Between Sunset and Sunrise the Forest Comes Alive (Abashai )

[Nya Winters]

Nya liked how Abashai quietly listened. He didn't ask annoying questions, but nonetheless was ready and willing to try it on his own. He followed her, watched, and she noticed his eyes trailing the grass looking at it from the rabbits perspective as any good hunter should. He had no trouble finding a rabbit trail, nor did he hesitate to improvise when no tree presented itself. Smart. She noted his intelligence immediately and decided she enjoyed spending time with him. Hunting was a way to past the time that was productive when you were alone. If you were good, you fed yourself and your confidence grew. Hunting with a partner was even better, Nya noted, especially one that was willing to pitch in, rather than simply be a shadow.

But his words left her lacking. Nya commented on it, but knew there would be more time later for a deeper discussion. She hoped he'd stay for after dinner and talk with her awhile. He might even play the instrument she saw neatly cased on his horse's saddle. "You say that simply - your words about the desert and the people there - but it seems to me that it likens someone from the sands asking someone from the mountains what the snow is like and they reply simply... 'Wet and Cold'. But the snow is so much more. It is so beautiful it can make you weep. It is so deadly that people die without even seeing Dira coming for them. I could talk about how much I love snow for hours, and about how much bounty it brings. Maybe you will tell me more about the desert later, when we feast upon these rabbits we will catch. Because I would like to hear more, especially from someone who has lived there. More that is, than just that there is little grass or trees and you keep flocks of goats and sheep. I have often wondered about the people that live there, in so much heat. Seeing you, I understand a bit more what they are like." Nya said, then tilted her head, kneeling down to inspect his work. She decided if he had no snares of his own, she'd give him two of her four, that way if he was in the woods or grasses where rabbits were plentiful, he would never be hungry again. To a kelvic, a gift of food was a significant one.

"You did that well. I would say you thought like a rabbit, but I do not want to insult you. They are so stupid, but in a delicious way. You will see." She said with a grin - her attempt at a joke - and purred her pleasure as she checked the length of cord, eyed the snares height, and pronounced it very well set. She rose, handed him the third snare, gesturing for him to set the next one. She skipped past where she assumed he'd set it and got busy laying out the fourth one. They were done in short order.

Nya waited for Abashai to finish his second snare before speaking. She answered his question first, before she asked one of her own. "I come from the boarder of Sylira and Taldera. But I am definitely more from Taldera. It is the Land of the Giants... enormous trees so tall that some people live in them and never come to the ground. Wild wide rivers that carve through the landscape where no human has ever walked. I am not sure why everything is so large there, but even the animals are enormous. I have seen elk so large your horse would seem like a foal beside them... no, a calf. Their babies are called calves." She seemed to be reminding herself of a half-forgotten lesson rather than speaking to him when she brought up the calf. It was an odd thing to say... something more like a child would recite rather than an adult. Nya glanced at him then, a sheepish look that gave him the instant impression she had just called herself stupid in her own mind, before she continued. "The only normal sized thing there are the people. You are taller than most of the ones I know from Taldera." She said, as if to make sure he didn't have the wrong impression.

She was silent for a moment, almost sad, before she physically shook herself - as if shaking off a sudden pain or loss - and continued. Her voice was soft, subdued somehow. It only took her a moment to brighten though. She swore to never live in the past - never let what had happen impact what would happen. That included the reason she left Taldera, and the reason she missed it so badly. That was the past though. She dwelled for the moment. A kelvics life was too short to let it be ruled by sorrow or regret.

"We should leave here and go back to camp so it will be quiet when the bunnies get hungry. It is a good time to swim, because after the sun sets, the air will be cold." Too cold if you didn't have fur. She thought, sighing inwardly. Humans had it rough. "Do you know how to swim?" She wasn't actually a very good swimmer, but she loved the water nonetheless. As graceful as Nya was in the forest, she was as clumsy as a toddler just learning to walk in the water. But the pool below the falls wasn't horribly large, nor was it deep except directly under where the waterfall spilled into the water. Nya shifted, restlessly, from one foot to another, not quite dancing but close. Her eyes were bright, excited, and being with her for only a short time, the stranger would have already been able to tell that everything the girl thought was in her eyes and face. She concealed nothing. It was as if she absolutely didn't have the ability.

She'd wait for his answer, but if Abashai was agreeable, they could start back to the camp together.

[Abashai]

After setting the last snare, Abashai stood and turned to Nya with a smile. "I have swam a few times, the desert has a few oases with large enough pools to bath in." Benshira men and women did not swim together, on those rare ocassions when the tents would encounter an oasis with enough water to do so. Abashai wasn't sure how to handle swimming with the young female stranger.

Was she really a stranger? She had invited him into her camp, offered to provide dinner and taught him how to set a snare. Had they been in the desert, someone who offered such hospitality, even to a stranger, would have been called a friend. Abashai felt ashamed for behaving so warily around the young woman. Especially, unlike some Benshira, she did not show hospitality because of tradition. It came from the goodness of her heart. Already she was one of the most unique people he had ever met.

