Eva crept forward, careful to keep each movement slow and non-threatening. In one sense, Drake was absolutely right. This was dangerous. It always was when approaching an unknown mythological. You never knew if they'd be accepting of human presence or seek to destroy.
Human/mythological relations was a relatively new concept and there was a long history of the two not getting along. Some might even say they were natural born enemies.
Still, Eva didn't think the fire fox would put her in a situation that endangered her life.
Eva stopped when she sensed Drake's tension increase to a level that suggested he'd act if she went any closer. She didn't look away from the rock creature, crouching to make herself smaller and seem like less of a threat before aiming a gentle smile in his direction.
He shrunk behind his tree, only his eyes peering out at her, the rest of his face hidden by the trunk, even as his lower body and torso stuck out the other side.
Eva didn't move. Sometimes, with wild creatures, patience went further than anything else. Letting them come to you was always better than forcing an interaction.
Long seconds passed before the fox looked up at the gentle creature.
The two stared at each other, holding a conversation Eva could almost sense. She concentrated but only caught a low-level buzz in the back of her mind. So faint that she almost thought she'd imagined it.
As if coming to a decision, the rock creature reached up and plucked one of the white flowers from the top of his head and held it out to Eva.
"For me?" She pointed at her chest.
A low rumbling came from the mythological's throat. It put her in mind of boulders being pushed across the land, inch by slow inch. The passage of centuries encompassed in that one sound, carrying with them an invisible weight.
As if afraid she wouldn't understand, the mythological tucked his chin in a slow nod.
Eva glanced at the tiny flower, made even smaller by the massive hand wrapped around it. A hand that could easily have palmed Eva's skull and crushed it.
Yet the mythological handled that flower like a precious treasure. Inexplicably gentle as he offered it to Eva.
Conscious of the way Drake tensed as she reached out to take it, Eva gave the mythological a bright smile. "Thank you. I'll cherish it."
Another slow rumble came, like that of titans clashing.
Eva didn't know what he said, not in words at least. It was more of a feeling she got.
People in the Highlands often liked to say that the land had a mind and will of its own. It could embrace your presence, but it also could decide you weren't welcome. There was many a cautionary tale of what happened in such cases. Usually, those involved died in grisly ways.
Until right this moment, Eva, like many Trateri, thought that was merely an excuse those in the Highlands gave for not being willing to leave the safety of their villages.
What she was picking up from the mythological suggested there was some truth in those stories.
It was a thought to examine later—when she wasn't in the presence of an entity, she was beginning to suspect was more than just a mythological.
There was a connection she could feel. As if he was the land in some abstract fashion.
A silly thought—except this was the Highlands and much stranger things had happened.
Eva tilted the flower in her hand, attracted to the strange petals. She was almost mesmerized at the faint shimmer she caught in their depths. As if a pollen made of diamonds had been scattered along its silky surface.
Exquisite.
Eva came back to herself with a jolt. "Where are my manners? You gave me a gift. It's only right I give you one in return."
Eva dug in her pockets, her fingers touching against the smooth woven surface of the decorative pattern she'd been working on for Caia.
It wasn't much. Just a little thing she'd seen on other Trateri saddles. Often tied to the front or side and left to hang free. They were usually gifts from family, friends, or lovers and came in a variety of colors and patterns.
This pattern was a tad more complicated than any she'd tried before. Made from multiple strands, it had an interesting red pattern running down its center while the outside edges were made from white thread.
It didn't look half bad, if Eva was being entirely honest.
Perhaps that was why she didn't dismiss it as a possibility. Though created with Caia in mind, it carried her sincerity. It wasn't too much to say it was a physical expression of the love and respect she had for Caia. Most importantly, it was something she'd created with her own hands, making it the perfect gift.
Either way, Eva wasn't sure how likely it was for her to meet this mythological again. Once this moment passed, chances were it wouldn't come again.
Impressions, good or bad, tended to last much longer than the moments that created them. As the people she'd claimed as her own, she wanted the Trateri to start off on a good foot—especially with an unknown mythological who may or may not have been dangerous.
Making her decision, Eva withdrew the weaving from her pocket and held it out on the flat of her hand.
"For you," she said before she could change her mind.
The mythological plucked the weaving from her hand as his gaze caught hers, the rest of the world falling away.
Emotions that weren't hers, feelings and thoughts that came from a place outside of herself, swept through her. She caught gratitude and surprise. Pleasure and fascination.
Along with those emotions came the press of years. She knew in her bones that the mythological in front of her was old. As old as the valley she stood in, the more fanciful part of her wanted to claim.
For a mind as young as hers it was too much. Too heavy a weight to carry.
Beads of sweat popped up on her forehead as her hand trembled under the onslaught.
As abruptly as it had come, the pressure of the mythological's mind withdrew, the stress abating.
The last thing she caught was an apology and a welcome. Beneath it all was also a promise to live in peace with the humans as long as they respected the land.
Eva came back to herself, blinking in surprise at the solitary tree trunk. The mythological was gone.
Puzzled, she studied the ground, only to find the carcass of the wheezer gone. Not even a spot of blood to mark where it had been.
"What was that?" Eva asked in a soft voice.
She felt off balance. Uncertain whether she'd actually experienced what she thought she had. It felt fantastical. Like a dream, if not for the flower still clutched in her hand.
A crafty look slid across the fire fox's face before it was gone, leaving only innocence behind.
Eva narrowed her eyes, ignoring the clop of hooves from behind her. One thing she knew—the fire fox was almost never innocent.
"Did you accomplish what you wanted?" Eva asked him with a pointed look.
His only response was a foxy smile before he scampered away, his tails bouncing behind him as he disappeared amid the boulders.
Eva didn't have long to ponder what scheme the fox was involved in now as Caia and Jason started for her.
"What was that?" Jason asked, unknowingly echoing her question from before as he stared past the tree to the boulder field beyond.
Eva followed his gaze, her attention fastening on a moss-covered boulder she was sure hadn't been there before her encounter with the mythological.
Her eyes sharpened as the boulder shifted. Not much. Barely a foot, which from this distance was nearly imperceptible. Before, she would have thought she was imagining things. Her mind taking a flight of fancy inspired by the unbelievable tales she'd heard about this place.