I come awake somewhat quickly in the morning, as
something jars me from my slumber. Getting up in a sitting position,
I look around and notice that Marissa isn't in her bedroll and
is nowhere to be seen. Checking my watch it reads 9:07, however
the sun looks like it has only been up for a little over an hour.
Wondering briefly where Marissa could have gone off
to, I hear a jarring sound off in the distance in the woods. This
must have been what pulled me so abruptly from my sleep. Sitting
there holding my breath, trying to hear the noise again, it once
more erupts from the woods, cutting through the stillness around
me.
It is a fairly terrifying sound, like that of an
animal at prey, and it strikes a chord deep within my psyche,
sending shivers down my spine. It obviously is some distance away,
but is loud enough to also be a little too close for comfort.
As I'm listening, it comes yet again as a series
of hissing yowls, each one driving a spike of fear further into
my consciousness. I'm not sure if it's just my imagination or
not, but it seems as if the sounds are getting louder. All rational
thought has been wiped from my mind, as I sit there quivering
lightly on my bedroll.
Time passes incredibly slowly for me, as each second
is punctuated by the heavy beating of my frantic heart, pounding
loudly within my ears. What is probably only a few minutes, seems
to last for hours, as I scarcely dare to breathe, for some irrational
fear of tipping off whatever lies out there to my presence.
There are a few more eruptions of those inhuman screeches,
each one threatening to force me closer to the edge of my sanity,
as I teeter on the brink of what seems like a total mental collapse.
Sitting there, struggling for control, I feel it slowly slipping
away from me as my mind wants to give in to the terror.
Finally after an agonizing eternity of this, the
sounds stop disrupting the silence of the woods, and but for the
pounding in my ears, all is silent. My fear ebbs slightly, giving
me a little more rationality, but I'm still terrified of the possibility
of whatever it was that made those horrible outbursts finding
me here cowering on my bedroll.
A few minutes pass, and my pulse has died down somewhat,
allowing normal hearing to return; I'm still a little frightened
of what might happen, and nervously scan the perimeter of the
clearing with my darting eyes.
Then when I have almost let go of the fear, a soft
padding sound coming from the woods grabs my attention. Turning
to look in that direction, a little off to the left, I don't see
anything in the shadows of the woods, and wonder if it was my
overworked imagination.
Standing up slowly, peering into the woods, I then
hear the soft padding sound again, as something is walking towards
me at a steady pace. Feeling my fear begin to build again, I slowly
and cautiously begin to back away, still keeping my eyes glued
toward the woods.
As my pulse once again starts to build inside my
ears, I see a figure walking out of the shadows. After a moment's
confusion, my overtaxed brain recognizes that it's Marissa.
My relief is short lived however, noticing the state
she's in. Her fur is somewhat ruffled in several places, and she
has bright red blood spattered on her hands, shirt, several other
spots on her fur, and also dripping from her muzzle as if she
had just drank from a bowl of it.
It's then when I notice that she is carrying the
carcass of a freshly killed animal in her right hand, letting
it dangle limply there. The animal looks reminiscent of a rabbit,
but is a little over twice the size of any one seen on Earth.
Looking at its lifeless body, I notice that the poor thing's throat
has been ripped out. Looking at the jagged hole there, and then
at the blood coating her muzzle, the harsh realization of just
how she killed this creature flashes across my mind in a terrifying
instant.
Looking at her, time seems to freeze yet again, as
I make contact with her gaze. There is a look of extreme wildness
to her, seeing her eyes still fired up from the thrill of the
hunt. As she stands there eyeing me, looking quite bestial and
feral, I struggle to comprehend the situation.
She shatters my train of thought by opening her mouth
and growling at me, uttering a quick burst of hissing sounds.
Startled by this, I take another couple of steps backwards. She
looks at me questioningly, but also still a little wild, and again
yowls at me, sounding quite like a predator getting ready to strike.
"Marissa, what's going on?" I manage to
stammer, taking another cautious step backwards, feeling panic
threatening to take control.
Dropping the body of the creature she approaches
me, holding out a bloody paw with her claws slightly extended,
and again growling at me. Losing all control of my mental processes,
my only thought is of flight, quickly turning and running frantically
from her.
