Chapter V - Mending
#5 of Chronicles of Arodal
Fifth chapter, short one. Been quite busy and honestly a bit ~stuck with this when I did have time. Ah well, it is what it is.
He sat up with a start, sitting in the darkness. He was breathing hard.
Shuffling sound, the creak of a chair? Oh no.
Steps. Drawing closer. He sat petrified, movement would attract attention.
Steps sounding close now. He stopped breathing.
He could feel the hand closing, absolute darkness surrounding him but he knew what was coming next. Closing his eyes knowing it was no use he braced himself.
A hand touched him, he flinched. Hand pulling him, gently?
Han- paws pulling her into a hug. She blinked.
"Shh, it's alright, you are safe here." A soothing voice whispered from the darkness.
Tirola buried her face into the bears bosom. Few seconds later came the first muffled sob.
Giselda held the weeping wolf stroking her back and murmuring softly. Minutes passed until the wolf started to calm down. She laid her down, focusing slightly and the wolf was back to a dreamless sleep. She pulled the covers over her and walked back to the chair near the door. As she settled down she let sleep take her as well, knowing the small ward would wake her if her patient stirred.
She opened her eyes, stretched and yawned muzzle hanging open. She felt so comfortable, she closed her eyes as she nuzzled the pillow. Then the darkness started to give way to light, she opened her eyes a crack. The room was starting to glow, light level slowly but steadily rising. She groaned and pulled the blankets over her head.
The covers were softly tugged down and she blearily gazed up at Giselda. She was grinning. "None of that now, time to rise." She said in a cheerful voice.
She sat up with a sigh, she was not a morning person if given the choice. She stretched again, looked around the room and yawned. She looked up at the bear again.
"What now?"
"Breakfast." The bear replied curtly.
Only now did Tirola realise how hungry she was. And thirsty. And full. The last one made her squirm a bit, how long had she slept?
Giselda seemed to read her thoughts as she pointed to the other side of the room.
She got up and quickly made her way through the door and closed it behind her.
As the wolf disappeared in to the bathroom Giselda went to get the breakfast tray. She'd be hungry, sleeping most of the day and night would make for one hungry wolfess.
She thought about Tirola as she gathered up the tray and went back to the sickroom, laying it on the small night stand beside her bed. She was curious but she knew it was not her place to ask, only to listen, at least for now. She rummaged around the leather bag now hanging by her side and pulled out her pipe as she sat down on the opposite bed, with a flick of her finger the already filled pipe started to smoulder.
She took deep puffs through the pipe as she thought about the situation.
As Tirola exited the bathroom she paused. Giselda was sitting on one of the beds, calmly smoking her pipe. She was wearing overalls, she had the feeling they were simply there for the pockets and to conform to others sense of modesty.
Her eyes were drawn to the tray on the small table between the beds.
In silence she made her way to the bed, sat down and flicked the cloth off of the tray.
There was porridge, milk, fruit and chunk of cheese with a large piece of buttered bread. She almost drooled.
As Tirola ate with gusto, Giselda waited patiently, slow trickles of smoke drifting from the corners of her muzzle as she thought about the situation.
Tricky. Could it be as easy as that? Just changing bodies, sex, world and life?
But then, just the glimpse of what she, he, had been.
She doubted there was even the possibility of going back given the chance.
Chewing the stem of her pipe the bear simply waited and watched.
End of Chapter V