17 Bullets: becoming the Werewolf Queen

Chapter 18: Wanting to Go

40 BULLETS

When I woke the sun was setting and I could hear a raging fire outside. I leaned to the edge of the bed and could see Thann in front of a massive fire, some large skinned animal on a spit above it.

I sat watching for a moment as his delectable back muscles moved to rotate the handle and let a smile slip to my face.

Sensing my glance he suddenly turned around and grinned. He let the spit go and jogged to my side. Good sleep?

Yes. Good sleep.

I sat up and he offered his hand. "Meat fire."

I teased, "Cooked meat? You don't want me sick again?" And after the rest, my voice was sounding marginally better.

Obviously not better enough for Thann. No Speak.

"Oh yeah?" I started singing head shoulders knees and toes with him yelling until he was laughing and had a hand wrapped around my mouth, holding my voice in. I was laughing too until I coughed into his hand and he whipped it away disgusted. "Oops. Sorry!" I giggled.

He looked at his hand and then glared.

"Guess you better get some hand sanitizer? You might have to invent it though. I'm all out."

No speak. Hurt-Sick.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm okay Dothraki."

"Uzolalela nje, mfazi?" He chuckled to himself. He then grabbed my hand and ushered me out to the fire. Sitting in the sand, he pulled me down into his lap.

"I think there's plenty of room for us both around the fire." I jokingly complained, but I cuddled back into his warm chest.

No speak.

I sat content for a few minutes, just looking into the fire, until Thann sat me next to him and stood. He arranged the animal so the fire would claim another side of the meat. I guess meat on a stick over a fire is as good as we're going to get tonight. I already missed my thermal cooker but was incredibly glad there was some type of food.

"Thann?" I asked a little gruffly. He turned back in question. "Wheelbarrow?"

He mimed a pushcart.

"Yes."

He sighed and looked over the west. "No."

"Yes. I need to go get it. El go wheelbarrow tomorrow." I used his pushcart sign.

Thann go. Day Night Day. El hurt. El Stay. He turned back to me gravely. El No Safe Day Night Day no Thann.

"I wouldn't be safe without you? But you leave me alone sometimes." I paused, thinking it over. "Maybe you could carry me?" Werewolf Thann? Then I pointed at the bite cuts at my chest.

"Lutho neze!" He screeched in a horrified air. He stared shocked for a few moments then exhaled hard, trying to regain his heavy breathing. He then turned his back to me and played with the spit again. His signs were soft to his side. No werewolf. Werewolf hurt El.

"You could be careful? We have medicine?" I asked gently.

"No." He whispered finally.

When he didn't move for a few minutes, the change in air had me concerned. "Thann?"

He sighed and sat down, bringing me to his lap. No werewolf go. "Werewolf kill Mataoka." He then pawed over my cuts. He then pointed to his teeth and then a single spot on my thigh next to my hip. He then made a strange splashing motion outward with his hand. "Mataoka hurt. Igazi. Hurt kill." He looked wounded himself. Werewolf, he then pointed to where the corpses once were.