I manage to get about three or four steps in before
feeling the wave of energy hit me, knocking me off balance. Losing
my footing, my frame of reference changes as the ground comes
up to meet me; my mind struggles to understand what is happening.
I seem to fall in slow motion, as my neurons spasticly fire, filling
my head with vivid images of her ripping open my neck and feasting
on my still-warm flesh.
Coming in contact with the ground is jarring, and
slamming into it, my consciousness flicks out as if someone had
thrown a switch inside my head.
As my senses come slowly back to me, I cautiously
open my eyes to see her kneeling over me, with the blood from
her kill drying on her fur and clothes. Snapping to attention,
my eyes fully open, quickly trying to sit up, as her hands dart
out and press firmly against my shoulders, forcing me back onto
the ground.
Struggling briefly against her for a moment, I then
feel the familiar wave of tranquillity passing through me. The
first burst helps somewhat to soothe me, but still some of the
fear remains as I continue to fight with her, just with a lesser
force. Within moments, another blast of calming washes over me,
totally reducing me to putty in her hands. Even if she plans to
harm me, there is nothing I can do about it now, and even those
thoughts cause me no concern.
Releasing my shoulders, she peers down at me with
warmth and compassion. "Ben, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean
to scare you like that. Are you okay?"
As rational though seeps back into my mind, I pause
for a few moments, feeling out the situation before replying,
"Yes, I think so, but what happened? You were so wild Marissa,
I thought you were going to hurt me."
"I'm sorry. This was the first time I'd been
hunting in quite awhile and had forgotten how it affected me.
We still enjoy the thrill of the hunt, even though we no longer
need to do it to eat. For us it's somewhat of an occasional recreation.
It feels nice to let things go and for a short time and act like
our ancestors did."
"But you were so savage. With that look in your
eyes, I didn't know if you saw me as fair game or not."
"I know Ben. It had been so long since I'd enjoyed
the thrill of the hunt and let those forces flow through me like
that. I'd forgotten what it was like, and allowed it to take me
over, more so than usual. Now that I'm used to it again, I will
be a bit more reserved the next time I hunt. And no matter what
you might have though, I can assure you that I had no intentions
of harming you."
"Then why did you growl at me like that? It
seemed like you were still chasing your prey, and when you started
towards me, with your claws out and growled again, I was sure
that you'd forgotten who I was."
"It's not what you think Ben, but it was my
fault. I should have paid closer attention last night, and checked
to make sure it didn't happen. I'm so sorry this had to happen..."
The confused look that I'm giving her, prompts her
to continue. "Ben, I wasn't growling at you, at least not
in the way you were thinking. I wasn't growling like when I was
stalking my prey. I was simply talking to you like I'm doing now."
"But... I don't understand?"
"It's the translation spell Ben, remember?"
she explains. "I told you that it should last for a couple
of days, but my expectations were wrong and it wore off sooner
than I thought. I should have checked it last night, just to make
sure. Then this whole mess wouldn't have happened."
"So you mean that your speech is just those
growls and screeches I heard?"
"Yes, it sounded frightening to you because
it's different and unexpected. Your speech sounded pretty weird
to me, but more amusing than terrifying. Again, I'm sorry this
happened, and I hope it wasn't too bad of a scare for you. I'll
strengthen the spell every night now for the next few days, just
to make sure it holds this time. Now, are you okay?"
Checking myself over, this time a little more thoroughly,
I reply with a simple, yet still a little nervous "yes."
"Good" she answers, as she helps me up
to a standing position. Then she continues, pointing at the fallen
carcass of her morning kill, "I need to clean off, which
will be a little harder since I had to help you and the blood
has started to dry. While I'm doing this, gather some wood for
a fire and clean that pantouka for breakfast."
Before I have a chance to answer, she walks over
to her pack, pulls out a clean shirt, and also a knife which she
hands to me. As I'm looking at it a bit dumbfounded, she doesn't
seem to notice my hesitation, and turns and walks off down toward
the stream, then behind some bushes and out of sight.
I go about the simple task of gathering wood, and
finish that in a matter of minutes. Then I turn to look at the
fallen beast as it lies there with its glassy eyes and gaping
throat wound. I have never been hunting, the idea was too repulsive
to me, and even when going fishing when I was younger, I never
could stomach cleaning the fish. So not knowing what to do, and
not really too eager to find out, I stand there just looking at
the body in front of me.
