Lies Dressed In Lace

Untitled Part 20

It's been only 3 days into our week long journey and Valtok has only gotten worse, he wont even grumble at me when we stop anymore. We've fallen into an unspoken pattern so he doesn't have to anymore, even Wolfie isn't enjoying Valtok's bad moods anymore. The days have gotten wet making us all even more miserable and my cloak has been soaked through for 2 days as many of my other supplies. I try to keep getting him to talk though. As the sun sets he turns and I follow him off the main road to a little cleaning as is our set pattern now. We unsaddle the horses and I rub them down feeding them and giving them water as Valtok sets up the fire and his bed pulling out a little bit of his food and starts eating. I set up my own bed under a thick tree making the branches a little shelter and letting Wolfie lay down then sitting in the little open space between his front legs and back leaning against his ribs with my blanket wrapped around me. Valtok doesn't look at me and it bugs me profoundly, he's the one that kissed me, so I get up getting my last of bread and cheese leaving the rest of the rabbit for tomorrow morning instead of staring at him until he looks at me. I look over at the fire and find Wolfie laying on his side with his head turned all the way back to look at me and when he sees I'm looking at him his tail thumps twice then his tongue rolls out of the side of his mouth making him look like he's got a goofy smile. I laugh coming back over and crouching by his head then poking his tongue making him suck it back in then lick my hand almost pulling it into his mouth.

    "I guess he's more of a bitch then a wolf." Wolfie looses all his silliness lifting his head up growling viciously pulling back his lips and baring his fangs completely. I slide one of my fingers down his longest fang, he jerks back surprised then buries his nose in my palm licking my wrist.

    "That was mean, he's not a dog he just knows who's not a complete asshole all the time." I snap scratching Wolfies ears and neck calming him down. Valtok goes back to ignoring me. I sigh thinking of how Wolkif would have ripped out his heart if Valtok spoke to him like that, the again he would have done it either way. Ignoring both boys in my head I curl up in my mothers cloak leaning again the tree. Wolfie nuzzles my neck and I get comfortable against the tree finally feeling warm as he crawls into my lap.

    I wake up before anyone else and slid out from under Wolfie and starting a little fire still feeling very cold with my warm cloak and blankets wrapped around my shoulders. Wolfie wakes up quietly and presses his forehead against my back between my shoulder blades then rests his head on my shoulder looking over it at the fire. I pat his head and kiss his cheek. "Morning Wolfie, think you can wake Valtok up without hurting him?" Ask nudging him with my nose not wanting to get up out of my warm blankets and leave the small bit of shelter I've made knowing I'll be stiff. He actually huffs at me then stands up licking my temple and goes over to Valtok. He stops over him for a second then goes to our little pile of sticks picking a longer one up in his mouth then poking Valtok's cheek with the stick. I laugh loudly and suddenly waking up Valtok more effectively then a wolf with a stick in his mouth did. He jerks awake further stabbing his cheek with the stick and making. Valtok cries out angrily grabbing his knife from his boot and tries to swing it at the wolf but I get in his way quickly almost diving over the fire and grab his wrist before the knife touches my side and cock my head. "Told you your knife would be you're first reaction, and he wasn't even trying to kill you." His arm goes slack in my hands and I let it go satisfied when it slaps against the ground. "Now I'm going to start packing up we'll have breakfast on the horses." I turn away rolling up my bed mat and blanket then going to feed and water the horses before saddling mine and packing up the saddle bags.

    We ride in silence for most of the day the only noise is when he tells me to hurry up or when Wolfie comes back toting a new rabbit or branch he's decided he likes to chew on and I talk to him. The numbness in my legs starts to recede but pain starts licks my spin and stabs my legs. "Should we rest the horses for lunch?" I ask Valtok shifting uncomfortably in my saddle.