Hunter and Prey

Chapter 6: The Warmth Inside

Sun heated the thick curtain that covered the entrance to the hollow and heated up the room inside like a sunlamp. Light filtered through the tiny holes of the fabric and the curtain gave off a soft brownish tan glow from inside. The air warm and soft as birds chirped and tweeted outside softly. Rose lay curled up in her bed sleeping peacefully, covered in warm blankets and her five tails curled closely next to her. She sniffed softly in her dreams and smelled delicious food nearby, looking around for it in the foggy dream world. She searched, sniffing the air and smelling fresh cooking eggs and bacon, but unable to find it in her dreams. The sounds of birdsong began to leak into her mind as the real world began to blend with the dreamworld, bringing waking waves through Roses mind. Her ears twitched and she sniffed the air again as she lay there, now knowing she was almost awake, but she still smelled the delicious food. Where was it coming from, she was all alone and nobody from the village would be cooking this close to her tree. Did someone find out where she lived? Were there cooking in front of her home with friends to taunt her until she woke up when they would burn the tree down? Panic started to surge through her as the urge to fully awaken became stronger. She gasped and her eyes flew open, glowing brightly in the morning sunlight as it now surged in through the open doorway, the curtain tucked to the side. Light flowed in, in a straight path, washing warmly over her and her fur tingled as she calmed down. She stayed sitting up with her blankets still covering her and looked around. Her ears perked and she nearly jumped again when she heard a voice behind her. "Good morning Milady..." She gasped and turned around to see Kimata the bounty hunter, sitting next to a stump table with two plates of food, one at each end, the plates stocked with freshly cooked eggs and bacon like she'd smelled in her dreams. Her ears perked and eyes widened, remembering what happened last night and she blushed deeply. So him finding her hadn't been a dream... Which meant he really was a bounty hunter. Which meant she was still in danger if she turned her back for too long... She couldn't trust him. Not fully anyways... Yet. Her ears went down shyly as he glanced at her with a confused expression. "Why're you blushing, lass?" Kimata's voice drifted off as he stared at her bright red face. Rose blushed worse as she realized she looked flustered and turned away to smooth her fur down so her blushing was less visible. She slowly stood up and threw on some light clothes, ears back shyly as she walked over to the stump table and sat down, observing the fresh hot food in amazement. "How did you-.... Why did you do this?.." Rose stuttered as she looked up at him, wondering why she woke up to practically breakfast in bed.
Kimata smiled and looked back at her softly, his piercing gaze seeming to be soft and gentle as his gaze met hers. "I thought you'd like some nice breakfast to repay you for what happened last night."
Rose stared in awe at the man before her, completely surprised by his strange actions, considering hours ago he was about to kill her. She sat down cautiously, still blushing a bit but slowly cooling down as she pulled her stool up to the stump table, eyeing the food hungrily. "Well... Thank you, Kimata... I'm flattered..."
Rose smiled shyly and averted her gaze away from the wolfs stunning eyes. They were a beautiful brilliant blue, that glowed in the reflection of the morning light with a fierce intensity that was just intoxicating. Out of the corner of her eyes she could tell he was watching her curiously, seeming to observe her with the sly persistence of a fox. She couldn't trust him... Still she blushed worse at the playful look he was giving her and cut off anything he might've said next by starting to eat away hungrily at the meal he had put together. He smiled casually and began to eat as well, seeming more focused on her than the food he was putting in his mouth, barely taking his gaze off her for a second. Rose started feeling uneasy at the stare and air of confidence he held over her as she quickly finished eating. She looked up at him nervously, his gaze still transfixed on her. She didn't like it. "It's rude to stare..." She said boldly, as if acting annoyed and calm but she saw him grin because she was still blushing brightly. He smirked as he set down his fork after quickly finishing up his meal and gazed at her. "Perhaps, but one can only fight feasting their eyes on such a beauty for so long~..." He sounded like a sly snake as he spoke with only made Rose shudder. What was he going to do with her if he wasn't going to kill her? He said he wouldn't harm her but then again there is such a thing as lying. She pretended not to hear him. "S-so what are you going to do with me?.. You aren't going to kill me, what use am I to you if I'm not your bounty to hand in?"
He stayed silent and watched her thoughtfully for a moment as if to let the silence slowly eat away at her anxious and confused state. Finally he spoke in a smooth and calming tone, keeping his gaze level with hers. "I promised I'd protect you, and that no harm would come to you from me, and I shall keep my word, you can trust me..." With that he stood up, grabbed the empty plates on the table, and climbed swiftly out of the tree hollow to the ground with them to wash them in a nearby stream. Rose sat dumbfounded on the small stool in deep thought. This man was paid to kill her and yet he promised not to harm her. What was he going to get out of this? Surely someone would find out and come for him. Was this a trick somehow?
Dozens of questions swam through her mind as she waited for him to return. She'd just have to wait and see... It's not as if she could stop him with whatever he did. He was obviously far more skilled than her for him to have snuck into her home in the middle of the night without a single sound. Let alone find her. She normally covered her tracks past traceable.
Kimata climbed back into the hollow with the clean dishes and set them aside on the counter inside. Rose stiffened and stayed still, still nervous about his presence. She shuddered heavily as she felt a warm hand stroke her shoulder from behind and she turned to look up at him, blushing, ears down nervously. He softly continued to stroke her shoulder in a calming manner and he continued to for several minutes without any indication he was going any further. Rose finally calmed down a bit and sighed, loosening her shoulders a bit. She watched him out of the corner of her eye and he sat down again, seeming to sense her unease. "It's alright Milady, I mean it, I will not harm you and I will serve to protect you from anything that tries to. You're safe with me." He smiled charmingly and watched her with his gorgeous eyes.