during her absence. It now hung from his hip as if it was a part of him.
Aura took one look at the weapon as it flashed from his scabbard, and she screamed as she backed against the cave wall. "No!" He did not seem to listen as he swung the weapon at the snake and missed as she dodged. He stared at her, confused by her attempts to protect the creature, along with the docility of the snake itself, and she suddenly lost all fear of the man as she realized that he was no different than anyone else. She took Roger to the mouth of the cave, where he uncoiled himself from about her, and slithered off to go hunting. She returned to the interior of the cave to face his questions.
"Who are you?" His tone of voice and accent echoed his wonder, as well as his educational and social status.
Aura, not understanding his language very well, replied in Latin, as she remembered him using it during his moments of delirium. "I am a woman. I have raised Roger since he was little more than two feet long. He trusts me, and we are used to each other, nothing more, or out of the ordinary."
"You tamed the wolf in the same way?" He replied, also in Latin.
She nodded then turned the subject away from herself. "I want to check your wounds."
He grunted and motioned at the roasted rabbit and the other oddities, which she had brought in to eat, and gave an alternative suggestion. "Perhaps we should eat first, while the food is still hot. Then we can get to know each other better at our leisure."
She nodded, taking the statement at face value then brought her homemade platter filled with food over to the side of the fire where she set it down as she sat closer to the flames, to catch some of the heat. The man tore a quarter of the rabbit from the spit and began to eat, while she sat and watched for a few moments before pouring water into a wooden cup for him. She poured another for herself, then settled down to enjoy her meal.
"How long have you lived here?" He asked between mouthfuls.
"A while," she answered evasively. She was still wary of the man, and still tired from the days that she had spent nursing him.
"You cook well. You have put something into the meat," he observed.
Aura shrugged a shoulder and changed the subject. "You have removed the bandages from your arm. Why?"
"It got in the way. Besides the arm will heal quicker. Who taught you to set bones?"
"Nobody," Aura admitted then shrugged the matter off. "Generally I believe common sense comes into it a lot."
"So the people who know how to do it properly have told me. What is your name?" He asked, but received no answer.
The man assessed the woman before him. Somehow he knew she did not fit in the lifestyle she was living. Her accent was wrong. She had the manners and bearing of a lady, and who knew what else she hid behind that mask that she wore. He had to admit, she was rather attractive, and there was something about her that his instincts told him, was familiar. Something that he should recognize, and he frowned at the thoughts going through his mind. She wasn’t the only fair maiden he had ever been attracted to, and he already had too many women throwing themselves at him.
After a while of watching her he wished that she would say something, anything to dispel the air of mystery that seemed to cloak her. It was not to be. She remained quiet, choosing to shroud herself in obscurity. For the first time in his life he had the feeling that he was with a woman he could trust. He was having a hard time justifying the feeling with his mind and he was surprised he was even trying. After all, she was just another woman.
Aura was less bold about her examination of the man, as she sat across the boulder from him. He asked her name, she had no intention of telling him. Something instinctive told her it would be a mistake. She didn’t want to know him. She would help him and he
Aura took one look at the weapon as it flashed from his scabbard, and she screamed as she backed against the cave wall. "No!" He did not seem to listen as he swung the weapon at the snake and missed as she dodged. He stared at her, confused by her attempts to protect the creature, along with the docility of the snake itself, and she suddenly lost all fear of the man as she realized that he was no different than anyone else. She took Roger to the mouth of the cave, where he uncoiled himself from about her, and slithered off to go hunting. She returned to the interior of the cave to face his questions.
"Who are you?" His tone of voice and accent echoed his wonder, as well as his educational and social status.
Aura, not understanding his language very well, replied in Latin, as she remembered him using it during his moments of delirium. "I am a woman. I have raised Roger since he was little more than two feet long. He trusts me, and we are used to each other, nothing more, or out of the ordinary."
"You tamed the wolf in the same way?" He replied, also in Latin.
She nodded then turned the subject away from herself. "I want to check your wounds."
He grunted and motioned at the roasted rabbit and the other oddities, which she had brought in to eat, and gave an alternative suggestion. "Perhaps we should eat first, while the food is still hot. Then we can get to know each other better at our leisure."
She nodded, taking the statement at face value then brought her homemade platter filled with food over to the side of the fire where she set it down as she sat closer to the flames, to catch some of the heat. The man tore a quarter of the rabbit from the spit and began to eat, while she sat and watched for a few moments before pouring water into a wooden cup for him. She poured another for herself, then settled down to enjoy her meal.
"How long have you lived here?" He asked between mouthfuls.
"A while," she answered evasively. She was still wary of the man, and still tired from the days that she had spent nursing him.
"You cook well. You have put something into the meat," he observed.
Aura shrugged a shoulder and changed the subject. "You have removed the bandages from your arm. Why?"
"It got in the way. Besides the arm will heal quicker. Who taught you to set bones?"
"Nobody," Aura admitted then shrugged the matter off. "Generally I believe common sense comes into it a lot."
"So the people who know how to do it properly have told me. What is your name?" He asked, but received no answer.
The man assessed the woman before him. Somehow he knew she did not fit in the lifestyle she was living. Her accent was wrong. She had the manners and bearing of a lady, and who knew what else she hid behind that mask that she wore. He had to admit, she was rather attractive, and there was something about her that his instincts told him, was familiar. Something that he should recognize, and he frowned at the thoughts going through his mind. She wasn’t the only fair maiden he had ever been attracted to, and he already had too many women throwing themselves at him.
After a while of watching her he wished that she would say something, anything to dispel the air of mystery that seemed to cloak her. It was not to be. She remained quiet, choosing to shroud herself in obscurity. For the first time in his life he had the feeling that he was with a woman he could trust. He was having a hard time justifying the feeling with his mind and he was surprised he was even trying. After all, she was just another woman.
Aura was less bold about her examination of the man, as she sat across the boulder from him. He asked her name, she had no intention of telling him. Something instinctive told her it would be a mistake. She didn’t want to know him. She would help him and he
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