Chapter 14 taking comfort...

We didn't speak as I followed her deeper into the branch of the cave we were in. I didn't know what to say, or even how to say it. I had just lost the entire group of adventurer’s that I had partnered up with, a group that I had traveled with for the past three weeks or so. And while I could not say they were the best of friends I could call them friends. The memories played through my head, again and again. Images of Harland’s laughter at anything and everything, his easy-going nature interposed themselves over his death fought for space with Alaina’s pleading eyes, asking me for the one thing I could do to help her …

I bent over and lost my breakfast.

A warm hand curled it’s way around my bicept and pulled me forward, marching me forward even as I disgorged the contents of my stomach. There was no time to stop, we had to keep moving, had to march forward or both of us would die. As we made our way through the winding cave that split off on every deeper branch that wound to who knows where I didn't say a word, I couldn't. As I watched the woman move in front of me I slowly remembered her name.

Sarena…

The witch that had once been in Harland’s group of adventurers, but had parted ways after the death of a fellow member due to negligence on her part. Or at least that was what I think was the issue, it was hard to tell, seeing as even with the best people things tended to get twisted one way or the other…

Sarena crouched and half shimmied under a small gap in the stone and stood up in the other side. I followed suit, crawling on my stomach, holding myself to make bronze of my armor didn't scrape against the stone, causing quite a ruckus. The only issue was that the large bag on my back was too big to fit through the hole so I had to shimmy back out and pull myself through the hole backward, and then rag the bag inside behind me.

The cave area that I found myself in was a large hollowed out dome, big enough for a person to stand straight up in, and about seven to eight feet wide. In the center was a light crystal and around it was a pile of assorted plants and other things that mages and witches seemed t keep around, there was even a tome or two the black leather cover completely covered with runes inlaid with silver, after all, silver does take on magic and enchantment much easier than any other metal. There were also dolls, many many dolls, each one made out of canvas or other cloth-like materials, and painted in red runes all over their bodies. Sitting next to them were many instruments that looked like they had been carved out of bone, things like long needles and bone knives, each one of the implements carved in with an inlay of blood red.

There was also a little stream that had likely once been the source of this cave, looking around it would appear that in spring when the rains came to this area maybe even at the end of winter, when the snow melted off this entire cave would be flooded. For now, however, there was no need to fear as the small stream flowed right through on the edge of the cave. Seating myself down on the sharp stone ground I curled into a ball and quickly fell asleep, only to be awoken what felt like a few seconds later. I looked up to see Sarena leaning down over me.

“Come on, we need to get you cleaned up,” she said softly, I could see behind her she had gone through my bag, but I couldn't find it in me to feel angry at that, in fact, I felt emotionally drained, like I couldn't feel anything at all. I looked down at my fur and found that it had formed into brownish-red spikes as the blood had dried into it, slowly I allowed her to pull me up to my feet, my muscles protesting the motion.

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She walked me over to the stream and helped me strip off my filthy armor and clothing, slowly I knelt down to the stream and started washing off my front paws, but the damned blood was not wanting to come off, and where it did it simply left my normally white fur looking pinkish. “Here,” Sarena handed me a greyish lump of something, and as I took it in my paws I recognized lye soap, which was made from ashes and animal fats. It was also extremely rough and caustic and smelly…

I started scrubbing.

Crouched there naked next to the creek I scrubbed the blood off with a vigor, feeling like I would never be able to get it off as I would never be clean. I scrubbed hard, working the entirety of my body in a lather. “Here,” I looked over to see that Sarena was standing there with her hand outstretched, “Let me see the soap,” she said, and so I handed it to her. She grabbed me by the chin and started scrubbing around my cheeks, apparently washing off the blood I missed. As she did that I watched her eyes, they seemed distant, clouded, she was seeing me, and what she was doing, but she wasn't really seeing.

Her mind was elsewhere.

Somewhere extremely sad.

“They might not believe it,” she said softly, “But I did my best, I tried to save everyone, and in doing so I failed, I was not focused enough,” she sighed. “Alaina didn't-” he voice faltered, and it was all I could do to not cry myself, I shook my head, letting her know what she feared had not happened. “Good,” she sniffed and went back to scrubbing her hands still holding up my chin she started scrubbing my neck. “And Harland, Tamerian, did they die well?”

“Rin thinks Harland was brave, Tamerian however,” I closed my eyes attempting to reconcile the image of the man I had in my mind with the reality of his actions. It was a difficult task. “Tamerian left Rin and Alaina behind...” I felt her hand spasm as I spoke. I looked up to see her face twisted in a dark way, one that made the purple of her eyes shine. Slowly she took a deep breath, her eyes still sharp as she schooled her features and went back to her self-appointed task. Done scrubbing me she stood back and looked at her work.

“Close your eyes,” she bade me and I did so, then I heard her chanting, water splashed down on me, drenching me to the skin as the soap was washed away. Three times she did this before I opened my eyes and looked down at my body. I was shivering slightly, dripping there, naked, my top set of nipples hard due to the cold. I looked a lot skinnier with the fluffiness of my fur plastered against my skin. I still had all of my womanly curves, just not quite as wide and curvy without the additional fluff, but at least now my fur was back to the pristine white and grey it had been. Shivered and wrapped my arms around my body hugging my upper torso. “Hold still, ” she said and began chanting again. Soon a warm breeze of wind whipped up in the small cave, swirling around me drying my fur in a matter of minutes and returning me back to my previous level of fluffiness. “There, now let's get some sleep and we can figure out what to do tomorrow...”

I watched as she walked over to her small pallet and sat down on it, laying down with her arm as a pillow. That couldn't be comfortable, her pallet was not much more than a thin blanket on the cave floor. Walking over to her I placed my tail on the ground and worked an arm under her side, she looked over at me surprised but I rolled to my right, pulling her up onto the fluffy mattress that was my tail. It wasn't big enough for two people, so I ended up practically forcing her to sleep on top of me. She looked at me, her eyes searching my own, but she said nothing as she reached behind her and grabbed the blanket she had been sleeping on top of and pulled it over the both of us.

We were both asleep in a matter of seconds. Her head resting on my shoulder, one leg draped over my own.

Two people taking comfort in each other’s warmth and presence, sheltered away from heartache...