Fur vs Skin | on hold

16.

↠C h a p t e r   S i x t e e n↞
THE TREATY

❝Howl. For the moon awaits your journey home.❞

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       Images of my prior dream slowly fade as I'm brought to reality by the tugging of my bladder, the flickering images whisking from the throes of my dream to the holy grail. With sleep weighing heavy on my mind, I groggily open my eyes, my blurred vision slowly acknowledging the silhouette structure of the door as I blink away the haze.

A shudder runs through me, the hint of coolness lingering in the air slides over my skin, snapping me further awake.

Swiping a hand down my face, I slowly adjust to the rays of light that slip past the curtains in a stream, illuminating a golden hue to the room. Blowing out a breath, I sit up, shifting my gaze to the corner of the room.

Arsen's larger frame rises and falls with his breathing as he rests his back against the wall with a blanket lying on top of him, all while his head lolled to the side, using the opposite side of the wall to rest along. A wave of warmth rushes through me at the sight of his soft features, the way his lashes brushed the tops of his cheekbone and how his lips slightly part with his breathing.

I still wonder about the reason behind huddling himself in that spot, the stranded thought of his unspoken promise swaddling forth in the shape of a spear in my mind.

I shake away the thoughts, making it a goal to be silent as I can, pushing the covers, I rise to my feet. Rubbing at my arms, I cross the short distance to the door and ease it open: praying that it wouldn't creak. Once out into the narrow hallway, my bladder makes its appearance again, yanking at my control to keep myself from peeing. With each step toward the bathroom the urge becomes stronger, padding quickly, I push through the door of the bathroom and hastily close and lock it before almost sprinting toward the toilet.

Relief sprinkles through my veins as I finally release myself, sitting for a few moments before rising to my feet and finishing.

I continue the routine of washing my face and brushing my teeth – the act of showering the night before saved me the slight time of showering this morning. Exiting the bathroom, I creep back the short path back to the bedroom, catching a glimpse of Arsen's sleeping frame through the parted door. Slight chatter drifts into the air gathering the attention of my subconscious.

"Are you certain?" Santha's voice echoes, coming from the kitchen.

"I'm not for sure right now," Marcus rumbles afterward.

Stepping toward the top of the stairs, I stare down at the bottom, debating whether to descend down them; the probing sensation of curiosity of knowing what they spoke about clouding my head.

"This is an issue the elders should be alerted about but. . ." his trails off, the rustling of his clothes indicating movement, "I feel as if this will be a better reason for some of them to cease her stay here."

My heartbeat thumps loudly in my ears, vibrating erratically in my veins by the sudden rush of motion from my blood. The action triggers me swallowing, anxiety clogging my throat, and sending my mind running wild. They're talking about me. Taking a step forward, I stride cautiously among the wooden flooring not to make a sound.

"Try negotiating with them," the clatter of a pot resonates, stopping the end of Santha's sentence for a moment – startling me as they sit in silence.

I freeze on my position on the step, waiting along with them.

"She's a good kid, Marcus," she continues.