Lethe was taking a cat-nap. She had located a sunny, grassy glade a short ways off from the camp, curled up, and gone straight to sleep. It was unsual for her, to let her guard down like this. She could smell the sun radiating off of the grass, its warm earthy scent enclosing her. Lethe took a deep breath and streched out on her stomach before curling up into a ball.
"How *yawn* nice." she muttered, drifting happily into sleep. It was dangerous... but she hadn't smelt any enemies and needed the rest...and a chance to escape from those damnable beorc.
Okay...so she wasn't using the word "human" any more. She didn't carry off her plate and eat away from them any more... yes...she had spoken with that "Jill" person...it didn't mean she liked the beorc as a whole. It just meant that she didn't necessarily hate all of them either. She had decided that Jill was alright, the commander Ike wasn't a complete waste of her time, and maybe Mist was tolerable in small doses. But she was still a cat. And when one gets to the bottom of it, cats are typically anti-social.
"It's not safe to wander off alone." The voice startled Lethe awake. Her eyes popped open and she leapt back, glowering at the speaker. It wasn't, to her surprise, Ranulf.
"Not many people can sneak up on a laguz..." she hissed. Zihark chuckled, a sound she didn't find entirely unpleasant. His silver hair blew lightly in the breeze, its color reminding her of a rare flower that grew in Gallia, blooming only in the moonlight. He was leaning against a tree, his poise and the easy-going look on his face impling that he had been there more than just a few minutes.
"I've had practice." He answered, a smile easily fitting his lips "I came to give you this," he produced a small bag from his pouch. She recognized the scent instantly and fought to keep her voice hostile and angry.
"How long have you been- Where'd you get that..." she interrupted herself as the delicious smell took hold of her senses, her voice was a little more excited than she would have liked. The swordmaster's eyes twinkled with delight at her reaction. Her tail twitched just a little in anticipation, her violet eyes darting back between his face and the small tanalizing blue bag.
"That's not important." Zihark said, tossing it to her, Lethe caught it and pulled out a small leafy sprig, "Anyway, I'm heading back, you should probably do the same here in a bit, it isn't safe to be alone." He turned around, waving goodbye as he walked back towards the camp. Leaving Lethe speechless as she watched him leave.
He carried himself with the grace and poise only a swordmaster could manage. Lethe looked down at her little bag, how could he have known? Not many beorc knew about the special plant that was a favorite of cat laguz. Heh, Catnip was the common Beorc term for it. She smiled and inhaled the scent, her mother had always kept a little nearby, it had hung of the crib both she and Lyre slept in.
Questions swarmed in Lethe's brain as she lay back down on the grass.
How could he have known?
How did he sneak up on me? She sighed and took a deep breath, dangling the bag over her face. Watching the blue silk swing back and forth. He had wandered away from everyone with the sole intention of giving her a plant he shouldn't have known about. Lethe rolled over lying on her stomach and inhaling deeply. She thought back, reflexing on how she had met him. Zihark had a strange...trust and love of the laguz. It was unheard of in Beorc. He had left his homeland, where ever that was, to find and help laguz. He had gone out of his way to help her. To save her (not that she needed saving) from the vigilantes in that small Crimean port town. Her eyes lifted, refocusing on his retreating figure. His coat billowed behind him.