Another burst of water soaked Yoa's face, the droplets trickling down his shaking, furious body. It was followed by a chorus of giddy squeals and taunting chittering. Again, it was like laughter.
Yoa's growl rumbled along the forest, making Nova's feet stumble, eyes widening, but that laughter didn't die, and the sounds of splashing water made her curious. Yoa hadn't attacked whatever was in there and it hadn't done anything else. When she peered through the gap of his wide-spread arm and torso, her eyes lit up.
"Dolphins?!" Nova gasped and tried to go through the gap in Yoa's arm.
"Stand back," Yoa snapped, eyes glowing, voice more beast than man, making her heart race. She didn't step any closer as she stared at the light pink river dolphins playing in the water. Some had greyish spots acting like splattered mud along their smooth skin.
Others weren't even pink, but there were a few, and they wanted to play. Another dipped back in the water, its fin swishing under the surface-
Yoa hopped back before he was splashed again. The other dolphins laughed and made small leaps out of the water.
'Play with us, play with us!'
'Play with us we won't hurt you.'
'We won't?'
'Hehe, of course we will. That girl loves us! She looks fun to play with.'
'Yes… Yiska protects her though…'
'Stupid cat.'
'I want to play with her!' Another voice pouted.
Nova stared at the dolphins swimming around, acting so friendly, laughing and seeming to smile with their eyes. She'd always wanted to swim with them. Right now, that was the furthest thing from her mind. Their voices were so creepy.
How could she hear this? It was all in her head, right? Clicks and whistles danced along the water, yet Nova could understand what was being said. No… Were they shifters? Is that why she could understand?
"Are they beastmen?" Nova whispered her question, sticking a little closer to Yoa. "Shifters?"
"No. Stay away from them." Yoa grumbled, his arm still protectively guarding her. He slowly stepped back, his guard up, eyes locked on them, growling continuously. "I didn't expect them to swim this far upstream."
"Can you hear what they are saying?" Nova asked in a hushed whisper, wondering if they'd understand her too. She could freely speak back and forth with Yoa, but this somehow felt different. The dolphins were on some frequency, and the language was different from what she and Yoa speak.
Yoa froze and slowly turned his head to look at her. Those bright eyes now locked on hers, wide. "Can you?"
Nova nodded, watching Yoa's expression. Once again she couldn't fathom what he was thinking. The wind gently caressed their skin, his long hair brushing gently against his cheek, those eyes intense and focused on hers, unyielding, a wall of fire.
"That cannot be possible." Yoa rose to his feet, ignoring the dolphins who were now passing a stick between them in their long mouths, playing games and trying to entice Nova to join them. If she couldn't hear them, Nova might have fallen for the trick. It felt like a trick. If she'd 'played with them', would they try and drown her?
They weren't beastmen, shifters, so they were normal dolphins that somehow she could understand. Weren't dolphins meant to be friendly towards humans?
"It's all in my head?" Nova asked, her head tilting back to look up at him as he approached.
"It cannot be possible." Was his response before he hoisted her over his shoulder again.
"Really?!" Nova thumped his back and kicked like she was stamping her foot on the ground. Yoa didn't so much as flinch. He strode back towards the river, jogging and casually leapt the entire width of the river.
Nova stared down at the running water as she gripped Yoa tightly, her hair messily falling down a little below her chin. The sunlight reflected from the water, sparkling across her features. A few of the dolphins smiled up at her, but after those voices crept into her head, she wouldn't look at the dolphins the same way again.
Yoa landed gracefully, his footprints silent and he continued jogging further from the river and slowed down as the forest slowly masked them once more. He flipped Nova's body around, blurring her vision of greens and browns until she was seated upright, resting on his arm, blinking in a daze at her surroundings.
"Seriously need to stop doing that," Nova murmured, placing her hand on her head, the dizziness subsiding.
"I'll stop doing that when you listen. These are my lands. I know it inside and out. If I tell you to do something, don't question me." Yoa's grip on her thigh tightened the slightest. "You want to get home, right?
Nova's grumpiness and resistance deflated upon his words. "Okay, you're right. I'm sorry. I know nothing of this jungle."
Yoa exhaled softly, his fingers brushing her knee without realising what he was doing and the comfort he offered in that gesture. "It's to keep you safe," he murmured.
Nova nodded, momentarily speechless from his unexpected tenderness and the way he seemed unaware of his own touch.It was rhythmic, calming. She couldn't help but compare him to Chad. Obviously they were nothing alike considering their looks and backgrounds.
However, Nova knew for a fact that Chad would lose his cool in this situation. Even if he had the knowledge of the island and could leap like Yoa across a fricken wide river like that, he wouldn't speak to her with respect and most likely kick off and simultaneously boast how he was superior and she would be nowhere without him.
"Mouse?"
Nova snapped out of her spiralling thoughts, only then noticing the tight fist she'd made and releasing it. Her gaze flicked back to his enchanting ones, and she felt like she almost fell into those warm pools of gold and red. "Thank you," she muttered, awkwardly clearing her throat.
That wasn't cool of her. She didn't mean to compare them.