Yazz leads Becky to shelter

Yazz paused, looking around for a moment to reorient himself. Becky couldn't help by smile. He seemed to have gotten a bit ahead of himself with all his excitement. He set off at a quick pace once more, though frequent glances over his shoulder ensured that it wasn't so quick that Becky couldn't keep up.

"Yazz know of some caves. Safe place to rest when he get tired," Yazz said. He paused from time to time on their path to clear away a branch or hold aside some vines for Becky to pass through, scurrying forward afterwards to lead the way once again. Becky found it fairly easy to keep pace with him, even with his excited movement. It was strange and kind of amusing to be the tall one for once. "We could stop there for night?" The hopeful tone in his voice seemed to suggest that he was looking to do a bit more than just rest.

The jungle seemed far less intimidating with an adorable kobold guide leading the way. A gentle smile stayed stuck on Becky's face as she followed Yazz. When leaves rustled off to the side, Becky's first instinct would usually have been to find cover in case some unknown predator was about to come crashing down on her. Yazz showed no fear, however, even pushing away leaves to reveal a small rodent or bird making the noise once or twice. After only a few minutes of walking together, Becky's nervous tendencies were soothed.

"Resting sounds nice," Becky said with a stretch and a yawn. "I've not slept since... well, since I was captued by those Lizardfolk, I suppose." She frowned. The memory was at once not pleasant and all together too pleasant for comfort. "It would be nice to be able to just relax for a bit."

"Big lizards catch you? You very lucky or very quick to get away, Becky." He gestued quickly with his hand, then turned to continued, this time moving much more quickly. His small statue made it easy for the kobold to weave around obstacles, ducking under branches and the like. "Come. Yazz take you to safe place."

Becky thought she had lost him for a moment when Yazz's head popped out of a nearby bush to usher her along. Becky followe him through the underbrush and the two came to a hill that was covered in vines, bushes, and other small plant growth.

"This safe place!" Yazz said triumphantly. He grabbed a thick layer of vines that was near indistinguishable from the others part of the hill and pulled it aside. From his encouragement, Becky got onto her hands and knees and crawled inside. A kobold could have fit through the passage with ease, though it was a bit small for most people. Fortunately, Becky's slim figure saw her through easily enough, and the inside opened into a much more spacious cave. "Becky like? It cozy? Yazz think it cozy."

"Yes, it's very nice," Becky said. Yazz really had set up the space as a nice little hide out. There was even an old blanket and pillow to rest on. With Yazz's prompting, Becky lay down on the makeshift bed and let her eyes fall shut for a moment. She could hear the rush of a river somewhere in the distance, and the other sounds of the jungle seemed to fade into nothing. It really was peaceful.

Becky opened her eyes and caught Yazz quickly pulling his gaze away from her. Glancing down, she saw that the tent in his loin cloth was still as present as ever, and even seemed surprisingly large considering the kobold's size. His words from earlier echoed in her head. Mates.

***

This chapter was co-authored by BriefcaseRonin(https://chyoa.com/user/BriefcaseRonin) who is wonderful and awesome! Please check out her other writing :)