He paused a moment, making sure he had the attention of her moss green eyes, and spoke almost apologetically. "I want to thank you for your kindness and friendship. After we dine this evening, I hope you will permit me to stay and entertain you with some humble music, and we can share more about our homes. I can tell you about the vast, open skies of the desert and my dear Benshira and you can tell me more about snow and giant elk." Gathering around the evening fire, that was where Abashai's was at ease. As a guest in the desert, as evening fell, Abashai would share the news from other Tents and stories he had heard "drifting on the desert wind". He would join in the nightly masha around the fire with his oud, playing psalms of praise to Yahal as the women offered their worshipful dances in the warm firelight.

Abashai missed those desert nights and looked forward to this evening. He had noticed how the sprite young Nya's countenance fell as she spoke of her home. Maybe, like him, she missed it. Maybe, also like himself, there was a painful reason why she left.

Picking up the sword and bow he had laid aside while setting the snares, he smiled again. "Lets leave these little rascals to hang themselves." He gestured back towards the direction from which they came. "After you Nya Winters of the Woods." Abashai figured he could probably find the way back, but Nya was obviously in her element, and he trusted her guidance in the unfamiliar forest. "So, do they have giant camels in Taldera?"

[Nya Winters]

Truth be told, she was having fun with Abashai. It was nice to have human company, other than the trees, sky, and breezes she routinely spoke too otherwise. Abashai talked back, and while her breezes were responsive and would listen to her, all she gained from them was their mood. Abashai offered a newness that thrilled her because his presence scratched an itch deep inside herself she didn't truly like to acknowledge. Kevlics were incredibly social, and she'd been living the life of a hermit, hiding in the woods and licking the wounds her parents had unknowingly inflicted. She was finding it hard, even then, to think about the time he would move on. The thought crossed her mind that she wanted to know why he was here, in Syliras, and not somewhere else - somewhere like his desert. And she wanted to know more about him... as much as he'd tell her. Cats were curious by nature, but she had been raised politely. She wouldn't pry until he offered, but if he did, she'd ask questions aplenty.

When he thanked her, she paused in surprise. Moss colored eyes met his dark ones and she smiled abruptly. "I was going to beg you later to play - after you'd eaten and rested. I love music. I hear it so infrequently, but it is one of my favorite things ever... even better than hunting. It should be me, thanking you, for being generous with your time and agreeing to spend some with me. I would love to hear about The Benshira..." She loved how he called them his dear Benshira... "And I will tell you what you would like to know... if I can. Snow should be experienced, not described. Probably much like your desert." She said, stepping forward suddenly. To someone having been with a feline kelvic who was expressing pleasure, it wouldn't have been a surprise gesture, but to a stranger, it might appear as if Nya was going to kiss him. She didn't though. What she did instead was completely different. Nya crowded his space, pressed herself against him a brief moment, and lifted herself up on her toes. She reached out with her forehead and butted his chin gently, and then ran her left jawline up his right jawline in a caress of sheer pleasure. She did it slowly and, sensually, and then stepped away. He would hopefully know that she'd shared the gesture as a way to share her pleasure at his company. Had she been in her wilder form, Nya would have left a line of scent up his jaw - her scent - marking him as friend from the glands the big cat had tucked under either cheek. Her eyes were twinkling, almost glowing, as she pulled away and laughed abruptly.

"If you tell me what a camel is, I will tell you if they live in Taldera." Camels? I should know that one, but I have no clue. Nya was looking forward to the evening as well. She couldn't imagine anything nicer - a warm fire, company that was willing to play music, and a full belly. There was very little in her life she needed to be totally content. Abashai had just laid out a perfect scenario.

She collected her backpack when they passed back by camp moving upstream. Nya glanced at the horse to make sure it was still safe and calm, then continued onward. The waterfall wasn't far, just a five minute walk at the pace Nya set. She moved long-legged through the riparian area along the stream, weaving in and out of boulders and trees until they came to the place where the land had fallen down, creating a bench that the falls cascaded over. The pool was strewn with rocks and treacherous walking until they stopped on a bank near the left edge. Soft grass and sand created a tiny beach. It was there that Nya sat down her pack and rummaged through it. She pulled out a piece of burlap that wrapped a bundle of soap, and then a long hide bag that seemed to be full of liquid. "So many people bathe in streams and use things that hurt the fish. The soap has no ash... you call it... lye? It has nothing that will hurt the fish. The same with the shampoo. You use it to wash out your hair. My mother made them both. She is always handy with such things." Nya pulled a large towel out of the backpack and laid the things on it within easy reach from a ledge that looked deep enough for someone to still sit mostly in the water on a rock shelf and yet preform the needed bathing tasks as well.

