Cold
Set Pre RoTG Daine transforming into something furry to sleep beside Numair and keep him warm ;)
It was cold in the cabin. Tortall almost never receive snow in the winter, yet this winter it was so cold the plants and ground have been frosting up. Daine and Numair decided to take shelter earlier than usual inside this cabin since the weather would not permit them to camp out in the cold.
Numair grumbled as he sat down by the hearthfire extending his hands hoping to ward away the chill of the cabin. He hates the cold, it usually started at his fingers and toes and moved up along his long limbs until his legs and arms feel sluggish and frozen. His height really is a bit of disaster more often than not, chilly extremities being one of those problems normal people don't have.
Beside him standing up and shaking out their cloths Daine was content to let Numair hog most of the warmth from the hearthfire. She was not very cold, in Galla where she grew up winter was often accompanied by snow and frost and so she has developed some resistance; not to mention she has a better way to ward off cold altogether.
Daine put their outer coats close to the hearthfire to hang and kneeled beside Numair to setup her bedroll for sleep. He didn't notice her behind him, staring into the fire and seemingly deep in thought.
Soon enough Numair decided it was best to turn in while the fire is still running and keeping the cabin warm. He setup his bedroll beside Daine's, she was already asleep with her back to him. He quickly rolled into the makeshift bed and got comfortable falling into a light slumber.
The fire went out in the hearth and the cabin gradually became cold. Daine woke and realized it was chilly in the cabin once more. She peered around to behind her where Numair lay. He also had his back to her, she reached a hand to touch his shoulder and noticed he was shivering subtly. Sitting up Daine peered closer at the figure of her mentor and friend smiling when she realized the problem. He was too tall. The sheet could not cover all of him from toes to shoulder, sometime after the fire had gone out he dragged the sheet upward and revealed his toes. By now he must be cold from both above and below.
Daine shifted her bedroll so it lay beside Numair's then she leaned down and tugged at the blankets covering Numair so it once again covered his toes, tucking the sheets in. Numair's shoulder and mid back was revealed to the cold. Frowning in thought Daine decided there was no helping it in this chill, she took her blanket and covered the rest of Numair. Next she proceeded to transform into a wolf giving herself thick fur coat for winter. Settling into her new form she used her nose to push up some of the blankets so she could crawl under them until her entire side was up against the long line of Numair's back. Sighing at the cozy feeling of being utterly warded from the cold, Daine rested her head on the pillow breathing in Numair's spice scent along with it and drifted off to sleep.
Numair had woken up from the instant Daine touched his shoulder. He was still as she pulled the sheets and added her own to his. Just as he was about to question what she was doing he felt something furry along his back and froze. Soon enough he felt Daine crawling into his sheets and was alarmed at what she was doing, but curiosity kept him from alerting her to his wakefulness. His back no longer felt cold, in fact he could feel nothing except the 4-feet length of wolf that was Daine settling behind him, uncomfortably close to his personal space. He felt the puff of air she released stirring the hairs on his nape, the fur pressed along his back that was rapidly elevating his body temperature, and the rise and fall of her ribcage as her heart beat at a steady pace. He realized she had gone back to sleep.
Numair shakily moved his left hand so it was outside the cocoon of blankets, inside the cabin temperature was cold and dropping further. He dropped his hand to his side and did not move further for fear of waking up Daine. Daine's good intentions were clear, she knew he hated the cold with a passion and so did what was natural and shared her blankets and her warmth with him in the least intrusive way possible. After all there is nothing wrong with sleeping with a furry animal at your back for warmth and most people would appreciate Daine's gesture as being carefully considerate.
Numair desperately wished Daine was less thoughtful to him. Since leaving Carthak he has carefully and painstakingly been avoiding any and all body contact with Daine, doing his best to keep their teacher/student relationship as platonic as possible. He knew Alanna and the rest of their delegation in Carthak was beginning to have suspicions, there were way too many times in Carthak he let slip his feeling and ever since returning to Tortall he has doubled his efforts to keep any and all stray eyes convinced he has nothing but mentorly intentions to Daine.
Daine who seem none the wiser to the gossips and underlying cause has continued to act herself while with him. Numair can only hope that she continues to remain oblivious to the rumours at court so that nothing changes between their relationship. However ever since Winter set in they've been given more tasks to do by Jon and that meant traveling alone with Daine. That also meant Daine taking care of him and being in close proximity more often than not.
Sighing softly in his pillow Numair resigned himself to sleeping one night with Daine at his back. Sometimes he wished he too could fall asleep after a transformation, it would be infinitely more convenient to have his own fur.
It was perhaps the most comfortable and cozy sleep he had gotten all week since they left the inn for the road.
Inspirated by Verity by muhnemma, Numair too tall to take a bath comfortably. Somehow that led me to imagining all sorts of things Numair's height gives him problems for and I wrote Cold because i just love the stuck in a cabin theme.
Hope everyone enjoyed reading!