The God of calamity’s wife: Mistletoe’s Origin

Lugh turned around and made his way down the pathway to the sea with a smile on his face. It was in his nature as a selkie to be honest about his feelings and it had been weighing on his mind ever since he had met her that Maeve would be the girl he committed to, but actually doing it was a scary thing to him because his coat wasn't something he could give away. 

Knowing she wouldn't expect that of him made him feel better about it, in fact, swimming with her had been exhilarating. Perhaps he could do it again, maybe take her to see the island, even if she wasn't ready to live there, he could still show her the coves that he loved so much. 

He walked with his hands in his pockets, smiling when suddenly he heard the whoosh of something fly past his ear, followed by another object hitting him in the stomach. It threw him backwards and he stumbled to keep his footing, holding his stomach in pain. 

He looked up to see where it had come from and that's when he saw Narfi and Vali looming over him in anger. 

"How dare you kiss her!!!!!" Vali said, backhanding him with a clawed wolf hand and throwing him a few feet backwards. Then he came over to him and transformed his foot angrily the claws elongating before he slammed it down on Lugh's chest, pinning him to the ground. 

"I've tried to keep my mouth shut since she keeps running off to the ocean, but that's going too far!!!!" 

He kicked Lugh in the stomach, then walked over and kicked him again. Lugh's breath was gone and he gasped to get it back, but it was interrupted with each blow. Vali kicked him in the head, his claws on his foot slicing outwards at him and striking him across his face, causing a gash. 

Lugh struggled to get to his feet and looked at Vali confused. He understood an overprotective brother, but this? 

He wiped the blood from is cheek with his forearm and once again Vali struck at him, but this time he caught ahold of his foot and stopped him from landing another blow. 

"Her choices are hers to make, why do you seek to control her all of the time?" Lugh asked.

Vali lashed out with his clawed hands and Lugh smacked them away with ease. 

"Answer me, why are you seeking a fight?" 

Vali let out a frustrated growl and attempted two more slashes before he gave up. 

"It's because I like her ok!!!!" Vali yelled angrily. 

Narfi looked at him in shock. 

Lugh looked at him with a glint of mistrust in his eyes, "I thought you were her brother." 

Vali stopped punching as his fist hit Lugh's and he stopped being angry for a minute. 

"Why would you think that?"

Lugh shrugged his shoulders, "she never said otherwise. I assumed you three were siblings." 

"Well I'm not her brother; the situation is complicated. I was giving her space, but I'm not giving up without a fight to the likes of you, or anyone else who wants to take her from me." 

Lugh smiled a bit wryly. "In that case, then we are rivals." 

Narfi's jaw dropped as the two men now readied themselves to fight. 

"Guys you can't fight over Maeve, what about Siriu-" 

"Shut up Narfi!" Vali snapped, "I will convince Maeve to be mine!" Then he threw out another fist at Lugh and another and another, fury exploding from him as he finished transforming into a wolf.

He took ahold of Lugh with his teeth and tossed him to the side in anger. Lugh tumbled across the ground, scraping his skin against the gravel terrain, but he didn't stay down. Gritting his teeth, he twisted back onto his feet, flinging a fist full of gravel into the werewolf's eyes, blinding him. 

Then he bolted. He ran towards the ocean as fast as he could because he knew that the werewolf's brute force outmatched him on land, but there were other ways to win.

With a sharp breath, he skid to a stop, just close enough to feel the pull of the waves and turned towards the werewolf who was chasing him. 

With his muscles tense, a primal growl resonated deep from within his chest, intense and eerie, giving the sense that this man was indeed otherworldly and dangerous just like Vali had thought and he faced the werewolf head on. 

 They were in his territory now. 

Lugh jumped upwards into the air, doing a backflip off of the cliff and the water caught him as he transformed. Sleek and agile, he became one with the waves, water shot upwards angrily, attacking the shore and the werewolf hesitated. 

He became wary of the tides and the treacherous rocks beneath the surface. 

"Forget it!" He yelled at Lugh, "I'm not stupid enough to let you drown me. Go ahead, have your fun, you're not the one I have to fight for her anyways." 

Then he turned around angrily and Narfi followed him. 

Lugh calmed the waves and bobbed up and down a bit as he tread water. "What was the hidden meaning behind those words? He wondered.

He took one last unsure glance at the shore and climbed back onto the wavesweeper. 

Then a bit of anger kindled inside of him.

It seemed like Vali was going to be a problem.

As Lugh steered the wavesweeper back to the shoreline, his thoughts churned like the restless sea. Vali's words echoed in his mind, their meaning elusive but unsettling. If Vali wasn't Maeve's brother, what exactly was their relationship? And who was the person Vali alluded to—the one he claimed Lugh would have to contend with for Maeve's heart?

When Lugh reached the safety of his cove, the anger simmering in his chest grew hotter. He didn't like the way Vali treated Maeve, nor the way he lashed out without giving her the freedom to choose. For the first time, Lugh realized the gravity of what he'd stepped into—this wasn't just a fleeting connection. He was becoming entangled in something far deeper, a tangled web of emotions, loyalties, and rivalries.

But Lugh wasn't one to back down.