"I will share.. even the towel, if you have none." She said, then turned... moving to the side. Without pause, she stripped off her clothing down the bare skin, piling it on her backpack. She showed no signs of shyness, nor did Nya seem worried about Abashai seeing her bare skin. To a kelvic, bare skin was safety. Clothing inhibited their ability to change, and could sometimes be dangerous. Many slaves wore iron bands around their throats as humans to keep them from shifting. Nudity was security - the ability to pass between their two natures without danger. Skin or fur.. even feathers... was equally comfortable. If Abashai chose to look at her and did not avert his eyes, he'd see a fit young woman, fully mature, with mysterious scars marring her skin. She had a lot of them. There were multiple obvious bite marks from something large. Abashai wouldn't know, but they were the marks from her fights defending territory from other Talderian Forest Cats. There were other scratches and old jagged wounds that had healed neatly. There was even a swirling pattern etched on her back shoulder resembling a tumbling spiral. The mark looked inked, but glowed and swirled like a Gnosis Mark. If he knew anything of Zulrav, it would be easily recognizable. Nya even had a rather nasty mark down one thigh were a Talderian Bull Elk had taken exception to her eating one of its lame cows and used its antler on her when she hadn't been fast enough to run. Her body told a hundred stories if the viewer cared to read them etched in her flesh. The girl didn't care if he looked. Like any Kelvic, she had nothing to hide nor feel shame about.

Nya waded into the water. When it was deep enough she started swimming in an playful relaxed fashion that lacked any skill at all. There was absolutely nothing in Nya's mannerisms that treated him as anything other than a friend to go swimming with. He might as well have been female. To her, they were here to bathe and talk and play. Her paddling took her well out into the pool where she dipped under the surface to wet her hair and popped back up turning back towards the shore to call out to him. "It feels good. Come in!"

[Abashai]

Nya was full of surprises. Her affectionate gesture had caught him amusingly off guard. Had she lean forward and kissed him, as he had expected, he would not have been surprised. It would not have been the first time a girl stole a kiss from him. But, as unexpected as her nuzzling was, he sensed it was just her way of showing affection. Once again, the mysterious girl reminded him of the Eypharian cats, who would rub up against you if they liked you. The experience was strange, but It felt nice nevertheless. Her hair was soft and had a clean scent. Nya, the carefree spirit she was, didn't seem to think twice about it, and headed off back to camp. Following her, he wondered if that is how people in Taldera displayed fondness for one another.

Now, reaching the pool under the falls, The culture clash continued. Nya had turned her back and begun to remove her shirt. As soon as he realized Nya was undressing, Abashai instinctively turned his back. Benshira women were very modest and their traditions closely guarded a woman's honor, even from being dishonored in the imaginations of weak-minded men. In his eyes, he was protecting her honor from impure thoughts that may generate in his mind. He had only seen one woman nude, and that did not turn out well.

From the glimpse he caught of Nya's back before turning, her skin was marked by many scars, like the ones he saw on her arms. He wondered if she had been mauled by some animal. He also thought he saw a design, maybe a tattoo. Appearing like the spiral symbol of Zulrav, a slight chill ran down his spine. Twice fierce sand storms had changed his life, One took all his worldly possessions, the other took his parents, and Abashai blamed Zulrav. A wise priest told Abashai that perhaps Yahal had permitted Zulrav's storms to take what they did, so that Abashai would be forced to trust only in the Holy One, and to come to grips with the guilt and shame against which he wrestled. That conversation precipitated in Abashai's journey north, in hopes of learning to trust his God. The sudden appearance of Zulrav again only heightened Abashai's suspicion that this encounter was not chance at all.

He heard her wade into the water and begin to splash around. "Nya," he laughed a short, nervous laugh, " I have to admit to you, I am somewhat uncomfortable. Among my people, men and women do not bathe together." He prayed he did not offend his new friend. He did not want to appear to pass judgment, but to share with her that the situation was unfamiliar to him. Abashai did not believe Nya was trying to seduce, or even flirt, with him. She simply went about as a child sharing a summer day with a friend. Nya was only being...Nya. It was up to Abashai to discover how he would relate to this amazing creature that Yahal had brought across his path. He asked his God for guidance, sensitivity and strength to resist temptation. He spoke up, his back to the pool. "You are a sweet and lovely young woman, and I do not wish to dishonor you."

[Nya Winters]

Nya was rarely serious. For a Kelvic, life was too short for sober thought and to let the problems of the world bring them down. Oh, she worried and thought and reflected back, but in the end, each day was a new day and a new beginning to be embraced whole heartedly. That attitude, however, began and ended with themselves. Kelvics were designed - utterly - to be servants to others. They reacted in ways that they themselves didn't altogether understand when it came to someone expressing a need. To Nya, she'd rather tear off one of her own arms than make someone uncomfortable or hesitate. When Abashai's admission floated across the water in his solemn soft spoken way, punctuated by a nervous laugh that was uncharacteristic of him... she paused in her play. The kelvic said nothing for a long long time, thinking things through.

Nya wasn't one for long speeches. But in this she came in close enough that he could hear her, yet far enough that she wouldn't double his feelings of being uncomfortable. She lifted her head out of the water fully, finding a rocky bottom with her feet and waited another moment... still thinking. Finally, she spoke.

