Horizon Ridge You like to drink and to smoke to take away the pain

She'd been trained from a young age to always keep one ear on her surroundings, being a Rusalkan, so Cam's approach was noted before the boy chuffed. But Nieve had never been trained to be afraid, nor found herself in any circumstance that called for it; any caution that rose in her was a bold sort, the kind of apprehension one felt moments before throwing a punch. She had been taught to be clever and smarter, but never to fear. She didn't turn to look at Cam and didn't outwardly react to his presence until he chuffed, at which time she turned her blue gaze away from the waves and on to him.

A black-furred youth, probably about the same age as her and her siblings, but it was hard to tell without sniffing his glands. She didn't relish getting close enough to an unknown entity to do that, so instead she stayed still and studied him and his startling green eyes with something akin to interest. How did one be blessed with eyes so green as that? Nieve's were the colour of the sky and the sea on a breezy summer day, and she loved them for that ... but there was something very alluring about the jade of Cam's eyes.

Did you come to see the ocean too? she asked in a quiet breath, calming the shy thrumming of her heart with a slow inhale that brought the faint scent of blood to her. Would she someday be able to meet someone without feeling like her lungs were constricting? And where was the blood-scent coming from? She couldn't see his wound. It's still angry, I'm afraid.

NANOWRIMO: 277