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This human... who had time and time again pleaded for his help, his protection, and had even reached out to him as ifhe were safe. The one who had shown little fear towards him, but quaked near males of her own kind. The one who was as powerless as tiny prey.

Hello, bunny.

In the background, trickling water echoed from everywhere. Subtle waves lapped at the rocky shore as stray droplets fell into puddles.

Linh barely listened as she leaned back on her arse with straightened arms and stared up at the Duskwalker towering over her. His orbs were such a dark green they were swallowing, and somehow menacing.

She didn’t feel fear. How could she? So what if their little swim was frightful and she’d almost drowned part way through? He’d saved her from...Bragg.

Gosh, when she’d heard that stomping, gruesome bear of a man getting closer, she’d wanted to crawl out of her skin. To shed it, if it meant removing the memory of his touch upon it. She’d wanted to dive into the water, into this Duskwalker’s maw, anything to escape him.

The serpent creature before her had done just that: given her a way out.

She barely made him out in the low light. Thin streaks of sunlight dimly illuminated the area, just enough that she couldstill make out parts of him, the cave, and the wide expanse of lake beside her. Much of the cavern was shadowed and dark, but that was fine since she could see.

A broken and weak smile curled her lips. “T-thank you for saving me... again,” she stated, hoping he could hear her sincerity despite her shivering.

The water had been icy, and her clothing and hair were soaked. Her bun had come loose, revealing a thick braid that swung behind her.

The Duskwalker pushed back as he bundled his long tail underneath himself and sat in the middle. He folded his arms, while something swayed back and forth in the curl of his hovering tail tip.

Since he appeared displeased, she averted her gaze to the ground next to her.I must admit, he did frighten me earlier.

The voices which he’d spoken to her with... She shivered in repulsion at the thought of them. They had been haunting, and she couldn’t help thinking they sounded far too human for something like him. Somehow, she knew they were the voices of people he’d eaten.

I can’t be a hypocrite. I can’t be thankful he ate those bandits for me, but horrified that he ate other humans.It’d be cruel otherwise.So long as he doesn’t hurt me...

Unable to stop herself, her gaze slipped back to him.

She blushed when she noted how strong his flexing biceps, chest, and abdomen muscles looked. Perhaps because he’d been her saviour multiple times, she oddly thought him attractive. Even his white, viper-like skull didn’t diminish his appeal, although it also did instil a deep-seated wariness within her.

When she wrapped her arms around herself, he tilted his head at her for it. He slowly brought her bag forward with his tail and let it slip into her lap.

Then he turned, slithering off into a particularly dark section of the cavern. He was gone, and since he didn’t exit into the light on the other side, she guessed there was a cave tunnel opening there.

Her muscles eased, his daunting presence no longer weighing on her, and it allowed her to roam her gaze over the area. The chamber itself was oval, with noticeable edges between the ceiling, walls, and floor. Grey, maroon, and white stone streaked the walls, and she didn’t know what kind of rock sediment they were.

Two-thirds of the area was made up of an inky and frightful lake – who knew what could be lingering in it, ready to gobble her up? The rest of the cavern was made of natural stone ledges in the shape of a crescent moon. Where she sat was the widest section of land.

Bryophytes such as dragon’s gold moss and liverwort plants clung to rocky surfaces, especially in the ceiling where cracks of light twinkled in. It gave the area an earthy, dewy scent.

The air wasn’t stale, but had a mild taste of brine to it, as if sea air was pushing in somehow. A sharp whistle of wind came from where he’d disappeared, further proving her theory that there was an exit to this cave.

That’s handy to know.Should she need an easier way out, there may be one.

Scraping noises drew her wandering eye back to where he’d disappeared from, and the Duskwalker returned with a massive tree branch.

He’s so quiet.If it weren’t for the broken limbs scratching the wall, she wouldn’t have heard him slithering closer. She didn’t like that she could easily be snuck up on, but she’d make do.

The Duskwalker came near her and then rested back on his tail folded beneath his humanoid torso. He snapped the branchinto many little pieces with nothing but his hands and sheer strength – even when it was as thick as his meaty arm.

Placing a thick log in the middle, rocks scraped against the ground as he put them in a circle. He threw smaller pieces of wood on top of the log.

Once he was done, his body making very little noise, he gestured to it. Her brows drew together, and she shook her head.

“I don’t understand.”

He snorted out a loud huff and then wrapped his arms around his torso. He rubbed his hands up and down his biceps and mimed a shiver.