Shayna felt like she was laying in a hammock gently being swung from side to side. She struggles to open her eyes, she could see a blurry figure above her. For a moment she thought it was Richard but then she remembered that Richard wasn't this tall and his shoulders weren't that broad.
" Who?"
She muttered as she blinks away the sleep from her eyes.
" Finally awake, huh? The air isn't so thin now. You really should be more careful."
The deep voice advises as Shayna finds herself, face to face with a light elf with burning red eyes, that seemed to glow in the dark. Shayna immediately searches for Little One just to find him near her knees, clinging onto a black shirt with all his might. The feeling of relief and happiness emitted from Little One as he hung there, just satisfied from listening to man's heartbeat.
" You're... Mr. Amon?"
She questioned as she looks up at him.
" Yes, that's right."
Amon nodded with a grin as he looks down at the little gazelle. Shayna then notices the sky was pitch black and looks around in utter confusion.
" It's night, yet the dark creatures aren't attacking us?"
She questioned as she stares at the shadows just walking by them minding their own business.
" How is this possible? You're a light elf, their main target, and yet. They walk by as if we're one of them."
Shayna pointed out as she turns to Amon, Amon's eyes were wide open and his lips were pressed into a thin line. His eyes dart around for a moment, trying to figure out how to explain, such a phenomenon without revealing that he is actually, in fact, a dark elf.
" Can you keep a secret?"
Amon awkwardly asks the little girl he was carrying in his arms.
" Sure! I can pinky promise if you want."
She informs as she shows her pinky, just to notice both Amon's pinky were busy carrying her, princess style.
" Cross your heart then."
Amon tells her and Shayna quickly crossed her heart.
" Don't tell anyone but I actually touched one of them."
Amon admits in a vague way.
" Touch one of them? Whatever do you mean?"
She questioned with a confused face.
" You see dark creatures. They don't like holy creatures like elves, humans, and any other creatures that belong to the God Lexi and the Goddess Luna. For the dark creature's god don't like them."
" Why not?"
She interrupts, and Amon pauses for a moment to think about it.
" I don't really know but I do know, they don't like each other. As long as you can hide your scent, then no harm will come to you. In fact, no harm would ever come to you, since you are a half-beast. The only reason why they wanted you was probably because of Little One, he drools too much. Ah, pity my new shirt, I can feel the wetness of his drool through it."
Amon whined but made no attempt to move Little One away.
" How are you able to hide the scent? Especially when Little One is drooling so much on you?"
Shayna asked slightly in awe as she watched dark creatures pass her by like normal creatures.
" Ash, tons and tons of ash mixed with water, then cake it onto your shoes. These creatures don't have any form whatsoever. So as long as you don't touch the walls and the only thing touching them is covered in ash then you'll be fine. "
Amon reassures as he continues his way down the mountain.
" But they would still be able to smell you."
" Yeah, but there's no way to get me. They are shadows they have to touch me to get me. Hard to touch me when I don't touch anything else right?"
" True... but what about earlier?"
" Earlier?"
" I swear I only walked up that mountain for less than 10 minutes but when I was on my way back down. The further, I climbed down the higher I got!"
" Ah! That! This place is shadow creature territory. Down is left, left is up, up is right, and right is down. When the pathway divided into two, you kept going right, didn't you?"
" That's true. I thought going right would be the right way. "
Shayna said with a sigh.
" Hey, chin up. You'll get it, one day. However I don't encourage going into shadow creature territory, stay away from demon territory too. That place literally goes nowhere. Do you know what's in nowhere?"
Amon asked and Shayna shook her head.
" A coffee shop. It has pretty good coffee but I wouldn't recommend it, it's in the middle of nowhere. Shockingly, it's really crowded, not with demons or anything. No, they don't like coffee. It's filled with the fallen angel's creatures. You probably only catch glimpses of them, they are like rats. Only those who caught one before would be able to see them."
" Are they mythical creatures? Like the unicorn?"
" Hmmmm.. not quite, they aren't easy on the eyes at all and really dangerous. I heard if one bites you, you could get a curse or a type of disease. Ah, you can see it already in the distance."
Amon said as he pointed with his chin toward the left. Shayna turns as in the distance she could see the flicking lights of torching coming from her village.
" Home!"
She exclaims in delight wanting to stand on her feet and run the rest of the way there.
" Hey, hey, we are still in shadow creature territory. Don't step on the ground, it isn't safe without watery ash caked on your shoes. "
Amon reminded as his grip on her tighten.
" Oh, yeah. "
She nodded as she recalled. As she looks down she then recalls how high up they were the last time she look down the cliff.
" How did you find us?"
Shayna looked up at Amon with a tilted head. Amon fell silent, unwilling to tell her that he used Darzirak to smell them out when he heard from Shayna's mother what had happened.
" Certain shadow creatures are willing to sell information for the right price."
Amon vaguely explains again, silently hoping that Shayna wouldn't press for more answers.
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