A Deeper Connection

After that night, I've been sharing the same bed with Yv. Although I'm greatly tempted by her advances most of the time, I held myself back. I don't know if she's just teasing me or everything she did was real. I have no way of knowing unless I ask her myself.

"Phew! That's all of it." I told myself.

I laid all the traps inside the forest after yesterday's catch. The hare activated all the traps and managed to evade some and got caught in the last trap. Thankfully, no predators managed to snatch away our catch.

"Still, that hare was a lot larger compared to the previous ones I caught. For something that large to reach this edge of the forest, something must have driven it away." I said to myself.

Trying not to think deeply into the strange occurrence, I shook my head. It might as well be a coincidence for all I know. There's no need for me to be unnecessarily wary of things. But still, it wouldn't hurt to be extra careful. We are quite far from our nearest neighbors, after all.

There was still a few hours worth of light. If I want to do things, I should make haste and make some preparations.

First, I chopped down some trees I can use to make a barricade. It took me almost an hour to gather as much as I could and almost half an hour to carry it all back to the house. Yv saw me as she was preparing tea. I can see on her face that she's confused.

Well, who wouldn't be? Even though I'm confused about it myself, I got the feeling that something is about to happen. Being unprepared in unexpected situations is a fool's downfall.

"What are you planning to do?" Yv asked, putting her tea away.

"I don't know either. It's just that the large hare yesterday gave me a bad feeling that something's about to happen." I told her, "Yv, can I ask you to bring me all the rope we have?"

Without asking another question, Yv ran inside the house and brought back all the rope I've made throughout our entire stay. It's made of fiber from the trees so it's a little durable whenever I have free time.

"Do you need any help?" Yv asked. Looking around, probably to see what help she can offer. " Do you want me to bring all the trees you chopped here?" asked Yv.

"You can do that? Please!"

I need all the help I can get. And right now, if Yv managed to do that, it would give me extra time to set something up in the forest. In just mere moments, Yv managed to gather all the trees I chopped closer. Making it easier for me.

"Is there anything else I can do to help?" asked Yv.

I looked to her direction while tying up the trees to make a barricade, "Yv, do you elves have the ability to talk to nature? I mean, elves are closer to the earth than any other race, right?" I asked.

Yv's expression froze stiff. Something tells me that elves indeed have that ability to commune with nature.

"Indeed. We have that ability. But what are you planning to do with that information?" said Yv, in an intriguing tone.

"What do you mean? In order to prepare, of course! I may not be a battle oriented person but even I know how useful it is to be aware of the enemy. Fighting without any knowledge about your enemy is foolish." I told her.

Yv didn't respond and bent down. Reaching to the ground, she closed her eyes. At the same time, I felt goosebumps all over my body. It's as if something could pass me by, and all I can think of was Yv using their elven ability to talk to nature.

"Amazing." I muttered. "Is that also magic?"

In just mere moments, Yv was finished. "This is not magic. It is but a blessing given to us by the great tree. A privilege for those who are faithful servants of the World Tree, Yggrdasil."

I don't really understand most of what she said. And since it's exclusive to elves, it's safe to assume that they have done something to warrant such blessing from a higher being.

"I wonder if humans have some kind of blessing as well." I said to myself.

Yv turned to me as if she heard what I said, "You do. Humans have a blessing too." claimed Yv.

"Eh? You sure? What is it?"

"Insatiable lust. Humans stay true to their carnal desires, that's your blessing."

The instant Yv told me about humanity's blessing, I despaired.

"More like a curse to me." I told her, bummed out.

"We mortal beings do not have the capacity to understand the creator's mind. We are nothing but mere creations, we cannot rival our creator's mind no matter how intelligent our races are. '' said Yv with confidence.

"Yes. Yes. I guess I can understand that. But can you really call that a blessing? To me, humans seem nothing more than just sex crazed animals copulating all the time." I told her, trying to argue her point.

"You're also human, yourself. Don't you see one of the reasons why humans were given that blessing? Compared to you humans, we elves can only give birth to one child every 100 years. Resulting in our very few numbers. Pure-bred elves can only give birth to one offspring at a time. But that changes everything once an elf copulates with a different humanoid race; humans for example."

She should have kept the last part to herself. Just as I'm about to tell her off, the idea of slaves popped up in my head.

"...Wait, then that means the slaves are…"

"Yes. I will not delve deeper and explain things. For now it's good that you realized the point." Yv then turned her attention towards the forest. "For now, there doesn't seem to be any signs of abnormalities in the forest."

"Are you sure? Didn't you find it strange for a large hare to get lost in the forest? It's my first time seeing one after living here." I told her, trying to make sure of her claims.

"I'm sure. You don't believe me?" Yv walked towards me.

"What is it?"

"It's better to see for yourself."

She immediately grabbed my hand and pulled me towards her. The moment I was close enough, she held my head between her hands.

"What is this?! It feels like I'm flying all of a sudden! But instead of the skies, I'm inside the forest!"

I can't help but be amazed and excited. It was something I haven't experienced before.

"I'm sharing with you what I've seen. And as you can see, there's no threat at all." Yv pulled her hands away but I stopped her. "What are you doing?"

"Can I ask you to stay like this a little longer? The feeling of the wind brushing my face is so relaxing for some reason." I asked her.

I know it's selfish to ask for something and the possibility of Yv declining is relatively high, I know. There's a part of me that's urging me to take my chances.

