VARDAN
Glancing across the clearing at the Ahvi, I felt my lips turn down in a frown. She was a truly compelling person, all at once shy and quiet, as well as fierce and frightening. One moment she is blushing prettily as I gazed into her vibrant gold eyes, and the next she is throwing a dagger at a beast three times her size with deadly accurate aim.
On the one hand, she seemed like a genuinely adorable, sweet girl. Besides her knack with blades, which was oddly impressive. Not even oddly. Just impressive. On the other, it was only logical to feel worried over where she learned those impressive skills.
My village was in a vulnerable position, with drought affecting our already imager harvests for the third year in a row. We were relying heavily on the prey we could hunt in the mountains. and couldn't afford any trouble.
While in my village we prized our women, the reality is that many other villages didn't. No girl I had ever known could throw a dagger like that. Honestly, not even any man I knew. Not only did the dagger hit its mark with insane accuracy given her flustered and weakened state, but it flew through the air in the blink of an eye. The wolf didn't stand a chance, and that was a scary thought.
Staring more intently at Ahvi, I watched her closely, or as close as I could from across the clearing. Maybe it was my own protective instincts kicking in, but there was definitely something off about the girl. Not to the point of myself being distrustful, but surely weary.
It was a feeling I couldn't explain exactly, and I decided to put my thoughts to the side for now. Whether she was a danger in the future or not, she certainly wasn't now. In fact, she was looking oddly pale at the moment, probably from the residual effects of starvation and the still present chill.
Waking over to the girl huddled at the edge of the forest, it almost looked like she was preparing to make a break for it. Not willing to take any chances, I called out to her, attempting to gain her attention.
" Hej, Sunshine," I called to Ahvi, hoping to seem confident. When she looked over with something akin to a cringe, I mentally cursed myself. Over the last number of hours, I couldn't help but feel as if I had switched minds with Milo. Known as the timid one, preferring to hide in the shadows then socialise in any manner, he had never had a way with girls. Not that I had either, but I had never before struggled to get words out of my mouth, blushing furiously with even a glance in my direction.
I hoped this isn't what it was like to like someone, cause then I was doomed. What girl would like a guy unable to be assertive, instead looking at the ground in nervousness, too shy to speak his mind?
Groaning inwardly, I concluded that all I could do was be myself. The rest was up to her. Not that I was trying to court her after only a few hours in each other's presence. That would be much too quick.
Though to be fair, we had already shared the same bedroll, and saved each other's lives multiple times even in the select time we had in each other's company. That had to be a record.
"Sunshine," she responded, questioning. " You talking to me, mister? Cause I ain't no one's Sunshine." Glaring playfully at me, she took a seat on a fallen log near her, beckoning me over to sit with her.
At least I hoped she was being playful, or I had just started a conversation with an insult. One lesson I have learned from my mother is never to make a woman angry. They have a knack of being incredibly scary when they want to be.
Sitting stiffly on the decaying wood, my muscles took a moment to adjust to the new position. Never before had I been so sore. Though that was to be expected after carrying another person for a long distance, on top of the past week of trekking through the mountains hunting for prey.
Oh, and being attacked by a wolf triple my size. At least it would make for a good story to tell to my future grandkids one day.
"Sorry," I apologised, glancing over at the girl that had captured my thoughts all morning. Well really since the moment I met her. But there's no need to tell her that. Or that I had been thinking about her at all. Wouldn't want to come off as creepy. My chances were already slim as they were.
I swore her lips twitched upwards as she nodded in acknowledgement of my apology. So she was being playful. Relaxing, I settled more comfortably on the log, waiting for her to talk. After a moment of silence I realised I had been the one to approach her, meaning I was the one who should start whatever conversation I was wanting to have.
Remembering how she had reacted to me bringing up her past earlier that day, I stayed clear of that topic. Thinking momentarily on what we could possibly talk about, I settled on asking a good old fashioned question about herself. Or more specifically, a generic question that would tempt them to talk more about herself.
