She was kissing him, he couldn't believe it. And still it was happening right now. Maybe it was because they just had fought a Bigfoot without dying, or she really wanted to kiss him. He didn't know, but he had warned her. That when she would offer herself to him, he wouldn't hold back. Still he was holding back, he didn't want to. But he did. He didn't know how, and he honestly didn't care about that. But he would take the kiss for now, but he put his arms around her and embraced her. His heart skipped a couple beats, and he loved every second of it. She stepped back breaking the kiss, he groaned softly. Why did she break the kiss, it was…? He couldn't even describe it and that was something new for him. But again he would take everything she was willing to give him.

"I am sorry." She said softly.

"For what? The kiss? There is nothing to be sorry for." He said, a bit confused. She gave him a smile.

"I know what you said about this, and I am not ready to give you anything more for now." She said and he nodded slowly. He wouldn't ask for more.

"Then I will not ask for more." He said out loud to her and her. She nodded and then looked at the Bigfoot.

"What are we going to do with it?" She asked. He noticed the subject change, but he didn't say anything. At least about the kiss and the rest what rushed through his mind.

"Nothing." He said, he noticed that he had not let go off her. And he wanted to stay like this for a few moments longer. She wanted to step further away. "No, please." He said and she froze. "Let me hold you for a moment longer. That is all I ask. I do not ask for another kiss, or for more. Just the chance to hold you in my arms." She relaxed, and started to lean in to him.

"Alright then." She said and he relaxed too. Not knowing why he was so tense in the first place. He closed his eyes and placed his noise in her hair. She smelled like a winter's day, maybe because it was a winter's day. But that couldn't be it, he knew one thing. He was falling hard for her, and he could only hope that she felt the same way about him.

******

He was the one who broke off the hug, much to his own dismay. But they couldn't stay like this forever. They needed to pick up some fire wood, to cook the water and to stay warm for the night. But this time he didn't let her out of his sight, afraid that mister Bigfoot here had any friends nearby. But they were not disturbed by any creature this time. And he had a theory about why. In his turn to keep watch he spotted the tiger family, just outside the light of the fire. The little one however sneaked closer with the second, and curled up next to Tamora. He smiled at it, it was almost adorable and disturbing at the same time. The parents kept their distance however, looking up by any form of sound they heard. Which made him relax, knowing that they will alert him if there was any danger. Or even will attack the one treating their little cub. Which still surprised him, this was the first time he had seen a cub in here. Other than the children inside Chris's city there were only adults in here, or so he thought. Would this maybe be an evolution in their programming? He didn't know, but it worried him slightly. If the tigers and other animals could procreate, then not soon after that humans can too. He knew for a fact that none of them used any protection. And until this point there were no babies born. At least not to his knowledge, which was pretty much limited to his shack until now. But he had not heard something that would hint at it, from Dink or Chris. He sighed, and his attention went back to the two adult tigers, who lay with their heads between their paws. He couldn't see if their eyes were closed or not, but their ears moved from side to side.

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******

He didn't know how, but he had fallen asleep. During his watch, how did he know that. Well the little tiger's tongue over his nose woke him up. Tamora looked at him with narrowed eyes.

"I thought you would wake me up when it was my turn to keep watch." She said. He nodded and sighed.

"I would have done that, but for some reason I have fallen a sleep." He was just stating something she could see for herself. "But it seems that we were not that defenceless." He pointed to the tigers, who still lay near the camp and then at the little one. Hopping around them. "They would protect this one with their lives." She nodded and sighed.

"I should have taken first watch anyway. You barely got any sleep last night." She said and this was true. But it was no excuse, he should have waked her when he felt himself drifting away. The only problem was he didn't feel it, or he couldn't remember it.

"Well let's get some breakfast and then let us be on our way." He said, and she put her hand in the bag. Grabbing a piece of jerky out of it. As soon as the smell of the meat hit his nose the little tiger turned towards her and started to bag for it.

"You have your parents to take care of you, and fill your belly." She said, giving the piece of meat to Orisino. "We on the other hand are not so lucky." She took another piece of jerky out of the bag and put it in her mouth. The little one however didn't give up. Orisino killed the embers of the fire with sand, snow and water, just in case. Then they went on their way, crossing the Dreadful Channel without any incident. "Why in hell's name is it called the Dreadful Channel?" She started to tell him her expectations, and he started to laugh.

"It is just called the Dreadful Channel, because it is a border between the south and the north. Which means just the safer lands with the dangerous lands." He explained. And she looked at him with narrowed eyes, which made him even laugh more. But when he saw that they were followed by the tiger family he stopped. "We are being followed." She looked over her shoulder and sighed.

"Will the other monsters attack the little one?" She asked, and he shrugged. He really did not know, time would tell.