Tansy of the Wilds

Chapter Twelve

Several hours later Tansy and Xer'tal breached the forest and Tansy looked at the mountains. She let out a heavy breath of awe. She had never been so close to them before, she always saw them in the distance but seeing them up close was awe inspiring. She was the farthest she had ever been from home, she was fairly positive she was the farthest anyone in her family had been.

However the mountains, as majestic as they were, their sheer size was daunting. She turned to Flixom. "Any safe passages through the mountain?" Tansy knew that Flixom and the other kobolds knew those mountains better than anyone. If anyone knew an easier way through the large mountains, it would be them, Especially since they came from Kelpfar.

"Yes, we have a mountain cave passage. We have carved it out over the many years we have lived in Kelpfar." Flixom chittered it out before she gestured between Tansy and Xer'tal. "You will be alright but your mate will struggle because he is so large." The words had Tandy giving a slight eye roll. Flixom had started calling Xer'tal Tansy's mate last night and she wasn't listening to Tansy telling her that wasn't true.

However she knew she needed to translate it for the large orc. She turned and reached out, touching his arm gently with her fingertips. "She says there is a mountain passage but it will be a bit more difficult for you because you are so big. It's through the mountain caves." Tansy translated it before she glanced up at him.

She watched as he threw a glance at the looming mountains before letting out a low growl of contemplation, instinctively flexing his armored shoulders while giving her a fleeting glance. She nearly missed it, she was so intent on watching the muscles of his shoulders flex under his armour. It made her cheeks flush a bit warmer that he had caught her staring at the rather masculine display.

"Mountain caves, eh?" He rumbled, a grunt accompanied by the clear sound of him grinding his teeth. Despite the casual dismissal in his tone, she could see that his gaze seemed to assess the impending challenge with a steely focus, "Well, there ain't a space I haven't squeezed through just yet, lass. Ain't about to fail that now." Tansy watched as he turned to Flixom and nodded with a grunt before he seemed to shake himself. "Blasted kobolds... Got me on a wild goose chase through mountains now." He gruffly grumbled the words, glancing at Tansy and she gave him a slight smile in return.

She turned to watch as the kobolds started to move off the track and towards a rocky outcropping. "Make sure ya keep a tight hold on my arm, Tansy," Xer'tal grumbled as they both began their trek towards the outcropping of rock the Kobolds were disappearing around, "Those caves will feel cramped, even for someone of yer size."

Tansy nodded and reached out towards him as they made it to the outcropping and she could see the darkness of the caves. She grasped his large arm, resting her fingers in the crook of his elbow as Flixom chittered with amusement.

"For not being your mate, he takes care of you as if he is." The kobold gave her a toothy grin right before she stepped into the cave and Tansy rolled her eyes.

"You repeating it doesn't make it true." Tansy's tone held a slightly amused exasperation as the kobold and her group led them into the cave system. Tansy kept hold of Xer'tal's arm, silently enjoying the feel of the muscles underneath her fingers and palm. His skin was heated and it made her stomach swirl inside of her at just how dainty she felt beside him, and how strong he felt underneath her hand.

Orcs had always fascinated her, they were always strong but in a different way than lumberjacks were. She was always respectful and never intruded on their space, but this was something she was relishing in because he felt just like any other person but it was like she could feel his strength flowing through his very veins, just liked she thought it would. Like the very core of his strength flowed through his veins and heated his skin. It made her shiver slightly as they descended into the cave system, following the kobolds.

As they enter the darkness, Tansy could feel his muscles flex underneath her hand and she blinked rapidly, squeezing reflexively against it. He felt really good under her palm and that brought her a fair amount of embarrassment. He had made his position known, she was just a job and she didn't need to be hanging off of him like some sort of lovesick puppy simply because he told her she was interesting and she liked how strong he was.

"Do you guys do this trek without any lights at all?" Tansy clung to Xer'tal as she almost tripped over a loose rock.

"Of course!" Flixom called it out cheerfully in kobold and Tansy rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"Gods save me from sarcastic kobolds who wish to bullshit me." She muttered it out as she reached up with her other hand and grabbed Xer'tal's arm with it as well. It made her feel more secure. At least that is what she was telling herself. It had nothing to do with feeling the strength of his muscles running like hard iron under his skin.

"It's easy to call bullshit when ya have the size of a squished gnome," Xer'tal snorted in amusement and Tansy grinned at that, even in the darkness. She liked seeing him so amused and joking around. He had a razor sharp sense of humor she was finding, a touch pessimistic but she enjoyed it all the same.

After some more laughter from the kobolds, they lit torches but the darkness was so black it was inky and it was like the light couldn't fight through all of it. Tansy stuck close to Xer'tal, her side nearly brushing his. He was tall enough her head barely reached the tops his shoulders but she liked that in this darkness. It made her feel safe amid the darkness that surrounded them.

Flixom, as if sensing the slight anxiety coming from Tansy, cleared her throat. "These tunnels took us generations to carve." The kobold announced it loudly. "It took many moons and life cycles to finish the pass. Thirty-four generations of Kelpfar kobolds lived and died before this passage was completed. We are four generations past the completion of these tunnels." The history lesson was intriguing for Tansy and she nodded, her eyes on the back of Flixom's head. "It took the travel from treacherous mountain passes and nearly four days of hard travel, down to several hours in relative safety."

Tansy appreciated Flixom doing her best to help distract her from her anxiety, she truly did. "They are telling me the history of the tunnels." She whispered it to Xer'tal, adjusting her grip on his arm, squeezing as the muscles flex slightly under her palm. "It took the Kelpfar kobolds thirty four generations to make the passageway through the mountain."

In response, Xer'tal grunted. "Thirty four generations, huh? That's some dedication," He murmured it out in that rough voice of his, the tone of his voice holding a tiny note of admiration. He leaned closer to Tansy as he spoke and she felt a wave of warmth move over her, a touch of protectiveness, like he was her shield from the world. "I believe it's best we stick close for this journey then, Tansy," There was a gravelly undertone in his voice that Tansy found oddly comforting. "Don't wander off admirin' some worm or somethin', yeah?"

Tansy giggled at that, moving just a touch closer to him. "No worries about that. I'm staying right here." She had no want to wander off into the suffocating darkness that the torch flames barely touched. She was perfectly fine right next to Xer'tal and she wasn't too keen on letting him go either, especially as his arm flexed under her palms again and it sent that now familiar warmth spiraling from her chest to her belly. Especially as he pulled his arm closer to his side, the movement bringing her even closer to him.

She smiled to herself, she was most certainly perfectly content where she was.