I wanted…
I bit my lip. I wanted to not be so lonely there. For a short time at least, I had a fresh start in a place that was completely different than my home. I had the rare experience to live among a Dakkari horde, something that was completely unheard of among humans. The prospect might seem daunting or intimidating…but I also found it incredibly exciting. Anadventure. Something I’d always wanted, right?
And so, I wanted them to like me, even if I was strange.
Relief burst through me when the boy’s grin only widened after I patted his head and then he was thrusting something towards me, whatever it was he had in his palm.
It was a rock.
Taking it from his hand, I brought it closer to my face and saw that it was beautiful. It was small but held a shimmering, iridescent sheen, transitioning from blue to green to pink to silver, depending on how I tilted it in the light.
I wasn’t used to smiling, but it felt natural on my face when I looked back at the boy.
“It’s very beautiful,” I said softly, holding it back out towards him.
A thread of worry shot through me when his face dropped, his grin sliding away. He looked crushed as he looked at the rock in my hand, outstretched towards him.
“Oh, no, I didn’t…” I trailed off, at a loss, wondering what Dakkari rule I’d broken now.
“He wants you to have it,” a soft, accented voice said to my right. When I turned, I saw a Dakkari female standing there, her dark hair braided down her back, in a white fur shawl and a dark yellow dress that brushed the tops of her booted feet.
“He…does?” I asked, my gratitude mixing with worry.
The female stepped forward and held her arm out for the boy, who immediately wrapped his arms around her legs. My lips parted in realization and I felt longing pulse in my breast.
“You’re his mother?” I asked.
“Lysi,” she replied, running her fingers through his dark hair. “All he has done is talk about you since yesterday. I wanted to meet you for myself.”
The rock still hung in my grip and the boy hid his face against his mother’s leg.
“Please tell him I’m sorry,” I begged softly. “I didn’t know it was a gift. I hope…I hope he’s not upset with me.”
The female smiled at me and despite the circumstances, I felt myself relax. She tilted her chin down and spoke to the boy in Dakkari, a string of soothing, soft words that made him raise his head.
When he looked at me, I saw that his eyes were wet as he peered at me, as if trying to assess whether his mother’s words were true.
“I’m sorry,” I told him, bending at my knees so I could look at him straight on. “I didn’t know.” I looked down at the rock and forced a smile for his sake. “It’s lovely. The best thing I’ve ever seen.”
His mother spoke to him again and only after she translated my awkward words did the boy chance a small, hesitant smile at me.
When his smile grew, I felt relieved. Slowly, he disentangled himself from his mother’s legs and looked from the rock in my palm to me. Then he seemed to grow shy, the space just underneath his eyes growing darker, and he took off before I had a chance to say anything else, weaving his way through the tents until he was out of sight.
His mother’s small chuckle drew my attention. When I looked at her, I couldn’t help but feel envious of the obvious love and affection in her eyes as she gazed after her son.
When she turned to me, she said, “My father told me he met you as well.”
The older male who’d offered me some of his food?
“Yes,” I replied, a little unsure what to say as I clutched the rock in my palm, my hand growing damp around it despite the bitter chill in the air.
Though her voice was accented, her words were sure and confident as she asked, “How are you finding your clothes? I was not sure if they would fit.”
Surprise jolted through me and I looked down. “You were the one who made these for me?”
“Lysi,” she replied. “I hope you find them suitable. There was only so much I could do in that short time. I am still working on your shawl for the cold season, but it will not be ready for another few days.”
A shawl too?
