Chapter 45

Just like at home, Christof didn’t treat me like a slave, but like an equal he could talk to. When we were alone together, we were just friends. I fed myself from the bowl and usually chose what direction to walk in. He just accompanied me as I explored different places in the forest. Christof just seemed to need someone he could relax around.

I got comfortable with Christof. He encouraged me to talk about home and listened curiously to all of it. Stories about my prior life intrigued him. How humans lived together, males and females in the same place, it amazed him.

Christof never minded my questions and told me all about this world. One day he showed me how to hold a sword. I had to use a branch, I couldn’t even lift his sword off the ground. We played ‘warrior’ with the branches frequently.

“Who do you fight with?” I asked swinging my branch the way he had taught me to.

“Lighten your grip,” he instructed before answering. “Too tight a hold and you lose man