Serena's POV:
Saphira sat beside me on a thick throw rug as we watched Darien chopping wood for the wood stove. She had brought me a couple of books and I was leafing through them idly. One was some sort of a romance novel, while the other was on poetry. Both had been printed on Earth.
Saphira softly murmured, "What has Darien out of sorts?"
I glanced towards my mate, but it wasn't that hard to tell that he was a bit grouchy today. He was also ignoring us, although we both knew that he could hear us perfectly well.
I kept my own voice down to a mere whisper, "The mate bond is strong enough that even small aches or pains can affect it, and that apparently includes monthly cramps. It seems to be a one-way thing though, Darien can sense any of my injuries, but I can't sense anything, even if he cuts himself."
Saphira responded quietly, "It isn't unusual for the male to detect his mate's injuries easily, although the female is usually better at knowing if the male gets agitated or out of sorts."
"And with his reading ability, he has the advantage in that area as well." I tried not to sound too put out, but I must not have succeeded that well since Saphira chuckled at my tone. My ability to sense his direction was something he lacked though.
I flopped back on the soft rug and rolled onto my side as I relaxed in the sunshine. Darien had cut himself on the very same knife I had, and if I hadn't seen it, I wouldn't have known. The bond didn't alert me at all, and Darien's swift healing made the wound completely disappear within minutes.
I honestly didn't feel like doing much today. The muscle cramps made my stomach ache slightly, so I didn't really feel like eating or moving much. The first day or two were always the worst, but I knew I would feel fine after that.
Something touching my hair made me open my eyes. I was slightly surprised when Saphira began to slowly brush out my long hair with my hairbrush. My hair was damp from my shower, and I had been planning on brushing it out in the sun once it had dried a bit. It was relaxing and Saphira managed to brush out each knot without any painful tugs.
Saphira kept brushing out my hair until it dried in the sun. Although I was halfway dozing by that point.
I mumbled, "Thanks."
She stretched out to recline on the rug beside me, "Anytime."
We both watched Darien try to burn off steam by creating a rather remarkably large pile of firewood.
* * *
I examined the object in my hands, but still wasn't entirely sure how it was supposed to be used. Darien must have sensed my bafflement, "Have you gone fishing before?"
"No." There hadn't been any big rivers or lakes where I grew up.
"Let's go to the lake, I think you will like this. I can show you how to cast once we get there."
I walked beside him as we went down the road, still holding the fishing rod. Saphira predictably met us at the edge of the village. She seemed to have a second sense as to when we planned to leave the village. I welcomed her company as it gave me another person to talk to.
Saphira apparently recognized the objects in our hands and their purpose, "Going fishing?"
Darien nodded, "Yes, and this will be Serena's first attempt at fishing too."
Saphira perked up at that one as she looked at me, "Oh, you will enjoy this once you get the hang of it."
She started walking beside us as she and Darien discussed the pros and cons of various types of bait and lures. I listened as I tried to figure out which ones would be best for me to start with.
It was odd to see Darien so talkative, and I was pretty sure I had just stumbled across something that he enjoyed. In that case, I was going to try my best to learn the fine art of fishing, and I really hoped that I would enjoy it.
I laughed as I pulled another small fish out of the water while Darien mock scowled at me.
"I thought you said you never fished before?"
I gently picked up the fish before removing the hook and putting it back in the water, "This is my first time fishing."
He snorted faintly in amused disbelief, "I am not sure I believe that."
Considering that I had caught over twenty fish to his six, his incredulity was priceless. Not bad for my first attempt. Darien watched as Saphira helped me put some anonymous brown breadish stuff on my hook. "And just what did you put on her hook?"
I immediately replied, "That is classified information." I had no clue what it was, but it was almost certainly the only reason I was out-fishing Darien.
Saphira grinned in silent amusement as my mate grumbled slightly and put another worm on his hook. I cast out my line and waited for my next bite. There was a willow basket sitting in the water with several fish in it. There were enough for our supper, so we were just fishing for fun now.
And I was having a lot of fun.
I noticed Darien watching me once more and grinned at him, "You know that you can't catch any fish if your hook isn't in the water, right?"
He chuckled as he quickly corrected that minor oversight. The line on my fishing rod tugged, "Oh, I got another one!"
I started reeling it in and walked knee-deep into the water to pick up the small fish. I was only catching small ones that were barely bigger than my hand, but it didn't bother me in the least. I was catching fish and having fun.
I re-baited my hook and cast it out again before backing up to shore. Darien was once more watching me with a fond smile, his blue eyes glowing softly. I pushed the image of him to the front of my mind while including my enjoyment of this new sport.
Darien usually responded to my image projections and this time was no different. "Fishing was something I liked doing occasionally, but I must admit that it is far more enjoyable when I get to watch you. Your happiness shines off of you."
He may not have been attempting to flatter me, but he was very good at giving compliments, at least to me. It made me feel warm inside and I treasured his words. His smile showed that he was also able to sense it as well.
Eventually, Darien ended our fun, "Okay, I think you have out-fished me enough for one day. Why don't we head back?"
It was getting close to supper anyways. "Sure, we will have to do this again one day."
"I agree, although I think we will keep our audience to a minimum. If this trend continues, it could become a humbling experience, and no one has ever called me humble."
I laughed at that one. Indeed, no one had ever called Darien humble within my hearing, and I didn't think it was going to be something I heard anytime soon.