Is it safe to say that I and Eashoa became more understanding by the minute as we went on after that day?

I mean I found him quite interesting and intriguing by the moment. He was reaching me a lot in the space of only a few moments.

Okay I exaggerate.

A couple of hours.
Even though I enjoyed being with him so much, I was very hungry by now.

As in empty cauldron kind of hungry. My stomach rumbled at the thought and I was worried he heard it. That plate of rice from yesterday needs to be replaced with immediate effect.

He looked back at me from the rock upon which he was perched and motioned for me to come closer. When I did and looked over to what he pointed at, it was all I could not to gasp, but i did anyway.

We had made it to Pastures!

I studied the lush green blanket stretched over the horizon and the busy town perched upon it. I would call it a city even though I haven't ever left the town, Whispering Shadows.

Yes that was the name of the town I've been growing up in, though with the absence of whispers except the one in my head. I had only seen the pastures in old books that the missus kept under her bed from when I'm sweeping and right now it's ten times- no- one hundred times much more real than what I've seen

I felt the rush of adrenaline pumping to make me run for the gates but the hand on my shoulder said otherwise.

Eashoa pointed to something below. It appeared the place was under a complete shut down for reasons I didn't think I wanted to know.

I furrowed my brows as I watched the scene in the distance. A young woman was struggling with a larger man who seemed to be an officer of some sort. I felt Eashoa tense beside me as he wrenched her son from her grasp and started making wild gestures. From what I could interpret, it was either she leaves or the boy leaves. She kept pleading with him and I assumed it was because they left to go to the meadows around them.

"What's going on?" I ask Eashoa as his tempered anger seems to rise as he continues to watch the drama.

"The man is not for us", he stated calmly amidst his bitter expression.

He unclenched his right fist with his palm facing up. In it was a pendant identical to the one he gave to me. He placed it carefully in my palm before saying, "Meet up with me later. It's a time stone".

Fear began to ooze in slowly as I received the pendant. I stared at it for some moments before raising my head to ask him why, but he was gone.

I looked around for any traces of where he went but found none.

I went over to sit on a rock after watching the city for nearly an hour and still no sign of Eashoa or his white apparel.

What's taking him so long? He had better not lose his glass eyes.

"Now you tell me", came a cheeky voice from a brush behind me.

"Wh - who's there?" I stuttered in alarm. The bush seemed to become restless as it shivered terribly for some moments before spitting out a person. Or at least I thought it was a person.
He looked kind of like a koala bear with short stocky legs and a gray cape much too big for him. His arms were short and his nose looked like they pinned it to his face.

"Hey cousin, could ya stop starin'? It's a givin' me da creeps", He said in that same cheeky voice as he shook and dusted himself free of the brambles stuck in his overcoat and hobbled over to the nearest rock to sit down, apparently exhausted.

"Did you say cousin?" I asked, watching the little man that definitely wasn't as tall as my waist line, still a little bit spooked that he seemed to have been watching me for quite a while.
"Well heck yeah! I'm cousin Randy. You don't remember me?" I shook my head vigorously in reply.
"Don't remember you one bit", something in his eyes seemed suspicious as it glistened in mischief and his smile looked more like a twisted grin that should explode in a cackle, so I kept my distance in hopes that Eashoa would come for me soon. I had even forgotten about the woman, her, son and the security officer down below.

Randy stood from his rock and hobbled towards me rather slowly,
"If yer waitin' for em he ain't coming back for you princess. He's gonna leave you here just like he left me. You'll have to live on your own", he said with a scowl as he neared me and I inched backwards.

Eashoa promised me.

He came closer in almost a flash, his limping forgotten as he clamped his hand down on my wrist.
"Come with me. You are far from home. Your father said I should bring you."
For a second my senses swam. My father? Why?

I didn't know any Randy. My father never looked for me. And now some stranger is claiming to be my cousin and that my father misses me.

What the heck does he take me for!?

I wrenched myself free from Randy. The late afternoon sun was burning my back and I had to tie my jacket around my waist.

"I would never go back!" I ground out between clenched teeth, "never mister whoever you are. You had better leave me and report to my father that I want nothing to do with him anymore".

My anger seemed to have taken its effect as he stumbled backwards in shock.
"Fine" he spat, "then give me the pendant".
"You are either crazy or mentally unstable Randy. Eashoa and his stuff are never going to leave my side."

It didn't matter whether or not I barely knew him.

It was like he took a blow from behind as I mentioned his name for he fell face first to the ground, failing to support himself with his hands.
"Stop!" he cried in obvious anguish, "don't call that name. I beg you", he squeaked rising to a kneeling position and revealing the scars on his face.
I stumbled for a bit at his disheveled appearance and he seized the opportunity to lunge for me.

"Get off me!" I yelled as he jumped onto my shoulders trying to rip the pendants off my neck chain. When he touched the one Eashoa gave me, I don't know why but I then used my elbows to hit his face repeatedly before I pushed him off me. I winced at the nail marks he left in my neck and began to chant Eashoa's name. I mean, if it truly was a repulsion to him, I might as well save myself.

"Eashoa...", I took a step towards Randy and it looked like his soul was being rejected from his body when he tried to cover his ears. I call his name enough times till I find a motionless Randy left barely alive lying in the dust.

I kicked his body into the brush and try hard to cover the scratches on my neck; rearranging the pendants, splaying out my hair and just rubbing at it aggressively then I sat on my rock hugging my knees to my chest as I wait for Eashoa to come back.

*******

"Where have you been?" Diana asked her companion as he helped her climb down the mountain they were perched just a few hours ago, stopping occasionally to feel for foothold.

"I went to make preparations for the night."

Diana took his short answer rather difficultly because she didn't understand why he could not let her come. It would have saved her from nearly killing someone she didn't even know. What if he was from Whispering Shadows? Then again, what if he was just out of his mind? Why did saying 'Eashoa' render him half dead? Was there a curse tied to his name?

She managed to shake most of the questions, but one remained and she had to ask, "how do you know me? Where are you from?"

Okay, so maybe two.

They were now about two meters from the ground. Eashoa let out a sigh as he took another foothold before assisting Diana to do the same, quite hurriedly if I might add. Night was falling fast and they had to make it in time before the gates closed; not that he would have a problem with it but he knew for sure she would.

"Diana, I will answer your questions in due time" he paused, checking for another foothold. It was getting harder to see and his companion did not seem to find it funny, "but you need to be patient", he finished with a sigh at the end and stopped in his tracks.

He let go of the crevices.

Diana screamed.

And he laughed from below.

She could see the him gesturing for her to jump and she shook her head vigorously while trying to find a footing. She moved from one to another, and another, and another...

Then she slipped and fell down.

But she never hit the ground.

"Oops." she said sheepishly looking at Eashoa's creased eyebrows before he put her down and led her in through the gates which shut the second they came in.
"Don't do that when I'm not around", he said with a shake of his head then taking her arm, he led her to a building almost four times the size of Ma'am Roselle's inn.

He led her up the front steps and the doors swung inwards, granting them access and closed again, but not before Eashoa looked over his shoulder, staring hard at the alley behind him. The shadow disappeared and he followed Diana to a table by the corner.