"Abashai." She said his name softly, tilted her head, and then paused. She blinked, and said it again, only this time with more determination. "Abashai, I am Nya Winters. I am not one of your dear Benshira people. I have heard a little of them though, and from knowing you I know that they are gentle and wise. I know that their sheep and goats have no better masters, and that they guard their daughters and raise their sons with honor as you have shown. If you are uncomfortable bathing with me, that is the last thing I wish to make you. But I am a Kelvic. I am just over two years old, and I feel none of the shame or dishonor a woman of your people would. That is not to say I feel their feelings are wrong. Their ways are wise, or they would not have gifted the world with a son like you. I have great respect for them in just meeting you. But I will live only a handful of years compared to you, and for me life is too short to worry about such things. If you would like, I will bathe quickly so you can take your turn in private. I will not mind, but I will be disapointed. I do not want to cause you to do something you normally would not. But It is in my nature to serve - and more specifically guard. And I was looking forward to washing your hair. You have the nicest hair I have ever seen on a man. Again, that is my nature... and for me there is no dishonor in it. But it would sadden me greatly if you felt you had committed some wrong in swimming and bathing with me today. I do not want that." It was perhaps the longest set of words she'd put together so far. Such things didn't come easy for her, and she was acutely aware of the sound of the falls, the water lapping against the rocks, and then spilling over down the rock causeway and into the stream.

Suddenly she did feel ashamed. Nya was ashamed she'd put Abashai, even inadvertently, into this situation. She didn't know if Abashai even knew what a Kelvic was, but if he did, he'd want to know more - like what her wilder shape was - and that would be it. Fear would redouble his discomfort and they'd part ways not as friends, but as strangers who knew wariness in each other's presence. His would be from fear, her's from rejection. She wished suddenly, for a hundredth no a thousandth time, that her wilder form was something else that was more acceptable. A bird. A dog. A horse. Even a house cat. The truth was worse, and it had driven her from her home. Strangely, Nya never truly wished to be fully human. Instead, she wanted to be a Forest Cat for good. It was easier than learning the rules humans had for each other. They had rules between males and females - between cultures - between cities - between everything. Nya hated rules. Most Kelvics did. There were too many to understand or remember, and when one forgot, the results were normally disastrous.

[Abashai]

Abashai listened carefully to Nya's discourse. Her soft tone was so sincere. His heart ached as he looked out at the forest, to hear the young woman open her heart to him. She said she was kelvic. He had an idea what that meant, it meant she wasn't fully human. That helped explain the strange behavior. But it also meant that she had another side. What that other side was, strangely, didn't matter to him at that moment. What did pierce his soul was the hurt in her voice. He tried to think of her in terms of her "culture". Nya had demonstrated complete trust in Abashai's intentions, to the point that she literally stood before him with nothing to hide or defend herself. He believed she had let him see into her soul, and what he saw was innocence and wisdom, kindness and honesty. No matter what form the woman took, he believed she could not be anything less than what he saw today.

There was a silent pause when she finished. He heard the rushing falls, but nothing else. He knew she was looking at him. He slowly turned to see her in the pool, just her sweet face, framed by her wet mane, staring back with brilliant green eyes from out of the water. He took one step forward. "Nya, I have spent 30 years living as a benshiran. That tradition has defined my life, is my life. Everything I see and do and say is percieved through or constructed in the mental framework of that life. In the past few hours, you...you have challenged that life like no one else since leaving my home." He paused, breaking eye contact to glance at the falls, then back to her. He had not spoken with anyone about what was going on in his heart in a very long time. He noticed that his heart was pounding. "I believe my journeys have purpose, that there is more that Yahal wishes me to learn. Mizahar is a vast place, with many kinds of peoples, most of which I have never met and some I'm sure I have never heard of. Yahal has brought you into my life. If the heart of your kind is to serve and protect, than we have more in common than I may have thought. These are traits that are pleasing to my God. I wish to be your friend, to learn what you have to share, to enjoy your company. "

He removed his sword belt, coat and tunic, laying them on the sand. He was well muscled with only a few battle scars. He removed his boots, setting them aside. He looked again at Nya. "Please understand, operating outside of what I know will be difficult for me at first, but I believe we can find a way to be friends, I would very much like that. I will try to learn to see you as you see yourself, that is how I will honor you. I ask that you help me be faithful to my God." Abashai rolled up his pant legs to his knees, gave Nya a warm smile, and waded into the rippling water.

[Nya Winters]

Nya caught a pebble between her large toe and the one beside it, and rolled the rough stone between the digits of her left foot in a nervous gesture as she observed him. She watched him take her words in and do about exactly what she had done when she heard his... think. They were thinkers, the pair of them. She waited in the pause, watching him gaze off into the forest, understanding now why his eyes always seemed adverted. She watched his jawline flex, his nostrils flare slightly with his breathing, and paid close attention to his entire posture. Sometimes, this was the moment when fight or flight was decided. This was the instant where important decisions were made and changes happened; sometimes simple small things, sometimes profound. Oddly enough, it was the second of such moments she found herself in with Abashai. Two in one day, to be precise. The first was when they'd first locked eyes. She stood in the water, frozen, the pebble between her toes forgotten as her whole being focused on his.

Unconsciously, Nya's breathing matched Abashai's and she felt her own heart speed up in her chest. The feeling was not unlike excitement - such as the promise of a challenging hunt. But it was somehow deeper - richer - as if the whole fate of her world hung on the mans next action, his next words. She lingered in that moment, afraid suddenly, but of a fear she could not easily name.

