Heathen

|08|

Elodie

      The next few days fly by, and I love every single minute of it. At least, I love every minute I spend with Barre.

      When I'm left alone I start to get antsy. I glance out the windows, pulling the curtains closed to protect myself from the thought of Locanas. The fear of him seems to be more dangerous than the threat of the guy himself. I'm shocked he hasn't shown up yet. But the shadow of him still continues to loom over me.

      I half expect him to bang down the door, demanding that Barre hand me over.

      But after being around him, I know he wouldn't do that. He's sweet. Wonderful. Everything I've ever dreamed of, and more.

      The big guy is pretty quiet, and stoick. His face is always so serious. Barre is the strong, silent type I've come to learn. But he seems to like me. He prioritizes me, and that doesn't go unnoticed. It's a rare thing, on Earthat least.

     Every morning I wake up with an empty bed and the memory of his arms around me. I hobble to the kitchen where a hot, delicious breakfast awaits. He guides me to the table and serves me food while he redresses my wounds. His touch is always so careful and measured, and I can't seem to take my eyes off of him.

      Barre makes me feel lazy with how much he does for me. But, he makes it look so easy, so effortless. And it's as if he doesn't mind one bit. He keeps the fires going, making the house warm constantly. He's gentle, but so big that it would seem impossible to be so careful. And yet, I don't doubt his strength.

     I wake up this morning with a grin. After a few days of sitting inside, curiosity has been growing inside of me, and I suddenly want to look around. Of course, Barre is gone from the bed and the aroma of food being cooked travels through the house like every other morning.

     I've been here for awhile, but I haven't seen Barre's pet since he carried me in through the front door. The dog-like creature didn't come into the house with us. He left it outside. I want to see it again, and sneaking outside is the only way to go.

     It's not lost on me that the animal saved me. Without it, I wouldn't have been discovered by Barre. Who knows how long I would've been trapped out there, or what would've happened to me. I shiver at the thought. That dog deserves my appreciation.

    So, I slide out of bed silently so my Rytarian warrior won't notice. He likes to keep an eye on me, and I have a feeling that he wouldn't want me outside. I'll have to be sneaky.

     I pull at one of the many blankets piled high on the bed, wrapping the soft thing around my shoulders and tiptoeing down the hall and towards the front door. I check around the corner, making sure that I can't see Barre. He's nowhere to be seen.

     I know the dog is outside on the porch. I've seen him or her walking around outside the window. He paces and sniffs, treading it's territory with it's head held high.

     My curiosity grows as I reach for the front door. I look over my shoulder at the sounds that still echo from the kitchen. Barre hasn't noticed my secret mission yet, so I count that as a win.

     The door knob isn't exactly silent when I click it to the side. It's a little chilly this morning, but it's comfortable. The hardwood of the porch creaks underneath my bare feet, the thick wood is damp under my cold toes, but I continue my pursuit. The trickling of rain is constant all around me, but the sound is nothing compared to the fierce growl that pierces the air.

      The beast runs up to me, eyes blazing. It's so big and scary that my automatic reaction is to take a step back out of reluctance. 

      The dog-like monster stops suddenly in front of me, brown and white fur raised in alarm as it sniffs at me with his muzzle. It's head goes to my shoulders, taller than any canine I've seen. The small, black horns on it's head point backwards and run almost completely parallel to it's skull.