A sigh slipped out of Kiko's bloodied lips. She did not protest when he picked her up. Why would she? His arms were home. Any tension remaining in her body fell away, too. Those questions that bombarded her brain earlier found the answers so easily now.
She had told him to run. She had not wanted him to do so. Contradictory, certainly, but Kiko was full of such things. If he had bolted, she would have lost respect for him. He had plenty of strength, many did; but without convictions strength was just the tool of a bully.
Kiko nestled closer to him, her fingers wrapped around the back of his neck.
All of a sudden this seemed remarkably silly in the face of everthing else. A short little sound of laughter was caught on the next edge of her breath and she pulled her head up off his shoulder. She glanced around and somewhere had managed to find air enough to speak.
It's a good thing we did this here. I don't think the treehouse would have survived.
Eternity
“Put some clothes on, you weird, yellow-eyed, table-dancing, werewolf-training, cryptic, stare-me-right-in-the-eyes-and-don't-even-blink wench.”
Grayell chuckled. His face lit up with her words and that sombre demeanour melted away like barely sticking snow in the morning sun. She made it OK. He would not dwell on this, it would not haunt him. No, with such kind words she stole his worry from him and he smiled, an instant transition of mood. He loved that she effected him so.
No. It hasn't the room. But... perhaps we should go check on it all the same.
Kiko's eyebrow lifted. She gave him a quick grin, somewhat marred by the fact that her lips were still wet with blood, and there was probably a mouth sized chunk of flesh still bleeding on her thigh.
Well, if we do that what are you going to do about the chair?
Eternity
“Put some clothes on, you weird, yellow-eyed, table-dancing, werewolf-training, cryptic, stare-me-right-in-the-eyes-and-don't-even-blink wench.”
Grayell thought on that a moment and then shrugged. He approached the chair and gingerly, with very apparent care and delicacy, sat her upon it. He then lowered to his knees, resting between her thighs and removed the sash he wore about his waist.
Better that we dress this here then. You know, whilst we have such a sturdy chair.
She glanced down at him. Kiko's fingers had pulled back, but they were still wallowing in the silk of his hair. She quickly dropped them to the wooden supports, though.
Right. Chair. Sturdy. Good idea.
She was trying not to think of his teeth in her skin. It was giving her ideas way past dressing the wound.
Eternity
“Put some clothes on, you weird, yellow-eyed, table-dancing, werewolf-training, cryptic, stare-me-right-in-the-eyes-and-don't-even-blink wench.”
Grayell smiled as his teeth locked onto the corner of the sash and he ripped an easy strip with it. He held it in his teeth still as his hands waved gently over her thigh and the freed blood obeyed and followed his hand, quickly slivering back to the wound and clotting. He applied the bandage slowly and carefully, tied it off.... and then leaned in to kiss her thigh just once.
Looking rather happy with his handiwork, he gave her a wink.
Kiko uttered a quiet hiss. Pain made a home in a section of her skull while he bandaged her thigh. The adrenaline that had allowed her to ignore it evaporated about that same time, too. Still, she managed a weak smile at him due to the wink.
Her body ached fiercely in places she did not think was possible. Kiko curled her fingers over the chair until the world stopped spinning quite so much. It wasn't until she reached up to his shoulder she remembered tearing them up with her claws.
Kiko leaned back in the chair. She adopted a deliberately childish mannerism, swinging her feet back and forth and her elbow propped up on the chair arm, chin resting in her palm.
Absolutely.
Her eyes were full of interest.
Eternity
“Put some clothes on, you weird, yellow-eyed, table-dancing, werewolf-training, cryptic, stare-me-right-in-the-eyes-and-don't-even-blink wench.”
Grayell smiled in response and then offered a hand in a rather playful gesture, now illustrating his very short story.
Oh. Well you see, she fell truly and deeply in love with the wild man of the woods and they moved into a tree house. They lived happily ever after of course... and had a few pups that they were sure to have better behaved than she had been.
Kiko took the hand. Her breath sputtered at the end of the story, though.
Pups?
Her voice steadied, she shoved a hand over her features, and she took in the deserted building with a long, thorough gaze before returning to his face.
Yeah, well, everyone is better behaved compared to the wildman and her, naturally.
Eternity
“Put some clothes on, you weird, yellow-eyed, table-dancing, werewolf-training, cryptic, stare-me-right-in-the-eyes-and-don't-even-blink wench.”
Grayell nodded most emphatically, a very exaggerated sort of agreement with her.
Of course. Naturally. Shame on them for being such savage beasts. Can you imagine? Running about naked, howling at the moon and tumbling about in the lichen... much like that one soft bed we found far on the opposite side of the lake.
Yes, most terrible indeed.
The last word was especially emphasized of course, him still rather embracing the role of story teller.
Grayell adopted a stern, distasteful expression then and shook his head. He was still being quite playful of course and she knew him far too well to read his expressions as sincere.
Yes, such a terrible spot that was. Truly if we were to leave now we would be there right as the sun set and just before the fireflies came out to dance. Ick. Bugs.
He poked his tongue out with 'ick', feigning being grossed out at the mention.
Kiko took advantage of that moment - when Grayell poked his tongue out. Her swinging feet hit the floor and she was over his shoulder in a leap with her hands out above her head. She landed on the ground with four paws, the shape of a wolf, and she was running besides.
The pallet of remaining packing crates were used like a set of stairs, too. And a launching pad; as she raced up them to sailed out and over the cheap wooden slats of a hastily boarded up window. The packed and muddied earth outside came up to meet her feet, but she was already headed toward the docks and the other side of the lake unconcerned by what trail she might leave behind.
Maybe she would make it to the mossy grass first. Maybe he would make it there in front of her. Maybe he would catch her before either of them got there. That last thought sent a whole series of new sparks down her spine and put wings on her fleeing body.
Eternity
“Put some clothes on, you weird, yellow-eyed, table-dancing, werewolf-training, cryptic, stare-me-right-in-the-eyes-and-don't-even-blink wench.”