuts.” She turned around and pushed Sana back to her chair. She got some cushioning before setting about to making the cast. She’d made a great deal of these. Not that she’d ever admit it, but Apollo had once intervened, telling her she was making her casts all wrong. Now that wasn’t the case. 

Sana was watching her, once again with a gaze that didn’t cease. It made Dahyun concentrate all the more on her work. She almost wished the cast work would take longer. Then there wouldn’t have to be a conversation. 

But it was quick work. Dahyun pulled her hands away from Sana’s arm. 

“Finished,” she said. “The mortals have painkillers if you’d like.” So leave to go get them, she added in her head. 

Sana shook her head. Then she stood. “Please tell me you have alcohol in here.” 

Dahyun frowned. “You want a drink?” Even better, she could suggest she could to a bar.

She rolled her eyes. “After what I’ll do, we should both have one.” She waved her hand and a bottle appeared in her hand. It didn't look like something one drank. 

Dahyun shook her head. “It’s fine, Sana.” 

“You made me a cast. The least I can do is put this on your back.” She gave her a look. “Maybe you’re flexible enough, but it’s better to tone down on the agony you put yourself through.” A pause. “Just turn around,” her voice bordered on a whine, “I’m not gonna see anything.” 

“You don’t actually use alcohol for something like this,” Dahyun said. “Cleaning it with water is enough.” 

Sana scowled. “This isn’t alcohol.” Another bottle appeared, one of wine. “This is.” Then she reached for her arm. “Maybe if we go to the lake?”

Dahyun didn’t respond. She just watched the hand close around her wrist. The scent of flowers filled her nose. 

Then they were there. 

“So?” Sana let go. 

Dahyun gritted her teeth. She shouldn’t have been complying with her, but the list of reasons to not trust her was smaller than the list that stated the opposite. 

“Fine.” She pulled at her own shirt, carefully. It was soaking in at the back. Blood loss had never been an issue for her, unless the beast had really laid into her. She felt fine, if not a bit on edge and, naturally in pain. 

Sana in a breath. “So you just wanted to wait this out?” She put a hand on her shoulder, urging her to sit down. 

“I would’ve cleaned it eventually,” Dahyun replied. “Just not with a bird in the tent.” And certainly not with a goddess there. “You’re acting like this would kill me.” She bit her lip as the water began to flow down her back. The coolness was nice, but it still felt terrible. She sank her feet into the water, making sure her front was still somewhat covered. Some naiads could be terribly curious, as could dryads, though they could sometimes be excellent company. 

“Still doesn’t feel great,” Sana grumbled. “Ares can’t take it if his wounds go unattended.” 

Dahyun laughed. “I’m not surprised.” She wondered if Sana had had to do that each time the god of war got in a fight. Which was often. 

More water came. Far more than should have been in that bottle. Though no one noticed, she was pretty sure gods were restricted by the law of conservation of mass. It was all a headache to think about, so she hadn’t, but she was pretty sure Sana was getting that water from some laboratory or factory. 

“Did you find it or did it find you?”

“It found us,” Dahyun sighed, “quite sneaky, if I might add.” Eletha and Zoe had been struck by its acid. Nothing severe, but nothing too nice either. 

“You can be snuck up on?” Sana was dabbing at Dahyun’s back now. It didn’t feel strange to have the goddess so close to her now. Strangely, she almost felt comfortable.

“Don’t you dare get any ideas,” Dahyun warned. 

Sana giggled. “Don't worry, I know you have a good reaction time."  

Dahyun remembered nearly slicing Sana’s throat. She would’ve survived, but she doubted the goddess would’ve taken kindly to it. Might that have stopped her from coming to Dahyun’s realm time and time again? 

“Why were you there in the first place? Answer me honestly. That means without your usual evasion.” 

There was a small moment of silence. 

“I don’t know,” Sana said. “I wanted to see you.”

She’d said that before. Dahyun had been able to ignore it then. And now she’d told the goddess she could stay. Not the best decision. 

“Which required being a bird?” Dahyun asked. “You came once without being called for, when we were not on the hunt.” 

“I wasn’t sure what you were doing this time,” she replied. “So I looked for you.” Then she tapped her shoulder. “Bandage time.” She brandished the roll in front of Dahyun’s eyes. 

Dahyun took hold of the end. “Can you please let me roll it around at the front?” She didn’t want anyone seeing her bare skin unless it was done purposefully through a dress. The one she’d worn for her graduation had been almost too much, but the other girls had convinced her it was perfect for her. 

“Sure,” Sana said. "Remember, I'm only using one hand for this." She worked quickly, handing Dahyun the roll each time it looped across her back. It was slow work itself, made efficient by Dahyun’s request. Yet Sana didn’t tell her to stop being ridiculous or prude. She was only silent. 

