Bear and I III

Chapter 7

Rick got up really early before the sun was even up on the other side of the mountain and jogged to the far side of the lake. He hadn't as yet seen a bathing room and doubted they had one so he wanted to be alone while he took off his clothes and washed them and then washed himself.

He didn't have anything like soap, mostly because he didn't want to dirty the water that much. He was betting this was their drinking water though he wondered how it got filled but he was thinking melting snow from the mountains that surrounded them. That left him thinking that there was an underground exit for the water so that lake didn't just keep rising and flood them out.

However, he needed to hang up his wet clothes to dry while he washed himself.

It wasn't until the sun was up and his clothes were just about dry that he got dressed and then did a walking and jogging combination to get back. He would question Kate later.

When he got back he came across Max, still nice and small. And this time Kate was reaching out hesitantly to pet him. "He won't bite you," Rick called out and saw Kate yank her hand away and back up two steps.

"If he didn't eat those two little girls he isn't going to bite you. He knows what's going on. He's a lot smarter than you think."

"He's small," Kate pointed out.

"He has a few magical items that magically change size with him. One is a ring on one of his paws. Talk about hard to get it to stay in place." Rick rolled his eyes and Kate grinned. "Another is the bandanna around his neck. It helps protect him from evil creatures.

"And there's a permanent spell on his bite. His bite is like 5 times as dangerous. That might be where he learned to hate wizards." Rick wondered if that was where he got it from and Max snorted out some bear snot. "That was him saying he hates wizards."

"My dad is a Sorcerer. Does that mean he'll hate him, too?" Kate realized she didn't want him hating her dad.

Max huffed out some air and growled softly. "He doesn't understand that word."

"Let's see. A sorcerer has magic inside them, they just need to learn how to get the magic to come out. A wizard uses magic by using spells they've learned by reading books. A sorcerer doesn't do that."

Max growled after listening to Kate explain. "He says he will wait to smell your father and then decide." Rick shrugged.

"He'll like him. I love him so he can just learn to like him," Kate told them both.

"Are you ready to start your training?" Rick inquired since what she was wearing wasn't much different from yesterday.

"Yes. Are you wet?" Kate stepped close enough to poke a wet spot on his chest.

"I went to the far side of the lake to clean my clothes and me. I don't use any soap when I do some scrubbing so I don't contaminate the lake."

"Oh, well we do the same. You can use our spot or yours. So what's first?" Kate was ready to get started.

"Go get your bow while I get mine and your quiver full of arrows," Rick told her and watched her turn and run to her yurt. Rick groaned and actually closed his eyes. He was sure she was going to kill him.

Kate ran back with her breasts bouncing and Rick groaning. "This is your bow?" He looked it over.

"You don't like it? I made it myself." She was hurt that he didn't like it. She had worked so hard on that bow.

"I think you need a new bow. I'll make you a new one when you aren't training. For now take mine." Rick handed her his and Kate quickly saw his bow was larger and a touch heavier. "I just need to find the right wood around here somewhere.

"Now we need a nice safe area so we don't accidentally hit someone. Does any place come to mind? You live here." Rick looked at Kate for direction.

"This way." Kate began to move away and Rick was more than happy and follow her swinging ass.

+x+ [-O-] +x+

"That dead tree there," Rick indicated, "I want you to take out an arrow and fire it into the direct center of it. Don't miss." He watched her take out an arrow and using his bow she lined up and released her arrow. "Not bad. You do have skill. We need to refine those skills before you can learn many shot. Do you know what many shot is?" Rick questioned her and watched her shake her head.

"Many shot is you firing two arrows in very rapid action and striking the very same target in the very same spot. If you are accurate enough you'll actually split the first arrow. Or you could shoot at two different targets. But doing this causes you a small accuracy penalty. Sometimes it's necessary. First we need to refine your shooting technique."

+x+ [-O-] +x+

For the next hour Rick was practically glued to her body as he adjusted how she held his bow, how she removed each arrow, nocked it on the string, and held it before she fired.

However, all of this was having an affect on her. The slit between her legs that she stroked from time to time till she reached a climax was slick and a little sticky. The juice she created was even starting to threaten to run down her leg. Having him so close and when she turned her head his lips were right there.

"Can we take a water break?" Kate needed a break.

