After finishing her story of first meeting Elias, Maria looked over at Chiese who was sitting up, leaning a bit towards her, her expression open. Even Ruth was nonchalantly attentive, slightly perking his ears towards the other mage.

"So what happened next?" asked the young apprentice. With a bemused smile the dark hair mage continued her story.

"The next morning we packed up camp and walked out of the forest onto a sandy white beach," said Maria. "We spent all day walking along the beach picking up shells and collecting driftwood. In the afternoon we set up camp and caught some fish for dinner. As evening came on we built a large fire with all the wood we had collected. All day I noticed that Elias kept a distance between us and didn't speak much with me."

= = England (the past) = =

Once the fire had a good blaze going, Maria sat down next to Elias. She purposefully sat close enough so that she was less than an arm's reach away. As a healer, the foreign mage was used to being close to others both physically and emotionally. Maria was curious about her savior and wanted to know more about him.

"Sorry, I'm being stingy with your cloak," said Maria wrapping it around herself. "I guess I'm a bit sensitive to the cold. Where I'm from it doesn't get this cold often."

"That's okay, you're welcome to use it as long as you need," said Elias.

"Thanks. So, where do you come from Elias?" she asked.

The dark mage stared into the fire for a beat before answering, "I don't remember."

"Really?" Maria asked in concern. "That must be difficult." Elias was quiet. When he made no motion to respond, she turned her attention to the starry sky above her.

"I really am in a different country," she thought to herself when she didn't recognize many of the constellations in the sky. "It's like I fell through the earth to the other side."

The horned mage watched her out of the corner of his eye, much like he had been doing all day. The only other being he had spent any significant time with was Lindel. Aside from their physical differences, Elias noticed that Maria was different from his friend in that she was more open and curious about the things around her.

After a few minutes she glanced over to catch him looking at her. When their eyes met, he quickly looked away. Maria frowned a bit. She had been attempting to engage her new friend all day but with no luck. Deciding on a more direct approach the young woman scooted away from his side so that she was now sitting facing Elias.

"Do I make you uncomfortable?" she asked.

"No, but…" Elias looked directly into her eyes, "I'm not used to being around others, particularly females."

"I see," she responded gaining some insight into his lack of communication. "Have you been alone long?"

"Not quite," said the dark mage, "I recently parted with friend. He was also a mage." Maria nodded in response.

"What of you?" asked Elias. "Did you live with others?"

"Yes, I have lived beside humans for as long as I remember," she answered. Even though she didn't feel the previous grief as strongly, Maria's feelings of loss were still strong. Thinking of her adopted family made her throat constrict.

"Were there no mages or spirits were you lived?" he asked.

"No," quickly clearing her throat she continued, "there are many spirits and Gods who reside in the country I'm from. A majority of the spirits either has or can change into animal form," Maria said thoughtfully. "Although, I've never met anyone who looks as you do."

"Nor have I," he replied. They stared at each other for a few minutes, openly assessing and taking in the others appearance. Again, Maria's glittering gold and black eyes drew his attention.

"Elias? Um, do you mind… if I touch you?" the healer asked timidly. He looked with surprise at her slightly blushing face.

"Why?" he asked.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to be rude. It's just I've never met anyone like you and I was just curious," Maria explained quickly. "Of course you wouldn't want a stranger pawing at you. Please forget I asked -"

"You're not a stranger," Elias said interrupting her. "We're friends, so yes, you may touch me."

"Okay," she said. "You can tell me to stop at any time, alright?" He nodded in response.

Slowly, Maria got up and kneeled next to him. She reached out her hand to touch his. Elias' large hand was covered with short black fur and his long fingers were tapered at the end like claws. Turning his hand over to his palm, she saw it was similar to a cat's paw with a soft pad. Maria slowly moved her hand up over his clothed arm to his shoulder and was mildly surprised to feel skin and firm muscle underneath his robe. Since his head was skeletal she was expecting the rest of his body to be as well.

Elias was sitting very still, afraid to move in case he scared her. In fact he was barely breathing. Lindel's warning was playing in his mind: Man can be more fearful or hateful than any animal. He stared intently at her face looking for any sign of fear or revulsion. However, her expression was calm and her hands were warm and gentle as she examined him.

Moving closer, Maria gently touched his cheek and was surprised. She was expecting it to be like true bone: cool, smooth, and hard to the touch. Instead he was warm and the bone was firm but flexible and had a lightly matte texture. When she caressed his cheek he involuntarily shivered.

The action caused her to stop and look into his eyes. Maria saw that Elias was looking at her apprehensively. Wanting to comfort him she leaned forward and hugged him and said, "It's okay."

The dark mage paused. Her body was small and soft against his and her unusual scent reminded him of flowers and aromatic herbs. Elias didn't know what to make of their closeness. "What are you doing?" he asked his arms still at his side.

The healer leaned back so she could look into his face, "I thought you looked anxious so I decided to hug you."

"What's that?"

"You've never been hugged?" Maria asked in surprise. He shook his head. She dropped her arms from his shoulders and sat back on her knees. "Well… when two humans have a friendly bond they will hug each other. Sometimes it's in greeting or it can be a physical expression of comfort or support."

"I think I understand," replied Elias thoughtfully.

"Did you not like it?" Maria asked.

"I'm not sure," he said hesitantly.

"Oh," she said sitting a little further back. Maria crossed her arms and looked away from him saying, "I'm sorry, I just reacted without thinking. That interaction is common among humans."

The two were silent for a moment before Elias asked, "Can we do it again?" She looked into his face and saw his eyes were alight with curiosity.

"Um, okay," she said. Rising to her knees she came closer to him and slowly wrapped her arms around his neck and shoulders. She was expecting him to do the same but nothing happened. "He's like a child," Maria thought as she smiled to herself.

"Elias, to hug someone you also need to put your arms around them," she instructed.

"I see," he replied. He gently encircled his arms around her waist. This time he noticed how fragile and warm Maria was; it made him feel some unknown but tender emotion. After a brief moment she slowly pulled away. Elias looked at her with some confusion as he let her go.

"Most hugs are short," she explained sitting back on her knees. "Although depending on the situation it can be longer or the embrace firmer. What did you think? Is hugging still strange to you?" asked Maria.

"No, it… it was okay," Elias answered with some thought. "I never hugged my other friend," he remarked.

"Sometimes males don't hug other males," she said. "It just depends on their relationship and level of affection."

"Hmm…I think I may need to learn more about human customs and greetings. Would you be willing to teach me?"

"Sure," said Maria looking up at Elias with a smile.

= = England (the future) = =

"I think I'll end there for today," said Maria. "It's getting late and I don't want to keep you out after dark."

"Oh, yeah," replied Chise as if in a daze. "I'm sure you must be tired from your long trip."

"Yes," agreed the healer rising from her seat into a stretch. "It'll be nice to rest my weary feet at a friend's door." The women gathered their gear and the group set off down the hill. During the walk back out of the forest the young apprentice was silent.

"Of course he would have other friends to help him," Chiese thought to herself, "but why does this feel different?"

Maria noticed the subtle change in her companion but kept quiet as Chiese worked out her thoughts and feelings. She herself needed to get her feelings in order. There was something she had to ask Elias but she was afraid the answer would threaten their long friendship.

Author's Note: There were many delays in uploading the next chapter. The most significant ones were a slight case of writer's block and losing my plot and character notes. You'd think I'd learn my lesson after losing my notes for The Cat Returns story I was penning. Many thanks for the reviews, they are appreciated.