Lucas had made sure to take note of all the mistakes Eva was making. It was wrong to scold her so harshly, she was already better than most human hunters he had seen. He was the one struggling, not her.
His heart would jump every time a predator would come in close to her location. Each time his hand would clench on the hilt of the sword at his waist.
'These woods are safe,' he told himself over and over again. 'You patrolled them yourself.'
And he had.
Lucas scouted the woods before dawn to make sure that there were no beasts or overly strong predators within a ten mile radius of their camp. He didn't think they would need to hunt that far from camp, but it was the minimum distance that made him feel less nervous.
However, there she was strolling through the forest almost seemingly unaware of the anxiety she was causing him. He gazed at her struggling to take care of the deer from the trees above. It was hard for him to watch her struggle, but she needed to gain more stamina.
Remembering the goal of helping her get stronger was the only thing that kept him from jumping down and helping her. It was dark by the time she finished.
************
Eva almost screamed as she heard a slight thud behind her. It was already night and she was not able to see very far in front of her. She felt a strong arm around her waist as she lost her balance.
"It is too dark for you. Let me guide you back." Lucas' soft voice spoke directly into her ear making her neck tingle at the slight woosh of air from his breath.
Eva wondered if she would ever be able to see in the dark as Lucas did.
"Is there a way to see in the dark like you do?" Eva asked.
Lucas couldn't stop the slight grin that formed on his face at the question. "Elves are born with this ability," he said into her ear again.
He had yet to release her waist in the darkness, so he could see the slight disappointment that showed up on her face. He patted her head to make her feel better.
"I think it might be easier if I carried you," he debated.
"You are probably right. I can't even see my hand in front of my face right now," she replied.
Heavy clouds had rolled in blocking what little moonlight there was. This did not bother Lucas. He casually scooped Eva into his arms with a little gasp of surprise and headed back in the direction of the camp.
Eva was thankful for being carried. She had spent a long time hunting and had gone further than she thought. Her legs were already twitching with soreness.
"You need to keep in mind how much strength you have in the future," Lucas said quietly.
Realizing that Lucas could see the relief on her face she quickly hid her face with her hands.
"Now you have blood on your face."
Eva thought she could hear a slight sigh from the elf. She had forgotten that she was still bloody from cleaning the deer.
'I have so many things I need to correct. Will I ever be able to become an adventurer?' As usual the slight rocking of being held while Lucas ran made her feel drowsy. It wasn't until she felt a cool sensation on her hands that she snapped back awake.
"Ah, you're awake now. Here." Lucas placed a small soaked towel in Eva's hands. "It is a little cold since it's dark, but you need to wash." Lucas then awkwardly stood up and turned around. "The water is to your left. I promise not to look."
Realizing that Lucas intended for her to wash more than just her face, Eva became embarrassed. 'Do I stink?' she thought.
Quickly sniffing her shirt the worst situation possible was confirmed. Feeling around at her feet she realized the bag with her spare pair of clothes was next to her.
'He said he wouldn't peek right?'
She glanced nervously at where she heard his voice last. The clouds broke and a small sliver of moonlight lit up the area around her for a brief moment. The back of Lucas' head appeared and she instantly relaxed.
'Thank you clouds,' she thought.
The nervousness from earlier disappeared and she quickly took off her clothes and carefully climbed into the stream that went up to her waist.
'Since it is already like this, I need to clean thoroughly,' she thought.
************
Lucas heard a splash behind him and resisted the urge to look behind him. His ears twitched when he heard the sounds of water.
'Ah, this is a whole other kind of torture,' he thought. Once again he felt the urge to look behind him.
Pulling the hood deeply over his head he pulled at the leather a little more, trying to block the sounds. Why didn't he at least go further away? It was simple. He couldn't trust the forest at night when Eva was basically helpless without light.
'It would be so much easier if we could just bathe together.' As soon as the thought crossed his mind he quashed it down. 'That would be another kind of dangerous situation.' Lucas remained stock still as he waited until Eva called to him.
"I'm done." Her slightly nervous betrayed her feelings.
"I understand." Lucas slowly turned around and had to look away almost immediately. Eva's hair was still wet and was hanging down around shoulders to her waist.
Lucas steadied his heart by touching his chest with his right hand.
"Lucas?" Eva called.
His heart skipped another beat and he forced himself to look back at her. "I am here," he said. Lucas was again very glad that the night was so dark.
No more words were exchanged as Lucas picked Eva up again and walked at a much slower pace to the nearby campsite. Eva felt the rough blanket as she was once again set down.
Lucas poked at the embers left over from the fire that morning. Soon light from a new fire burned showing Eva her surroundings again. The first thing she tried to see was the look on Lucas' face. He had pulled the hood over his head again, so the shadows hid his face.
Eva felt disappointed, but she had grown used to this behavior from Lucas.
"I can make the soup," Eva quickly offered.
Lucas shook his hooded head. "You exerted yourself too much today. Rest."
Eva felt frustrated, but she couldn't argue with him.
Pulling out the dry towel in her bag she tried to squeeze as much moisture out of her hair as possible. Mostly because she was so concentrated on her hair, she didn't notice the intense gaze coming from the elf across from her.
By the time she finished braiding and putting her hair back up his gaze had gone to the soup in front of him. His movements felt mechanical as he stirred the pot in front of him.
******
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