Fire
#7 of Lycans and Zombies
I don't know why, but Caleb kept silent vigil outside my tent. I could see the shadow cast by his hulking wolf form, breathing deeply in sleep. His ears were twitching, so I knew he was still aware of his surroundings. I wished I was capable of sleep like that. I closed my eyes for what seemed like the hundredth time, but to no avail. My mind was still spinning from the hollow stares everyone had when I had finished sharing my tale. It was as if they couldn't believe I had gone through what I did. It wasn't like I carried emotional baggage over what happened. What happened turned me into the person I am today. I hated that the group looked at me like I was damaged, like I was something fragile that needed to be handled with care. Willa looked visibly upset and so did Caleb.
Recalling my story had brought back a lot of the memories I tried hard to suppress. No, I wasn't upset that I was dealt the crappy hand in life. I was more upset at the fact that my story had such an impact. Even Caleb looked angered, and we'd only known each other for a day and a half. I ran my bristled brush through my hair in nervous habit and then took a sniff. Man, my laundry really needed some help. Needing a task to keep my mind busy, I gathered up my meager selection of clothes and shoved them in a bag. I grabbed the last of my biodegradable soap and slipped out of my tent as quietly as possible. Caleb remained asleep outside my tent, though I suspected he was faking it. I pressed on anyway, grabbing my bow from the mess hall's table along the way. You could never be too careful. I went down to the creek, a little ways down from the part that had the artificial damn. I stumbled to the middle of the creek where a stack of rocks made a small eddie. Not caring who saw, I pulled my still damp shirt from my body and dipped it into the water. It was colder out than I expected, and goosebumps raised on my skin.
Once I was done with my task, I brought my sopping bundle of laundry to the trees and began draping them on the branches. I felt him before I could hear or see him. He radiated heat and his touch felt fiery when he wrapped his arms around me. A growl rumbled deep in his chest, and I leaned against him, absorbing his warmth.
"You're a beautiful woman," he mumbled into my ear.
"Not so bad lookin' yourself, wolfboy," I replied. I could feel him smile.
"You shouldn't be out here in the cold, partially naked. You could get sick." His tone was light, and I knew his chastisement was only half-hearted.
"Good thing I have a space heater then," I said. He chuckled and wrapped a blanket around me, for which I was grateful.
"Come, you must be tired by now, and I hear zombies close by. They're attracted to the blood on the other side of the creek, and I don't want you to be around when they come. I will take care of them," he said, leading me back to my tent.
"I can help you," I say, clutching my bow.
"No. I can kill quickly and silently. Stay here, I shall return." With that, he zipped me in my tent and I could do nothing more than sit and wait.
Time ticked by and eventually I fell asleep. I wasn't sure when, but I woke up to my tent being zipped back open. I momentarily panicked, thinking it was zombies coming to get me, but then I remembered that they aren't really smart enough to work a zipper that quickly.
"Lily, where's Caleb?" Willa asked as she peeked through the open flap. It was early morning and the sun was beginning to rise over the mountains.
"I dunno, last he told me was he was going to go out killing zombies and stuff, then I fell asleep. Have you looked around camp?"
"No, I just remember seeing him outside your tent last night like a watch dog. Lucky girl, for him to have taken an interest in you," Willa teased.
"Nah, I just saved his life and all, so he's returning the favor."
"That's not what his face said when he was staring at you around the campfire last night. He looked like he was ready to jump your bones right then and there!" Willa laughed at the blush that spread across my face.
"Hey ladies, what're you talking about?" Caleb approached my tent from the direction of the creek, shirtless and with the hem of his jeans fraying. His hair and upper chest was wet, so I assume he was cleaning himself off.
"Where have you been off to?" I asked, looking over him to make sure there weren't any open wounds. There wasn't a single mark on his bronzed skin save for scars here and there, one of them being pink and angry-looking from the silver.
"I couldn't get the zombie taste out of my mouth, so I let the wolf have fun with some game," he said as he plopped down outside my tent. He pointedly looked at my mostly bare chest.
"I also brought back your clothes, they are dried now. I can grab them for you now if you'd like."
"Yes, please," I said, not looking at Caleb's hungry expression or Willa's amused one. Instead, I focused on covering myself with my quilted blanket. Caleb left and seconds later he returned with my pile of clothes. I closed my tent door and quickly dressed myself, twisting my hair into a lazy top-knot. Caleb was waiting by my tent as I exited, leaning against a tree with his arms crossed over his chest. He really was a definite sight to look at, and I couldn't help my raising attraction towards him. But at a time like this, it was very inconvenient to be such a girl over hot guys. I was twenty-six, damn it! I shouldn't be swooning at my age! Caleb's warm smile melted my heart and I knew that I was falling in love with the wolfman. He joined me and we walked side-by-side to the mess hall, where everyone was already chowing down on a big breakfast. Apparently Willa and Chris, her husband, has stumbled upon several nests and now we had eggs to go with the meat Caleb brought in last night. Everyone was in high spirits, and there was a lot of laughing and even some singing of old tavern songs. It all brought a smile to my face as I sat down to eat my steak and eggs.
"Want to go explore with me when we are through?" Caleb asked as he sat next to me.
"We probably shouldn't go out there alone..." I began, wanting to be with him, but terrified to be with him at the same time.
"Lycan, remember?" Caleb said, with a smile. "You will be protected. We all need a day to relax, anyway, after the move."
"Okay, okay. But only because I know you'll never leave me alone until I agree," I said, laughing.
