Note: First Assassin's Creed story. Takes place after the second episode of Legacy of the First Blade. I would appreciate comments. This is the first of several parts so expect more.

Hunting

"I stood before them all and flatly told them that I'm not a god," Kassandra explained as she walked through the small forest below Ionian Watch. "They took it better than I expected. Though they're still having a statue made of me."

"Well if there's anyone worthy of being chiseled from marble, it's you," Natakas reasoned as he walked beside her. "And in their defense, you're easy to mistake for a member of the pantheon. A warrior as great as Athena, wearing a set of armor that looks like it was forged by Hephaestus. You walk into people's lives, change them for the better or teach them a lesson, and then you walk away. Put all of that together with the fact that you're as beautiful as any goddess and it's no wonder there are those who would regard you as one."

Kassandra couldn't help the small smile that spread across her face at the casual complement. "You don't mistake me for a god," she pointed out.

"That's because I've seen you eat the weight of a deer in under a minute," Natakas countered. "Gods don't devour meat like a rabid wolf."

"Then you shouldn't make it taste so good," Kassandra shot back. "After having plenty of my own cooking on the road, I'm starved for the taste of home."

"If you want I could teach you to cook so that you can have some proper food while on your travels," Natakas offered. "You should be able to feed yourself. You need nourishment if you're going to be picking fights all the time with wolves and bandits."

"The food I make is not inedible," Kassandra defended. "Your food just tastes better. Besides, it gives me a reason to come home as often as I can. Unless you want me to stay away longer."

"Of course not," Natakas asserted quickly. "I'm happy any time that you return. Though we both know what really keeps you coming back is my father's warm and charming personality."

Kassandra laughed at the joke and Natakas joined her. "I do miss Darius when I'm away, but we both know he's not who draws me here." Natakas smiled warmly at her words and she returned it. If she were talking to any other man she'd follow up with a proposition for more intimate contact, but things were different when it came to Natakas. Even if there wasn't the complications that a night of pleasure with him might bring, her attraction to Natakas was different. He wasn't like Alkibiades; in whom was the promise of a night of new experiences and indulgence in physical desires. He wasn't like Lykaon; a soul in need of soothing that she can help. She genuinely liked Natakas, found him attractive, and he wasn't a man whose bed she just wanted to visit before leaving again.

But the foremost reason why she was hesitant was that she couldn't tell if Natakas returned her attraction. He complimented her, but it never seemed to go beyond that. She'd never before met someone who seemed attracted to her yet at the same time seemed to have no interest in pursuing that attraction. She simply didn't know how to deal with it. And without certainty she couldn't risk the fallout if he really didn't feel the same way. So she was left simply enjoying the way his smile made her smile, and the peace she felt when in his company.

"So what were you talking to Althea yesterday?" Kassandra asked, fishing for information. She was officially tired of the uncertainty. Time to see if she should or shouldn't set her feelings for him aside for good. Natakas looked confused, and Kassandra couldn't help but be satisfied. "The farmer's daughter who was chatting with you at the merchant yesterday."

"Oh, her," Natakas said as though the previous day's events were finally coming back to him. "I think she was talking about her father's recent harvest. She said that his fields are doing well this year. So they're going to be able to sell more out of town. Considering the bandit activity around, maybe he'd be willing to hire you as security for their deliveries."

"We'll have to see what he does when the harvest rolls around," Kassandra said, interested by the prospect. Bandits were not usually well stocked, but security jobs were also some of the easiest ones for a misthios. "I thought you were talking about something more personal from how close she was standing and how much she seemed to be laughing."

"Jealous?" Natakas asked, but Kassandra only laughed once dismissively at the accusation. A moment like this was one confused her however, as she was unsure if he was teasing. "If she was flirting with me I didn't notice it."

"She was practically draping herself all over you," Kassandra said in disbelief as she stopped walking. Natakas stopped as well and she could swear he looked embarrassed. "How could you not tell she wanted you to take her behind the closest building and have some fun?"

