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Rafi didn't let on, but he enjoyed holding Ethan's hand, too. It was an interesting feeling, the human boy's hand. It was insanely soft. It didn't have claws, scales, fur, feathers, or fins. Rafi decided that he liked the feeling. Still, he hoped that he wasn't making Ethan uncomfortable by holding onto him this long. Perhaps he should give him an explanation.
"Alright, just wanted to make sure you weren't too winded," Rafi replied when his friend told him that he was alright. "Now, once we're inside the village, stay close to me, okay? These people have never seen a human before, so you'll more than like be stared at... No one should try and harm you, though, when they see that you're with me."
The naga offered the human a comforting smile. "Let's go," he confirmed before leading Ethan towards the drawbridge. There were four guards standing at attention at the front gates. The men, who also had animalistic features, saluted as Rafi and Ethan strode past them. They gave them no trouble with entering the village.
Beside the giant, stone walls, the town was alive with hustle and bustle. Up close, one could see that the structure of the quaint city was an interesting mixture of semi-modern and historic medieval. People were out shopping, browsing the market for food to buy, children were happy and at play in the more grassy areas, the elderly were chuckling and talking amongst themselves... it was a peaceful setting.
Just as Rafi predicted, they caught the eye of most people as they moved among the crowd. The villagers stared with confusion and wonderment as they saw a human for the first time. Of course, they weren't absolutely sure as to what Ethan was... they were mostly observing the fact that he had no animal-like features.
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