“I will crack your skull! ” Orpheus lifted him higher and higher until his hoofed feet were slipping over the ground.
His eyes changed to white, showing that he was surrendering – as well as his undeniable fear. “I will shatter it! ”
He started tightening his hold on the near indestructible bone. When the Mavka’s hand shot forward to grab his own, Orpheus bit into his hand, making him yelp and squeal like a fox.
“Orpheus, stop!” Reia shouted before she wrapped her arms around him from behind.
“Leave us! ”
He wasn’t sure what he’d do once he was done with his revenge for the crime done to her precious fragile body, but he wanted her away and safe.
“He didn’t hurt me, Orpheus.” She squeezed as tight as she could, refusing to release him. “If it wasn’t for him, I’d be dead.”
He continued to squeeze as the Mavka shook his head to free himself to no avail.
“Please stop.” She began to rub her hands up and down his chest, through the long fur of his more monstrous form,
in a soothing action. “He protected me.”
Releasing some of the pressure, he continued to hold his snout.
“Why would you protect her?” What did this Mavka hope to gain? “Were you planning to steal Reia? She is Mine! ”
Orpheus begun to tighten his grip again.
“I–” he started, before Reia interrupted by stepping between them!
Insane, she was insane to do something so foolish.
He turned his head down to growl, to get her to remove herself from them. She was between two Mavkas, and one of them was a threat to her and within clawing distance!
“He wanted to talk to me and ask for advice from a human on how to keep one.” She reached up and cupped his snout, curling her fingers around it to close it. “But a flying Demon tried to grab me, and he saved me before it could fly off with me. Without him, Orpheus, I would be gone.”
Her face in front of him, looking up at him so worried, bravely cupping his snout in a tender gesture, eased the worst of his anger. However, his anger quickly turned from the Mavka to her.
“This is why it is not safe to be outside!” he roared, his maw opening to echo his bellow and pushing her hands up to follow the top half as she tried to remain clinging to him.
“The salt circle only protects from those walking through it!”
She’d almost been taken from me... She had stayed here for him but had almost been taken to be eaten, to die a horrible death. And he would have missed her, ached for her! She is mine. I want her to be my bride. He didn’t want another human. He wanted Reia, his little doe, his brave human who gave him hope in her strength and her desire.
I shouldn’t have left!
“Yeah, I kind of figured that out today.” She gestured one of her hands behind her to the Mavka. “I was training with my sword when he came to speak with me. While we were talking, a flying Demon grabbed me. I would have been out
here anyway and would have been swooped away if it wasn’t for him. You should be thanking him, not hurting him.”
Her bottom lip stuck out further into a small pout. He loosened his grip enough but continued to hold him.
“Is it true?” he asked him.
“Yes.”
Orpheus eyed the injures he had that were older than the ones he’d delivered. Then his sight fell to the Demons who were persistently calling to Reia like a piece of meat, hissing and howling.
He remained to heal. He looked over him again. This has only happened a few hours ago.
“Orpheus...” Reia said to him with a deep tone of warning he’d never heard from her before. “If you hurt him further, I’ll be really upset with you. I won’t forgive you.”
With a growl, he tossed him back swiftly at her words, watching as he crumpled to the ground at the sudden force.
The outside of his vision was still red. He yanked her closer, folding his arms around her to hold her as well as shield her if the Mavka tried to retaliate against Orpheus by harming Reia.
“Don’t be upset with me,” he pleaded. “There. I have let him go.”
He didn’t know what would happen if she was upset with him, but he knew it wouldn’t be good. She lets me touch her. She might stop. That would pain him.
“Why are you outside with him while he is injured? You have seen me when I am hurt.”
They tried to attack anything within the direct proximity.
“I was behind the house protections when that happened like I promised if I was in danger.”
Red flared deeper and he clung to her tighter as he watched the Mavka weakly rise to his feet.
“So, he tried?!”
She reached up and cupped his snout again, like her small fragile body was enough to hold him at bay.