Less than ten minutes later, Marissa returns from
the stream, wearing a clean shirt, with most of the blood cleaned
from her fur. There are still remnants of it, dying her muzzle
a light shade of pink, which looks both a little comical and also
a bit grotesque.
Seeing that I haven't begun gutting the fallen beast,
she looks at me with cold eyes, and demands in a slightly harsh
tone "why haven't you cleaned it yet? Do you expect me to
do all the work?"
Backing up half a step and stammering as I try and
explain, "I didn't know what to do... I've never done this
before... I don't know how."
Her gaze softens in understanding as she quietly
asks, "okay... give me the knife and I'll show you."
Taking the knife from my loose grip, she leads me
to a kneeling position and quickly slits the beast from neck to
legs. Reaching in she deftly grabs some innards and extracts them
with a quiet slurping sound. Repeating the process, she then turns
to me and grabs my hand, and even against my squeal of protest,
brings it into the belly of the animal.
Feeling the slimy warmth surround me is almost too
much to take, as my stomach ties itself in a million knots. Fighting
against her grip, I pull my hand out of the innards, and struggle
against the urge to vomit. Looking at her disapproving gaze, I
jump to a standing position and stagger down to the stream washing
my hands as a couple of dry heaves rack my body.
Recovering from my revulsion, I hear her footsteps
coming up behind me. Not wanting to face her, I turn my head even
further downward and to the left, as far away from her as possible.
She kneels down beside me, and after quickly washing her hands,
places one of them on my shoulder, petting me reassuringly.
Fighting back tears of shame, I slowly turn my head
to face her, and look into her understanding gaze. After a moment's
hesitation, I finally blurt out "I'm sorry Marissa. I just
couldn't do it..."
"It's okay, and I should be the one apologizing.
You're not a hunter are you?" As I slowly shake my head she
continues, "I handled that poorly. That is how we teach our
young to learn to hunt, by forcing them into it. I should have
realized that it wouldn't work for you." Pausing for a moment,
she finally adds "there's nothing for you to be ashamed of
Ben, and I shouldn't have expected that much out of you so soon.
If you'd like to learn how to fix the kill properly, I'll teach
you slowly. We can start tomorrow, if you want. But if you don't
that's okay... Are you going to be okay?"
I mutter an affirmative reply, and she finishes with
"okay, you just rest here while I get breakfast ready for
us. When I'm all done with the messy work, I'll let you know."
Then giving me a final tender pat, she withdraws her hand from
my shoulder, rises and walks slowly to the campsite. Watching
her go I feel a jumble of emotions run though me, then turning
once again to the stream I wash my face in its cold and refreshing
water.
She finishes the cleaning quite quickly, and in less
than fifteen minutes calls me over to the fire to see the beast
skewered by a stick and roasting on the fire. Its fur and head
has been removed, but its legs are still attached to the body,
still leaving it with somewhat of a gruesome look. However, smelling
the aroma of cooking meat, I feel my hunger awakening and pushing
out the nausea from my stomach.
When it's finally time to eat the morning's kill,
she takes it off the fire, and ripping its two hind legs off with
her strong hands, she hands one of the legs to me. Holding it
in my hand and looking at it dubiously, I feel my nausea resurface
slightly, but the smell of the meat is enough to coax me into
taking a cautious bite. Trying not to look at the leg of the animal
in my hand, I bring it to my mouth and bite into it. It is well
cooked, but is also somewhat stringy and tough; I have to chew
on it a couple of times to work the meat away from the bone.
The taste of the animal is really like nothing I
have ever tasted before, although it does have a hint of poultry
to it. 'Tastes like chicken, go figure,' I feel myself thinking
in the recesses of my mind, stifling a brief chuckle.
Marissa has been watching me with interest and concern
and after my first bite has been thoroughly swallowed she asks,
"how is it?"
Pausing briefly to consider it, I finally answer
"it's not too bad. That is as long as I don't look at what
I'm eating. We've come to the point where we don't really want
to let ourselves think that we're carnivores. So I tend to like
my food to appear as far as possible from it's natural state.
I'll manage though... and it does taste okay. It's tough and a
bit dry, but it's fresh and hot, so I can't complain too much."
