After the incident with the skinned rabbit, we made a deal.

One day, he's inside and we're sleeping as long as we can; the second, we're out in the forest.

It was a deal not one of us expected we'll make, but it just somehow happened.

He was very eager to show me, how he got the rabbit – just how he CAUGHT it, not skinned it – so we sneaked through the back door around midnight and went out for the first time together.

It was quite scary at first; I've never been in it before. I mean, yes at the edge, but not more than two steps. Now, we were quite DEEP. I kept close to my companion, which seemed very happy to be out again.

Someone that might see us would be probably… shocked. I was, too.

,,Aren't we a bit too away now?" I asked after a while.

He stopped.

,,Are you scared?"

,,A bit," I admitted.

,,Okay."

He changed direction to the back, then sniffed.

,,Stay here," he pointed with a claw. ,,I'll be back in a few minutes."

,,A-are you sure?"

,,If you won't move, then I'm sure."

With a sound that resembled a bark he was gone between the trees.

I looked around me.

My gosh. I never saw so much red things at once before.

I carefully picked up one flower from the ground and examined it. It was a… what? Damn. I couldn't recall it's name. But I liked it's smell. Then I remembered I already washed my hair today… it was red too. Sitting down beside a tree, I compared the colors. Mine was a bit more brown, but still, it was red. I was actually proud to have this- it meant I was special. Not many girls of the village had this color, so far I know I was the only one. Yes, yes, okay, it was their color- but who took it away from them? And hell, why we didn't have our color?

I jumped, when a startled rabbit ran beside me, and just then with a growl one of the creatures I was thinking about jumped in front of it, caught it and with one squeeze killed it. My chin dropped down.

,,That sure was amazing!" I constated. ,,You ARE fast! See, I told you you're good in something!"

,,And you we're right!"

He actually laughed now.

I must be crazy. I'm out in their forest, hunting with one of them, with my red hair sticking to all directions.

,,Told you!"

After a small hesitation I tapped his back.

That was the first real touch we shared, and we both liked it, it seemed.

….

As I hit my tenth birthday, there was a very peaceful time. There were no ,private visits' from the forest for over four years, more like our to it. I was surprised nobody found out yet, people or them, but we were happy they didn't.

Yeah, we. Since we started the trips, we became something… well, less than friends, but more than just room mates. Something in between. But hey, what ten year old girl really befriends a boy, even if he's of different species?

He snorted, when I said this.

,,What are we then?"

I shrugged, then remembered he can't see it- it was a conversation in bed.

,,I have no idea."

,,Hmm, yes," he started in a bit malicious tone. ,,how can we be friends, when I'm grown –up and you aren't?"

I jumped and said a bit too loudly;

,,I AM grown up!"

,,You're just ten."

I could totally see his smirk in my mind.

,,And you're just thirteen! So don't act as if you were adult already!"

,,We mature in fifteen," he stated proudly.

,,Yeah, well, we too."

Okay, I lied a bit.

,,HA! Gotcha. You ARE still small."

,,No I'm not! Five years is not that much to pass!" I snorted.

We maybe weren't friends- but we argued, as if we were.

,,Ooh, it IS quite enough. Besides… I heard you are adult after you are EIGHTEEN."

Damn. He knew more than I thought.

,,SO what!" I sticked head under the bed. ,,That doesn't mean I'm not mentally grown up!"

He chuckled.

,,Oh, how should I know?" he said sarcastically.

,,You're a stuck-up, egoistic and lazy person. No wonder parents left you here."

After that I smacked my mouth. Wasn't this a bit too much…?

,,You're a spoiled little brat. No wonder you don't have any friends," he mentally punched back.

I smirked.

,,No, but I have loads of companions. And that's enough."

,,Oh reallyyyyy? What kind of companions?"

,,Eh, what?" I winked.

,,See. You ARE still little. Or your instincts don't work as they should."

I stared into the darkness.

,,You'll get it someday," he sighed heavily and waved a paw.

,,Why someday? Tell me now!"

