Dark Divide ✓ [WLW]

Chapter Eight - Sungriffin

"M-Me?" Vareia said, and her honey-brown eyes widened as she blushed. "You... you didn't say anything about me being that involved."

"It wouldn't make sense for you not to be," Evylyn said, and she felt the corners of her lips curve up as Vareia smiled, averting her gaze and tucking one of her wild curls behind her ear. "I wasn't going to have you just run around and pick berries for me. I'd be a fool to not accept more help from you."

"Well, I-I mean... if that's what you want," Vareia breathed, eyes wide. A dark blush still adorned her cheeks, and Evylyn could feel butterflies in her stomach euphorically flutter. She swallowed, crossing her arms as Vareia's smile didn't falter.

"Can you take us to the outside of the city?" Evylyn turned to Eki'na, who met her gaze with stalwart eyes. The yellow within his eyes shifted as he looked to Vareia, then back to Evylyn, before dipping his head in a nod.

Given how long it had taken Vareia to find Eki'na's house, Evylyn had believed getting back outside the city would have taken just as long. But Vareia's strange sense of direction was quickly proven to be confined to the Cimibil alone; it took five minutes of walking for Eki'na to lead them outside the city.

The dark confines of Fospyae lurked in the distance, the shadow-stained trees seeming to grow in size the longer Evylyn stared at them. Hushed whispers crept into her subconscious, and she shook them away with an indignant huff. The creatures of Fospyae would need to try harder than that to scare her.

"By the Evergrowth!" Vareia squealed, and Evylyn glanced at her out of the corner of her eye. She'd bent down, back to Evylyn as she outstretched her arms. "Aw, who's a good boy? Who's a good boy?"

Evylyn knew she wasn't talking to Eki'na–probably–so what was she talking to?

And Evylyn quickly got her answer as Vareia shifted slightly; she was holding a baby sungriffin, and it chittered as it placed its front paws on Vareia's collarbone. The Cimibil hugged the baby close, and the sungriffin rubbed its beak against her cheek affectionately.

"Uh, Vareia?" Evylyn said, stepping to the side to try to get a better glimpse of Vareia's face, to no avail. "If there's a baby sungriffin here, don't you think the mother will be close by?"

"She sent him out here. Isn't that right, Soluria?" Vareia's words were muffled as the sungriffin's radiant gold feathers blocked her voice. The sungriffin chirped in response before leaping out of Vareia's arms, landing next to the Cimibil as its furry tail waved back and forth.

"Okay, well... we have things we need to be doing. You can bring the sungriffin along," I guess, "but please try not to let it get in the way."

"Thanks, Ev!" Vareia said, standing and allowing the sungriffin to position itself alongside her. Its bright yellow eyes blinked rapidly as it looked up at Vareia.

"How could you... you know?"

"Talk to it?" Vareia grinned slightly, brown gaze dipping to the creature, who was pawing at the grass. "All Cimibil can talk to animals. I thought you'd know that."

Evylyn's face burned hot, though this time she knew it wasn't from admiration. A sour retort leapt to the tip of her tongue, but she swallowed it in favor of a calmer, "I didn't. That's not exactly common knowledge, or I would have known it."

"Maybe," was all Vareia replied with, along with a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders. "What exactly did you need?"

"Elderberries, echodust, and flame powder," Evylyn said, her hand straying to the bag looped around her shoulder. "I have echodust with me, from a few weeks ago. Elderberries are easy to find. Flame powder is what will be tricky