Smiling at me, she warmly replies, "I'm glad
you can eat it Ben. I realize this morning has been pretty hard
on you so far, and it's nice to know you aren't totally repulsed
by it."
The rest of the meal isn't too bad on me. The meat
is okay once I get used to it. It takes me awhile to eat it since
it is so stringy and I have to chew it a lot, not having teeth
as sharp as Marissa's, but it does satisfy me on a basic level.
I am still somewhat nervous about gnawing on the leg of a dead
animal, but I'm hungry enough, and also a bit numb from all that
has happened this morning, that I'm able to deal with it. Between
the two of us, we manage to devour the whole thing, and after
the meal I find myself fairly satisfied, and my stomach seems
to be handling the new food okay.
After breakfast, I am suddenly reminded that it's
been over twenty-four hours since I've brushed my teeth, and running
my tongue over them, they feel a bit slimy. 'This vacation is
starting to lose a bit of its luster,' I think to myself as I'm
rinsing my teeth with water from the stream. Luckily since I won't
be eating a lot of food with refined sugars, I should be okay,
at least for a month, if I try and keep my teeth as clean as possible.
So by a little after 11:00 on my watch, we are on
our way. Putting on my pack, I realize how sore my shoulders are,
and am slightly hesitant to burden myself like this. After a minute
though, I'm able to adjust to the load, and deal with the soreness,
slightly comforted by the thought that the soreness will eventually
go away.
We spend all of the morning hiking along the road
through the wilderness, again not meeting anyone along the way.
It is another beautiful day, with perfect weather, although my
mind is too preoccupied with other thoughts to fully appreciate
it.
'Damn, she really scared me this morning,' I think
to myself, muddling these thoughts over in my mind. 'She was almost
like a wild animal stalking prey. If she had wanted to she could
have torn my throat out. But she didn't, and part of it was that
I was hearing her true language, which of course is a lot like
a cat's growls.'
'Still, how can they live like this, being civilized
enough to live in houses, learn magic and how to develop simple
technology, but still enjoy hunting with such ferocity? Well,
I guess there are a lot of humans that enjoy the adrenaline rush
of blowing a deer full of lead even when they don't need to, when
they could just go down to the supermarket and buy ground beef...
So is this really all that different?'
'They act a hell of a lot more like their ancestors
than we do though. You don't see us swinging from the trees and
eating bananas, or beating or chests when we're challenged...
One thing for sure, she's not as human as I thought she was yesterday.'
'But then she can sit and talk with me just like
anyone else, using rational thought and displaying emotions and
everything... Perhaps they just act like cats when their adrenaline
gets to certain levels, shutting off part of their higher functions.'
Spending most of the morning in quiet thought, I
try and work out most of these problems, running into a few brick
walls on the way. 'I guess she's right,' I finally concede, 'I
can't judge them like humans, I've got to learn to take their
civilization at face value... which is going to be a bit difficult
at times. I wonder what other surprises she has waiting for me?'
Then stealing a look at her, and realizing I still
have some of those feelings I was having yesterday, my thoughts
turn to my performance this morning. 'Damn, she must think I'm
some sort of a spineless coward for the way I acted. I hope I
can stomach the kill the next time she does it. If I try hard
enough, maybe I can learn how to clean it, and manage to make
up for almost throwing up on her... at least she's trying to understand
me as a human, and hopefully she'll cut me some slack until I
can handle things better.'
Then my thoughts finally turn to the most difficult
aspect of the situation, my still present attraction towards her.
'How can I still find her attractive, when it's obvious that she's
not just a human with fur and a tail. I mean she could get pissed
off an try and claw me if I don't watch it.' Then looking at her
again, as she's conveniently a step ahead of me, I let my eyes
peruse her definitely-feminine form. 'Damn, she's not a human,
but maybe she's close enough to make me happy. For an alien she
looks pretty good... In fact maybe that's why I can't stop thinking
about this, maybe it's her exoticness that's got me going.'
Realizing that I shouldn't be letting myself think
this way, especially not having known her too long, I really begin
to feel like somewhat of a lecher for leering at her like that.
Part of me really is intrigued by all those ideas, while another
part reprimands me for letting my mind wander down those darkened
corridors. I manage to beat myself up over this for quite awhile,
trying to reconcile these conflicting thoughts and impulses.
