He sniffed the bloodied tip of it.
“But I have told you I do not intend you harm. Why do you still point it at me?” He gave it a growl before he huffed in displeasure. “They hurt my flesh. I do not like when the humans have them.”
“Because I don’t trust you.”
He brought the hand he’d been scratching himself with to his snout to tap it in thought.
“But you trust Mavka. You live with us.”
“No,” she corrected. “I trust Orpheus.”
His head twisted until it was almost upside down.
“Who?”
“Orpheus.” Her brows drew together. “He’s the Duskwalker who lives here.”
Even though they were aching from holding the sword up for so long, she refused to drop her shaking arms.
“But he is Mavka. That is what we are called.”
“That’s his name.”
“Name?” He twisted his head once more to make it upside, but the other way. “What is a name?”
“He is Dusk… Mavka,” she told him. “But that is what he is called. If I called out Mavka, you both would turn to me. But if I only call out his name, Orpheus, only he would turn to me. It’s special. Like I am human, but my name is Reia, and only I would turn to the name when called.”
“Special?” His glowing orbs changed from green, what she thought they might always be, to bright yellow. “I want a name! I want to be called something special.” He stood, showing her his towering height while reaching out over her sword. “How does one get a name, little human?”
She quickly pointed it at his face, finding he was quite a few inches taller than Orpheus. She hadn’t thought anything could possibly be bigger than him.
“It’s something you’re given.”
“Can you give names?”
“You want me to give you a name?”
He nodded.
“Yes. Will you give me something special to be called?”
She gave a small laugh, finding that both creepy and endearing.
“Ah, no. I’m not very good with being creative. I don’t think I’m the right person to give you a name.”
His eyes faded to blue, much like how Orpheus’ orbs darkened when he was saddened.
“Look, I don’t know what you want from me, but I’d like you to leave. Please.”
His eyes went back to green. “But I want to speak with you. Mavka told me humans are difficult to keep, but you
are here. I wish to understand.”
“If Orpheus comes, he’ll be mad.”
“I will hear and smell him.”
He stepped closer, and Reia tried to match the length of his stride backwards.
“I said stay back!”
He stopped and crouched down once more to make himself smaller.
“I have upset you. I did not mean to upset you. Please speak with me, Reia human person.”
She stopped retreating and blew a few strands of her hair that had fallen over her face. He’d asked nicely, and it did seem like he wasn’t actually going to hurt her.
“Fine.” Reia groaned. The sword fell and the tip thudded against the ground. Her arms were too tired to hold it up any longer anyway. “What do you want to know?”
“Why is it you stay with him?”
“Because he’s my friend. I trust him, and I’m staying because I just am.”
“He said that you came here with him willingly. Why are you not afraid of us?”
Reia shrugged her shoulders, eyeing him carefully in case he moved suddenly.
“I don’t know. I’ve never been that afraid of much. I was scared at first, but not enough that he ate me. Like I said, I came to trust him.”