I looked at Yv's face and saw no signs of refusal.

"Fine. Just a little bit longer, okay." Yv then closed her eyes, and so did I, "I can only maintain the connection for 30 seconds longer. After that, the connection will automatically cut off." she explained.

30 seconds, it's short but I'll take that over nothing.

If it was the usual Yv, I would have been shocked. Let alone refusing my request, I would have gotten an earful. Yv acting differently nowadays is reliable and reassuring. I know it's a good thing but that also gives me a feeling of uneasiness. It's like a prelude to something tragic.

Distracted by my thoughts, I failed to realize that the time was up. Before I knew it, the connection was cut off and I'm brought back to my senses.

"I'm sorry, there's a limit to th-"

"Thanks, Yv. You shouldn't apologize. It's supposed to be me. I forced you to indulge in my selfishness." I told her, bowing my head. "I'm sorry, Yv. And thank you for granting my request."

It's unnecessary for her to apologize after granting my request. It would look like she was in the wrong when it was originally me.

I turned my attention to the barricades we made and shifted the subject.

"Looks like it's still far from being needed but it wouldn't hurt to be ready, right?" I flashed her a smile and noticed that it was already dark, "Let's eat?"

Yv's lips curled up. It looks like she has something to say, but stopped herself. She flashed a smile and nodded her head.

"Fortunately, I prepared our dinner while you're away." She waved the ladle confidently, "The ingredients are lacking but I made the best out of the ones we have at hand." said Yv, stirring the dish she made inside the pot.

"You used the last piece of meat from the hare yesterday?"

"Yes. Although it's not much, it's more than enough to boost the flavor."

I hadn't tasted much of Yv's cooking but since she can make great tea, her cooking must be on another level as well. That's what I thought, and I can't believe I was terribly wrong.

"So? How does it taste?" She held her own bowl, waiting for my review.

"It's good, but it's incredibly light. We need to eat at least 2 bowls each to satisfy our hunger. It could be ideal as a light snack during breaks or after waking up in the middle of the night. Wait, this is also a good substitute for porridge!"

Yv's face gleamed, she seemed glad of my review of her dish.

"Thanks! To be honest, I wasn't confident. Thankfully it suits your taste." She smiled and started eating. "..Uhmm"

The moment I heard her gulp down her first spoonful, I distracted myself by devouring everything within my bowl and asking for seconds.

She looked at me all confused. It must have been a surprise for her since she doesn't seem convinced of her dish's result herself.

"Can I have a second bowl?" I handed her my bowl.

I saw her eyes staring directly inside the bowl. She must have been making sure I'm not playing around.

"You sure? I didn't think it came out go-"

"What are you talking about? Didn't I tell you it's great?" I cut her off.

There's no need to listen to her bring herself down. Considering someone of her stature, I can't expect her to be perfect in everything. Just the fact that she cooked without being told was more than enough for me. And it's not like it's inedible, at all. Having a beautiful woman like her give everything go cook food is flavor in and of itself. I can't ask for anything else. She can still improve her cooking in the future, after all.

"Don't eat too much, you'll get a stomach ache if you do." She refilled my bowl and handed it to me. "This still needs improvement."

I stared at her blankly. "Looks like elf taste buds are different from humans too, huh? For me it's good but if you think it's still lacking, suit yourself."

She didn't even respond to my words and continued eating as if she was deciphering ancient texts using her taste buds. By the time I was done eating my second bowl, Yv was yet to finish her first.

I figured that I should prepare the bed while she's still eating. It didn't take me long to set the bed and by the time I returned she was still eating.

"Wow, you're moving at a snail's pace. Are you a food critic or something? Isn't that too much for your own creation?"

"Shh! I'm trying to concentrate." Yv glared at me.

I didn't expect her to shut me up like that. I thought she reverted back to her old self but after she turned her attention back to her food, I was convinced that it's still her changed self.

There's no way the old Yv would spend this much time on her food alone. She would have definitely found it tedious and meaningless at the same time.

It took her almost 5 minutes to finish the rest of her first bowl. Not that I'm complaining, it's quite interesting observing her acting like that after all. And to my surprise, she refilled her bowl.

"I was convinced you wouldn't eat another bowl after seeing you like that, though." I told her.

"I just want to make sure that the flavor is the same with every bowl."

I know it's stupid but it's even stupider to argue with her on that. Not only that I'll just be asking for trouble, she wouldn't be convinced even if I tell her that's not the case, at all.

Thanks to her persistence, I went and grabbed my bowl and ate my third bowl.

Of course, I finished eating my third bowl before her second bowl and it gave me enough time to admire her beauty.

"To think that she makes a cute look on her face while doing something trivial like this. An unattainable goddess. How disheartening. If only I was someone special myself." I thought to myself.

To my surprise, Yv finished eating her food and was staring back at me.

"Is there something on my face?" she immediately wipes her face with a cloth, slightly embarrassed.

I felt my face heat up and after I realized she caught me staring at her, I averted my gaze to avoid any suspicion. I know it's even more suspicious but there's not much I can do, I panicked.

After that blunder and a little rest, we went straight to bed. I thought that was the end of my troubles but I was wrong. It rained hard that night, so we ended up cuddling to keep ourselves warm. I didn't want to embrace her but she kept insisting so I had no choice but to comply. It proved to be the greatest hurdle yet.