Then he moved. Decision made, he turned his head and met her gaze and took a step forward. The action startled her. It wasn't the predicted outcome at all. Abashai continuously surprised her, be it from his words or his actions. She stepped forward as well, drawn without conscious thought. She didn't exit the water or come closer than a single stride, but she did move, as if his own movement somehow released her from her frozen state. Her senses reined in her instinct before it could completely take over and she halted. She didn't want too, but her words had been honest. She did not want to make him uncomfortable and crowding him now might very well do that.

He sent his words out over the water and she listened, still once more, absorbing his meaning. She took pleasure from his accompanying scent drifting over the surface of the water before it disappeared into the swirling breezes that clung to the falling water playfully. He was thirty? Thirty years old? Nya couldn't imagine the depth and breath of life so many years must have awarded him. It explained a great deal. His words about tradition also augmented her understanding. She knew about traditions. Her parents had a few and had taught her some of them. The harvesting of herbs beneath the moonlight, the baking of sweetbread to give to the trader that made it his business to go so many miles out of route to visit them. There were countless traditions among the Winters family. Nya wondered about Abashai's traditions, curious to know them suddenly - to understand him better. Nya said nothing, however, as she watched, motionless again as he continued. Abashai seemed to speak of her as if she confused him, as if he was uncertain on how to take her actions... challenging. He called her challenging. The word could mean so many different things in the common language. Her heart constricted and then released.

Yahal. A God? Nya was familiar with so few Gods and Goddesses. She simply didn't have enough time or patience to sit still to read about them or listen to someone else speak. But in this instant she wanted to know. This was something deeply profound about Abashai. Yahal was important to him, and suddenly to the kelvic as well. Nya had enough good sense to understand Abashai had a lot he too could teach her... if she listened. His words continued, and as their meaning sank in they seemed to rained down around Nya like a healing balm, soothing the shame and settling over her, giving her something to absorb and to reflect on. A seeker? He was on a journey of discovery, to learn, to serve. A slow feline smile thinned and stretched her lips, making her eyes light up. She was all to familiar with that process.

His next actions - the removal of his weapons and most of his clothing - further reassured her. But she didn't want him to be the only one to give something, to adjust, to compromise. She moved closer to him, not too close. Nya stayed in the deep water where her body was submerged and concealed, all save her head. But she did creep closer, in fact close enough she could lift a hand and touch his bare shoulder after he'd entered the water more completely. She twisted her body away from him and reached, squeezing his shoulder gently. Men made the gesture - the shoulder clasp - to each other, often, and Nya somehow felt it appropriate in that instant. It also kept most of her concealed, which by now was clear to her that too much of her skin showing made Abashai uncomfortable. Her gaze had never left his as he came forwards and she retreated from the depths. The pebble was long lost to the bottom by now as she used her toes to maintain her balance.

"I do not want you to become something you are not, or do something you are not comfortable with. Ever." She wanted him to understand that was truly how she felt. "I... I can follow rules if I know them. With you, there is a new set I simply do not understand, but I will try hard to learn them Abashai. But you will have to help. It would be better, so much better, if one did not give all and the other take all. Sometimes in the wild that is how it is, and there is no way to change that. But we are not both of the wild and humanity already bends the rules of the world to suit itself. I understand this." Then she released his shoulder, and swam backwards, away from him, joy in her eyes at his presence in the pool.

"We will find a way. Both of us - a middle ground. There is a toy, for the children of Syliras, in the place where they play in the courtyard of youth. It is a long wooden plank balanced on a center beam. The kids can sit on either side of it and rock back and forth. Sometimes one child is heavier and the other's can't lift them up by sitting opposite alone. So more children pile on the light side until the heavy side is balanced and they can play. We are like those children... one way on one side and another way on another side. Too much, not enough - that is us as well. But the children find the path between, the middle ground. We can too. Because there is a path between that is true to both sides. We just have to find it. You can help me by giving me knowledge. If I know something, I can more closely understand. Perhaps first, you should tell me of Yahal. I am shamed a bit to say I do not know of him. If I can understand Him, I will understand you more. In return, I will tell you anything you may want to know. But later, around the fire, after music... when our bellies are full." The kelvic said softly. Abashai was getting the worst deal, Nya felt, because the young woman was an endless font of curiosity that sometimes overflowed with questions. And naturally, she had no good common sense to know when to stop asking them. But they would come later... when such things were best explored. In the darkness and silence of night around a fire, after a good meal, with only the stars to witness their words.

Nya felt a pull, a deep possessive needful pull towards this man. He was something special, someone noble... but someone too who was struggling. The pull was forceful, urgent, and she understood suddenly there and then that it was her unbonded spirit seeking completion. But she was afraid. Her mother had rejected her utterly when she'd tried to form a bond with her. Her father too, and his natural fear, had damaged her ability to allow something that was natural to her to happen naturally. She rejected the urge, held herself back, and forcefully lightened the moment. They could only take so many of them, after all, in one day. So instead, she tossed her head, snorted uncatlike and threw a grin in Abashai's direction.

