The tricky thing about stories is this, they all have to start somewhere. For some it is with "once upon a time", others with "it was the best of times".
This story begins thus...
In a kingdom along the shore of the ocean Selene (named so for the great goddess of the moon who cried the ocean into being when her beloved Endymion was lost) there was a young king called Jaxith, who was very happy. For in not but a fortnight his darling wife would give birth to their first child, and his family would be complete. He would have his loving wife, and their bouncing baby who would fill the halls of his castle with laughter and light like it had not known when Jaxith was a child.
But as with many good things, this too had to come to an end. And as with all good stories, this one, too, is fraught with sadness.
When the time came for the queen to give birth, there were many complications. And though Jaxith had called for the best midwife in the land, she could do nothing to save child or mother, leaving Jaxith alone once more.
For many years, the young king lived with his loneliness, and instead filled his life with taking care of his people, but it was not enough. There was an emptiness still inside of him, a deep dark pit threatening to swallow him whole at all times. And so one evening as he stared up at the moon, he sent up a quiet prayer.
"I do not ask for much, Selene. I give my life in service to your kingdom, and its people. I give my days to see that they are well, and happy, and fed. And for these long years, I have asked for nothing in return." Jaxith's voice was low.
A soft breeze carried petals from the cherry blossoms past Jaxith's window, flickering pale and gentle in the moonlight, as if to say, What is it you ask of me?
"I want only this," Jaxith said, swallowing around a well of tears that threatened to choke off his request. "I would have a child of my own. An heir to your great kingdom. Who will care for and look after your people when I am gone. Surely, that cannot be too much to ask."
Jaxith waited for an answer, staring up at the moon. When not breeze, nor animal, nor any other sign came that the goddess had heard, he exhaled deeply. Shoulders slumping forward, the king pulled himself from the window and retreated to his bed.
Many moons passed, and spring turned to summer, turned to autumn, before Jaxith received an answer. (It was quite a long wait for one's greatest wish to be granted, but if you ask anyone who knows anything about magic, they'll tell you this. "Magic, good magic, takes time.")
The king's hunting party had been prepared for the annual Lunar Festival Midnight Hunt for a fortnight. So, when the time came, even the horses seemed to feel the excitement. Their hooves stomped the ground in a steady rhythm as the moon's bright face rose high into the sky. When she was at her zenith, the first sound of a flute rent the air, and they were off.
Jaxith and his brother Sunil, a young man some years Jaxith's junior, led the way. They traveled deeper into the wood to the west of Lunette, moonlight dappling the forest floor in her grey-blue gaze. Making it difficult to see, and even more difficult to find prey. The two brothers parted ways as the hunt continued, and some minutes later Jaxith saw a flash of white from the corner of his eye.
The long-eared rabbit streaked across the lush undergrowth, fluttering in and out of view like a specter as it hopped from one pool of moonlight to another. Jaxith dismounted quietly, holding his hand to his lips to still his horse, and tied the beast to a tree. Then he pulled a glinting dagger from his boot and crept after the scuttling creature.
It led Jaxith deeper and deeper into the forest (which should have given him pause, but as things go in these stories, it did not) until there was hardly any light left to show him the way. Jaxith lost sight of the creature then, spinning in place to find it again, but instead of the soft white fur of a rabbit his eyes caught on a single beam of moonlight filtering through the leaves to light the recesses of a tree hollow.
A branch snapped beneath Jaxith's boot as he walked closer, and then a cry broke the stillness. A child wailing at having been woken from their slumber. Jaxith jerked and stumbled, nearly falling to his knees in the mossy undertow of the forest. When he regained his feet, the child was still weeping. He clenched his fists, took a steadying breath, and approached the tree.
Bathed in moonlight, the child's midnight blue hair glittered with stardust, and their blue eyes seemed almost silver as they met the king's dark gaze. In that breadth of a second, the wailing had stopped, and the child peered at the king curiously through thick lashes.
"Hello there, little one," Jaxith whispered, reaching out a hand towards the babe. To Jaxith's surprise, the child reached back. Their chubby fist closing around Jaxith's little finger and gripping it tightly. "And what's your name then?"
A blink of wide blue eyes was the child's only answer.
"Hmm, then what shall we call you?" Jaxith continued, his other hand moving to scoop the babe out of the tree and into his arms.
The king turned and a soft breeze rustled the trees above, dragging with it leaves, and the faint sound of crickets. It was as if it were a gentle message from Selene herself.
Take care. Teach him to be kind.
Although the words went unsaid, Jaxith heard them all the same, and he nodded in understanding.
"I think Cricket will be fitting, don't you?"
The child squealed, his eyes squeezing shut in joy and a gummy smile lighting his face.
"Yes, that will do quite nicely." Jaxith nodded to himself. Another flash of white fur caught his eye, and he smiled softly. "Will you lead me back then?"
The rabbit didn't answer (they never did, even magic rabbits didn't answer silly questions), it merely hopped in a small circle and darted through the forest again, leading Jaxith back the way he'd come.
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