Natakas shrugged slightly, shifting uneasily. "I don't really notice that sort of thing. At least I haven't since I was young. As a young man I used to flirt with young women when we'd go into a town to get supplies." He frowned slightly and he looked away from her. "But the Order was always after us, so it wasn't like I could get to know any of them. And I wasn't interested in just a passing thing. Eventually my father convinced me to avoid flirtation altogether. That way the Order couldn't question them or put them in danger. So I started ignoring women and I just…fell out of practice."

"You didn't ignore me," Kassandra pointed out.

A smile returned to Natakas' face as he turned back to her. He paused, just looking at her for a moment before he set his hands on his hips. "No, I didn't. And I'm glad I didn't." Kassandra locked eyes with him and a familiar feeling began to rise in her chest.

As they shared the quiet moment Kassandra felt like she now had a better understanding of why she was so uncertain about if he shared her attraction. When she was young, no one had ever told her not to peruse the men she wanted. Whereas Natakas had been actively warned away from approaching women he liked. That didn't mean she could assume his complements and general interest in spending time with her was a sign he was interested, of course. But it did mean she wouldn't get anywhere waiting for him to make a move.

Kassandra took a small step toward him and set her hands on her hips. "It's probably better that Althea didn't waste her time. While she is pretty, she isn't terribly intelligent or the most practiced." Natakas' expression turned clouded, seeming unsure of where she was going. "If she did get your attention she'd probably have no idea how to get you out of those clothes. She probably wouldn't even be able to get past the belt." She motioned toward the leather at his waist. "Even I can't figure out how to remove that thing."

"Not all of us can wear a single piece of clothing that can be taken off with little effort," Natakas countered with a light chuckle. "Besides, you don't need to know how to remove it, I know how to."

"Can my clothes be taken off with little effort?" Kassandra quoted him back. "Have you been thinking about undressing me?" It was a blunt move, but her current strategy seemed to be working so far.

Natakas' smile vanished, replaced with a look of shock and what she gauged to be embarrassment. "Says the woman who's been thinking about taking off my belt," he pointed out. He sounded genuinely distraught at the accusation.

Kassandra, realizing that things were turning the wrong direction, quickly responded in an attempt to calm him. "Maybe I have been," she said. Trying to make it as clear as possible that she was not offended, but rather flirting. "Though maybe you'd be willing to show me how easy it is."

Natakas looked like a deer that had just spotted it's hunter. She wasn't sure exactly what was going on in his head, but at least he didn't seem angry at her. The bellow of an animal - a deer coincidently - caught their attention and they both looked in the direction from where it came.

"Are they taunting us?" Natakas asked with an empty smile as he tried to change the subject to the nearby game.

In the interest of allowing them to put the somewhat awkward moment behind them, Kassandra decided to drop the previous topic. "If they are, they've gotten to cocky and given themselves away." She motioned for him to follow as she started toward the source of the noise. They crouched and moved slowly forward through the brush until she caught sight of a buck. "For such a small deer he shouldn't be so proud," she scoffed.

"Spartans and their stomachs turning down a fair kill," Natakas muttered to himself. "Wild game is more scarce with the bandits around and the recent increase in wolf numbers. We can't really afford to pass up any decent meat."

"If you think it's worth wasting an arrow on then go ahead," Kassandra said, motioning toward their prey.

Natakas leaned closer to her with an amused smile. "If it gets us food it's not a waste." Kassandra was tempted to close the space between them, kiss the smugness off his face, but she restrained herself. That was a bit too forward even for her taste. Natakas pulled away and turned his full attention to the animal they were stalking.

Kassandra watched him as he readied his bow, notching an arrow to the string before standing up slightly to ensure his shot wouldn't be impeded by any foliage. While his eyes were fully focused on the deer Kassandra's enjoyed surveying the man before her. His form as he lined up his shot, the ease with which he drew the bow, and she couldn't help but notice how his crouched stance left his rear nicely in view. She decided that she'd push the boundaries, make a bold move to make her interest clear. Though she wouldn't force another awkward situation if he didn't return her advance. Her hand reached out to rest firmly on his butt before she gave the flesh a light squeeze. Natakas jumped at the unexpected contact and his arrow flew wild into the treetops. He turned around to look at her but she'd already withdrawn her hand. "You missed," she pointed out with a smug smile. "I believe that is a wasted arrow."