"Does this mean I get to wash your hair after all?" She said boldly, and sent a playful wall of water at him with a swipe of her slightly cupped palm. And then she did something surprising. After all the attention she paid him, she left him alone. Nya didn't stay for him to answer her, but instead frolicked to the far side of the pool where she happily splashed around in what could only be described as sheer joy of the moment - of the water - of the last of the warm summer sun - of being free. It would be clear to the man, in no time at all, that the kelvic needed no entertaining to have fun. She chased stray mayflies, dove for rocks that she herself tossed into deeper water, and generally burned off the restless energy that all the talking had filled her with. Frogs fled for their lives, and once or twice she climbed to a higher spot above the pool to jump down into it for the sheer joy of it.

And it did something else important as well. It gave Abashai time to adjust without pressure to not being alone in the pool. He could observe or play as he liked, swimming or finding a quiet place to sit and soak and reflect on his own thoughts. He could join Nya in the play, or simply swim quietly as he liked. She'd not bother him nor pressure him in the least to interact after he'd been so uncomfortable.

Eventually, she tired and made her way to the ledge where she'd left her supplies to begin her bath. Feline to the core, such a chore was set upon with all the seriousness she possessed.

[Abashai]

Abahsai had never felt more vulnerable, never. He had spent his adult life in Eyktol hiding behind a carefully crafted persona. The Desert Wanderer who brought music, a strong arm and the news of the Tents. He could come and go as he wished, never staying long enough to answer delving questions. He was a hero, and heroes did not have weaknesses. It was his hedge of protection, allowing him to be someone that, in his heart, he knew he was not.

He felt liberated as he opened his heart to Nya. As he spoke, looking into the intent green eyes of the girl, he realized he was starting to define himself in a way he had not even pondered. He indeed was learning to step out in faith, not in the faith of his own abilities, but in trust of Yahal and a kelvic stranger.

When Abashai took those steps into the water, his heart pounding in his chest, he was keenly aware of Nya's presence, and of himself. he did not know what to expect. He did not avert his eyes from her. She was a lovely young woman. The face that so recently looked at him, wide-eyed and child-like, now bore a pensive, intent pose. She was true to her word, remaining submerged as she approached, respectfully turning to conceal herself as she raised partly out of the water. When she reach out to touch him, he did not flinch, physically. Any apprehension he had was gone when he felt the long-fingered hand grip his shoulder, the grasp strong and firm. It was the gesture he had shared with friends in the distant past, one that confirmed acceptance as an equal, reassurance as a friend and the acknowledgment of a bond between two people. Her words revealed a respect for who he was, and a willingness to work on their friendship, that struck him deeply. The moment was almost overwhelming. No one had ever taken such an interest in getting to know who he truly was. He stood astounded that, in just a few short hours, he found himself physically, emotionally and spiritually closer to this being than he had ever been with anyone in his life. The revelation was exciting, moving and frightening.

She released his shoulder and In a moment she was gone, pushing a ways back into the water, the sober look in her brilliant eyes replaced again with the familiar smile. Her grasp of the nature of their fledgling relationship, the balance that needed struck, put into words what Abashai felt but could not place his finger on. Indeed, he too looked forward to the time he could learn what this amazing, complex creature was all about.

He tried to dodge the wall of water she sent at him, the cold shock as it splashed against his skin causing him to jump and laugh out loud. Before he could answer her question, she was off, diving and playing, the child again, oblivious to him, or the world for that matter. He was relieved. She was able to take a very uncomfortable situation for him, and turn it into a growing experience. Abasahi stood in the waist-high water, raised his hands to the sky and thanked Yahal for the falls and the water and the day itself, then dived under the water on his end of the pool, allowing himself to enjoy the cooling sensation. he emerged, cinched up his water-logged pants and wrung the water from his hair. Then he simply laid at the pool's edge, allowing the water to lap around him. He put his hands behind his head and look skyward, then closed his eyes. He could hear Nya playing in the water, sometimes giggling, sometimes making a purring noise that would have sounded odd coming from anyone else, but Abashai seemed to think it fit her well. The sounds made him feel safe for some reason, even amused him, and a broad smile crossed his face as he allowed himself to finally relax.

Eventually the playful noise stopped, and Abashia turned his head to see what Nya was doing. She had moved over to the ledge where she had laid her bathing supplies. Standing waist deep, her back to him, she took the soap and very methodically began to wash. He allowed himself to watch only a moment, he would not permit himself the temptation to look at her in any other way than a friend. That discipline would take time. She was pleasing to look at, he noted, light-skinned and fitly shaped, even with the multitude of scars (that was a question he would ask). He pondered for an instant, as any man would, whether they would ever be more than friends. He dismissed it immediately, the future would never reveal to him it secrets. Closing his eyes again, he chanced to muse where all this was going. They may become the best of friends, she may become like a sister, they may become something kelvic that he didn't even understand yet, it was possible they may become more ...or they may part after a short time as simply temporary traveling companions. He laughed at himself, the internal monologue sounding to him like a giddy benshiran girl.

Another moment of decision, another risk to take. He sat up, seeing Nya was finishing the careful rinsing of her long hair. He swam over, hoping the sound of the rushing falls would silence his approach. Stopping behind her, he stood and turned his back to hers . "Very well, Nya Winters, you may wash my hair, but I do not know about this shampoo. In the desert, we wash our hair with sand!" He spoke with a large smile, wondering if she caught his teasing tone.

