"What was that beast anyway?" Astrid asked Jareth. She pulled her cloak and spread it on the floor before laying down.

"What were those beast!" He corrected. "That was the Dendrigma. It has the body of a lion, two heads of a deer and scales of a dragon. They spit out a poisons fluid when they fight, it corrodes whatever thing it touches. Also it has the strength of a lion."

"Okay, but... "

"That's not all there is about them, problem is that they move in pack of four. One on one, it is no match for a big white tiger-pheonix beast, but together, they pose a good threat. Besides, it is tired from all the flying and has not fully recover. Even if we joined in the fight, it would still be hard."

"Ohh, I see. Let's get some rest then. We can't fight them if we are so tired."

"Yeah. By the way, a barrier would be nice, you know. Just to be safer please."

"Okay, I would do just that." She said a spell and the barrier was set up. "You can worry less, goodnight."

"Thanks and sleep well."

"White-fire?!" She mind communicated with the beast.

"Yes?!"

"Thank you."

"No, it is I who should be thankful. Get some rest child."

At dawn, Astrid got up, picked her cloak and dusted it. This action woke Jareth up from sleep. He sat up and looked around, before his gaze settled on Astrid.

Bending low to his eye level, she whispered, "Good morning sleepy head."

"First, Mr. Grouchy, now sleepyhead. Would there ever be an end to her nicknames for me?" He thought.

"Good morning."

Hey, I saw a river not far from here when we were flying, I'm going to have a bath. I haven't had once since six days ago." She faintly blushed out of embarra.s.sment.

"Alright, go take a bath then."

"Umm, do you mind staking out, please?"

"No problem."

"Thanks."

She took her bag with her and they walked in the direction of the river. When they were close to the river, Jareth stopped and let her continue alone.

Minutes later, she immersed herself in the cold morning water and washed her body thoroughly with a piece of cloth.

At the same moment, Jareth stood guard in the woods, watching for any impending danger. He heard a rustling sound and took his stance, ready to attack whatever was approaching.

After a minute, a squirrel rushed out of the thicket behind the trees. He sighed and straightened his back. "It's just a squirrel," he muttered to himself.

He turned his body away, ignoring the creature. Then stopped and turned back, "A squirrel! We can make do with it for food. Hey little guy, just hold on a bit. Come here."

As he lounged for the animal, it jumped up and ran. Jareth chased after it, the squirrel climbed up a tree and he jumped on its branch as well. He searched and saw the squirrel afar off, determined to go after it, he heard splash of water not far from where he was.

He stopped his chase and turned his head to look, only for his gaze to land on someone bathing. She had her back to him and the lower part of her body was hidden by the river as she gently splashed the water on her body.

What he was doing was wrong, but when his eyes saw her, he couldn't peel them away. The next thing he saw, she started playing with the water, making big splashes and ripple. He was enthralled by her playful att.i.tude and smiled.

As she did this, he caught a glimpse of her breast from her side, instantly blood seemed to rush to the lower part of his body and instantly, he felt a bulge in his trousers.

He quickly turned his head away and jumped down from the tree. "d.a.m.n it, you shouldn't have peeked at her," he mentally scolded himself.

"But why would I react to her this way? I have seen a naked girl before, but never have i felt this way."

Due to his charm and handsomeness, some girls threw themselves at him, but for some unknown reason, he never felt anything and would always brush them away.

He was known to all as cold, but now, after seeing her, his body reacted. He felt so ashamed of himself and walked back to where he initially stood.

Some minutes later, Astrid walked out to meet him. "Hey." She lightly touched his shoulder and he jumped a little in shock.

"Astrid!"

"Why are you jumpy?"

"You startled me."

"What were you thinking about, that you didn't notice my arrival? If a beast was coming, it would have attacked you before you noticed."

"Umm... Enh, I–I was... " he stammered.

His gaze trailed her face and wet hair, then down her neck and chest, his face heated up at the thought of her bathing. He quickly looked away and turned his back to her.

"Are you okay? Your face is a bit red. Did I startle you that much?" She moved closer to him, concerned by his sudden behaviour.

"Let's head back."