Malik was enjoying the way Karth's hair felt under his hands. He froze when Karth touched his hand, his heart beating even faster. He laughed a bit when he realized that he was about to tie his friends hair up in the knot. He had been enjoying the softness of Karth's hair a bit much to realize what he was doing. He waited until Karth had fixed his hair before finishing the knot behind his head. "Not too tight I hope."

He grinned with amusement as he heard the enthusiasm in his friends voice. He went around to the front of him and looked over him carefully, his eyes lingering a bit longer than usual. Even though he knew the young man could see through the cloth, he let himself forget for a moment and just stared. A cocky grin appeared on his face. "Nope can't see your eyes at all! This is going to work perfectly. Just for appearances sake though, you'll need to let me lead you around." Malik could feel his cheeks heating up just a bit. "It'll probably work better if I'm able to lead you around by the hand. Of course when we're pulling the cart I'll "act" like I'm giving you verbal directions, ok?" A warm sensation passed through him when he realized if Karth agreed, they would be holding hands. It wouldn't be looked on as anything strange while they were still doing the "blind guy" thing. He hoped Karth would go along with his idea. He wanted to feel the other boy's hand in his very badly.

Karth smiled, absently running a hand over the hair that had almost been knotted up and making sure it was smoothed down. It seemed Malik had thought this through rather well---of course, having done this before, on his own, it had to be a learned technique that someone just didn't forget. Not when it came to be so handy later on down the road. "That sounds like a good idea." Karth nodded, smiling a little. "We should do this any time we come across a settlement or town, or even a city. I'm sure I could handle it... Or I could close my eyes and put on a little extra show of being 'blind'..." He grinned widely, leaning forward to bump his shoulder against Malik's. "How do you like this, hm? I won't have to wait outside the town anymore, and we don't have to take longer routes to avoid people."

Sometimes when he worried that Malik was second-guessing his friendship with Karth, the young monster recalled each and every time Malik had studiously gone along with him on those little paths, to keep out of sight of the towns, or came right back when he was finished selling their catches and buying supplies, clothes, or fruits and vegetables that were so difficult to find in nature. It was what kept him from asking if Malik truly felt safe and happy around Karth.

Malik grinned and inside his head gave out a shout of joy. He hadn't been expecting Karth to bump shoulder's against him and almost lost his balance. He laughed out loud. "Getting stronger every day huh? Guess I'm gonna have to start working out more to keep up with you!" He playfully shoved his friend. Tilting his head at the other boy he smiled. "Yeah this is going to be great. It'll be wonderful to be able to go into town together. Well what are we waiting for? Let's get going!"



Meanwhile in the far future....

Malik could feel his heart beating faster. It wasn't just because of the exertion he was putting out, but genuine fear for the man he pulled behind him. He had gotten the bleeding to stop but he knew Karth wasn't going to make it much longer if he didn't find this magical statue soon. He had reached the village some time ago and had gotten bandages and a small potion that would stave off the inevitable for at least a week. He stopped to catch his breath and pulled out the worn map that was his only clue to where this statue would be. He took the opportunity to check on Karth, always afraid he wouldn't be able to feel his breath when he next checked. Fortunately he was still alive and breathing, however light it was. Malik gave a sigh of relief tinged with panic as he continued on towards his goal.

He was about to despair when the rock in the form of a bear appeared in front of him. "Yes! I knew I was on the right track. You just hold on there Karth. I'm going to fix this." This was the first of the landmarks that was marked on the map that he had come across and he was ecstatic. According to the map he only had to continue west until he came upon Crystal Lake. There was something marked on there about a toll but no point worrying about it until he got there.

Karth laughed, almost losing his balance, but he grabbed the cart before he did. "Aw, don't feel bad Malik, my kind are naturally strong! But if you want to keep up with me I can always help you with that." He smiled and stepped back. "Like taking the whole cart? I wouldn't mind a ride." Snickering, he knelt down and pulled his bag, opening it and grabbing a piece of honeycomb from the jar he kept. No matter the time of year he always had to have a jar on hand to sate his sweet tooth. "Anyway, let's get going. It'd be nice to get to that town and away before nighttime so we can get to a good campsite." Chewing on the waxy, sweet honeycomb Karth had to adjust the cloth around his eyes. It was itchy and frustrating, but he could always pass off as recently blind. That would have to work better than stumbling around while being led by Malik an passing himself off as someone that's been sightless all his life. That was something he just wouldn't be able to pull off well.

Malik grinned at Karth. "Very funny. Like I would be able to pull this big of a load all by myself with you added on top of it." He laughed and then turned thoughtful. "Karth? I was wondering....are there more out there like you?" He had always wondered if Karth was a part of a race that no one else knew anything about. It would be sad if he was the only one but then again, then Malik wouldn't have to worry about someone coming and trying to take him away from him. He couldn't bear the thought of not being around Karth. It would be like losing a piece of himself.

Running his fingers though his hair first, Malik then grabbed his part of the cart and waited on Karth so that they could continue on towards the village. No reason they couldn't walk and talk at the same time. It was going to take them a little to get to the outskirts of the village so they could still talk openly about whatever they wanted without nosy people overhearing them.

Twisting his hair behind his head, Karth grabbed the other side of the cart to start off again. They were several miles away from the village but it was in their sights across the flat grassland, so nothing could sneak up without their noticing unless it was small and swift, or above their heads. He glanced at Malik, considering his answer. He'd never lied before---why begin now? "I... No, I'm not. Maybe you heard stories when you were little, when parents told their kids about evil creatures that almost looked human, but had strange eyes and long claws and sharp teeth, and would often creep into their homes and steal them from their beds. That's what I am. But... I'm not the only one, I don't do what the others do. I'm... more human than they are. I can control my transformations easier than them. I still have... a viciousness, but I don't harm without reason."

He spat the honeycomb out when it lost its flavor. "I guess humans don't really care. Even if you have a little monster blood in you, you're considered dangerous." He chuckled a little, but it was a sad sound. "Well... that's why you found me where you did---in the woods, far away from the nearest village. I'm not allowed to live among the civilized, and transforming always made it easier to hunt. Even with the risk of being seen..." He looked back at his catch. So many fish had been snagged, he was so proud of that---not having to change to scoop them up, using only a net and a lot of silent patience.