Nayru tilted her head at Gideon's confession that the woman who had birthed his adoptive children was on his mind. Since telling her of how he had found them the woman hadn't been mentioned, at least not to Nayru and she had quite nearly forgotten where Range and Melee had come from. It was almost as if they had been part of Dahlia de Mai all along. Yet quickly he answered her question with a teasing answer and Nayru was ready to put away the woman once more, until Gideon persisted with his troubled thoughts. Was the memory of the woman really bothering her friend so badly?
Gently she laid a hand upon his arm and smile sympathetically, although unsure of any comforting words or advice she might give. Nayru hadn't seen the woman, knew nothing about her, although she doubted Gideon knew much himself. Only what she looked like and that she had left her own children for dead. That seemed enough to plant her Gideon's brain, seeding and sprouting into some un-ignorable growth. Well Iwon't let you to sleep thinking of her. I'll tell you bed time stories if I have to. Nayru smiled, hoping that her support helped her friend but unsure if she could really chase the woman out of Gideon's conscious.
And then Gideon spoke of hunting and Nayru nodding, listening to the charcoal male speak of all the different game they could gather. With the two of them they could take on large prey animals, but they might be harder to locate in the first place. Squirrels and rabbits were plentiful, and Nayru was intrigued when Gideon said he had a slingshot. She always hunted with her dagger in optime, sneaking up upon creatures or giving chase in her stealthy way. Had she not been so small and silent her way of hunting would never had been successful. Even though she was very skilled at how she hunted, she was always eager to learn more, and had often thought of a bow and arrow herself, though she didn't know who could craft her one or help her learn to use it.
I'd like to see your sling shot. We can get some smaller game and come back here before Melee and Range come home. You can go get the sling shot in a while if you want. Nayru didn’t mind lingering on the steps with Gideon, talking about Melee and Range, or what they had been up to, or what they would like to be up to. It seemed so rare they had time to just talk as often as they did when they were kids, so much time Gideon devoted to the children and Nayru was often at the other end of the pack, holding down the eastern borders.
I like being with Melee and Range. They are great kids Gideon. You are doing a wonderful job with them, really. Her soft voice was softer then, as if seemed to get whenever she was really serious about anything. Melee and Range were turning out great, she was proud of them, although she felt she had no reason to. They were Gideon's pups, he had done the lion's share of raising them and Nayru had only been on the sidelines, but she was pleased to be there at all.
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