This really bothers me, especially the way I'm thinking
about her like this. I can't believe how quickly my thoughts have
become clouded by hormones; in a way I feel like a raging teenager
again. Having been kind of lonely lately, I finally decide that's
what's causing these feelings; being suddenly thrust into close
quarters with a strangely attractive woman like her is enough
to get me going down that road. 'I just hope I can keep things
in perspective and don't do anything stupid,' I think wryly to
myself.
I spend most of the four hours hiking lost in these
thoughts, and for the most part Marissa is either content in letting
me do that, or is extremely polite and leaves me alone. Finally
when we sit down to lunch, she speaks to me for the first time
in quite awhile. "Ben, are you okay? You've been pretty quiet
this morning."
"Yes... I guess so. It's just that this morning
really upset me, and I realize I didn't handle it too well."
Looking at me with concern, she lightly takes one
of my hands in hers, and softly replies, "Is that why you've
been so quiet? Did you think that I was disappointed in you? I'm
sorry for how I acted. I wasn't thinking and couldn't think past
being a felenzi."
"No it's not that... it's just that the way
you acted after hunting was pretty scary. You acted more like
an animal than a person..." Then realizing what a stupid
statement I just made, I quickly add "damn, I didn't mean
that..." Dropping my gaze slightly I finish with "it's
just that I wasn't expecting you to act that way..."
Taking my chin in her other hand, she guides my head
back up to meet her understanding gaze. "I'm sorry Marissa...
I didn't mean that I thought you're an animal or anything like
that... It was a stupid statement... I don't know what I meant."
"No Ben, I know what you mean, and it wasn't
a stupid statement. From your point of view you have every right
in saying that... that is if I was a human. Just like I was angry
with you at first for not being able to clean that pantouka for
me... But, we've both got to realize that I'm not a human and
you're not a felenzi. If we can't get beyond this, we're going
to run into a lot more problems."
"Now, I realize that this is all extremely strange
and hard on you, and unfortunately you're at a disadvantage since
you're the alien here. However, right now we're by ourselves,
so we're somewhat on equal terms... I'll try and keep from judging
you by my terms, do you think you can do the same for me?"
Looking back at her, sort of dumbfounded, I manage
a simple nod.
"That's good... I think we'll both do okay.
It's going to be a little tough on both of us, to learn how we
operate differently, but if we can try and keep these things in
mind, we'll get through it." Then taking her furry hand and
gently stroking the back of it against my cheek and smiling warmly
at me, she continues "besides, it won't be all bad... there's
got to be differences between us that we'll find intriguing too.
It will be fun learning more about each other over the next few
weeks."
I have to agree with her on this point, and although
I am still extremely confused, she has managed to calm my jumbled
mind somewhat, at least for the moment. Returning her smile, I
take her hand which is still holding mine and stroke it lightly,
"I guess you're right about that... and I guess if you're
willing to give me the benefit of the doubt, I can try and do
the same for you... Just as long as you promise not to mistake
me for prey in the middle of the night."
She flashes me a wounded look at the mention of this,
and I quickly force a smile to patch the situation. She recovers
quickly and then retorts, "fair enough, as long as you'll
give an honest effort to trying to learn how to help me clean
my kills."
Pausing and swallowing a small lump in my throat,
I reply "okay... if you'll let me go slow... I can't just
jump in there like you wanted me to this morning. I'm not a natural-born
hunter like you..."
"Okay, we can work it out..."
After that, there doesn't seem to be much more to
say, as we sit there, looking into each other's confused, yet
well-meaning gazes. As I sit there with her hand in mind, I am
reminded of my less than pure thoughts about her, but discretion,
and a little bit of fear keeps me from pushing the situation any
further than it's gone already.
We sit there in each other's warmth for a couple
of minutes, until I finally become a bit uncomfortable and break
the silence a bit awkwardly. "Well, I suppose we should eat
lunch and then get back on the road..." She seems to notice
my uneasiness, but doesn't comment on it, instead moving to our
packs to retrieve some more of the dried meat that I am becoming
rather accustomed to.
We eat lunch pretty much in silence and after a brief
rest, we are back on the trail again, moving at our easy, yet
steady pace. She let's me alone with my thoughts for awhile, but
then interrupts me, drawing me into a conversation with her. "Ben,
are you upset with me for bringing you here?"
