Chapter 84: Warm Me Up
Xavi had left earlier that morning with a few others to forage. Since they were only going out for fruits and not meat, they wouldn’t go too far, and a lot of fruits and nuts needed to be stored for the pregnant females, especially.
Xavi had kissed her forehead twice before leaving, and Tera had still watched him go with that low, familiar worry sitting under her ribs. The knowledge that corrupted monsters existed somewhere out there made every departure feel sharper than it used to.
After growing restless within the hour, she scooped Puff Dumpling and decided to go for a walk. She hoped to meet him at some point halfway by the time he was returning with the others.
Ermin had snuck up to her, not wanting to leave her alone, and so they had been walking in comfortable silence ever since.
The forest was quiet around them, the canopy filtering warm light onto the path. Tera had long ago settled with the fact that there were no birds or smaller critters.
So the only sounds were those of the leaves and trees.
Tera gently coddled Puff Dumpling, and it chirped and purred in her arms, its squishy body rubbing against Tera.
"Are you talking to the food?" Ermin asked, after Tera had spent the last minute murmuring into Puff Dumpling’s moustache puffs about how soft he was.
"Erminnnnn. He is not food!"
Tera held Puff Dumpling up so they were face to face with Ermin. "Tell him you’re not food."
Puff Dumpling blinked, huffing.
Ermin only smiled.
Tera pulled her pet back to her chest and scratched the spot between his puffs. "Ignore him. He doesn’t understand love."
Ermin’s ear twitched. Tera looked so beautiful and gentle with the ’pet’, and it was to the extent that Ermin was feeling slightly jealous.
She was paying more attention to that little animal than him.
But flinging that animal was not an option. Tera would be angry with him.
Why did Xavi even find such an ugly thing to bring?
The first raindrop hit the back of her neck.
Tera looked up and noticed for the first time how the sky had shifted from clear to cloudy.
Within seconds, a light, steady rain began falling through the leaves.
"We should go back." Ermin straightened at alert.
Tera didn’t move.
She stood in the rain, feeling the cool droplets hit her skin, and something inside her loosened. She had been so afraid of rain since the floods, and this looked surprisingly gentle.
She hoped it wouldn’t get worse, and while she worried for the shelters, she wondered if this would be the first test against the climate.
A raindrop landed squarely on one of Dumpling’s moustache puffs.
He sneezed.
Tera laughed.
She held Dumpling up slightly, letting the rain patter against his round body. He didn’t struggle. His stubby legs dangled as the water trickled through his fur, and he appeared to be enjoying it.
"Look at him," Tera grinned, turning to Ermin. "He likes it!"
Ermin was staring at her, confused as to why she was still standing in the rain.
She was partly soaked, but the silk-leaf clothes had gone slightly translucent where the water had saturated the fabric. Raindrops traced lines down her body, and Ermin tried hard to focus. Both her beautiful face and body were a bit distracting, and even more dazzling was how happy and relaxed she looked.
But staying in the rain and getting cold was not ideal.
Ermin held her hand. "You are getting wet."
"Are you scared of the rain?" She smiled.
Ermin shook his head. "You will get cold. I have fur. You do not."
"I have Puff Dumpling. He is my fur."
Ermin looked at the drenched animal, whose moustache puffs had drooped dramatically, making him look like a tiny, disappointed old man.
"Come," Ermin pushed. "I will shift and carry you back to the clan."
"I don’t want to go back yet." Tera wiped rain from her eyes. "I would like to stay here for a bit."
"In the rain?"
She nodded.
He wanted to argue but paused when he noticed her looking so content.
He couldn’t bring himself to take that from her.
They kept walking, but the rain didn’t let up, and the first hint of genuine cold started prickling Tera’s skin.
It was then she admitted that some cover would be nice, but she didn’t want to go back to the settlement yet.
It had taken some time for them to find cover, but they settled for shelter at the foot of a large silk tree. Its umbrella-shaped leaves spread outward in overlapping layers that were wide enough to cover a large area and shelter them from the rain, which had gotten slightly heavy.
From within, the ground was almost dry, and a curtain of rushing water surrounded them. It was beautiful.
The sound of the rain on the leaves above them was soothing.
Tera sat against the tree trunk and settled Dumpling into her lap. The animal shook himself once, sending a tiny spray of water everywhere, then curled into a ball and closed his eyes.
Within seconds, he was asleep.
Ermin sat beside her and pulled her against him.
This surprised Tera, because she had repeatedly been trying to get intimate with Xavi and Ermin, and they had been dodging her.
Ever since the pregnancy was confirmed, both males had handled her like she was made of wet paper.
It had frustrated Tera how they had silently agreed that Tera’s body was now a sacred temple that must not be disturbed, and the fact that the temple’s primary occupant was screaming for attention did not appear to factor into their calculations.
Puff Dumpling had been there for her to shower with her attention, and the cuteness had helped take her mind off her sexual frustration.
But now the pet was fast asleep.
Tera slowly took it off her lap and placed it near them before fully leaning against Ermin.
His body radiated heat that seeped through her wet clothes and into her skin. She pressed closer, and his tail slowly curled forward and draped itself over her knee.
They were alone now, and he was so warm.
Her hand drifted to Ermin’s knee. Then slowly to his thigh, her fingers tracing lightly along the hard muscle beneath his damp skin.
She felt him tense.
She tilted her head up, her cheek brushing his jaw, and trailed her fingers higher. Over the firm plane of his stomach, feeling the muscles contract under her touch. Rainwater still clung to his skin, and her fingertips left trails through the droplets as they climbed.
She nestled further into him, pressing her body against his side, and let her hand rest flat against his chest.
Beneath her palm, his heartbeat was no longer steady. It was racing.
Tera smiled and traced a slow circle on his chest with her fingertip.
"Aren’t you going to warm me up?"