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The sun was fast descending when the haggard pair emerged from the skirting of jungle foliage. Hama pelted out with Natalie close at hand when he saw the state of his cousin. "Shiba! What happened, cousin? Claire, what happened!" Shiba couldn't even find the strength to be annoyed at his cousin for still preferring Claire's word.
"We were just swinging, and demon bear attacked him." At that moment, Wada came hobbling out, eyes wide.
"Shiba! Shiba, what happen!" Shiba struggled to speak for his father, but all the came out were weak gasps of air, and he shook his head shamefully. His father regarded him closely for a second, then his chest. "Who do this?" he asked, infinitely curious. Shiba nodded towards Claire, and she grinned affirmatively. Wada gawped as though he had just been told a mouse bandaged him up. "…Claire…do this?" He seemed to be speaking more to himself now, but his eyes darted to hers. She nodded. "Oh…well…you do very good job. Thank you very much for helping Shiba." He seemed reluctant to say anything to her, and surprise and disbelief were engraved clearly on his face, but Claire appreciated his word and stared at the ground humbly. It was considered an honor to be complimented by a medicine man.
Uncertain of what exactly to say, Wada shuffled over to Shiba, spoke in swift, gruff tones to him, and then hobbled inside, Shiba limping after him, glancing back at Claire and grinning widely. Hama, who had been standing off to the side, saw this, and darted to Claire's side in a heartbeat, leaving a pouting Natalie. "What was that about?" He demanded shrilly.
"Nothin'," Claire answered smugly with a smirk that blared: It was definitely not nothing. Hama glowered but said nothing. Presently, the three of them sat down in the sand, Hama sitting quietly by Natalie, but in a sort of obedient way. Natalie seemed to sense it and remained ignorant of him for the rest of the hour they sat there. Once there was a disbelieving shout from Wada inside, followed by Shiba's insistent murmuring, and then a thoughtful silence. Claire wondered what they were talking about. Maybe father-son stuff? Does a foster parent do that when he only has an adopted son? She pondered quietly, and when at last the door clanged open, there was Shiba, tattered leather sash stitched crudely, flint knife tucked deep in his belt loop, and he was wearing a simple kilt. He seemed stronger, somehow. He no longer limped, or maybe he was simply holding it together, and the color was back in his face. She noticed that her bandages were discarded, but also that his chest was stitched neatly up the middle. In his arms were a pile of leopard skin furs. He grinned at her, and from behind Hama snorted.
"I need wash this hide…you come with me, Claire?" Without a word Claire was on her feet, nodding happily and taking off after Shiba as he jogged to the brush. She supposed he would refrain from running and swinging for awhile. It took some careful footwork on Shiba's side to manage not to trip and open his stitches. He couldn't even stumble, and though he rarely did, he was careful nonetheless. No one wanted a reenactment of the day's previous events. Night was falling now, and soon Claire could hear the hum of lightning bugs over the pond and the gentle swish of the reeds and knew they were there. The pond glowed, luminescent, pallid green in the night, and it would've delighted her to leap in, but she remained on the shore for fear of disturbing the night's perfection.
Shiba rounded the pond, gazing back at her curiously, and then squatted down and began to thoroughly rinse and scrub the bloody furs with his bare hands. Claire watched curiously as he dislodged a rock from the bank and began to pound out the stains and beat the fur soft. Once, his downturned eyes whipped up to hers, and her breath caught in her throat. For no reason whatsoever, she was terribly afraid of him then. The flickering light of the pond played across his shadowed face and cast dark crescents beneath his eyes. He looked almost surreal then, and venomous, as though he would suddenly attack. She knew it was stupid to think so, but she buried her eyes in her drawn up knees anyways. After nearly an hour, Shiba rose, stretched, and seeing that Claire was asleep slipped back into his hides. He didn't want to wake her, and would've carried her had it not been for his bandages. He nudged her arm gently. "C-Claire…?" he whispered nervously. She mumbled something indistinct and rolled over. His voice rose a little. "Claire. Sorry, we gotta go…" Slowly, her eyes fluttered open, and she yawned luxuriously.
"Alright…" she murmured, but her eyes closed again. Shiba laughed, exasperated.
"C'mon, Claire. I'd carry you…but bandages…" At this, her eyes popped open and she rose slowly, stretching languidly.
"Well, seeing as you're hurt, and you do all the carrying, how 'bout this." And with one sweeping motion she scooped him right up in her arms. Color rose to his cheeks and he squirmed like a stubborn child.
"Put me down!" He sounded like a frustrated toddler, but she only grinned at him, kissed his cheek, and trod off. "B-b-but- he stammered with flaming cheeks, "-I heavy! I can walk!"
She sighed. "I'm afraid not. And don't flatter yourself, you're lighter than me." Shiba tried to wriggle free again but to no avail, and presently quieted and sat sullenly, feeling like an infant, though Claire was laughing at his furrowed brow. He was incredibly degraded, but Claire was having her share of fun watching him sulk. Before they reached the lights of the hut he became desperate.
"Claire! Please, please, please put me down! Wada can no see me-…lemme go!" Claire laughed hard at this, but obediently let him down.
"There, I just provided you with an hour of rest for your legs. You should be grateful." But apparently she was only jesting him for she chuckled and started off towards the hut. She couldn't imagine the punishment if Wada had caught her carrying Shiba. Shiba was already deeply embarrassed, there was no need to make it worse, especially between he and his father. Feeling lighter and prouder than ever, she very nearly flounced to the door.
She had expected laughing, and merry-making, for some reason. She supposed, to match her mood. But when she pranced in, it was dark but for one candle in the window, and soft snoring came from the rooms. She supposed they had all gone to sleep then, too tired to wait up for them. But where would she sleep then? Shiba's voice was soft behind her, so as not to wake anyone. "They all gone to sleep, then?" Claire nodded slowly. "Well, I sleeping in fort. You come then, sleep in hammock again." Claire had anticipated this, and she nodded, happy but bleary-eyed, struggling to forget his harsh words the last time she had been in that tree fort.
It took them about ten minutes of swinging before they arrived. Miraculously, Shiba's stitches remained together, even when they alighted unceremoniously on the floor of the fort. Shiba, laughing, helped her to her feet, then hoisted her into the hammock. She grinned at him from above, and then rolled over and stared out the window into the night. Content to sit and watch her for another minute, Shiba was only woken from his trance when she shifted and the hammock creaked and swayed. Then he too, rolled over in his pile of furs and tried to sleep. Though he was dog-tired, it wouldn't come easily. An hour later into the night, he was still struggling to sleep. Apparently Claire was too, for she crept out of the hammock and tip-toed to his side. He stopped mid-roll on his side, hearing her soft footsteps, and when she curled up behind him, falling to sleep almost instantly, he rolled over to face her and only then could he sleep.
Hehe aw. Well, I thought this chapter was alright but the next ones gunna be sad, I think. There's about two chapters left so look forward to them!