𝑷𝑹𝑬𝑫𝑨𝑻𝑶𝑹

⚛BLURRY⚛

The warmth that lulled Aryah to sleep that is no where to be found. She rolls onto the bed and finally stands up. Rubbing sleep from her eyes she remembers that he promised to  answer her questions after she takes rest.
The man...he was so pretty. But where is he?
Or was it a dream! It was not, right?

'MY BABY.'

Aryah flushes remembering his voice.

She slowly walks up to the door. Maybe he is outside the room. She opens the door and steps out. 'Wow!'
She sees small but very beautifully decorated living room.

"Hello?"

A tap on her shoulder makes her snap her head in fright. An beautiful elderly lady stands there grinning like she just won a lottery.
"You scared me!"

"Sorry for that!"

"It's okay."

"Come Aryah have a seat!" She gestures for one of the couches where she sits too.
She keeps looking at her and it makes everything awkward as Aryah keeps standing there.

"Um..."

"Oops you must be hungry! Wait I am bringing you food!" She hurriedly goes to kitchen Aryah follows.Who is this lady? She even knows her name! When did she become this famous that everyone knows her?
She reminds her of her grandma.

"Who are you?"

"Oops look at that I  forgot to introduce myself! Call me Mona."

"Mona, where is it? And wasn't there a man?"
She uncertainly asks. That can't be dream right?

Mona's grin expands if that is even possible.
"Oh dear, he will be back soon. But before he comes back you are gonna eat and rest well."
She makes her sit onto the dinning chair carefully as if she is a glass doll.
"Otherwise I will have serve my head." Mona says to herself mumbling then starts to bring food. Actual food unlike the other time when she nearly puked at the site.

The delicious aroma makes her mouth water.
But her mind goes back to the mysterious man. Where is he? He promised to tell her everything. Maybe he can help find cure flower? From the moment she came here she seems to only losing people.

"Eat dear."

"Did he asked you to look after me or something?" Aryah asks, digging into the amazing meat. It's spicy and perfectly cooked just the way she likes. She missed food!

"Not asked dear ordered."

Aryah stops eating for a moment, " Who is he? And where is this place? I need to know. Please!"

"It's my home and It's better if he tells you about himself,I guess." She quickly excused herself to do more cooking, leaving her with food and she is hungry enough to not go after her before finishing her meal. She is grateful for the food and shelter but she need to complete the rest of the adventure soon.

~

All afternoon Aryah spends her time chasing after some cute rabbits around the garden.
Little rabbits and she became great friends as they clings to her leg. Some fall asleep on her.

Mona has really pretty garden all around her tiny home. There is no neighbors. And Aryah is only allowed to roam outside the garden apparently it's dangerous for her. Aryah found many rare flowers. She wished she had her notebook so she could draw them and even give them names, it's a hobby she picked up when she was all alone in home.

Mona is a Wolf shifter.

That means possibility is that she is still in the  East Worriond.

Aryah lays down on the grass, tired from running. She has lost her bag. So no map.
'My bag must be in the castle where I was caught.'
She has no clue how far is cure flower tree from here. Mona won't tell anything, she doesn't know about cure flowers either , she just watches her from far with great curiosity.

So now she is waiting for the man to come back from God Knows where he is.

But she will wait because somehow she knows that he will help. And she needs all the help she can get in this unknown territory.

At one point she falls asleep there with rabbit cooing into her.

("Aryah don't EAT that!"

"Oh why? It's sooo cold and tasty!"

"You can not eat snowflakes..."

"But I can! See?" *Little Aryah expands tongue to catch snowfall*

*sighs*   "What am I going to do with you "
instantly the boy scoops her and makes her sit with pile of fluffy blankets type of thing near a tree.

"You can't get sick again!"

"But I will just eat cute flowers!!"

He playfully glares down at her.)

But his pretty face is blurry whenever the dream ends.

Warmth. That's what she is feeling right now.
Strong but warm arms carries her from the cold grass into the cottage she can feel it, then soft layers of blanket is being wrapped around her.
She faintly hears some voices. Angry voices. When that subsides,Something plays with her dark hair. "...hair got longer" something like that can be heard.
But what finally makes her snap her eyes open is- soft lips that trail along her jawline.

"You!" Opening her eyes she sees the man. She was waiting for him all day.

"Yes?"

They blinks at each other.

Without thinking Aryah trows herself onto him which he holds with a frim grip.
Inhaling.

"You came?"

His chest rumbles with chuckles. "I don't think I ran away?" His voice sounds hoarse maybe from the cold.

"I thought for a moment-" she realizes what she has done so quickly pulls herself out of his embrace."oopsie sorry!"

His eyes flash for a split second before turning black.

"Are you cold?" He asks while Aryah sinks into the layers of blankets. Is he crazy? One can have heatstroke in here.

"Noo! Before you say anything else, you have to answer my questions, like you promised!"

He sits himself on a chair.

"Ask away."

Aryah sits up straight coughing to clear her throat, " First and most important question-what is your name?"

He arches one eyebrow, "It's the most important question of yours."

"Yes! No, yes..?" She bites her lips to stop herself from farther embarrassment.Then looks up at him with big curious eyes.

He smiles which makes his face even more gorgeous. "Eros."

That makes her smile too.She mentally repeats the name 'Eros.'

"Why did you save me?"

He titles his head, "Did I ?"

Aryah pauses for a moment. "The leopard did."

"And you want to see him."

Aryah noticed he doesn't question anything, always he is so sure like he is simply stating facts.

She nods.

"Follow me."

He gets up , she follows trowing the blankets away. She catches his arms when the reach the door as something clicks in.

"Wait."

He looks over his shoulder.

"YOU are the leopard."

He smirks as golden glow flashes in his eyes.

A.N: Now I am thinking the book should be named 'EROS'
I have this sudden urge to change into Eros.
Should I change it's title into 'Eros'?