Page 8 of Dweller of the Mists

Chapter

Seven

Gwum streaked through the water as he swam across the pond, eager to visit with the human female. Noelle. Her name flowed strangely off his tongue and yet it had a beautiful cadence to it that he found to be delightful. Just as she was. Although they never came closer than him in the water and her safely seated in front of her dwelling, she had a lively spirit that slowly revealed itself as they conversed.

What had begun as a stilted conversation that first day had grown over the last few solar rotations. It had also revealed to him the frightening circumstances of her situation that had her traveling through the swamps. It was why he had not tried to close the distance between them. Seeing her gradually become calmer and more relaxed was worth the delay. It had helped that the cazka was in a different part of its territory rather than venturing near the dwelling. It would not last much longer, but it was a good reprieve for her that she needed. He just wished that the nangash could wait. It was already beginning to wilt very slightly despite his best attempts in the hollow of the tree where he was currently keeping them.

Today, he would have to say goodbye if she decided not to leave with him. He could escort her to her supplies where shehoped to find the others who had come to Kren with her as it was in the same direction he was traveling, but he had to leave in the morning, regardless of whether she came or not.

Any unfamiliar pang tightened his chest, and he stopped swimming to rub it with one hand. That was strange. He had never had issues with his health before. Perhaps he needed to rest for a time upon returning to his maternal pond.

He did not want to think about that now. He just wanted to enjoy what was left of his time with the fascinating human. He did not like the fact that she would soon be alone. She would be frightened and sad there alone. He hoped that she decided to come with him. Perhaps he should bring her a gift. He brightened at the thought but then promptly grimaced. What did females enjoy receiving as gifts?

He knew of the traditional courting gifts that a male would bring to a female, hoping that she would choose him once she decided to mate. Competition was fierce, and males were not above wooing the female they desired. Such gifts were usually food items designed to show ability to care for her, but he did not think Noelle would enjoy them. He was uncertain if she would even find the delicacies enjoyed by Shoowilp females to be pleasing. They were completely different species, with likely very different ways of experiencing food. For that reason, the odds weighed heavily in favor of her not liking them.

What would he enjoy if he were female?

Gwum huffed mirthfully. If someone deigned to present him with a gift, the answer was easy. He would not mind being brought plants to cut down on his own necessary foraging. Noelle had delicate skin… Perhaps the gyil. The gel acquired from pulsing the thick flower petals would be good for her to use to create a protective barrier over her skin. It was a gift he believed was considerate, so she would naturally enjoy it.

Tipping his head back, he scanned the branches above him, searching for the familiar bloom of the parasitic gyil flower. They typically grew plentifully in the oyal trees which were identifiable by their notched limbs and the whorl pattern on the bark of the tree. Ah, there! The pale purple flowers were not luminescent so far more difficult to spot, the petals just visible against the deeper lavender gray leaves of the host tree. With a grin he leaped for the lowest branch and made his way up the tree, until he reached the branches where the mist was thinnest and gyil bloomed in a ray of sunlight. Unlike a Gwyr, he found the intense sunlight uncomfortable, but he did not let it interfere with his careful collection of the flowers.

With the utmost care, he snapped the stem and gathered the bloom up into his hand. It was so large that the flower nearly filled the space between his claw tips and the bottom of his palm, and its rich perfume seemed to grow even more potent by the moment. Taking care not to bruise the flower, he tucked it into his satchel, resting it gingerly on the bed of nangash leaves that still filled the bottom. With the gyil flower stored, he turned his attention to gathering a second and a third flower. Three hardly seemed like enough, but as Gwum had no room left in his satchel—not without dumping out the nangash leaves that his people needed—he reluctantly left the remaining flowers behind and resumed making his way back to the dwelling.

The moment it came within sight, a renewed excitement filled his chest. He hated finding a safe place to sleep at night. It forced him to leave the pond and take refuge in the nearby trees, and the necessity of finding food in the morning inevitably drew him even farther from Noelle. But now that he was returning to her, all of that fell away. It was unimportant. All he cared about at that moment was seeing her lovely, unusual human face.

To his surprise, Noelle was already outside. She sat on her favorite root perch, her face tilted up to the morning sun as shebreathed in the sweet air. She appeared to be unaware of the nightglow insects that clung to her hair like a luminous crown, their light a glorious radiance despite dimming with the rising of the sun. As if suddenly aware of his presence, she opened her eyes, and a tiny smile curled her lips that made his hearts stutter. Her hands brushed over her clothes, self-conscious of the dirt that clung to her. He did not care about such things. She could be wearing the healing mud from the bottom of the swamp and still be the most beautiful creature to him. That realization was shocking but there was a rightness to it that thudded like a pulse through his veins.

His hearts in his throat, he crept closer, his hand going to the satchel where the gyil flowers waited.

“Good morning, Gwum.”

A small shiver of pleasure ran through him, and he smiled as he dropped into the lower branches of a nearby tree. “Good morning, Noelle. How was your rest?”

An expression he did not recognize flitted far too quickly across her face, but he gave it little thought, focusing instead on the way her smile grew in response.

“It wasn’t bad. Very quiet. I’m not accustomed to the sounds… or the lack of sound… that this swamp makes.”

He cocked his head, baffled as he took in the surrounding sounds of the pond. “The swamp is alive with continuous song and sound. It sings even now. Do you truly not hear it?”

She shook her head and her smile grew rueful. “I’m guessing that I’m missing out on a lot, huh?”

He did not understand the sound at the end of her question but chose to ignore it, inferring that it must be something that stressed the question. He nodded grimly, suddenly more worried about his little human than ever. If she did not leave with him, she would be even more vulnerable than he had originally believed. He had never heard of anything having suchdull senses on all of Kren. That meant that she had not been merely distracted when he had followed her, but she had truly heard nothing at all.

Another shiver ran over him, but this time out of fear.

Her smile dimmed at his wordless reply and a flicker of emotion darkened her eyes with concern. “That worries you, doesn’t it?”

Again, he nodded. “The swamp is beautiful,” he began, “but it is very dangerous. If you cannot hear its song even now, then you are unlikely to hear the creatures that hunt within it. You did not hear them,” he amended, clarifying. “I thought that perhaps you just did not recognize the sounds, or were too distracted that you ignored them as something not notable enough for concern. But you did not hear them at all. If I had not come across you?—”

“I would have died before I even reached camp,” she concluded and looked around warily and choked on a gurgling sound in her throat. “I could have had that creature you spoke of sneaking up on me while I sat here waiting for you and would have died before I realized anything was wrong. Shit, it wouldn’t even had to sneak up on me,” she muttered.

Gwum have her a sympathetic look and leaped to a branch that was closer to her, wanting more than anything to soothe her worry. “I would not have let it hurt you,” he assured her. “I would have heard it moving through this part of the swamp long before it reached the human dwelling.”

She swallowed thickly. “But you cannot stay.”

He nodded regretfully. “I cannot. But… you may accompany me.”

A look of fear rose within her eyes and his hearts plummeted. She was still afraid of him. She still did not trust him. He hoped for too much in such a meager amount of time.

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