Hidden Feelings
Dandin woke around dawn one morning. He glanced down at beside him where Mariel lay sleeping; it was winter so the two had curled up together by the fire to stay warm during the night. It was, of course, still cold out, and Mariel was clinging to him in her sleep, determined to stay warm. Dandin smiled slightly and watched his friend sleep peacefully. He shakes his head is if snapping out of a trance, making a mental note to stop feeling so giddy around her. Ever so gently, he shifts the sleeping mouse maid off him in order to be able to remake the fire and to go look for food. He rises and feeds the fire before going out to forage, with one last look over his shoulder, he heads of into the brush.
Mariel woke to a blast of cold wind, She immediately tried to snuggle closer to Dandin, only to find him gone and a pair of paw prints heading away from the small camp. She shivered and sat closer to the fire warming up as she blew on her numb paws to warm them up. She cursed her light clothes which have become shabby, worn and torn throughout the seasons they where traveling. She shivered once again and pulled her tattered cloak tighter around her body. Her eyes began to droop and her chin dropped to her chest as she dozed off. Footsteps sounded from behind her, jerking her back to reality. She turned around only to see Dandin behind her, he puts a paw on her shoulder. "Hey you alright? You don't look so good" Mariel shook her head "I don't feel well either..." almost as if to prove her point, she doubled over in a bombardment of coughing, holding her stomach"
"Come on" Dandin knelt down beside her , helping her stay upright "you need to rest, get your strength back up..." Mariel simply nodded and leaned against him, Dandin handed her the little bit of roots and tubers he'd dug up "here...eat up..." Mariel looked up at him "But-" Dandin cut her off "I had about the same as I was searching..." Mariel nodded once again as she nibbled on the meager portions while Dandin sat beside her with an arm around her for warmth. Her sickness did not stop her mind from wandering "God..." she thought to herself "why does he have to smell so good?" His heavy sent reminded her of fresh baked bread, an tempting reminder of something soft, warm and good, she quickly put aside the thought, and shook her head slowly, letting her eyelids droop once more. The last thing she remembered before sleep overcome her, is the feel of Dandin's paw rubbing her back.
**************
Mariel woke to the usual coldness, she opened her eyes and looked around the camp to find Dandin by the fire, making a meager broth from the things he had found while searching for food that day. Mariel raised an eyebrow, sitting up. Dandin turned around at the sound of movement, he smiled "Hey sleepy-head" Mariel groaned "How long have I been out for?" Dandin Shrugged "Quite a while, a week really...you woke up a couple times, but not fully, just enough for me to get some food into you. To tell you the truth, it was getting quite lonely without you threatening me every ten minutes or so..." Mariel scoffed "yeah right..."
"It's true!"
"...and how should I know you're not lying?" Dandin glared at her "is this the thanks I get for carrying you around from place to place for a week?" Mariel stared, dumbfounded "What?"
"You heard what I said" Dandin replied somewhat coldly as he turned back to what he was doing. Mariel's mouth, fell agape as she watched him prepare the meal.
The two mice ate in silence, both lost in their own dark thoughts about the other. After finishing, Dandin rose silently, he packed up his stuff and quietly left the camp without a word, leaving Mariel watching his retreat, tears in her eyes. She slowly finished her meal and packed up what was left of camp and trudged onward, slowly following Dandin's tracks. As she strode onward, she found it harder and harder to find Dandin's tracks in the snow. Mariel continued to plod along in roughly the same direction she saw him go, She looked around her, she couldn't decide what surprised her more, that she was standing in the middle of the frozen over river, or the fact that the ice had suddenly fallen out from under her The current of the river carried the mouse maid's body swiftly down stream where the river became more wild and ice didn't have a chance to form. Mariel's body was flung against a rock where the last of her conciseness was beat out of her.
**************
Dandin woke around dawn one morning. He glanced down at beside him where Mariel lay sleeping; it was winter so the two had curled up together by the fire to stay warm during the night. It was, of course, still cold out, and Mariel was clinging to him in her sleep, determined to stay warm. Dandin smiled slightly and watched his friend sleep peacefully. He shakes his head is if snapping out of a trance, making a mental note to stop feeling so giddy around her. Ever so gently, he shifts the sleeping mouse maid off him in order to be able to remake the fire and to go look for food. He rises and feeds the fire before going out to forage, with one last look over his shoulder, he heads of into the brush.
Mariel woke to a blast of cold wind, She immediately tried to snuggle closer to Dandin, only to find him gone and a pair of paw prints heading away from the small camp. She shivered and sat closer to the fire warming up as she blew on her numb paws to warm them up. She cursed her light clothes which have become shabby, worn and torn throughout the seasons they where traveling. She shivered once again and pulled her tattered cloak tighter around her body. Her eyes began to droop and her chin dropped to her chest as she dozed off. Footsteps sounded from behind her, jerking her back to reality. She turned around only to see Dandin behind her, he puts a paw on her shoulder. "Hey you alright? You don't look so good" Mariel shook her head "I don't feel well either..." almost as if to prove her point, she doubled over in a bombardment of coughing, holding her stomach"
"Come on" Dandin knelt down beside her , helping her stay upright "you need to rest, get your strength back up..." Mariel simply nodded and leaned against him, Dandin handed her the little bit of roots and tubers he'd dug up "here...eat up..." Mariel looked up at him "But-" Dandin cut her off "I had about the same as I was searching..." Mariel nodded once again as she nibbled on the meager portions while Dandin sat beside her with an arm around her for warmth. Her sickness did not stop her mind from wandering "God..." she thought to herself "why does he have to smell so good?" His heavy sent reminded her of fresh baked bread, an tempting reminder of something soft, warm and good, she quickly put aside the thought, and shook her head slowly, letting her eyelids droop once more. The last thing she remembered before sleep overcome her, is the feel of Dandin's paw rubbing her back.
**************
Mariel woke to the usual coldness, she opened her eyes and looked around the camp to find Dandin by the fire, making a meager broth from the things he had found while searching for food that day. Mariel raised an eyebrow, sitting up. Dandin turned around at the sound of movement, he smiled "Hey sleepy-head" Mariel groaned "How long have I been out for?" Dandin Shrugged "Quite a while, a week really...you woke up a couple times, but not fully, just enough for me to get some food into you. To tell you the truth, it was getting quite lonely without you threatening me every ten minutes or so..." Mariel scoffed "yeah right..."
"It's true!"
"...and how should I know you're not lying?" Dandin glared at her "is this the thanks I get for carrying you around from place to place for a week?" Mariel stared, dumbfounded "What?"
"You heard what I said" Dandin replied somewhat coldly as he turned back to what he was doing. Mariel's mouth, fell agape as she watched him prepare the meal.
The two mice ate in silence, both lost in their own dark thoughts about the other. After finishing, Dandin rose silently, he packed up his stuff and quietly left the camp without a word, leaving Mariel watching his retreat, tears in her eyes. She slowly finished her meal and packed up what was left of camp and trudged onward, slowly following Dandin's tracks. As she strode onward, she found it harder and harder to find Dandin's tracks in the snow. Mariel continued to plod along in roughly the same direction she saw him go, She looked around her, she couldn't decide what surprised her more, that she was standing in the middle of the frozen over river, or the fact that the ice had suddenly fallen out from under her The current of the river carried the mouse maid's body swiftly down stream where the river became more wild and ice didn't have a chance to form. Mariel's body was flung against a rock where the last of her conciseness was beat out of her.
**************