Known Him For Long

CHAPTER 14

Avril got up early in the morning and stepped out of her room. The lights in the living room were out and the windows were shut. She went outside and inhaled the cool and fresh morning, island air.

She went and sat at the foot of the huge statue and looked around.

“So, I'm stuck here forever” she muttered and supported her chin with her right palm.

“Well, I suppose I could get used to it. This place is beautiful”

She got up again and took a long walk round the whole valley and even tried climbing the mountains. She also went to the waterfall and watched beautiful little birds, fluttering around and chirping.

After about two hours of her morning stroll, she went back to the house and was surprised to see breakfast.

“Oh my! I thought you really disappeared, Avril” Dakar exclaimed immediately he saw her. He was placing apple slices on a white plate with a spoon, a very large spoon that fitted his large paw.

“I'm wondering why you're making breakfast for two if you thought I really disappeared” she grinned and sat down at the table. The lights were on already but windows were still closed.

“Okay, you caught me. But where did you go? I could scent you everywhere but didn't see you” he said and sat down too

“The waterfall” she answered and pulled a plate of avocado pudding in front of her.

“That explains why your scent was at the gardens too”

They ate in silence and after that, Avril offered to clear the table. He directed her to the kitchen and she wasn't surprised to find out it was behind a thick wall of rock. She said th words “I'm full and need to wash the dishes” according to what Dakar had said and the rock split open. She stepped into a large space just like the rest of the rooms.

The kitchen had carved out counters and shelves. In a corner was firewood neatly arranged. There was a local oven, local stoves and a huge clay pot in a corner. It was so big Avril could hide in it. She dropped the dishes in what seemed like a sink and moved to the clay pot. It had Dakar's wolfy face drawn on it. She opened it and found it filled with water. It was a water pot.

Avril filled some of the water that was surprisingly very cold and rinsed the plates and cups. She arranged them in a shelf and left the kitchen.

“So, what do you want to do today?” Dakar asked her as she stepped into the living room

“I don't know. What is there to do?”

“Fishing. We could have fish for lunch”

“Sounds fun” she said with a smile

“But not now. We'd go later in about an hour”

And so Avril went back to her room and picked up a book from the box Dakar had given her. She sat down and began to read until it was time to go fishing. She excitedly closed the book and hurried out to meet Dakar, who was already pulling out a net.

“I'm out already!” she announced and beamed at him

“Oh great! I was just about to call you. Hold that basket over there. I'll carry the net” he said and gestured to a larger basket by the corner of the room.

“Where are we going to fish? You can't touch the ocean” Avril stated and walked over to the basket then took it .

“The stream has a good amount of fish” Dakar replied and threw the net over his shoulder. It was big enough to trap the whole of Avril.

“Uhm, Dakar?” she called, as they made their way down the rock staircase.

“Hmm hmm” he hummed and looked at her

“How many fish do you intend to catch with that...net?” she pointed at the net over his shoulder

“About a hundred?”

“What?” Avril asked in disbelief, twitching her cheek.

“I love fish” he replied with a shrug

“So you're going to eat how much? You could get bigger than you already are”

“Okay, maybe fifty instead” he said and beamed down at her. She wasn't smiling.

“Okay, forty”

She still didn't smile

“Fine, twenty”

“That's better” she grinned and they stepped out into the sunny afternoon. The mountaintops shone brightly and Avril had to either squirm her eyes or just look away from them.

They began to talk about random things while making their way to the stream flowing from the waterfall. Avril plucked three or four cherries and stuffed them into her amount on several occasions as they made their way through the garden.

Finally, they reached the noisy waterfall and Avril stopped to stare at it, always fascinated by how it flows nonstop.

“You coming or you're going to keep kissing up to the waterfall!” Dakar called from the front

Avril chuckled “Coming!” she called back and hastened her steps. She reached the Rocky part of the stream where Dakar was already positioning his net.

“Can't wait to have a delicious meal of fish soup. So good!” he muttered audibly

After staring at his frantic fishing attempts, Avril couldn't help but wonder why she was suddenly so free with him.

She wasn't scared anymore. She didn't even see him as strange anymore. She felt she had known him for long and not for 48 hours.

“Don't you wonder?” she asked him as he pulled a net full of fish, definitely more than twenty.

“Wonder what?” he asked as he made his way back to her with the net

“Wonder why I am not terrified of you anymore” she stated and gazed up at him. His mouth was partly opened, showing the long fangs of his.

“I don't wonder” he said and took the basket from her hand. He began to pour the fish into it and Avril crouched down.

“Why? Is there something else you know that I don't?” she asked and he shrugged

“Dakar, what else did the prophecy say about me?”

“Oh come on. I don't wonder because I'm totally likeable. I'm not your regular kind of monster”

Avril frowned “That's it? You think you're likeable? What if you're just pretending? Maybe, feeding me so I could get fat in order for you to have a hearty human dinner someday” she blurted out.

Dakar gazed into her eyes as if trying to pick up something from them. Then he calmly and slowly said “I... I—cannot—eat—fellow—humans”