A/N: As usual, I would recommend putting the video on loop.



Drying her clothes out on the smooth stone, she brought her knees up to her chest and waited for Tarhuinn to finish with his bathing. Of course, she kept her attention elsewhere from him. Her eyes focused back on where the tenlites had attacked. Had she called out a second later, she might very well be dead. She wondered if there would be any more creatures like that, and she wished that Tarhuinn would give her one of his daggers. It wouldn't be too effective underwater, but it was still something.



At the moment, though, she knew that it wasn't the right time to ask. He was most likely still mad at her, and she now desired that they hadn't stopped for camp. Resting her forehead on her knees, she sighed against her skin. What if some more dangerous foe came upon them? Tarhuinn already mentioned that they would turn back around and go home, but she didn't want that.



She would make sure that they would continue, but how could she defend herself? Tarhuinn would protect her, yet he had set a limit to their journey. If she could learn how to fight, Tarhuinn could focus on himself, and they might be able to fight off something more threatening if it did appear.



Footsteps and splashes of water, though, caused her to pay attention to her surroundings again, but she kept her forehead where it was. Something was draped around her shoulders before she felt an arm wrap around her waist. Within moments, she was pulled towards what she could only presume was Tarhuinn. Her head ended up being pressed against his right shoulder, and she felt some heat come to her cheeks. Regardless, she kept her gaze away from him.



His hold tightened, and his other hand grabbed her. She was turned from her side to sit directly in front of him on his lap. In the process, she fell forward some and ended up pressing her hands and head to his chest. Her cheeks became hotter as she was glad that her face was hidden presently.



"I told you that I would hold you closer now, but I would like you to look at me. I'm your husband; you shouldn't feel embarrassed by this, but it's cute that you do." His left hand came up and started to stroke her hair. "Or, is it that you're worried that I'm still mad at you? Well, I am. Your shyness is adorable to an extent, but there's no place for it when you're in danger. In fact, you're lucky that I don't force you to bathe with me from now on."



Fire seemed to explode in her cheeks, but her worry caused her to look up at him. "You w-wouldn't ac-actually d-do th-that, wo-would you?" she stuttered out, trying to push the warmth in her cheeks away.



"Only if you wait to call out to me again," he responded, bringing his left fingers to rest under her chin. "It may seem like a punishment, but I'm only threatening this because it will elicit you to act in a safer fashion. Besides, you may change your mind later and willingly want to take a bath with me."



Not being able to maintain her gaze with him anymore, she looked to her left and pulled her chin away from him. "Can you let me off of your lap now? You're going to get my boots wet," she mumbled since she couldn't find another excuse at the moment. After all, he was sitting in such a way that his feet were in a small stream that ran down the smooth surface of the stone.



A chuckle left his lips, and he moved his left hand back down to her waist. Instead of letting her go, he leaned back and pulled her down with him. Caught off guard, she ended up face-planting onto his chest while his left arm secured itself around her waist. She looked up some and saw his other hand pull his cloak from out under him before he laid it over the two of them.



"Your boots won't get wet if you lay on me. Now, let's get some sleep for the evening," he uttered, though; it sounded more like a command. The previous night, she had agreed to let him hold her close, so she didn't argue back now. To her relief, he did seem to be cooling down from his ill mood, and, hopefully, that mood would be gone in the morning.



Slowly waking up, she shifted a bit and found herself to already be moving. Confused, she opened her eyes. She took in her surroundings only to find that Tarhuinn was carrying her bridal style. Torches were back on the cave walls, and he must have walked some ways. "You can set me down now, Tarhuinn."



"No, I'm carrying you the rest of the way. Besides, the path right now is only water, and I do believe that you didn't desire for your boots to get wet."



As if to prove him wrong, she looked downwards. Unfortunately, there was no accompanying stone path. She pursed her lips before she crossed her arms over her chest. "Why, didn't you wake me up, though? I'm sure that the entire path hasn't been water for the whole time that you've been up."



"No, it hasn't, but you looked rather comfortable against my chest. So, I thought not to disturb you. And, I don't have to worry about something attacking you this way."



"What if something attacks you? Didn't you mention that the tenlites were closer to the next complex? What if not all of them moved downstream? You can't very well defend yourself while holding onto me."



"That's where you're wrong, (f/n). I'm quite capable of fighting without the use of my arms."



Huffing, she glanced ahead. He would probably only set her down when they got to the next complex. Granted, whatever pushed the tenlites downstream might be directly up ahead. If that were the case and it was too dangerous, she would have to force her way out of his arms, which wouldn't be an easy task. She wouldn't focus too much on that possibility, however. There might be another reason for the tenlites' movement. "Tarhuinn, how much longer until we reach the next complex?"



"Once we get out of this waterway, we just have to walk across another cave room. Past that, we'll be there, and we're nearly out of this tunnel."



True to his word, they reached the end of the waterway soon after. The room following was just like the one that they had camped in, but torches illuminated the space instead of natural light. It made the area more ominous, and she couldn't see far down into the water. Tarhuinn, however, walked close to the stones but still in the water, not minding the lower visibility of the area. Then again, he could see when there was no visibility at all for her.



When a splash was heard up ahead, she instinctively pressed more into him. Her eyes searched the area out ahead, and she saw something move in the water. Another splash sounded but closer. Worryingly, a fourth came from behind them. Soon enough, it sounded like they were surrounded by whatever was in the water.



Peering down to the surface of the water, she saw a form swimming a few feet away from them. Two more could be seen from her perspective. They looked to be bigger than the tenlites. "What are those?" she questioned, wishing that he would set her down and on a stone far from them. Or, maybe, she could take one of his daggers.



"I'm not certain yet. If it's what I think it is, then they shouldn't be here, but they would explain why the tenlites were further down in the cave. Perhaps, I better set you down."



In moments, she was back on her feet as Tarhuinn motioned her to get back on the stones some more. He walked deeper into the water and removed a dagger from his belt. She noted that one of the fishes' shadows swum quickly at him. It remained under the water, and Tarhuinn threw the dagger swiftly. Despite the fast moving target, the dagger pierced the fish. The other two now attacked, and a similar fate awaited them.



He retrieved his daggers and pulled the fish out of the water. Grey scales coated their bodies, and white lifeless eyes stared back. Rows of razor sharp teeth were housed in their mouths, and they were about the length of her arm. "These fish prey on anything smaller than them. They were probably terrorizing the tenlites and got them to move. The question is why they're in these waters."



"Someone in the next complex might know," she suggested, keeping her distance from the water still.



Wiping the blood from his dagger and sheathing it, he nodded. "We'll bring these fish with us and trade them. Someone who trades fish there regularly will probably know why these were over here. Plus, we should fill up on supplies some more. After the third complex, we'll have to rely on what we have and what we find on our own. Now, let's move along before more of these come."



Agreeing with him, she made her way across the stones, but she was mindful whenever she had to cross a stream. She noted that Tarhuinn was watching her as well. As they went along, she inquired, "Where did you learn to throw a dagger like that?"



"I taught myself. While I was waiting for you, I would practice in case I had to take you out of that village by force."



"I didn't see any daggers on you that night, though."



"My shirt was covering them at the time. You looked away when I was taking it off and changing," he responded, laughing a little at the memory.



Pouting, she turned her eyes ahead. If she hadn't escaped from her home at that time, he would've most likely tried to kill anyone in his path or at least tried to. Thankfully, they were on the same side.