If she had been able to read Tristan’s thoughts about the differences between boys and girls, Alethea would have been shocked, and then amused. There hadn’t been many girls her age at her family’s estate, so she couldn’t speak for them, but for her own part, she would have been far more likely to catch a spider with her bare hands than have anybody kill it. In fact, there were several spiders in jars in her bedroom. Insects were a particular fondness of hers. Well…anything alive, really, was a particular fondness of hers.
And dresses were…dresses. She had a habit of taking hers off as soon as it hindered her progress. But usually not in the company of strangers, or while she was indoors.
Alethea’s eyes widened as she listened to the story of Tristan’s attack. In her mind, she retrieved everything she had learned about Venaraptors, and soon had a vivid picture of what she imagined his experience had been like. Three beasts, circling from the shadows, communicating in their eerie language, judging the weaknesses of their quarry and planning their attack…
She’d always wanted to see one in person, but didn’t think this would be the best time to tell him so.
“No, they are not.” She agreed, looking closely at his face, trying to determine what emotion she saw playing there. “You must be very brave, or very clever, to have escaped from them alive. Or maybe both.” As he withdrew the talisman, a smile spread over the little lady’s face. It was a memory of a terrible experience, yes, but nothing drew her attention more than biological artifacts. She grasped it lightly between her thumb and forefinger, and brought her face very close to it, totally absorbed. A venaraptor fang! “Amazing! Look at the tapering, here – ow!” She winced, but released the tooth gently, her grimace turning into a smile. “Sharp. What a shame that they won’t tell you about the bodies. I should like to see one.” What she really would have liked was to dissect one, but she’d learned not to mention these proclivities upon first meeting people.
“Oh, whatever you think is interesting,” she replied to his offer, laughing a little at some private joke. In truth, she wasn’t fond of tours. Exploring was much more fun, and she was fairly certain (based on her knowledge of young boys) that he would rather do the same. But perhaps that wouldn’t be best – he was injured, after all. More severely than he let on, she thought. “What would you want to see, if you were just arriving here for the first time? ”
“Oh, this is Leto, by the way.” The wolf looked between them, and nodded. She rarely spoke. Alethea scratched her behind the ears, reassuring. “Don’t you have a familiar? I thought my mother said you did.”
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