But Dahyun still had questions. 

“And why would you want to see me?” Dahyun asked. “And stay an animal that cannot properly communicate with a person?” She could understand and talk to animals to a degree. She should’ve realised the difference between bird-Sana and real birds immediately. She'd been too preoccupied with her back having just been torn at by a drakon to question it. Especially when said bird had saved one of her hunters from being crushed. 

There was no pause this time. “I wanted to see how you act when you’re not around me, or the other gods.” 

“Alright,” Dahyun said. “And what else?” 

Another long silence. The wind came to the forefront once again. Dahyun was reminded of sitting side by side with the goddess. That time they’d been on a mountain. 

Sana’s voice was very soft. “I like it here.”

“Here,” Dahyun repeated. “By a lake? In a forest? In a tent?” She craned her neck to look at the goddess. 

“That,” she winked, “and your realm in general.” The playfulness faded from her gaze. “I like the closeness to nature, the freedom you have during the day and night.” She still held Dahyun’s gaze. For far too long this time. She’d paused unrolling the bandage. 

The words made Dahyun pause. “Marriage has hardly bound you, or have I misunderstood?”

“You’ve misunderstood a lot,” Sana kept working, “as you’ve so nicely put it, I’ve had affairs upon affairs, but I,” she trailed off. A small smile appeared. “I’ll sound pretty juvenile when I say this.”

“You usually do.” Dahyun let the roll unwind across her stomach. The covering was tight. As it should have been. Sana was indeed experienced. 

The other goddess pinched her cheek. “Keeps me young.” Then she paused. “I'm missing something. And I find it here.” 

Was it boredom again? Or something else that Dahyun was unable to figure out? She figured it was the former. 

A few moments passed. Perhaps minutes. Sana gave Dahyun the now thin roll, Dahyun let it wrap around another part of her skin, before giving it back to Sana to cover the actual injury. Repeat. 

“Finished,” Sana whispered. 

“Thank you.” 

There was a long pause. Then gentle fingers tilted up her chin. Dahyun didn’t recoil from the touch. 

“Can I ask you for something?” Sana whispered. Her being so close should've been unsettling, but it wasn't. 

Dahyun nodded. What would come this time?

“While I may not want to become a huntress,” her eyes never left Dahyun’s, “would you let me into your realm?”

Dahyun wanted to look away, but she couldn’t. She wanted to say something, perhaps no, but she also couldn’t do that. Why would Sana want to be here? Because it was nice? For a feeling of freedom?

“I would not seek you out as much as I have. Probably.” The small smile returned. “But you’d know I was around, and you’d know when to avoid me.” Sana’s eyes remained on hers the entire time. They were not harsh nor teasing. Only sincere. 

“You do know you were never banned from entering a forest, right?” she asked. “I don’t exactly have control over all areas of nature at the same time.” But she did know if something was being desecrated. She felt that frequently nowadays, but she could rarely interfere. At least not immediately. She had to differentiate between the goals of glory and pursuits of money. There were also those who just carried something out because it was their job. If the intentions were wrong, however, Dahyun had become patient when it came to taking her revenge.

“I know,” Sana said. “But it felt right to ask you.” Another pause. “Like when I asked Momo and Jihyo if I could pick random fruits whenever I wanted to.” 

“Ah ha,” Dahyun hummed. It felt like a very weak explanation, but perhaps it was true. She didn’t want to start another disagreement.

“So?” An eyebrow rose. “Your answer?

“Alright,” Dahyun said. “You may come whenever you please.” 

Sana's eyes widened. “Really?” 

She couldn’t help but laugh. “Why would you have asked if you didn’t expect a yes?” 

Sana looked away. “You’re unpredictable.”

“As are you.”

Sana’s hand moved from her chin up to her cheek. “I know.” She met her eyes then. 

Dahyun should have moved away then. She knew she would have yesterday. This morning even. Yet she stayed where she was and let Sana hold her face. 

“Thank you,” Sana said. She still held Dahyun’s gaze. “This means more to me than you know.” Her eyes flickered elsewhere. Then she pulled her hand back. 

Dahyun’s face warmed. “So feel free to explore,” she got to her feet, “do not turn into any prey-like creatures or nice looking predators.” Pause. “Any hunter who sets their eyes on you likely won’t stop until they have you.” She turned to the direction of her camp. 

Something flashed across her eyes. It looked like something between disappointment and hurt. “I see.” 

The scent of flowers filled the air.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Sana had disappeared. In her place was a bottle of wine. 

Another chord struck? Dahyun shook her head. She had been positively friendly this time. 

Even so, Dahyun knelt to pick the wine up. She would go to the other girls tonight, tell Kendra who had actually saved her (not that she'd think it had been Zeus), and they would raise one toast to the goddess of love.