Her want for him to leave and go hunting left Orpheus with a sense of foreboding. He wanted to trust her, he wanted to believe that she’d stay while he was gone, but he didn’t.
She already left me.
His heart withered whenever he remembered.
I want it to be her. Orpheus wanted Reia to be the one who wanted to stay with him. He adored her scent, had from the moment he’d met her, more than any other human before. She was so beautiful. He’d never seen a human as pale as her, with hair that was so blonde and shiny, like the sun. Her bright green eyes were like a thick forest, easy for one to get lost in, and he found he lost himself when he looked into them.
Her body was soft, curvy. She was the first to elicit such strong desire in him because of the way she reacted when he touched it. It seemed like her flesh was sensitive, and he desperately wanted to know how she’d react if he was to instead lick every inch of it rather brush his hands over her.
As much as he’d grown fond of the physical aspects of her, it was what she had inside that he was truly growing attached to.
She was strong. So strong in will that she even wanted to fight against the Demons that would harm her in the Veil rather than shake in fright. Something about it made him feel pride in her and trust that she would survive with him.
She was confident, willing to laugh with him when no other had before. Quick to learn, but happy to teach, she wanted to help him in any task, to do them with him, or watch him if she couldn’t.
She is perfect. A perfect little human that was quickly stealing his lonely, aching heart. Perfect in shape, in mind, with perfect little smiles with those green eyes that made his groin tighten every time she directed them at him.
He’d never felt this way about any other human. Reia was perfect, and he wanted her to be his.
So to lose her, whether that was because she left him safely or died, would be hollowing.
Even if she was lost and he found another human that wasn’t afraid of him, they wouldn’t be her. They may not want to pick up a sword, or want to make trinkets with him, or show him how to cook. They may not want to watch while he ran in the rain scaring away Demons or laugh when they ran into the wards.
They may not desire me. They may not like Orpheus’ touch, may not allow him to lick their neck – especially right behind the ear. They may not give him the sweet little cry she made, one that was broken and deep of breath.
And they definitely wouldn’t smell of elderberries and red roses.
“I will get you fish next time I am at the stream for your water.” It was the best he could do for now.
He didn’t want to leave her despite that he was constantly hungry and needed to hunt for himself as well.
“Fish would be good,” she told him, giving him a small smile that was only bright enough to spread soft heat through him.
“Come, you should go inside.” He gestured towards the front of the house. “I will pick what you want from the garden now that you know what is here.”
She nodded, grabbing a lemon to take with her anyway, and started heading that direction.
Before they even left the garden, Orpheus shot in front of her and pulled her flush against his back. He gave a warning growl as he bared his fangs.
The creature came closer, large and tall, walking on its back legs and only using its hand to steady itself when it needed to. Its bony head twisted one way and then the other.
It paused when it heard him growl, and then took a wary step back.
“You do not usually warn me away,” he said to Orpheus before he rose to stand on his back legs fully.
He felt Reia peek around him while gripping the back of his shirt to stay with him. She gasped, tugging on it to pull herself more forward when he refused to let her.
“Another Duskwalker?”
“Oh,” he gasped in return. He craned his head to the side to see her better around him as he stepped that way. “You have a human?”
“Stay back!” he snarled, crimson red rising swiftly into his vision, a deadly warning.
The other Mavka cracked its neck when he twisted his head sideways. His bony skull was that of a fox and he had two large antlers forking with multiple branches on top of his head rather than the horns that Orpheus had.
He wore only tattered shorts and was a similar shape to Orpheus in body, except he had more long fur and more bones protruding from his skin, like around his hips and knees.
He was a less human-developed Mavka and most likely hadn’t eaten as many as Orpheus had. He had a similar diet considering his deer and wolf fur, but he must eat more birds since he had feathers poking out around his neck, shoulders, chest, and back.