It takes me a few moments to answer her, as I'm not
totally sure myself. "I don't know Marissa. At first I was
really annoyed and a bit angry. Then I was still a little uneasy,
but also excited and intrigued. Now I'm not sure... I mean yesterday
was fun. It was nice getting away from the daily grind and all,
but things are coming too fast for me... hopefully once I can
come to grips with everything it will be a lot easier on me."
Then pausing again as we walk several steps, I finally add "I
guess I'm really not sure how I feel about everything... I wish
I could give you a better answer, but I'm a little overwhelmed
right now."
Thinking this over, she finally looks at me with
a deep concern on her face. "Well, if I were able to send
you home today, just pretend that I could... Would you want to
leave right away?"
"I don't know... since it wasn't an option,
I hadn't considered it... but I guess I wouldn't... I think I'd
stay here. Even with everything that has happened, I don't think
I could pass up this adventure... and I hope I'm starting to understand
things better." Pausing again for a few moments, I then continue
with "Now that I know what to expect when I see you hunt
or fight, I think I can deal with it. Just as long as I know you
won't come after me, and that you'll be here to help me if anything
happens makes it a lot easier to take..."
"The magic is another incentive too. I'd never
even dreamed about being able to do something near as powerful
as that, and now that you've given me a taste of it, I can't walk
away now... and finally, I'd like to get to know you better. It
probably sounds stupid, but I really mean it. I find you really
interesting, and I hope we get a chance to become friends. Some
of your customs really floor me, but I'd like to learn all that
I can about you and your world. I'm sure there's a lot about you
that I'll really like... this doesn't sound too corny does it?
I do mean it, even it does sound a bit made up..."
"No Ben, I believe you, and I'd like to get
to know you better too. We have a good amount of time ahead of
us, so we should become good friends. You have some qualities
to you which I like, and I think it will be good for both of us
to learn about each other's worlds. This is definitely a wonderful
experience, for both of us since we're both scholars..."
We spend the rest of the afternoon in comfortable
conversation, as I feel my uneasiness draining away. I'm still
a bit uncomfortable with how alien she can be at times, but her
mind is also significantly human, so it is easy to talk with her.
She asks me about school and work, and I do my best to explain
it to her, given how primitive their technology is compared to
ours. She listens well and is amazed at all that we can do with
our advanced sciences. She is a very attentive and appreciative
audience, and that makes even some of the dull research I've been
doing seem a little more exciting.
I gloss over most of the details, but even the simple
concepts fascinate her, and it helps me to feel a little better
about my work. I had been in the doldrums of grad school, beaten
down by the grind of research and working part time, trying to
finish things up, and if nothing else, this vacation, no matter
how odd it may seem, will definitely recharge my batteries.
After she has quizzed me somewhat in depth on all
the wonders of my work, I finally turn the tables and ask her
all about her life. She tells me how she's been practicing magic
for close to ten years, and how she loves her work and the freedom
it gives her. Hiring out her services to the towns people she's
made herself quite a comfortable living, and has a good amount
of spare time to devote to her studies.
She is somewhat of a Renaissance woman, since she
not only is skilled at magic, but manages a little bit of painting,
and is also interested in some of the areas of science. Their
science is still not too advanced, and she only reads about it
now and again, but it is obvious that she is very scholarly and
intelligent.
She tells me that she chose to stay in the town where
she was born because she likes the smallness of it and the fact
that it is out near the wilderness which she also really loves.
She sometimes feels a little isolated, since it's hard to get
a lot of books and journals without going to the big city, but
since the railway has been put in, she goes there on excursions
a couple of times a year. Some of the townspeople think she's
a little odd for spending as much time as she does in the books,
but given her talents, she has enough respect to make up for what
they consider to be her quirks.
As we talk, I realize that I'm still physically attracted
to her, but that is coming under control, and now that I'm getting
to know her better, I'm appreciating her for the person she is,
not just as a furry piece of meat. I think our academic interests
will be enough in common for us to become quite close; I'm getting
to know her quite well, and I hope we do become really good friends.
I'd also like us to become closer than that, but I'll try not
to push it too much.