"You bet I'd never leave it be," he said, turning back to his food.
Once we finished, we packed up bags for the small trip- water mostly and some food for when we get to wherever Caleb is taking us. Once we were ready to set out, I sought the company of Willa.
"Hey girl, where you guys off to?" She asked.
"We're just going to take a short hike, scout the land and figure out where major landmarks are for future reference. If we can get up high enough, we can probably see if there's any trouble around our camp."
"Uh-huh- sure, you just want some alone time with wolfman. Well, have fun!" She bustled off while I sputtered, trying to grasp the words that were raging through my head- we're not...! I don't...! Oh, whatever!
I went to find Caleb and shoved my bag onto my back, cinching the straps around my waist to make it as comfortable as possible. Once I was ready, Caleb joined me with his own bag that he borrowed from Chris and we began our hike.
The sun was near its apex when we finally stopped to rest. Caleb had the stamina of a thousand bulls, and I had a tough time keeping up. I dropped to the ground on a nice hill that overlooked the valley we were camped in. I couldn't see anything through the dense trees except the area that marked the clearing. It was actually a lot bigger than I had originally thought it was. Caleb sat beside me and handed me a bottle of water, of which I drank from greedily.
"Slow, my love. You will do more harm than good drinking that fast," he said. I nearly choked. My love? Where had that come from?
"Yeah, you're right, I can feel it kicking back already," I said, my stomach lurching from more than just the water. Caleb released the straps to his bag and stretched, then opening it and taking out the various food items he stashed. It wasn't really much, since we couldn't have perishable items for long. But he brought out dried strips of meat and more bottles of water, surprising me when he pulled trail mix pouches as well.
"Tell me more, of yourself," he said softly as he handed me my portion. I took it and wondered where to start.
"When I was first born," I began, pausing to take a bit of the perfectly salted jerky, "my parents weren't actually all that bad. It got horrible when dad lost his job at the paper mill. Mom had a gambling problem, so we were put in debt pretty quickly. Dad was also a drunk, a violent drunk. He would..ah...beat mom quite a bit, mostly when she would come home from the casino smelling like other men.
"They got into drug dealing when dad figured out how to manufacture meth. Our house became the main hot spot for drug lord's purchases, and I can remember being sick all the time. I didn't know at the time, but it was because of all the fumes that I had inhaled. Then one day a drug lord tried to steal everything from him, and he shot the guy. I remember that the sound hurt my ears and I started crying because I was so scared. He didn't kill him at first, but then he grab...he grabbed the meat cleaver from the kitchen table and cut the guy's throat and turned on me."
"Lily, you don't have to keep going," Caleb said. He reached over and ran a thumb on my cheek and I realised then that I was crying.
"No. Someone might as well know," I said, wiping my face with my shirt.
"Okay," he said, pulling me close and nuzzling my hair.
"Mom threw herself in front of dad when he tried to cut me. He cut her instead, but she still fought with him. Eventually he gave up and just left. That night, I could hear them fighting, and I can remember burying my head in blankets and pillows. When I heard the fighting stop, I brought my head up and suddenly there was smoke everywhere. I screamed for mom, but nobody came, and I knew I'd die if I didn't get out. I climbed out my window and that's the last thing I really remember besides the government taking me to the orphanage.
"I was a problem child with every single one of my foster families. Now that I look back on it, I really regret it. They were good people, and I was a brat. But my story ends, really, when I turned eighteen and got myself away from everyone. I was in government funded housing and given scholarships to the university. I was also studying the virus when the epidemic broke out, but I luckily wasn't in the main lab."
"Wow," Caleb said. I was scared of what he thought of me then, but when I looked at him, I saw admiration in his gaze. "A horrible past for such a beautiful woman."
"So what about you?" I felt the need to change the subject.
"You know my story. It's a pretty simple one. I grew up in a big family, and had no hope of becoming the alpha. Usually, males that are not in line for the title just leave to start new lives elsewhere. I had always wanted to travel, so I did. At first, I stayed in Europe, but then I started going across the world. I can say I am the first of my Lycan clan to have traversed the world. It was while I was in China that my family was killed. A Hunter had found our home and slaughtered everyone. It is a past that is filled with much grief, but time marches on." We sat in companionable silence and I leaned against him, enjoying his warmth.
"Lily..." Caleb muttered. I turned slightly so I was facing him and then his lips met my own. My heart jumped and I was frozen in shock for a second. In the next moment, I was moving against him, the hunger in both of us rising to a palatable level. A growl rumbled in his chest as he pushed me back against the forest floor. He laid his upper body on me and continued kissing me. I was completely under his spell, and without thinking, I bared my throat to him in a submissive gesture. He nipped and kissed a fiery trail from my jaw to my collar bone. He nuzzled me and I laced my fingers through his soft hair.
"Your scent intoxicates me. I cannot think clearly when I am around you, yet I want to always be around you," he said, nipping my ear playfully. He laid beside me then, and held me close. "I believe I am falling for you, Lily."
"'Kay, because I've already fallen for you. Hard," I said, kissing him again.
"Lily Michaels, are you saying you love me?" Caleb asked, feigning incredulousness.
"Mmm, maybe. Kiss me again to find your answer," I said. He obeyed and I dragged him on top of me.
Note: This is in no way meant to be seriously written, this is literally 3 am brain ramblings. In other words, no critiques, because i already know it's terrible. Also, i'm leaving all the naughty stuff up to your imagination~