Natakas seemed like he wanted to say something, but couldn't decide on what. He finally shook his head. "Well maybe we can find something to shoot that will be to your standards." He motioned for Kassandra to take the lead so she started forward. Natakas kept pace with her but when she glanced over at him he didn't seem to be paying attention to where they were going. Once again she wasn't sure what exactly he was thinking about but decided that it was best to just let him focus on whatever it was in silence.

They walked slowly through the forest for a short while before Kassandra caught sight of some movement ahead of them in the brush. She reached out and her hand gripped Natakas' upper arm. He finally turned to her and she motioned toward the disturbance. He looked to where she was pointing, and a large deer emerged. It was busy stripping leaves from a bush out in front of them.

"Now that is a Spartan-sized deer," he admitted.

Kassandra crouched down and the man beside her followed suit. "One that is worth an arrow," she agreed. She became completely focused on the animal, watching carefully to be sure it hadn't noticed them before she readied her bow and notched an arrow. She stood partially and took aim as she drew back her arm and steadied herself. Kassandra was just about to shoot when a hand cupped her rear and she started. Her grip on her arrow slipped and it flew through the air, hitting a tree near the deer, alerting it. She watched the creature bound away before she turned to look at Natakas beside her. The only possible source of the touch.

Natakas looked hesitant as she eyed him up. "You missed," he echoed back at her with a small smile.

Kassandra wasn't sure if she was more surprised by the fact that he'd made such a bold move, or how the contact had made her feel. Perhaps it was the desire for him that she'd been suppressing which made the playful act of affection more exciting than she'd expected. "You're full of surprises, you know that?" Kassandra informed him. Natakas smiled, a little smug. Kassandra decided to take it as a challenge. "I wouldn't have missed if it weren't for you and your roaming hands." She took a step closer to him, attempting to lessen the space between them.

Natakas was clearly shocked by being called out on his action. "You started it," he pointed out defensively.

At this point Kassandra decided she was done dancing around his apprehensions, and trying not to upset him. Her hand reached out to settle on Natakas' waist to keep him in place as she moved closer. "And I should finish it," she said before quickly closing the space between them. There was a fraction of a second where she feared she'd crossed a line, before Natakas returned the kiss. His hands moved to her waist and pulled her as close as he could as well. Kassandra dropped her bow, allowing her other hand to move to the back of his neck. She got lost in the pleasure of exploring a new partner. Yet somehow this meant something more because it was Natakas she was kissing.

They broke apart just enough so they could breathe while still keeping their bodies pressed together. "I thought you were out of practice," Kassandra commented between deep breaths. Her fingers trailed lightly over the back of his neck, enjoying the warmth of his skin.

Natakas smiled and his hands moved slightly from her waist to slip around her back. "Maybe I'm just naturally skilled," he suggested with a gentle laugh.

Kassandra smiled and laughed with him, happy to hear him be confident, particularly after his earlier hesitancy. "Prove it," she challenged before again closing the space. The world around her seemed to vanish as she focused only on his lips moving against hers and his exploring hands.

The couple was pulled abruptly out of their personal world as a piercing screech rent the air, followed by the pained whine of a boar. Kassandra pulled away from Natakas and turned to see the animal lying dead under a nearby bush. She looked up to see Ikaros circling above them lazily. "Jealous?" she called up to the golden eagle.

"At least he has good taste in meat," Natakas said, pausing for a moment before he removed his arms from around her waist. Kassandra missed the warmth but released her own grip on him as well. "We should get that boar back to the house so it can be cleaned and dressed while it's still fresh." Natakas stepped away from her and moved over toward the creature's carcass.

Ikaros angled down and Kassandra put her arm up so the eagle could land. The raptor settled in place and looked at her with his bright eyes, waiting for attention. "It's a good kill," she admitted to the bird before she lowered her voice to a whisper. "But you're a jerk." Ikaros only tilted his head in response, then stretched his wings and took off again as she lowered her arm. She moved over to join Natakas as he shouldered half of the weight of the boar. Kassandra took hold of the other half and they started toward the house.