Finally after walking all day, we stop for the night
a few hours before sunset. I'm tired from the long day's hike,
but it's also a good sort of exhaustion, almost a feeling of accomplishing
something well done. My back is still a little sore, as I stretch
myself after removing my pack, but I can feel the kinks working
themselves out. This is definitely going to get me in better shape.
Realizing I've been sweating all day, and without
deodorant, and trying to be discrete as possible, I take a quick
whiff of my shirt underarm and am appalled at the overpowering
smell from it. Letting out a quick and disgusted gag, I quickly
reach in my pack for a new shirt and head down to the stream.
Trying to get out of sight from Marissa, who seems a little surprised
by my behavior, I reach the stream and strip off my shirt, tossing
it in the water.
Rinsing under my arms, I realize that I don't smell
all that bad, since most of the sweat was absorbed by the fabric
of the shirt. A few splashes of water, and I'm feeling a lot better.
Putting on my clean shirt, I rinse out the dirty one, and return
to hang that up to dry next to my pack.
Coming back to our campsite, Marissa is quite bemused
by my actions. "Why were you in such a hurry to bathe like
that Ben?"
I must give her a look like she's crazy, since her
question absolutely floors me. "What do you mean, why did
I want to wash up like that? I didn't want to stink, that's why...
I know you bathe since you have a tub in your house, so why does
this surprise you so much?"
"Of course I like to bathe, doesn't everyone?
But since we have no decent facilities here, and we aren't getting
too dirty, I can wait until we get to the town and I can have
a proper bath... and why would you want to totally remove your
scent like that?"
"Because it's too strong, and it smells... didn't
you notice it? I hope I it didn't offend you?"
"No of course not... and it wasn't really all
that strong. It doesn't smell bad anyway, at least not from a
distance... it's just your natural scent, why should you dislike
it so? It's different from ours, but it doesn't bother me."
Then looking at me with curiosity, she asks a rather
odd question. "Do humans produce scent all over their bodies
like that?"
"Ummm... I guess so. Yes, we tend to sweat everywhere
like that, but do it more in certain places, like under our arms...
I guess you can't sweat through your fur can you?"
"We produce scent in our hands in feet, and
some in our cheeks too, with the strength and smell depending
on the mood of the individual."
This whole discussion is getting a little too strange
and personal for me, so I drop it, not wishing to go further in
depth on the subject of pheromones, human or felenzi. She notices
my embarrassment, and doesn't push the subject. It has given me
something to think of though. 'I wonder how they keep from overheating
then with all that fur? It must just be like cats where they pant
and I guess sweat through their feet. I'd never thought about
it, but it works for the big cats with just as much mass as them,
and they're just as active, if not more.'
As we're setting up camp, getting some firewood,
and unpacking our bedding, Marissa stops suddenly, sitting down
on the ground, grabbing her leg and hissing with pain. Alarmed,
I rush to her, kneeling down and ask what's wrong. Clenching her
teeth slightly, she replies "muscles spasm" hissing
again, as her muscles continue their game of tug-of-war.
Having had some of these from running, I know how
painful they can be, and offer "try and relax your leg, don't
clench it up so," which of course isn't much help to one
who's in the midst of these contortions. Unfortunately, all I
can do is sit there and watch as the spasms run their course for
several more seconds.
As the pain dies down some, she tries to stretch
her leg out, emitting a few more slight hisses of discomfort.
Gazing up at me, looking just the slightest bit vulnerable, she
quietly asks me to help her remove her boot.
Taking her somewhat large boot in my hands, I slowly
undo the laces, trying not to pull on her sore muscles, also a
bit nervous by the situation. Her boots come up somewhere between
halfway and a third of the way up to her knees. Since her feet
are digitrade, they are fairly different from what I'm used to
seeing everyday. In order to remove the boot, I have to undo the
laces to about halfway down it, so it can come off from her large
foot and not get caught on the ankle. It drops off her foot, having
most of the top opening up, rather than pulling the boot down,
like I'm used to. Removing her boot, I see that the fur of her
foot, and that up to just below where her boot had fit, is dark
black, just like her hands, giving her "boots" markings
on, I assume, both her feet.
