Chapter 12
"How long has your family lived in that valley?" Zack said trailing his gaze away from her body.
"We've moved up, and down the mountains all my life, but the last six seasons we've been moving more frequently. It's the only way to avoid more fighting, and Momma says leaving the valley is dangerous. Because of this, they would never let me go with them. I had lots of fun playing, but would still get lonely waiting for them." Yu said while she sat beside him.
"I'm sorry you felt lonely, but they were worried about your safety. There are some bad things in the world after all. Always try to treat someone you meet friendly but be careful about trusting them, and always have a way of escape planned." Zack cautioned while laying his head back in thought.
When Yu saw him do this she copied it before looking over to him.
"You mean the bad thing that attacked my home?" Yu asked while staring at him closely.
Zack could feel her breathing on the side of his neck. One of the reasons he closed his eyes was to think, but the other was to avoid staring. Not wanting to ignore her question he responded but kept his eyes closed.
"Yes that was a bad thing, but not all of them are like that. There are even some dragons that are friendly, and look kinda like us. Some people look like me but are scarier than that dragon that attacked you." Zack explained.
"You seem nice though. I sat high in the trees watching you fight, and every time it came close to us you stopped it. You even saved part of my home from the fires. Momma says we can trust you so I trust you." Yu was attempting to swim forward in the water.
"Are you going to visit your family today, or staying with me still? When I get out of here I have to visit a friend of mine, but It's okay for you to join me if you want." Zack said as he finally opened his eyes.
"I wanna go! Can we go outside the forest too? Please! I promise to be good!" Yu was jumping around so energetically splashing water everywhere.
Observing Yu's attempt to swim around in front of him was already adorable, but after seeing the playful splashing he couldn't help but laugh. Zack realized after talking with her that she was very calm and that the events this morning were a simple curiosity.
After his experience with Destiny, he realized when lust hits some species can have personality changes. If it was Sun or one of the others he would surely give in. However the girl in front of him was too innocent for him to have such thoughts.
With the other women, it was different. They knew what they were doing, and wanted so Zack had no problems indulging in his lust. Yu however just wanted to know more about the things around her. Glancing over Zack had blood trailing down his nose as the thought occurred to him.
'Ignoring these urges would be easier if she would quit jumping.'
"We can go, but only if you stop jumping. We need to get ready to leave soon so if you wanna finish up, and get dressed I'll meet you at the garden. I can show you how to store some food for the others before we leave." Zack told Yu while wiping the blood from his nose.
Yu's eyes immediately lit up as she stormed out from the bath. Zack sent her away on a random task to avoid another 'tail' incident. That was his main reason for sending her off so quickly. The other was to contemplate today's strategy.
Zack intended to move the orphanage today. After what happened in the valley he felt more comfortable with everyone together. Needing to protect two places would be too difficult in another situation like that. It would also allow Zack to strengthen the barrier at the estate. He exited the bath and was on the way to the garden when an elder of the elves approached him. Behind him were three children who weren't old enough to hunt safely in new territory.
"My name is Valan. If it's okay with you I would like to examine these grounds more thoroughly. Every building around here has magic within it, and the behavior of the dolls is remarkable. I have only seen magic like this in a few ruins of our ancestors, but never used like this." Valan said while admiring the dolls working around them.
"You mean this place is using elven magic?" Zack investigated.
"Whoever built this place must have had close ties with some of our tribes. Programming these dolls is a lost art to most, and only a few other elders know of it." Valan stated while trying to calm the children.
"You're welcome to treat this place like your home, and if you need help with anything while tinkering just let me know. I'm about to leave for an hour but will return later with some friends. If you want there is a small play area west of the bathhouse for the children to play in. They can also play in the bath if they prefer. The place is well maintained so you don't have to worry about any messes." Zack said while waving at the kids.
"That would be very helpful. They are well behaved just a little excited to be in a new area. Back home we were always moving and on constant guard. With a barrier, we can rest easy so they finally get to play openly. I won't distract you any farther." Valan said while they walked towards the bath.
Zack went on to the garden, and the first thing he saw a large pile of food. Yu was sitting at the top of the largest tree looking over the houses. As soon as she saw Zack a smile went across her face. Yu rapidly descended the tree to greet him.
"I got a little hyper and picked too much." Yu had a worried look on her face while rubbing the back of her head.
All the trees had been picked clean, but the land around here was special. The crops grew year-round and came from different corners of the world. Even the speed of the plant's growth was tremendous. He wasn't sure if it was the dolls who did something special, or if it was the land itself.
"It's okay it will be back in a week, and there's already some in storage. You don't have to be so worried. I know you will go back eventually but enjoy your time here." Zack said with a smile.
Yu felt at ease seeing his smile. She wasn't sure why it made her heart race to see it either. All she knew was this person was very nice to her and didn't seem bothered by her hyper behavior. Even Yu's troop would get tired of it, and scold her on occasion. Zack pulled out another temporal ring and taught Yu to use it.
"Can I put anything in here?" Yu asked as she walked up to a tree.
"Not everything. Living beings won't go in it, and there's only so much space. It can easily store a bunch of food, and clothes for you though. Even your spear could easily go into it. Are you ready to leave?" Zack asked while he walked away from the garden.
Yu walked away from the tree to cling to his arm. She was so excited to see outside the wall that she was shaking. They stopped by the gate to look for Destiny, but she wasn't there. Even Ren was missing for the time being. He was gonna take the array over, but he knew how bad Yu wanted to see the world.
'The walk to the Orphanage isn't too far anyway.' Zack smiled seeing Yu's expression.
Once they found the road Yu kept stomping hard on the ground. She even tried to pull some of the stones up from the dirt. What stopped her actions was a small wagon rolling down the road. It was difficult to get Yu not to mess with the horses, but thankfully the people were friendly and giggled at her attempts. They even stopped their wagon for their kid to wave at Yu playfully.
It was the first time they saw a kakuen so naturally, they were curious. They wouldn't wander too far from their mountain and approached humans very carefully. Due to this, there weren't many interactions that were documented between them. The only interactions recorded are during their mating season. They would usually jump them to mate, and briefly leave after as quickly as they appeared.