The next day, she went back to her usual spot again, to cry her heart out. The boulder had been destroyed by the ogre yesterday, whose body and blood were nowhere to be found surprisingly. She sat in a patch of grass with no flowers, where the boulder used to be. The flowers seemed to try reach her to comfort her, failing to do so due to the earth.
Suddenly a hand grabbed her shoulder. Her breath caught in her throat as she was startled. She swung her arms and legs wildly, trying to free herself. Hitting her attacker several times, though she only hit what seemed to be metal. Her attacker embraced her and tried to restrict her hands.
“Calm down, it’s just me," Her attacker exclaimed.
She froze abruptly, recognizing the voice. He let her go and she turned around, bowing her head low in apology, her forehead touching the ground.
“It’s fine. I am not hurt, I was more worried you will get hurt by hitting the armor,” He reassured in a calming voice.
He didn't wear his helmet this time and so she was able to get a look at his face. As it happened, the guy became the first and only person she has seen so far with black hair. His eyes were blue, darker than the girl’s, looking similar to a bottomless ocean. The guy seemed to be fairly young to her as compared to other knights she has seen.
Living for so long in the castle’s hostile environment her already strong sense of smell improved drastically by now, even being able to tell a person’s age, species, gender, even height and what they carried was a simple task for her now. She could tell he was just around thirteen, about five years older than her, but much taller. At five feet six inches (167cm) he didn't seem very tall by human standards, but he still towered over her as most others did.
His pattern also seemed to be fairly soothing to her. Black and white both in perfectly equal amounts, moving like waves in an ocean. The orb at his heart possessed a deep blue glow, similar to his eyes. The only difference being while his eyes were cold and calculating, his orb was warm and gentle.
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“Why were you crying?” He asked, snapping her back to attention.
She had been too lost in thought and peace that she forgot about the fact that he had seen her crying. He was waiting for an answer, but she didn’t have one. She didn’t want to risk telling him about everything, afterall she still didn’t know if he could be trusted. She simply lowered her head and stared at the ground.
“You can’t talk?” He asked.
She nodded.
“Oh, need a shoulder to cry on?” He inquired with a gentle and warm smile. His eyes still remained cold and calculating however, darting across the surroundings every now and then.
She still wasn’t sure of his intentions. Unable to decide whether to accept the offer or not, she decided to flee. The knight was shocked due to her bolting away for no reason. Curious about what he does now she hid behind a tree and listened, keeping herself out of sight.
Her wolf ears have been sawed off multiple times on the king's order, but he still wasn’t aware of her other pair of ears. These were much more useful than the wolf ears so she was glad she still possessed these, and also the fact that it would have hurt a hundred times more if those were to be injured. These ears, quite unique and the product of several species merging, were capable of echolocation. By vibrating her ears at a high speed she was able to get a map of all her surroundings, the range being long enough to reach the castle from the boulder. Despite the long range she focused on her knight, friend? She wondered about his intentions, but he seemed more friendly to her than anyone else she ever saw, excluding the spider.
The knight stood up after a few moments of being shocked, pacing back and forth in a line of few steps. He held his chin with his right hand, deep in thought. “Maybe that was the wrong thing to say. I really should listen less to what Yuki tells me, so much for working on everyone.” His hands slumped to his sides with a sigh. “I didn't think of the possibility that she can’t talk, I just thought she was shy at first. That aside, why was she crying? The boulder?” He said looking to where the boulder used to be. “Why would someone cry over a boulder? The flowers?” He looked around at the surface filled with flowers. “Too many of them, and the trampled ones aren’t in a bad condition either.” He looked around for a bit before shaking his head. “I guess I will just ask Yuki, maybe she would have some ideas.” Before walking away he took a last look everywhere, walking off into the forest with a shake of his head.
The girl felt sorry for running away when genuinely seemed to be trying to help. She walked back towards the castle, feeling much sadder than before. Despite the fact that sadness, her heart still felt somewhat lighter.