Her "foot" is longer than a humans by about
five or six inches, from the large felenzi equivalent of an ankle
to her toes. However this "foot" is shaped a little
differently than ours, since it is almost more like an extension
to her leg, being somewhat long and a little skinny. What I consider
as her foot doesn't actually start until down near her toes. The
part that actually comes in contact with the earth is only about
five inches long and is squat compared to humans. Her "toes"
are much thicker than ours, and all four of them are the same
size; her foot looks pretty much what you'd expect to see on a
cat of her size. Each one of her toes, has a retractable claw,
much like the ones on her fingers, which are just barely visible
beneath her dark fur.
Once her boot is off, I take her foot in my hands,
feeling a little awkward, and try and straighten out her leg while
causing her as little pain as possible. Her foot is a little moist,
as I'm reminded that they sweat down there, which causes a momentary
revulsion. However, her foot isn't nearly as wet as under my arms
had been, and although I can smell her scent, it's very slight
and smells different, with a hint of animal to it, but not repulsive.
It definitely smells better than human feet, and at this distance
from my nose, it isn't too noticeable. Her fur is drying, exposed
to the air, and I try to ignore this and focus at the task at
hand.
Straightening her leg out slowly, she lets out one
or two really small hisses of pain, but I'm doing my best to minimize
her discomfort. Putting her foot across my legs, I move my hands
up the fur of her legs, coming to the middle of her calf. "Is
this where it hurts?" I ask, gently squeezing her firm muscles.
"Yes," she answers, with a little hiss.
"I can try and work out the knot, it will hurt
a little..." She nods, and I begin to slowly palpate her
muscles, finding their tightness, and gently manipulating them,
trying to work it out. She lets me work for several minutes, as
I feel them softening. I think I hurt her a couple of times in
the beginning, but after that she seems to enjoy the attentions,
as she leans back on the grass and even lets out a little purr.
Finally sitting up, she leans forward, and takes
places one of her hands on top of mine. "Thank you Ben, you
did that well, and it really helped... but I think you've done
as much as you can to get rid of the tightness, and there's still
some pain lingering. It's a good opportunity for you to learn
about healing anyway."
Again, it's like with my other lessons, she focuses
her energy through my arms, and directs it to my hands placed
on her legs. As before, I feel the energy building inside me,
but can also discern the subtle difference in how it feels this
time. As the energy flows through me, I feel it concentrate in
her sore muscles, then dissipating along her leg. I don't quite
understand it, but I'm able to feel the tightness and pain drain
out from her, as if the flow of energy extends my senses outward.
As with the other magic, this is phenomenal, especially the first
time.
Releasing my hands, she smiles warmly again, and
thanks me once more for my attentions. I squeeze her muscles once
more, surprised at how the knot has completely vanished. Then
in a moment of bravado, I glide my hands down to her foot, and
gently run my fingers along its furry contours. Glancing at her,
she looks surprised, but not upset. Tracing my fingers along the
bottom of her foot, I again elicit a couple of satisfied purrs
from her.
I continue my exploration for a couple of minutes,
quite enjoying the feel of her fur beneath my fingers, and the
wonderfully new shape of her foot and toes. Then looking up at
her again, she looks a little troubled and confused. 'Perhaps
I've gone to far,' I think, 'but how to stop this without looking
too stupid?'
Finally I just run my fingers along the underside
of her foot one final time and then detach myself. Trying to act
nonchalant, I look at her and simply ask "does it feel better
now?"
"Yes Ben... thank you again," then pausing
she finally continues, "we should continue with your lessons
and then get dinner and get to bed."
My lessons are pretty much like the night before,
first making sure that I can still remember how to do the spells
I'd mastered yesterday, then continuing with her showing me a
few different types of energy, so I can learn their differences.
Then finally we start the fire, I try to do it a couple of times
by myself, but can't even get it to smolder. It's somewhat frustrating,
but she intervenes before I let it totally stress me out, and
once again helps me to use the spell, as the wood before me jumps
into flames.
We have another simple, yet satisfying dinner of
meat and fresh fruit, then settle of to bed, watching the stars
and twin moons coming out in the darkening sky above us. She falls
asleep much quicker than I do, for there are a lot of things I
have to muddle over, trying to comprehend everything I'd experienced
today. Finally tiredness overtakes me and I fall once again into
a peaceful sleep.
Copyright 1994, Will A. Sanborn - was1@shore.net