[Nya Winters]

She did startle, hearing his voice so close to her. Nya had been lost in her own world - a world she rarely visited - one of profound contentment. Good company, an ongoing conversation of words, a constant sense of discovery, and a humbling sense of wonder filled her mind. That, coupled with a good bath, had lulled the kelvic into a hazy state of perfection. She couldn't remember the last time her mind had been so busy, so occupied with processing new things. It was a rare rich sensation and the girl felt almost drunk with it. She turned then, just in time to see him complete his own pivot, presenting her with his back. Nya brushed a wet clean strand of hair out of her eyes as her lips curved slowly upwards as understanding finally found her. He would allow her the task... and was that a joke he'd just made?

The woman leaned forward, not touching him at all, but so that her chin came up over his shoulder, her lips next to his right ear. "I don't believe you... not about the sand." She said, laughter in her voice. Then she leaned back and moved so she stood behind him comfortably in the water. "Sit down....relax." She said, lifting first one hand and then another, pressing him downward in the water. She'd release her grip as soon as he complied. He could lounge as she worked on the black strands. She said, reaching up and running her fingers into his thick hair. She touched his scalp, rubbed it a moment, as if discovering just how thick his hair was, and then withdrew her touch. Nya wanted to ask him about tents, about people who lived in cloth houses. But she decided it would be better to distract him in other ways so he could let his mind roam and not feel to uncomfortable. She realized, in his gesture, what it meant to him to trust her and the situation like he was doing.

She purred deep in her throat and gathered some of the clear shampoo into her hands. The substance always reminded her of her mother and so she began to talk about home. "Sylira is different here than it is in the north. In the north on the boarder of Taldera, I grew up in the remains of an old citadel. It was something that existed before the earthshaking and the floods, when people had to go beneath the land to survive. All that was left was a large tower of black rock. Giant trees grew up around it and spilled out onto a huge meadow where woodland caribou and elk sometimes grazed. There was no one living close to us. My mother is a follower of Eyris, The Goddess of Wisdom, and in her work, she located the ruins and stayed there to study." Nya said softly, her hands slowly and gently touching Abashai's hair. She stroked his head once, then ran her hands into the locks until her nails found his skull where they began to rub, working the soap into the strands at their roots. The scent of vanilla and spice and something that hinted at musk reached his nostrils. It was an odd choice of scents for a woman, no for a normal woman, but for some reason it suited Nya better than lavender or jasmine - typical choices - ever could.

"My mother used to apologize to me for living out so far from anyone else. She never expected to be a mother, I suspect. But she could never quite bring herself to move back to a city." Nya continued, pressing harder now, gathering more and more strands of his hair up into her hands and rubbing the shampoo into them. "But she had certain needs. Supplies I think, medicines, and she brought books to Syliras to trade. She went to a horse fair there, because though she'd caught a ride with a trader for the trip down, she had picked up too many things and the trader wasn't due to make the circuit again for another season." Nya leaned forward and ran her cheek across the loose strands in her hands, nuzzling them curiously. Abashai had beautiful hair. It was far better than her own and reminded her of the mane of a horse. Her father had hair a lot like the strands she held in her hand, only his was straight and course. She missed him terribly... despite the past.
"I'm not sure what happened at the horse fair. My mother has always been somewhat vague about it. But I do know she purchased a lovely set of draft horses, a wagon, and a crazy stallion that was going to be sold to the butchers. He was Kelvic, though she didn't know it. There is a lot about their story that I do not know, but I do know he was the reason my mother had me, and that he lives with her still. She does not go anywhere now without his company. His name is Ulvik." Nya said softly. Finished lathering up the strands, she dipped her hands in the pool and ran them up the side of his face to his forehead, gently pressing back on it so he could lean back and she could begin rinsing out the long locks.

There was a subtle sadness in Nya's voice. It wasn't the sort of self pity, rather it was the sorrow of regret that laced her words. "My mother gave birth a year later. I do not think she expected to have a kelvic child either. She kept pointing at literature she had, how much research she had done. I was not supposed to be like my father. I was supposed to be human. My father was pleased. He thought he would have another to run with, because sometimes it was hard for him to stay home. Kelvics and humans combine a great deal. They never have kelvic offspring. Two kelvics always do, but it is so rare a kelvic would come of a .... " Nya broke off, refocusing her attention on Abashai's hair. "I was not what either expected. When my father found out, he left. He told my mother to decide what to do with me and he would return in the spring. He was back two days later, and furious. It is hard for a bonded kelvic to leave their bondmate." Nya chuckled slightly. "We learned to get along, eventually, but it was very hard on my mother. She tried to keep the peace so often. My mother is very gentle and soft spoken. She knows so many things." Nya said, pride in her voice. There was no anger at her father either, only sadness and resolve.