"Of course." Rick was happy for a break as well. All this helping her was allowing him an occasional chance to look down her top and see her breasts. He could even see her nipples on occasion. He had an erection that he was having trouble hiding. She was gorgeous, she was sexy and there was a smell of something that was driving him mad.,

Kate drank some water and willed her juices to stop flowing. She was afraid he could smell them. "Do you know how to make a bow?"

Rick nodded. "Before I started my training as a Ranger when I was just a kid I worked with a master bowyer who made bows for people for a living. You need masterwork items before you can take them to a wizard and have them enchant them. He taught me how to make one. It's been a while since I made one but I should be able to do it. It will be better than the one you're using. Do you know how to make arrows?"

"Yes. Those are mine." She had been shooting them to this point. She watched him take one out and examine it. Suddenly she wanted him to like them. He hadn't liked her bow so he needed to like her arrows.

"Not bad, not bad at all. If we get you some better materials for the feathers and these could be masterwork. Very nice." Rick put it back since he liked her arrows.

Kate felt herself begin to breathe again. So he liked something she did.

+x+ [-O-] +x+

Her training today lasted only another hour and Rick had taught her more in two hours than her mother ever had. She was even shooting better and liked how she was shooting. "Rick, is what I'm doing because it's your bow?" Kate feared it was.

"A little. Your bow isn't even masterwork let alone magical. Mine's both, but you're better. You truly are and when I'm done with your new bow I'll prove it to you." Rick took another swallow of water.

"Just how many magical items do you have?" Kate was beginning to think he had several.

"A few. This bow, some of my arrows, the quiver they're in, these two rings, I'm not wearing the bracers, the boots I'm not wearing, the tent I love in. Um…that I live in." Rick cursed at himself internally and didn't miss seeing Kate grin at him.

"The sleeping bag I sleep in, my backpack, my black hole, and a small number of other things." Rick didn't think he needed to give an entire list.

"Wow." Kate was impressed. "How did you get so many?" She was naturally curious. Plus Max had more than one himself.

"I purchased most of them. A few I've taken off of dead evil bodies that I found or killed and decided to keep. Others I didn't need so I sold them. Granted I haven't been inside many cities but in some locations you don't actually have to go into a city to get magical items.

"It's mostly why I love to live out in nature. I'm officially broke. I have next to no money. I spent it all." Rick shrugged. It was just the way it was. He may have made a mistake but he wasn't worried about it.

"I only have two magical items." Kate suddenly felt bad since he had so many. "I have bracers that help me shoot my bow—"

Rick broke in. "Nice, very nice." He approved of those. "And?"

"I have a band that goes around my head." Kate showed him where by using her fingers.

"Interesting." He hadn't seen such a thing before so now he was curious. "Do you mind if I look over everything inside your yurt? I may actually find one that you didn't know anything about." One never knew.

"No, I don't mind. You really think there might be something?" Maybe her parents left her something that she didn't know about.

"I won't know till I look. We should probably eat lunch now, though. You're done for today so do whatever you want." Rick took his bow and let Kate take her arrows. Once again he was following her and tried hard to keep his eyes off her swinging ass but it was difficult.

His major problem was that he didn't want to scare her away by kissing her too soon or even let his needs try and have sex with her. She was far too wonderful and caring to scare away.

+x+ [-O-] +x+

Kate sat across from him for lunch and smiled at him once in a while when she spotted him watching her. He seemed to like her and said she was beautiful. She just didn't know what to do about it.

"I have to walk the site and see if anyone has any issues. It's my job so you can search my yurt to look for items. Just don't make a mess." She didn't think she had anything to hide.

"Cross my heart." Rick crossed his chest and saw Kate grin at him.

+x+ [-O-] +x+

Rick had gone to his tent and gotten one of his better items that helped him have so many magical items. He placed a piece of glass at his eye, squinted to try and hold it in place, and walked around the inside of her home.

He naturally found clothing that she wore, some of it meant for winter weather even though they didn't have winter here, he had learned. He searched everywhere and then finally left so he could go spend time with his best buddy.

+x+ [-O-] +x+

It was time for dinner and Kate went into the kitchen and saw that Rick was already there eating. He was eating alone so she sat across from him.

"Did you find any troubles that needed your attention?" Rick inquired.

"There are always issues. Most of them are small and easy to fix," Kate replied and took a bite. "Did you find anything?" She was hoping her parents had left some things behind and she didn't know it.

Rick nodded. "Actually, yes."

Kate stopped eating, holding her fork in midair. "Really? Will you show me?" She meant like right now show her.

"You don't want to eat first?" Rick queried.

