Thank you for the encouragement in the review. I hope you all are enjoying this small tale.
Terra pulled her pack carefully from the side of the bed and took out the material. She slowly worked at gathering all the items together to make the simple wolf stuffed animal. She worked the knife through the soft leather that she had leftover some leather working. Soon she had a pattern made. She worked on fluffing the stuffing so that it would be be soft and cuddly. She stitched slowly using the bone needle with a carefully crafting skill. Her fingers were nimble, feeling and moving the material so that it slowly began resembling the creature she was trying to created. All the while she was working on the wolf she thought about everything she knew on him. The childhood, being raised to be a Companion, working to be so skilled, becoming a werewolf, mastering his beast and the possibility of becoming cured of the blood he use to worship. She hadn't even told him of this but it was not her place to tell him, it was his place to ask this of her. She was soon finished and the small wolf stuffed animal sat before her, it seemed like it was hopeful that the one it was going to would like it. She patted it gently and smiled.
"Harbinger," Farkas said gently as he opened the door, "I am coming in."
"It's fine, I am clothed," Terra said as she hid the wolf from him as he brought in the dinner plates.
"It has been a long few days," Farkas commented as he set the plates at the table and left again.
Terra figured he went back to get the drinks so carefully and after a few deep breathes she reached for her staff to help her walk over to the table. There was less pain and she was proud of herself for not falling or crying out. With each step she held her breath waiting for the shock of pain but it didn't really come as sharp as before. She was healing up nicely. She got to the chair but was having a little trouble with pulling it away from the table.
"I can do that," Farkas said as he set the cups on the table and moved next to her. He slowly moved it so that Terra could sit before he moved it close to the table.
"Thank you Farkas, I appreciate everything you have been doing for me," Terra said as she held the wolf under the table and shifted uncomfortably as she was unsure if she should give it to him. "I uh…well I wanted…" she thought this would be easier.
"Terra, I didn't do anything with Shi'ari," Farkas said not looking up at Terra, he just stared at his plate of food. "She wanted to, but it didn't feel right… there was something bothering me," he looked toward the fireplace.
Terra was getting tired of him surprising her but he just seemed to be doing it so easily. She shivered for a moment as she heard the sound of the storm starting, "Farkas, what you do is your business. You don't owe me any explanation… it isn't like…" She was twisting the poor stuffed animal now.
"No, I left you alone when you were hurt and so you relied on someone else to help you, it was wrong of me," he said it as he was now staring back at his food. He pushed some of the vegetables around his plate with his fork. "It wasn't like I didn't know what she wanted I just figured that she wouldn't… it took too long to help her. She really did need help and I finished what I could."
"Farkas, don't worry, you needed to get out of here, being stuck with a hurt person can be hard," Terra said softly. "I just wanted to thank you. There is no reason to feeling guilty for going out. I wanted to give you this since you won't let me do anything for you." She put the wolf on the table towards him and quietly let out a breath of relief.
"This is for me?" he stared at the little wolf not daring to touch it.
"yes, you wanted one, right?" Terra felt like a child giving an adult something they made.
Farkas' eyes lit up and he took the wolf from the table and hugged it softly, "He is more then I could ever ask for. The Harbinger made me a gift… with her own hands. You are something else. You don't treat me different because I am not so intelligent as my brother or cunning as Aela… I am on their level to you. Thank you for this." He set it back on the table and went back to his food.
"Glad you like it," Terra smiled to herself as she began eating.
Soon Farkas talked of his childhood more and about his brother and their angst as teenagers. He talked of better times and terrible times. He talked of the history of the Companions and what it meant to him.
Terra learned a lot as they sat there talking and drinking.
The afternoon had worn Terra out and simply going to and from the outhouse in the cold had been harder then before. She was soon yawning as her stamina wasn't quite were it needed to be.
"Farkas, I think I will retire for the evening," Terra tried to get up but after that last time he had helped her to the outhouse she felt sluggish and wobbly. When she reached for her staff it fell away.
"I'll help you," Farkas got up and moved in front of Terra. He placed his hands out so that she could grab them and they could walk together to the bed. He worked himself around and slowly allowed her to rest on the edge.
"Thank you," Terra yawned and looked down at her dress. She needed to get out of this garb. She slowly worked the lacing on the corset. Once that was off the hard part was taking the dress off without hurting herself. She slowly rose to her feet and tried to pull up while leaning all her weight to one foot but one jerk up sent her backwards. She was now stuck with the dress partially up around her shoulders while the rest was under her and her throbbing thigh. She whimpered a moment and then sighed. She need help but it embarrassed her so to ask. What would he think of her asking? "Farkas, could you umm.. if you aren't too uncomfortable, help me out of this," she tried to sound confident. She didn't hear any answer but felt the warmth as his hand gently worked their way to find a safe place to hold her. He lifted her gently and pulled the dress slowly as he placed her back on the bed. He turned his attention to the sleeves and pulled them off of her arms and pulled the whole thing over her head. She sat there shivering with the cool air but wrapped her arms around herself when he finished. When he was done he returned to the chair with his back to her.
"Thank you," she was still shivering as she put the cotton gown from the other night on. It had been warm, but in this storm the room with a roaring fire wasn't even warm near the hearth.
There was a knock on the door. Farkas went to answer it.
"Good thing you have another body to snuggle with, it will be freezing tonight. I suggest you sleeping close just to keep any kind of warmth," the inn keeper commented as Farkas shut the door.
Farkas came to the bed holding some thick furs. "This should keep you warm tonight," he grunted as he laid them on the bed. Once he was satisfied he went to his bed roll that was in the corner and started to set it up.
