Because of You || zeenunew

Part 2

In the next few weeks, NuNew found himself into some kind of routine.

A rather pleasant one.

He helped his family taking care of the villagers, while learning, little by little, to make medicines, ointments and remedies from his father and mother.

He went to the Forest twice a week, to refurbish their stocks of herbs; sometimes, thrice.

And most of the times, he went there alone.

His brother was happy, because he had more time to help his parents, to finish his job earlier and have more time to spend with his beloved Kleos.

Meanwhile, NuNew could spend more time in the Forest, with Zee Pruk.

A win-win situation.

But when NuNew stopped himself long enough to focus on what he was doing and what was going on with his life, he could feel... he could totally feel that something serious was happening.

He was growing attached.

Attached to Zee Pruk.

To a semi-god.

And there was something in the way lady Gria looked at him every time she saw him going to the Forest, or coming back from that place with a stupid smile on his face, that was even more telling.

Because he was sure, he had a stupid smile on his face.

It was as if she knew something was going on.

But he had travelled all his life, he helped his family, he was always the good, responsible son...

Could he claim something for himself?

He was still helping his family, after all.

It couldn't really hurt, that he kept meeting Zee Pruk in the meantime.

Couldn't it?

Zee Pruk seemed equally happy to spend time with him.

Not that he presumed to see through a semi-god's thoughts but... unless he was the biggest actor among the deities, he really looked as happy as he was, every time they met in the Forest.

The semi-god listened to him, to all the things he talked about, and likewise, NuNew was eager to know more about him, to learn from his knowledge about the plants and the trees.

Sometimes they just walked next to each other in silence through the trees, NuNew stealing glances of his noble, handsome profile.

Sometimes he got caught, and those times, Zee Pruk looked at him in a way that made him blush.

What was he thinking, in those moments?

Just like that day, that one day when they were just sitting against a tree, Zee Pruk playing his flute and NuNew going through the herbs he had picked while absentmindedly muttering the melody the semi-god was playing.

They weren't alone, that day, because a couple of satyrs got closer to them and... Zee Pruk's stance changed immediately into a defensive mode.

They only did what NuNew expected from satyrs to do, from the stories known by common people, about them being overly suggestive and flirty.

He didn't take it much to heart.

To be honest, he felt completely safe and protected next to Zee Pruk, so there was no moment he felt like anything unpleasant or unwanted could have happened to him.

Nonetheless, the air around the semi-god seemed to be charged by some mysterious power.

NuNew had never seen him like that.