A Heart So Precious Sample

Chapter Five

VARDAN

Glancing across the clearing at the Ahvi, I felt my lips turn down in a frown. She was a truly compelling person,  all at once shy and quiet, as well as fierce and frightening. One moment she is blushing prettily as I gazed into her vibrant gold eyes, and the next she is throwing a dagger at a beast three times her size with deadly accurate aim.

On the one hand, she seemed like a genuinely adorable, sweet girl. Besides her knack with blades, which was oddly impressive. Not even oddly. Just impressive. On the other, it was only logical to feel worried over where she learned those impressive skills.

My village was in a vulnerable position, with drought affecting our already imager harvests for the third year in a row. We were relying heavily on the prey we could hunt in the mountains. and couldn't afford any trouble.

While in my village we prized our women, the reality is that many other villages didn't. No girl I had ever known could throw a dagger like that. Honestly, not even any man I knew. Not only did the dagger hit its mark with insane accuracy given her flustered and weakened state, but it flew through the air in the blink of an eye. The wolf didn't stand a chance, and that was a scary thought.

Staring more intently at Ahvi, I watched her closely, or as close as I could from across the clearing. Maybe it was my own protective instincts kicking in, but there was definitely something off about the girl. Not to the point of myself being distrustful, but surely weary.

It was a feeling I couldn't explain exactly, and I decided to put my thoughts to the side for now. Whether she was a danger in the future or not, she certainly wasn't now. In fact, she was looking oddly pale at the moment, probably from the residual effects of starvation and the still present chill.

Waking over to the girl huddled at the edge of the forest, it almost looked like she was preparing to make a break for it. Not willing to take any chances, I called out to her, attempting to gain her attention.

" Hej, Sunshine," I called to Ahvi, hoping to seem confident. When she looked over with something akin to a cringe, I mentally cursed myself. Over the last number of hours, I couldn't help but feel as if I had switched minds with Milo. Known as the timid one, preferring to hide in the shadows then socialise in any manner, he had never had a way with girls. Not that I had either, but I had never before struggled to get words out of my mouth, blushing furiously with even a glance in my direction.

I hoped this isn't what it was like to like someone, cause then I was doomed. What girl would like a guy unable to be assertive, instead looking at the ground in nervousness, too shy to speak his mind?

Groaning inwardly, I concluded that all I could do was be myself. The rest was up to her. Not that I was trying to court her after only a few hours in each other's presence. That would be much too quick.

Though to be fair, we had already shared the same bedroll, and saved each other's lives multiple times even in the select time we had in each other's company. That had to be a record.

"Sunshine," she responded, questioning. " You talking to me, mister? Cause I ain't no one's Sunshine." Glaring playfully at me, she took a seat on a fallen log near her, beckoning me over to sit with her.

At least I hoped she was being playful, or I had just started a conversation with an insult. One lesson I have learned from my mother is never to make a woman angry. They have a knack of being incredibly scary when they want to be.

Sitting stiffly on the decaying wood, my muscles took a moment to adjust to the new position. Never before had I been so sore. Though that was to be expected after carrying another person for a long distance, on top of the past week of trekking through the mountains hunting for prey.