"Lucas, let me go hunting today."
Eva was not as exhausted as usual and she saw Lucas readying his bow. Normally, she would be too exhausted to move by this time, but she wanted to be more useful.
Lucas paused and his hands clenched at his sides.
"Please.."
Eva clasped her hands in front of her as she looked up at him. His eyes seemed to waver under her gaze and he nodded to himself.
Eva smiled at her victory. She reached towards the bow that she had mostly ignored for the last few weeks.
"Not that one."
Lucas' calm voice stopped her hand.
'Does he want me to use his bow?'
Eva tilted her head in confusion. Lucas was digging in his pack. A wrapped bundle that she had not seen before fell into her hands.
She carefully unwrapped the gift and uncovered the most beautiful bow she had ever seen. Eva gasped in surprise and traced the intricate carvings.
Even she could tell that this was a masterpiece. The flowers looked similar to the carving on the comb Lucas made for her.
"Did you make this for me?" Tears filled her eyes as she spoke.
"You needed something better than that crude thing."
Lucas picked up the bow from her hands and strung a new string on it for her.
"Here, try to draw the string."
The bow fell back lightly in her hands and she stood up and pulled the string back. It was lighter than his own bow, but she could tell it was perfect for her.
"Thank you, Lucas."
'How can I ever repay him for all that I have received from him?'
Her heart felt light as she released the string. The sharp flick of the string filled her ears.
"It feels like an extension of myself." She appraised the bow.
Visible tension fell off of Lucas' shoulders. He handed her a quiver of arrows.
"I will teach you how to fletch them yourself later."
His words were always simple and direct, but Eva loved that about him. Recently, he'd been neglecting to hide his face under his hood, so she was able to see more and more of his expressions.
She knew that simply saying thank you would not be enough to thank him. In truth she had already stopped herself from throwing her arms around him in happiness.
'But what else can I do to thank him?'
Lucas placed his hand on top of her head. Eva froze as her mind went blank. She felt heat in her face as the sudden contact with Lucas made her blush.
Lucas awkwardly took his hand back. This expression was enough of a gift for him. He watched as Eva looked away from him and seemed to be contemplating something.
She clenched and unclenched her hands. Turning back to face him quickly he stiffened as her arms flew around him.
It was only for a second, but she hugged him.
'The present was worth it.'
She quickly released him and ran off into the trees that encircled this small clearing.
Her heart beating erratically inside of her chest, she fled the clearing. It was just supposed to be a thank you hug.
'Then why is my heart reacting so strongly?'
It felt like steam was coming out of her head as she quickly put distance in between her and the camp. Lucas would probably follow her, but she couldn't think about that right now.
Stopping to lean against a tree she breathed heavily trying to catch her breath. The new bow was still in her hands and the quiver of arrows was slung across her back.
Resting her forehead against the hard bark of the tree she tried to refocus her mind. Lightly banging her forehead against the bark she took a deep breath.
'It is not a big deal to hug him. Don't let your feelings make a big deal out of everything.'
Her inner scolding seemed to work as her heart rate slowed down. Pushing away from the tree she began focusing on finding small prey to eat for dinner.
Eva's rush through the forest did not help her cover her presence, but eventually she was able to find a rabbit. After hitting the rabbit she went through the motions to prepare the kill for dinner without much thought.
The whole process was made easier due to how much easier it was to use the new bow. If Lucas was so good at creating things with his hands, then why was he in the forest when I was running?
'Furthermore, why is he so good at combat?'
It was something she had noticed as he began to train her how to fight without weapons and with a sword. Lucas had clearly been trained to be a fighter.
Yet she had not seen him wear any armor or mention anything about his life before they met. He did not speak much at all.
'I want to know more about Lucas.'
The thought made her pause. Knowing more about him would probably not help her budding feelings. Still it felt strange to have spent so much time with the elf without knowing much about him.
He usually provided everything she needed, even before she needed it. It had just become commonplace that everything would be done by Lucas.
'Is it because he never complains and rarely talks that everything up until now seemed normal?'
Lucas was always attentive to everything she needed. If she couldn't return his feelings, it felt wrong that she had accepted so much from him already.
'No, it would be even worse if I accepted his feelings and left him in the end.'
She shook her head to clear her thoughts. She had almost decided to do something that she really shouldn't do.
'I just need to make it back to camp.'
She sped up her walk and headed back in the direction of the camp. Her sense of direction had improved tremendously after spending so much time on the road and in forests in general.
'That is right, I just need to keep walking the same path I have been walking all along.'
Eva smiled as she brought the prey she had caught to Lucas.
******
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