"So what do you like to do in your spare time?" I asked. Though the question isn't interesting in and of itself, I hoped that I would be able to learn more about the young woman before me. From there, I could ask more personal questions, and not sound like a generic copy of every guy in the human kingdoms who had certainly vied for her attention.
I hoped she found me as interesting as I found her.
Mentally chastising myself once again, I focused on her answer. She would surely think I was dull witted if I continued to stare into space every five seconds. Though at least I was lost in thoughts of her.
I'm not sure if that really made it better, but seeing as it made me feel better about my obsessive thoughts I will keep telling myself that.
" Oh," she muttered, seemingly thinking of a response. " Well, I do tend to enjoy practising with my sword, though it gets boring after a while. Truth be told, I don't really do much." Glancing down at the ground, she appeared disheartened.
Confused, I watched as she wicked at the seams of her pants. I don't know what was disheartening about knowing how to use a sword, considering most men had only a basic understanding of skills needed to wield it, and usually ended in some form of injury.
Trying to hide my giddiness of the prospect of this girl knowing how to wield such weapons, I nudged her gently with my shoulder.
" You know, I always wanted to get better at using a sword," I said, chuckling softly, hoping my laughter would be contagious. I didn't like the look of self doubt and helplessness on her face. If I knew how to use a sword, I would hope to never have to feel the helplessness portrayed on her cute face. " Maybe you could teach me sometime."
Whipping her head up immediately, her plump lips pulled in an endearing grin.
" I would love that," she exclaimed, jumping to her feet. Bouncing around, she continues happily. " I could finally practise on a real opponent."
Glancing teasingly over at me, she speaks in a semi-mocking voice, " I promise not to hurt you." Pausing for dramatic affect, she continues with laughter poorly concealed in her voice. " At least not too much."
Laughing along with her, I couldn't help but feel confident. While she seems to pull pride from her skill with the dangerous weapon, I was also double her size, with a decent understanding of how to wield the blade.
We would see who would win in the end.
I had a feeling it would be me.
Making eye contact with me, she recognized the overconfidence present within me, her grin pulling so wide over her face it looked like it hurt. At least, that's what she would say. That I'm overconfident. Which I'm not.
Obviously.
Chuckling loudly, she turned away, not deigning to respond. Crossing the clearing with uncanny speed, she proceeded to lay on my bedroll staring silently at the sky.
Pushing myself to my feet, I felt someone's eyes on me. Frowning in advance, I glanced over my shoulder at my father who had been shamelessly eavesdropping on our conversation. Glaring at him indignantly, I turned away as he wriggled his eyebrows suggestively.
Sighing in frustration, I walked over to my bags piled neatly by my bedroll on the other side of the clearing. My father is a nut about honour and respect, so the only reason he would tease me about a girl was if he knew I had no chance in hell of impressing her. Or alternatively, that she is perfectly capable of beating the living crap if she didn't appreciate my attention.
I choose to believe the latter.
Though she couldn't beat me if she tried. At least, I hope so.
Grabbing my hunting knife, I dug through my bag for my grinding stone, preparing to care for my blades. The familiar motions of skating the stone over the dull metal often calmed me when I was feeling uncertain or overwhelmed. Sometimes both.
Tuning out the consistent ringing of my work, I turned my attention to my fellow hunters huddled around the clearing. Frequent glances were being shot across the clearing at the lone girl, weariness evident in all their gazes.
While our own village was far from thriving, so was the rest of our human kingdom. This trip was, for many, an escape from the overwhelming stress of everyday life. Ahvi being here seemed to have interrupted that.
While uneasiness was present in their eyes, there was also a heavy dose of respect. While few saw what had happened that morning with the wolf attack, those who did had quickly spread the word. It was known among the group of men that the girl had single handedly saved my life. More so , that she had done it in her weakened state while they were slumbering all around.
I'm sure the brutes did not appreciate being shown up by a girl. A young one at that.
As pride filled my chest, deep within I couldn't help but hope that one day I would have the right to feel proud of the girl. That I would have the right to call her mine.
This is a woman no one could ever call boring.
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