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“Good morning,” I reply softly, trying to keep my voice from trembling.
I sit up with my back to him and look at the cave wall. I hope he doesn’t think I’m weak or that I have feelings for him, even though the thought of the latter has crossed my mind briefly.
“Are you alright?” he asks.
“Yeah.” I lie through my teeth. “I’m uh…I’m sorry about that.”
I figure I should recognize the situation and apologize before he brings it up. If I acknowledge it first, it may dull some awkward air between us.
“Don’t apologize,” he chuckles. “You were freezing and having a nightmare.”
“Was I really?” I ask, turning around and looking at him briefly before the awkward feelings make me look away.
“You kept saying no. I can’t let you freeze in distress. I hope I didn’t overstep any boundaries.”
Himoverstep boundaries? I thought this was my fault! Why is he apologizing when I freely took on his gesture?
“No, I….” I pause and turn my head to look at him again. “I appreciate it.”
“Of course.”
As he asks the question, I admire the lines of his abs through his shirt. His elbow is behind his head, making his muscles flex, and his eyes are filled with kindness. If there were ever a representation of a gentle giant, it would be Hurian.
I look back at the cave wall and smile to myself out of his view. I feel a giddiness rising in my chest before shutting it down quickly. I’m tired, and we’ve been alone for days. I have feelings I usually wouldn’t, and besides, he thinks I’m a weakling. He would never consider having any sort of fling with me.
I hear him get up from behind me and stretch again. I don’t make eye contact with him but pretend to examine my nails so I don’t look like an oddball staring into space. Thoughts race through my mind like my heart does in my chest.
This is the first time I’ve been so willingly close to an orc. Before Burning Sun, I learned that their kind was cruel and manipulative. While my perception of them has shifted from joining the clan, I feel it moving quicker to trusting Hurian.
The realization makes me nervous. Why am I feeling this way? Obviously, he’s been helpful, but the thought of having feelings toward him freaks me out. I don’t think this is normal, especially for a human, to have these thoughts about an orc.
Again, I chalk it up to me being tired, my leg being infected, and us being away from home for so long. I’m probably just seeking comfort in the only place I can, and if that’s all it is, that’s understandable.
“I’m going to cook some of the meat we brought from the house,” he states as he rummages through one of our bags.
“That would be great,” I comment as I stand up and fully face him for the first time this morning. “I’ll start a fire.”
“No,” he says as we lock eyes, and he holds the filets in his hands. “You rest. You need it; let me take care of this.”
I smile and nod before walking to the edge of the cave and looking into the forest. It must have rained last night because tiny water droplets drip off the leaves, and the ground looks wet. That explains part of why I must have been so cold in the middle of the night.
I turn back and look at Hurian, taking the kindling and some wood from one of our backpacks. I hadn’t thought about needing to bring it, but he thought of everything. I sit on a rock by the edge of the cave and watch him as he makes a fire.
“Do you feel better?” he asks gently as he strikes the Firestarter.
“Yes,” I respond with a grateful smile. “I think I actually got some rest.”
“Good.” He grins and locks eyes with me before looking at my leg. “We should try to make an ointment from the calendula leaves you collected for your leg.”
I cock my head to the side and grin. I’m surprised he remembers what the calendula is for; I thought I was just annoying him with stupid plant facts that day.
“We would need some fat and something that resembles petroleum. Don’t know where we would find that out here.” I sigh as I finish my sentence.
“Well.” He stands up and dusts off his hands as the kindling catches fire. “If I make another kill, we can use the fat from the animal if you can dry out the leaves.”
“Yeah,” I say with surprise. “I can dry them in the cave today.”
“If it’s possible,” he begins as he grabs the meat and puts it on a stick. “I’ll take some too. My limp is starting to get worse.”