"We can eat alone in my hut while you show me." Kate gathered up her food and drink, got up, and walked toward her hut.

"Okay." Rick packed his food and followed but he was behind her a little ways.

Kate promptly looked around but didn't really see that anything had changed. She watched Rick walk in. "Show me…please."

"Everything magical is in this area here including the items you told me about." Rick waved his hand at the things he'd found and placed in the same area.

Kate put her dinner down and looked it all over. "I forgot to tell you about the stone." She picked it up and put it aside. "This one? It's just a simple ring." Kate picked up the next one.

"That one is a Ring of Regeneration. Think about when you get injured for any reason. Maybe even just a wood splinter or a scrape on your knee. This will repair it. In fact so long as you're wearing it and say someone cuts off your arm, this will regrow you a new one over time. It's seriously expensive."

"Really!" Kate looked closer at it and spun it between her fingers.

"Put it on and don't ever take it off. I suggest you do it now." Rick watched her put it on one of her fingers and she stared in surprise as it adjusted itself to her finger. "Wow!"

Kate held up the next one. "This one's just a paint brush I've been using since I was a little girl."

"That, beautiful lady, is a magical wand. Someone has simply attached bristles to it so you can use it to paint with. I can only guess someone was trying to hide it."

Kate looked at him. "A magic wand? What does it do?"

"Magic wands have charges and once the charges are used up it loses all of its magic. That one is a wand of Poison. Essentially if you use it, you give someone poison. Maybe it kills them and maybe it doesn't." Rick really didn't know what poison it made.

"EWW!" Kate dropped it. "I'm never using that again. What do we do with it?"

"All magic wands require you to utter a command word. This one is unique and it needs to be spoken in Elven."

"My DAD had that thing?" Suddenly she had new questions for her dad when she finally saw him again.

"Personally if I had it I would sell it and buy something more useful. Now what it's worth I have no idea."

"And this one?" Kate picked it up. "It's just a walking stick. I saw my mother walk with it a few times." Kate looked at Rick since so far she didn't know about any of this.

"That's a magical staff though you could use it as a walking stick. It's a very powerful item. Almost more powerful than your ring. Now all staves only have 25 charges. However, if you can find a magic user or someone who can cast those spells, they can cast the spell onto the staff and add charges.

"That staff is a Staff of Life that has 12 charges in it. One spell is Heal. Do you know what spell that is?" Rick asked her and watched her with her mouth hanging open, nod her head.

"The only other thing it does is Raise Dead." That was why Rick thought it was so powerful.

"SERIOUSLY!?" Kate gaped at him with her mouth hanging open. She thought the ring was pretty good but this was amazing. "It really does these things?" Kate watched him nod his affirmation.

"That staff is seriously expensive just like your ring. I suggest you don't lose either and never, ever sell either item."

Kate carefully put it down on the floor like she was afraid of breaking it. "And this one? It's just a piece of hard candy that can break your tooth if you actually try to eat it and doesn't have any taste any longer." Kate picked up the last thing he'd found. She had even taste tested it herself.

"That one is an Ioun Stone. That one looks like a red sphere and it will increase your dexterity a little. Everything you do that requires dexterity will be improved. Now just hold it and softly flip it to above your head."

"I flip it at my head?" Kate didn't see how that was going to do anything useful.

"Flip it softly to just above your head. It will take over and start circling your head and give you a dexterity bonus. Go ahead," Rick urged her. "It's painless and after time you won't even notice it any longer. You will at first, I think, but eventually it will go away from your vision." He made a motion as to how to flip it and saw Kate flip it. Now he and Kate were watching it whiz around her head from her forehead up.

"How do I get it to stop?" It was bugging the hell out of her.

"Grab it. It's your magic item. No one else can, just you." He watched her do just that. She looked at it and flipped it back into place. "Even just grabbing it was a dexterity move so you might have felt that." Rick saw her grin and her smile widen.

"Just sell that wand when you get a chance and keep everything else."

"Thank you!" Kate got up off her knees and had planned on giving him a really quick kiss on the lips for this. Except when her lips touched his she kept kissing him and felt him kissing her back.

Then she pulled away from him and felt her face getting hot. "Sorry." Kate's apology was for kissing him so long.

"Don't be sorry. I was happy to help. You're too pretty not to help. You and everyone else has put up with us suddenly just showing up and made us feel welcome. I should be kissing you. But I think I'll wait for a better reason." Rick grinned at her and Kate felt her face getting even warmer.