Arnaud and the little Arturo walked in silence through the forest, each lost in their own thoughts. The vampire observed the child sideways, wondering how he would manage to communicate with him.

So far, Arturo seemed to have accepted him relatively easily, perhaps due to the innocence typical of his age. But he would surely have problems soon.

Suddenly, Arturo stopped and pointed to a nearby tree. His eyes shone with childlike curiosity.

"What is that, sir?"

Arnaud looked at him, confused. The child's words were completely incomprehensible to him. He frowned and tried to respond in his own ancient language.

"Ac'hunh mey arribe, hilhet," he said, shrugging his shoulders.

Arturo cocked his head, furrowing his brow. Clearly, he hadn't understood anything Arnaud had said. Frustration began to grow in both of them.

"Huh? What did you say?" he asked again, this time pointing at the tree more insistently.

Arnaud sighed, frustrated. It seemed that communication would be more difficult than he had thought.

In an attempt to make himself understood, he approached the tree and gently tapped it with his hand, looking at Arturo with a questioning expression.

The child let out a giggle and shook his head.

"No, no, sir. That!" he exclaimed, pointing at something in the branches of the tree.

Arnaud followed the direction of his finger and saw what appeared to be a bird's nest. He nodded, finally understanding what the child was referring to.

"Ah, nith d'audelho," he said, smiling slightly.

Arturo laughed again, amused by the strange words coming out of the pale man's mouth.

Arnaud let out an exasperated sigh. It seemed that communication would be more difficult than he had thought. He looked around, searching for a way to make himself understood, but everything around him seemed oblivious to his attempts.

Suddenly, an idea crossed his mind. What if he tried sign language? Perhaps, through gestures and movements, he could find a way to connect with Arturo.

Determined, Arnaud approached the tree and gently tapped it with his hand, looking at the child with a questioning expression. Then, exaggerating his movements, he brought his hands to his mouth in the form of a visor and opened his eyes wide, as if he were searching for something in the heights.

Arturo blinked, confused at first, but suddenly a giggle escaped his lips. Arnaud smiled slightly, encouraged by that reaction.

He then continued with his improvised pantomime, crouching and making exaggerated grimaces and gestures. The child burst into laughter, doubling over with mirth at the vampire's antics.

Arnaud felt relieved to see that his strategy was working. Putting aside his usual seriousness, he fully immersed himself in the game, contorting his body into ridiculous postures and making comical expressions with his face.

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At one point, he knelt in front of Arturo and pretended to be an animal, moving his head from side to side and making guttural sounds. The child roared with laughter, clapping and pointing at Arnaud with delight.

"Funny monster!" he exclaimed, delighted with the show.

Arnaud smiled, pleased to have managed to break the ice with the little one. Through that clowning, he had found a way to connect with him, beyond the language barriers.

Standing up, Arnaud pointed to the tree and then brought his hands to his mouth, mimicking eating. He looked at Arturo with a questioning expression.

The child nodded, laughing.

Arnaud smiled and gently tapped the trunk, making an affirmative gesture. He climbed the tree and retrieved the small eggs from the nest.

When Arnaud came down, Arturo applauded, delighted to have managed to communicate with the strange pale man. He approached and touched Arnaud's nose with his little finger, looking at him with mischievous eyes.

"Nose!" he shouted, bursting into laughter.

Arnaud blinked, surprised by the child's gesture. Then, unable to help himself, a slight smile appeared on his face. He pointed to his own nose and nodded.

"Arre," he responded, imitating Arturo's playful tone.

The child let out another laugh and pointed to Arnaud's eyes.

"Eyes!"

The vampire nodded, repeating the word in his own language and pointing to his own eyes.

"Uelhs."

And so they continued, with Arturo pointing to parts of Arnaud's body or elements of the environment, laughing each time the vampire responded in his strange tongue and making exaggerated gestures.

It was a simple and innocent form of communication, but both seemed to enjoy it. For Arturo, it was a fun game with that "funny monster," while for Arnaud it represented a small step in his attempt to connect with the child and overcome the barriers that separated them.

At one point, Arturo approached and touched Arnaud's fangs, looking at him with curiosity. The vampire tensed for an instant, aware of what those sharp teeth represented.

"What is this, sir?" the child asked, oblivious to the fear that his fangs usually inspired.

Arnaud hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to explain his vampire nature to such a young child. Finally, he opted for simplicity. He opened his mouth and pointed to his fangs.

"Dents," he responded, waiting for Arturo's reaction.

To his surprise, the child was not frightened. Instead, he looked at him in fascination and then let out a crystalline laugh.

"Monster teeth!" he exclaimed, amused.

Arnaud smiled slightly, aware that Arturo saw him in a much more innocent way than he really was. But for now, that didn't matter. All he wanted was to maintain that connection with the child, small as it was.

Determined to take advantage of that moment of complicity, Arnaud made a grimace, exaggeratedly opening his mouth and showing his fangs. Arturo laughed with delight, moving closer to touch them with curiosity.

"Grr!" the vampire growled in a playful tone, pretending to be a fierce predator.

The child stepped back, laughing heartily at his new friend's antics. Then, imitating Arnaud, he opened his mouth and made a similar gesture, showing his small baby teeth.

"Grr!" he responded, wrinkling his nose in a funny way.

Arnaud couldn't help but laugh at the child's imitation. A deep and sincere laugh that hadn't come from his chest in a long time. At that moment, he forgot completely about the atrocities he had committed, the lives he had taken. His entire existence seemed to be reduced to that moment of pure and innocent joy with Arturo.

Just then, Arturo's belly gurgled loudly. The child looked down and patted his stomach, then looked up at Arnaud with a sheepish grin.

"Hunger," he said, pointing to his belly.

Arnaud nodded in understanding, mimicking the gesture by patting his own stomach.

"Fam," he said in his language, then repeated the word in Arturo's tongue. "Hunger."

The vampire smiled, pleased that he was starting to pick up a few words from the child's language. But then he realized, some small eggs would not solve the food problem…