16th of Winter 514Av
Some of the color in Kennen’s hair found its way to his cheeks as they lit up again. Timothy could hardly condemn him for being easily ashamed, though he wished the boy, who was clearly older and stronger, wouldn’t be so hesitant. The words he uttered were hard enough to understand as it was. Gold-eyes soon revealed his true intentions, and a pang of jealousy shot through him. The boy was an intruder, an outsider leeching off Kavala’s charity just to steal a job. Why did he need a job anyway? He was rich enough, wasn’t he? Tim turned his attention to the flecked pup begging for his attention and scratched the clever dog behind the ears before settling his eyes on Kavala. Light brows arched upward as she assured him that Kennen was not a Kelvic. But if gold-eye wasn’t a shifter, then what was he? He trained his eyes on Kavala, she seemed to be wondering the same.
Out of all things that made him tense in Kavala’s presence, the big broadsword strapped to her back gave the least cause. Frankly, there was not much about her that justified the ice in she sent coursing through his veins. She was unassuming, generous, and straightforward. So far, she hadn’t commanded him around, though it had been made clear to him that everyone at The Sanctuary was expected to work their weight. With that in mind, he decided it would be a wise thing to eat less. But the food was good and his stomach often growled louder than the dogs did. He respected her like a young monk looking up to a wise sage. Yet after his first meeting with her, he doubted he would feel completely at ease around her for many days to come. Still, the mild caution he felt towards Kavala wasn’t nearly as painful as Kennen’s blundering attempts to explain himself. To his credit, he managed to pique his interest. What was this language of the wind? Maybe he’s just insane, Timothy mused inwardly. Cocking his head to the side, he gave Kennen another once-over before concluding that the boy, though decidedly unconfident and easily flustered, was simply too ordinary looking and soft-spoken to be daft.
Kavala’s healing touch, though light, made every hair on his arms stand on end. He still loathed magic, but he couldn’t deny its effectiveness. It took her only a few ticks to pinpoint the sore spot and take away his discomfort. He took a moment to let her advice sink in before he nodded and thanked her. There was no better way to show that he’d listened than to shut his yapper and pay close attention to what Kennen and Kavala said next. Vivid green eyes flicked between them as the warrior-woman and boy-archer conversed, then slipped back to the dogs who, like him, were slowly beginning to lose interest. Little Cow joined him on the bench and pushed a wet little nose against his arm before retreating a pace to lick its snout and observe his human from a distance. Careful not to disturb the pup’s steady gaze, Tim turned and reached out with the palm of his hand, allowing the small dog to grow accustomed to his scent. “Attaboy,” he smiled as the dog rubbed its head against the inside of his palm. “Good dog, little cow,” he breathed. The pup immediately broke contact and let out an offended snarl. Timothy retreated his hand.
Kavala’s questioning gaze was met with an indifferent shrug. He could understand her decision not to trust anyone knocking on The Sanctuary’s gate, but he could also relate to Kennen’s desire to work and be useful. Work certainly helped taking your mind off things.
Her offer to help put up the dogs awakened a stronger reaction. “Sure!” he beamed, his eyes fell onto the small, flecked pup again as he stood up from the bench and gestured for the little scrapper to follow. Cold morning ablutions and lack of soap in Kenash, aside from a chunk for special occasions, had flipped his dislike for washing around. Mother would be proud. The prospect of food only widened his smile. Grinning, he turned to face Kennen, “you should see the bath underground, it’s massive! And warm too! And there are loads of secrets rooms underneath the ground, right Kavala?” Somehow, the simple promise of food had made him light up like a candle. He wondered if there would be any cake.