"Farkas, it is fine," Terra said as she slid into the bed carefully, "Please share with me. It would be too cold for you to sleep on the floor and I promise not to repeat last nights actions happen again." She patted the bed to emphasis the seriousness of what she was saying.
Farkas stared at her in surprise but grunted something before he walked over to the basin and started taking off his armor again. She turned away from him and held her wolf close as she listened to him cleaning himself with the cold water. He had been courteous to clean himself up before laying in the bed after working all day. When he was finished she could hear him moving things around and throw some logs on the fire to keep it going. When he finally came over to the bed he did as he had done the night before and laid close to the edge.
Terra knew saying anything to him would probably make him uncomfortable. Suddenly she felt herself flush with warmth at the thoughts of him undressing her again. He had been so gentle not hurting her as he removed the dress and he didn't do anything else or even stay near her after that. He had hid his face by turning away from her after he did what was asked, but his hands were so warm. She had seen him fight, who would have thought that those hands could be the opposite of what he had trained them to be. She cuddled the wolf so tight if it had been alive she would have suffocated it. Soon she fell into a deep sleep.
"Terra..please Terra," she could hear his voice, it sounded like a moan. "I'm a man, you know…this isn't fair for me at all, I can not continue to have myself under control with you doing this to me," he sounded so despair.
Terra was so warm and she cuddled tight to the warmth. Her body absorbing the warmth greedly. She pressed harder against it and breathed softly as she enjoyed the comfort she felt.
"Why are you doing this to me… I respect you as our Harbinger but when you do this," he continued talking.
Terra wrinkled her brow "what was wrong with this?"she thought as she wiggled in glee. She was so warm and comfortable right now and with the howling of the wind and the sounds of ice and snow hitting the window the warmth was a welcoming opposite.
"I'm just going to do it now," Farkas said it so softly that Terra had to strain to even make out what he said, but suddenly his hand was at her chin pushing it up and his lips were now on hers.
She flashed her eyes open with sudden realization and she looked at him. He pulled away with her sudden movement. He met her eyes. There was something there. It was like a hunger and when she looked down she found herself entangled in him. Her head was on his arm and her leg was wrapped around one of his, while her body was pressed tight against him. She had done it again.
His hand enveloped her throat area and suddenly he moved her face back to his as he returned to kissing her. She could feel herself melt into the kiss. She couldn't even fight it. He tasted of the mead they had drank earlier and he smelt of the soap she had left by the basin. He had turned toward her so that his hand that had been holding her chin to make sure she didn't turn away from the kiss was now on the arch of her back, pressing her body even closer to his. She could feel him through the cotton nightgown. His breathing became heavier as he kissed her deeper. She could feel herself rubbing up against him. A burning urge started to ache in her.
"I want you…is it okay to do that?" he asked as he pulled away from her lips and rested his chin on her head. "To desire the one person I shouldn't. I would follow you anywhere Harbinger, but I never thought it would mean here as well." He pulled her away from him, "Tell me to go to the bed roll, to stay away from you. To allow you to keep your distance from me and keep ourselves professional only."
Terra was surprised by his thought process, "It wouldn't be fair for you to be made to sleep on the floor. It is freezing and what kind of person would I be to make you do that?"
"You would be protecting yourself from a beast like me," he growled as he pulled his hands away from her. "You haven't even fully healed and here I am attacking you like wild animal." He turned away from her.
"You aren't dangerous so there is nothing to protect from," Terra answered, "Besides by the looks of it I was pushing toward this. I did promise I wouldn't do exactly what I did again…" She cursed herself softly as she couldn't control herself in her sleep.
Farkas kept his back to her, "It's fine. Do not worry about it. I'll hold my wolf and it will be fine." She could see him hugging the stuffed animal tight.
Terra turned away and tried to go back to sleep but she felt the urge and she tried to cool it as she grasped her own wolf with desperation. She soon melted away into sleep.
"Why did you have to respond back to the kiss?" Farkas whispered softly. "Why are you wearing that damn amulet?! If you just hadn't been so vulnerable…you did everything to save me and more. You fulfilled my request from you and I know that you can help me be cured…how could I not desire you?" He didn't seem to be talking in her direction so she tried to ignore it as she suddenly felt him press against her back. "Do you even feel what I feel for you? Do I make you want me? Do you crave me as much as I crave you?" He pulled away quickly when she had shifted to make herself comfortable, but he soon returned to where he was against her, "When you came in you were looking for acceptance and no one but Kodlack thought that you would make it, but when I saw you fight furiously in the trial and you never shied away when you saw my beast form. I had figured that a beauty like you would break when I revealed myself but you stood beside me and even took on the curse yourself. You are free of it now, I do not smell it on you but…" He paused as if trying to figure what to say, "I can hear your heart beating, your breath leaving and even that your blood is pumping but I want more. I know so much about you in the way of your life but I know nothing of you. You are someone that deserves far better then myself, maybe someone like my brother, but I don't want to give you to my brother does that make sense? No, it doesn't because it doesn't to me."
Terra sighed softly and shifted against him trying to get closer to his warmth. Her heart was beating so quickly. He was telling her so much and all of it so daring. He could only do it while she was asleep, but it was still wonderful to hear. She just couldn't bring herself to let him know that she was awake so she just continued to pretend to be asleep. She was so comfortable and felt her hips wiggle a little against the warmth that was being given to her. She couldn't get any close to the warmth but her body tried. His arms soon engulfed her body and to prevent any more possible episodes she simply shifted with him naturally and tried her best to ignore the burning urge that he had started in her.
The storm was still raging.