,,No," he cut me sharply.

,,But whyyyyy?"

,,Because I don't want to."

,,Egoist."

,,Brat."

,,Good night."

,,You too."

Our conversations were quite cheekier than when we were kids. We weren't shy around each other anymore, so we often fought, but it was funny. It was a good part of day for me, other than learning, playing with the other kids and stuff.

I noticed that nobody has died in quite a while in the village now. Maybe because of the peace that was here. Nothing was done, and actually, I think that maybe elders were a bit bored. Maybe I should pull some kind of prank?

I became quite good at this. Small kids called me the village trickster behind parent's backs, and also only those who were smart enough not to tell anyone. I never did any harm- I just startled the chickens, one time ringed the bell without seeing any trace of them, fed the pigs with something that made them stomach problems, stole some fruits.

Still, it kept the fun here around a good level, I'd say.

I still played with boys, but more with the smaller ones. I loved the next-to-forest game.

I always endured hours- until my feet started to ache.

I wasn't afraid of it anymore. Why? I went deep in often.

People are scared of things they can't see, don't know. I knew what everyone was scared of. I knew it personally. There wasn't anything scary about them.

Okay, okay. Not when you seen them through a keyhole in the middle of the night, going around in your kitchen, but still. When you befriended a monster, you never had any nightmares, and it didn't matter if you were a little kid, or a grown-up adult.

I've been… quite content with my life now.

My mom noticed this too one morning.

,,What makes you so cheerful in the middle of the school year?"

,,Hm?" I looked up, mouth full.

She laughed.

,,Oh, you're shining like a star, Gwen. Slept good?"

,,Oh, yeah, I did," I answered unconsciously after swallowing. ,,quite good."

,,That's good. You seem awfully cheerful these past few days."

Past few days, we found a shortcut to the place where he usually hunted, dug, well trained, to put it simply.

I tried some things too. I usually bought a lamp and something to entertain me in the process. We never could be out for very long, three, mostly four hours, and the place was nowhere near too – of course, we couldn't go to one people would hear us in. And even so, we had to be quiet – he said his own didn't come to this place, but one was never sure.

And we didn't want to be found out – it was too much fun.

,,Do I?" I shrugged. ,,Must be a coincidence."

This day was special.

Nobody was home, only granny, but I had it carefully thought up as for what will I say to everyone – and me and him went out in day light for the first time.

We had to be very quick, because all the villagers had eyes very sensitive for any sight of red – and he never went out without his cape.

First I sticked out my head to check, if anyone could see us. Some people were nearby, but they had their backs turned to me.

,,NOW!"

We ran through the backyard like cheetahs and right into the forest, as far and fast as we could.

Then we stand there, in the middle of our way, tired, panting, and still had to get the fact what we did.

,,I can't believe it!" he got out finally.

,,We're out like this!" I gasped too.

,,At daylight!"

,,And we ran through the area they could see us."

We stayed quiet for a while, staring at each other with blank faces – then bursted into hysterical laughter.

Really, it was so hard I couldn't stand straight after a while, tears rolling down my cheeks, and I had to lean for support on the nearest thing I found – which was my companion, of course. But he didn't mind, he couldn't stand properly too, still chuckling.

After about five minutes we finally calmed down a little, sitting on the ground next to each other.

,,Well," he looked up. ,, how long did you say you'll be out?"

,,I said 'till dark."

,,WHAT! That's almost half of a day!"

,,Yeah!" I grinned. ,,Have a problem with it?"

,,No! It's just unusual for me. But not in a bad way."

,,For me too!" I laughed, when we stopped by a small stream and I immediately sticked my whole head into the water to wash my hair.

He stand beside me, waiting and watching curiously, how the brown went off and left a dark wet reddish color. I squeezed my hair to dry it off, when all was out, then straightened.

,,Done!" I announced cheerfully.

,,Far better," he said.

I could hardly take this as a compliment. It was just a statement, he liked this color better and he said it.

Still, it made me feel even better than before.