"W-what are you talking about? Get out of my face…" Blushing slightly, Kui pushed Aok away from him. "It's morning. We should get moving. We have much ground to cover," he mumbled awkwardly, trying not to look at the grown-up version of the cute little Emer.
Aok, though, pouted. "You gave your word."
"I don't know what you mean by that," he mumbled as he crawled out of the cave. "Come on, we need to find something to eat."
Still grumbling, Aok followed behind him with a pitiful look on his handsome face. Even though it didn't look that cute, he still had that adorable look to him.
Clearing his throat, Kui gazed ahead. "I can hear water from here. We can catch some fish for you there," he said as he gazed back, but the next words he was about to utter just didn't come out.
Aok had fully crawled out of the cave, and he was standing tall.
Like, tall.
The man was about six or seven feet tall!
Oh my god!
Noticing his gaze, Aok looked down at him with a small smile. "I told you I'd grow taller than you."
"Uh-huh… you did." Kui looked away, shaking his head.
When will I get that tall…?
Looking at his scrawny arms, it didn't seem like anytime soon. His growth spurt in this body was nonexistent.
"You promised to be my mate. When will we hold the ceremony?"
"That is not happening," Kui casually said as he pushed the overgrown plants out of the way.
"But you gave your word."
"Can we not talk about this? I'm too hungry to care," Kui snapped back at him.
The sound of water was getting closer.
"I think there is a waterfall close by…" he mumbled as he rushed through the foliage.
The man grumblingly followed behind him.
Soon, the waterfall came into view.
It was a huge, majestic waterfall that came rushing down from the rocks before flowing into a wide stream below. The sound of the water filled the air, loud but strangely calming at the same time. Sunlight slipped through the trees and reflected off the moving surface, making the water sparkle.
Kui's eyes immediately went to the stream.
There were a lot of fish swimming near the edge of the crevice, their bodies flashing beneath the clear water as they moved between the rocks.
That sight alone made his stomach grumble loudly.
I guess I really am half-mer… Look at me, salivating over some fish…
He stared at them for a moment longer, feeling slightly embarrassed by how appealing they suddenly looked.
Suddenly, a huge splash erupted next to him.
Kui jumped.
Before he could even realize what had happened, the annoying guy had already jumped into the water.
A huge blue-green tail slashed through the surface, sending water splashing in every direction. Aok had already swum over to where the fish were.
And in just two seconds, he surfaced with two huge fish in his hands.
Kui stared. That was fast.
With his bountiful catch, Aok easily swam back toward him. His wet hair stuck to his handsome face, droplets of water running down his skin as he looked up at Kui with a smug little smirk.
"Here. These taste good."
To Kui's shocked surprise, he watched as Aok effortlessly gutted the fish and removed the scales too.
That was certainly a sight.
"Here." Aok handed one of the fish to him, placing it carefully in a small aquatic leaf.
Kui smiled at the sashimi he was being offered. "You're a good hunter. I could barely catch anything," he mumbled, putting his legs into the cold water and letting his feet splash around.
The coolness immediately felt refreshing.
He took a bite of the fish and ate it with relish. Surprisingly, it tasted slightly sweet and delicious even though it was raw.
"Why…"
A hand gently grabbed his ankle, fingers softly caressing his foot.
Kui immediately pulled his leg out of the water with a frown. "I dunno. I'm not used to swimming, I guess. But I always loved water…" he mumbled softly as he continued enjoying the pieces of fish. "The sea just calms me down so much."
Aok simply watched him.
There was a soft, almost doting look on his face as he observed Kui eating.
Blushing slightly, Kui suddenly realized that he was eating alone. "Here. Have some."
"No, you have it. I can catch more if you want." Aok whispered gently as he touched his hand.
Kui immediately cleared his throat and looked away from the sight. "It's fresh water. How are you able to breathe? Aren't your gills, like, used to salt water?"
"Our tribe once existed on the mainland in fresh waters like this," Aok explained, gazing out toward the huge stream. "But the human population and hunting made it hard for us to survive, so our ancestors moved to the deep oceans."
"Oh…"
Kui quietly watched the man swim around.
He was totally in his element.
The moment Aok entered the water, it was as though he belonged there. His muscular arms shot out through the surface now and then as he moved effortlessly through the stream, and his beautiful green tail followed behind him, shimmering beneath the water.
It was tempting.
Very tempting.
Kui found himself wanting to reach out and touch those shimmering scales, just to know what they felt like beneath his fingers.
But he knew better than to do that.
Aok was already disillusioned enough into believing that he would become his mate.
Kui didn't want to cause any more misunderstandings.