Hunter and Prey

Chapter 12: Catching On

Morning light spilled into the cave, heating up the stone floor and lighting up the cave walls. The sun had already risen a fair height into the sky, around a couple hours before noon. Rose was sleeping peacefully in her sleeping bag, dreaming about the bright eyes of the wild wolf from last night, deep in wonder as she looked deep into it's enchanting gaze. She was purring in her sleep at the wonders of her dream world when something wriggled in her sleeping bag, bringing confusion to her mind as she started to wake with the movement. Her eyes sleepily opened and she looked around, yawning softly and stirring in her warm and soft bed... 'It wasn't this soft before...' She thought to herself, glancing to the side, seeing Kimata's sleeping and smiling visage as he laid curled around her with her in her sleeping bag. He hummed happily in his sleep, his arm around her waist, his body stirring lightly and pulling her closer, seeming to be in a deep sleep.
Rose's cheeks lit up like fire and she screamed out loudly, slapping Kimata hard around the face and scrambling out of the sleeping bag, panting and shaking in shock and confusion, standing up and pulling the edges of her cloak tightly around herself, backing up against the wall. Her ears were flat back as she watched him shudder and scramble at her scream and heard him yelp lightly from the shock of the smack. He sat up in the sleeping bag rubbing his cheek and looking around confused. "What the hell?..." He finally saw Rose against the wall as he stood up, seeing the look of shock and surprise on her face as she blushed deeply looking flustered, starting to catch on to what must've happened. He seemed to notice he wasn't wearing his coat, only his tattered shirt and cargo pants, and he spotted it on the boulder next to his sword that leaned up against it. Rose watched as his own cheeks flushed deep red, smiling nervously, looking completely embarrassed. He started to walk towards her after he'd thrown on his coat. "Sorry lass, I guess I got into the wrong bed when I came back last ni-" He was cut off by another harsh smack to the cheek, Rose panting and looking angered and annoyed as well as confused. He yelped loudly at the pain, feeling the hit being much harder than the last and he watched her in surprise and shock at the pissed off look on her face.
"Where... The HELL were you last night!?" She growled deeply and angrily and Kimata's eyes widened, stepping backwards a bit in the shock of her tone and enraged temper. "You ran off to get some firewood in the middle of the freaking FOREST, where there's bloody wood... Like... EVERYWHERE!... And you take more than at least an hour, and I'm left to defend myself against that god damned WOLF again!?" She was walking towards him now with a new air of confidence, forcing him to back up to make way for her, utterly in shock at her rage. She had him backed up against the opposite wall now as she continued to rant at him without restraint."And where the HELL were you!? How long does it take a SKILLED bounty hunter to find dry wood or even ANY wood in this place in the middle of SPRING!? Answer me that Kimata!" She panted as she finished, her eyes blazing a fierce light blue with her pupils shrunk to slits, looking utterly like a force never to be tampered with. Kimata stood there wide eyed and completely shocked, his ears even back in a look of fear at her anger. He was shuddering as she glared into his eyes with not the slightest hint of fear in hers. Her ears were flat back in her anger as she watched him and waited for his response. He stuttered as he tried to think of a response. "I-I.... I was out looking for wood when I saw some herbs on the ground next to some strange looking fungus on the ground... When I was gathering the herbs I smelled something strange and noticed it was coming from the fungus. I starting to back away from it and then I passed out from what I now remember is a knock out gas that that kind of fungus emits..." He shuddered and smiled softly, trying to reassure her. "Really." Rose didn't sound impressed as she turned towards his satchel next to the boulder, sifting through it. "So where are the herbs you collected and why can't I smell them on you?" Kimata shuddered and stuttered again at her lashing air of annoyance and disbelief. "I-I dropped them when I backed away and woke up a few hours later once the stuff wore off and I made my way back here... I had to follow the light from your fire, I'm glad you kept it going or I would've gotten lost..." He watched her, regaining some of his calm posture and smiled reassuringly. "I'm sorry that I didn't get back in time to help fend off the wolf, I'm just glad you're alright..." His ears laid back apologetically and Rose finally calmed down, seeming to believe his excuse. She sighed and looked back up at him, blushing again and looking confused. "And why were you in my bed?.." Kimata shuddered and blushed lightly, shrugging cooly and looking slightly defensive. "I crawled into the wrong sleeping bag I guess... Sorry about that. I must've still been half asleep from the gas." He smiled lightly and his eyes glowed gently in the morning light as it hit them from a new angle. Rose was about to go pack up her things when her gaze locked with his, staring at his bright blue eyes, her own widening lightly and her body shuddering, ears going back lightly with a look of slight fear in her eyes. Kimata noticed and a look of concern washed over his face. "Are you okay lass?... What's wrong?" Rose didn't answer him, her eyes still transfixed on his fierce bright blue eyes. He got serious and commanding when she didn't answer, his voice containing noticeable worry. "Rose! What's wrong?" She shuddered heavily at the familiar, demanding look in his eyes, images flashing through her mind of the wild wolf from last night. His intelligent and focused stare, his bright glowing blue eyes glaring at her with a gaze that had captured her attention like a spell. She snapped back into reality at the sound of his commanding voice. She looked at him with the same, bright, glowing blue eyes looking back into hers with a look of worry and confusion in them. "Rose!" She shuddered and panted as she stared at him with a look of fear and confusion as she focused in on him and his voice, nodding in response, still finding words. Looking like she was in a daze. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, calming herself down and forcing a soft smile onto her face as she looked back up at him. "Yes, I'm okay... Sorry, heh, I drifted off into thought again I guess." She smiled brightly and looked up at him, seeing a look of doubt and worry in his eyes but it soon passed and his calm demeanor returned with his smile and look of confidence. "Okay... Let's have some breakfast then and get some energy worked up for our day. We aren't heading into 'the beyond' just yet with your level of defense skills... And nobody from the village is going to follow us this close to the 'no mans land' so we have a day or two to train." He smiled and walked off, kneeling by the fire and stoking it with more wood.
Rose stood there and watched him with a hidden of suspicion inside her. She wanted to believe the reason he'd told her of why he had taken so long to return, but she could almost see the lie in his eyes... She could see the real truth in them too. She whimpered quietly to herself at the thought of her intuition being right, and she didn't want to be... She shook herself and tried to clear the foreboding thoughts from her head. She smiled and walked over to the fire, sitting on the side opposite of him as he stoked the fire. She reached into her bag, pulling out a pear and some dried meat jerky, taking a bite out of the ripe pear as she watched him. He was smiling and humming cheerfully to himself, not seeming to notice her suspicious eyes looking him over. Her ears perked softly and she tried to think, trying to convince herself she was wrong. He had blue markings on his face and body, and he also had a grey furred back from the back of his ears down to his tail. A blue stripe wove down from under his jaw all the way down the sides of his body, dividing the grey from the white. The wild wolf from last night and the night before had pure white fur and no markings at all, or even a grey back. But those eyes... Those eyes didn't lie. And what about the relit fire last night after the wolf had left? She hadn't even mentioned that to him. And why didn't the wolf attack? And why didn't Kimata want to tell her about his past as a bounty hunter or how that job came to him? Not to mention the near full moon that's been in the sky for the last few days and probably for rest of this week too. Everything started to come together like the pieces of a puzzle and Rose's defense against the cold dreading thought in her mind collapsed. She whimpered again at the thought and stared at Kimata. Even with all the evidence she didn't want to believe it...