With his hair rinsed and shining, Nya twisted it deftly into a loose knot like her own at the base of his neck. Nya picked up the bar of soap and started on the back of his neck and shoulders. She washed as she spoke, somehow failing to notice she was far past where he'd agreed to let her trespass. "It was clear as I got a bit older that my presence was hard on him. He could bnot help it, but our natures clashed horribly. My very scent set him on edge. But I will tell you the truth, Abashai. I never once looked at him as anything but a parent. He was a good parent too. He taught me about the land, about the things I needed to know to read it. And he was glad for me being around too sometimes. I could tell when the heavy snows were coming. We were always ready because of it." She said, having moved on to one of his arms. It got thoroughly scrubbed from his shoulder blade out to the tip of his fingers. Her hands even dipped into his armpits, showing absolutely no shyness. She turned to the other arm as she finished, repeating the attention.

"I should not have stayed with them so long. Two years is a long time for a kelvic to be with her parents, but I am lucky in many ways. Had I been a mouse, that would have been most of my life. My wilder form is long lived and slow growing, so I needed the extra time. I am grateful each day for it." She said, halting her bathing of him there. Nya knew she could press him, dip lower in the water and start on his legs or circle in front and complete his bath entirely. But Abashai had rules for her, and rules that were backed by a good reason; his faith. Her own faith had taught her how important these things were, and so she respected them and the reasons behind them. The kelvic laid the soap aside and leaned forward so her forehead rested on his right shoulder.

She sighed softly, a rumbling purr emerging from her throat, and then spoke again. "You are very easy to talk too. I cannot remember ever making so many words before... not even with my parents." In that moment, she sounded painfully young, uncertain, and confused. "Thank you for spending the day with me." She said sincerely before pulling away. She exited the water before the moment made him too nervous, giving him time to finish his bath himself. In many ways, he was like a skittish horse. The thought brought a smile to her face as she quickly used the towel outside of his view. Time would calm him down and lower his boundaries if that was indeed something he desired. Kelvics were unique in that their beliefs and needs tended to slowly mirror those they bonded with. Right now, unbonded, was absolutely and completely herself.

Nya had clean clothing on with minimal effort and moved to the side of the pool behind and away from Abashai to quickly wash the ones she had been wearing - all but the leather pants and belt. She would be close, protective, but give him quiet and privacy to finish and dress so they could go check their snares and make dinner. They. The thought of doing something, anticipating an activity with someone else, especially him, warmed Nyas sober thoughts all over again. She smiled, and bent to the task of laundry.

[Abashai]

Abashai had closed his eyes as he turned his back to Nya. The sudden sound of her playful voice so close to his ear made his heart jump. He almost retorted that, indeed, when water was scarce they did clean their hair with sand to ward against parasites. He refrained, however, the whole subject quite irrelevant given the unprecedented circumstances.

The touch of her hands on his shoulder made his heart race, so unfamiliar to him. She was firm and gentle, not lingering, he noticed. He realized how careful she was not to cross the unseen boundaries. He complied with her unspoken request and sat in the water.

She began to massage the scented solution into his hair. The spiced aroma was pleasing, reminding him of home. He began to relax, now knowing why wealthy city people paid others to wash their hair. He was relieved when she began to speak, and the once aqkward situation took on an almost natural air, hardly what he had expected.

As Abashai listened to the girl open up her past to him, he carefully detected the running thread of emotions. Nya wore her feelings close to the skin, and it was not difficult for Abashai to discern how she felt about the events of her life and the mix of emotions surrounding her parents. If he had read her story in a book, he would have attributed it to fancy and myth. Giant trees, an ancient tower, people turning into animals. But the soft sound of her voice, rich with life, left no doubt that she was revealing to him the honest depth of her heart. She spoke candidly of her and her father's kelvic nature, but she gave little indication as to what her animal form was, other than it was not a horse. He paid little heed to the omission, caught up in the human Nya that was so tangible, so real behind him.

Lost in an attempt to frame mental images conjured up by her story, Abashai barely noticed that she had begun to wash his neck and shoulders. She did not break her monologue, obvious as lost as he in the retelling. The man let her continue, sensing nothing dishonorable in her gentle ministrations, she went no further than was comfortable. Nya completed the bathing as the recounting of her life reached a close. There was a moment of peaceful silence between them, again the sound of the rushing falls and forest birds filled the void. He felt her lay her head against his shoulder. It did not bother him, nor did he feel threatened. In fact, it spoke deeply to him. In that gentle moment, he began to understand who Nya the kelvic was. In many ways she was still a child finding her way. She was lonely and it made his heart ache. It was a great tragedy that such a vibrant, caring person would have to lead such a lonley life.

Her final words humbled him. She drift off to dress herself, leaving Abashai to his thoughts. He reached over and picked up the soap, holding it to his face to sneak a deep draught of its exotic smell. He completed his bathing and exited from the water.

Abashai walked to his clothes, pausing a moment to see where Nya was washing her clothes downstream. There was still a great deal of unanswered questions about the woman, but less confusion. He knew enough to know he wanted to remain longer in her company. She was like something precious that compelled one to draw it closer, to learn its value, to enjoy its beauty, even to examine its flaws. He decided to leave off his tunic and coat, hoping it would help his pants dry out faster. He scooped up the garments and his boots, slung the sword belt over his shoulder and grabbed Nya's soap. He stopped at the pool's edge to rinse the sand off the bar and made his way toward the girl kneeling on the stream bank.