Caged Ch. 05

Their walk was quiet, only the sound of her footsteps were heard as they made their way out into the open woods. Again, the sight and smells took him in, the feeling of true freedom now bounding through his body as he made his way through his domain. Ari only followed silently, watching him as he dropped onto his fours and hurried ahead.

Looking back at the building, she took hold of her key card, yanking it from her clothing and tossed it off into the distance. She knew that were she was going, there would be no need for it.

She had never liked the outdoors before. She was a city girl by heart but seeing it now for the first time, she was truly surprised by the beauty before her. Cole far ahead of her now, inhaling the air and listening to the world around them. It was good to be out again and so soon was even better.

Hurrying on, she finally managed to catch up with him, she followed his pace, watching her steps as she carried on.

"Since we are out now.." catching her breathe a bit. "We can explore your territory. You can show me all that this place has to offer. And, we can learn more about one another."

He nodded in agreement, standing upright and walking slowly so that she may keep up. Their walk was pleasant. Ari managing to keep up this time; an improvement from the night before.

"So, this is all yours?"

"Yes. People come here from time to time. Campers, tourist, etc."

"Do you kill them?"

"No. the incident at the facility was..." he trailed off.

"You do not have to explain. I know why you did it. In your situation, I would have done it too. It was not right to treat you like that. I am sorry."

"Thank you. So, where were you born?"

Stopping, this caused him to stop along with her, turning around to face her.

"Why did you stop?"

"I do not know. Your question caught me off guard. Anyway, I was born in the city."

Continuing to walk now, he followed beside her as they continued on their trek.

"What was it like?"

"Nothing like this. Crowded, congested, filled with people who could not care a lick for one another. I liked it though. I kind of miss it now that we are in this remote area."

Her comment gave him pause. Something about it bothered him, made him sad. He did not know why he felt that way but for now, he would dismiss it.

"What about your family?"

"Mother and Father both deceased. No brothers or sisters."

'You are alone then... As am I."

Ari gave a somber smile to Cole before walking ahead of him suddenly and stopping. His eyes were filled with questioning he started to wonder what she was up to.

"How about we do something fun? What would you like to do?"

Cole stopped, thinking for a moment on what would suit his pleasures. Thinking for a moment the idea finally came to him.

"How about we take little run? It has always cleared my head."

Without giving him a chance to answer, she started, running through the thicket as fast as her legs could carry her. Without a moment's hesitation, he pounced after her, ducking and dodging through the trees after her.

Ari continued to run, looking behind her to see him in hot pursuit. Going faster, she continued on but as she looked back, she found that he was gone. Breathing hard, she looked around, hoping to see where he ran off to. Trying to catch her breath, she turned around over and over again.

"Cole!" she yelled, looking all over for him but greeted with nothingness.

Turning around and around, she was making herself dizzy. Standing still, she realized that she was now utterly alone. Lost in the forest and to top it off, she had possibly unintentionally released him.

"Cole! This is not funny! Come back here!" she screamed.

Only the echoes of her voice were heard, reverberating off of the trees. She stood now in silence wondering if maybe he had decided to take off. Unaware to her, he was watching her, stalking her as he would his prey. He enjoyed watching her panic her frantic search for him, enticing him.

Stepping forward just a bit, he caught her scent, her sweat, her worry. It was a lovely mixture, something that he wanted to cherish more than anything. Growing tired of keeping his distance, he made his way towards her now, startling her a bit.

'Where were you? I was worried sick."

"Worried? Worried about me leaving you or worried about me running away?"

'Worried about you of course. Also...worried that you might eat me."

He was stunned by the comment, he moved in closer head lowered so that eyes could meet.

"I would never eat you. No matter how tasty you might be."

Ari blushed, turning her head to the side to hide her embarrassment.

As the pair stood silently, something in the air caught his attention.

Without a word, he lifted her up, heading off deeper into the woods. Ari just held on close to him, not asking any questions.

Racing through the emptiness around them, he finally took them to what appeared to be a cave of sorts. The entrance was clear; no trace of any animals present. Ducking his head, he entered in slowly before setting her down on something soft.

Stalking back to the entrance, he looked carefully before retiring back inside.

"What? What is happening? Is everything alright?" she asked, walking towards him slowly.

"Just wait."

Walking close to the entrance, in a whoosh, an onslaught of rain rushed down, blanketing the area.

"Wha...how did you?"

"I could smell the rain coming. I had no intention of getting drenched. Besides, this is a place I frequently rest."

Stepping away from the entrance, he retreated back into the cavern. She stood there for some time, listening to the rain, watching it fall outside the entrance, creating a lovely waterfall curtain. Stepping back a bit now, she went to him, resting now on what appeared to be his bed. It was a mass of fur; fur from various animals it seemed as the consistently differed every time her hand moved across it. Removing her shoes, she curled up, watching now as the rain continued on.

He came beside her, nestling up against her.

"You know, I could get use to this. It may not have all the amenities but it is still lovely."

"It is mine, that is all that matters."

Silent now, the pair only continued to watch the rain outside.

It had started to come down harder, the sound of thunder soon following as Ari and Cole sat side by side. The light from the day was fading quickly in that time and now, she was feeling the throngs of sleep grasping at her. She had, not since she was a child, felt like this before. The rain pouring down, the comfort of the cave. It was all so exciting to her. Looking over to her side, it appeared that Cole had already drifted off.

"Tired?"

"The rain is comforting. Besides, it has been too long since I was able to sleep in a more comforting environment."

Ari said nothing, turning back to the rain, listening as she felt her eyes become heavy. Her head was starting to nod a bit, her body slouching as everything became limber. It was not long before she had fallen asleep, resting peacefully up against the rock wall.

Cole could hear her, the sound of her breathing an indication that she had fallen asleep. Moving close to her, her curled up as close as he could before falling asleep himself.

Cole awoke, the sun was starting to descend. Moving a bit, he found that she was resting on top of him. Her face buried in his fur with hands clutching tightly to him. This was different he thought, his hands tracing her body lightly which surprisingly did not cause her to wake.

"Ari...it is getting dark out."

"Umm." Squeezing onto him tighter, she only moved closer, grumbling before going back to sleep. He could only smile watching how childish she was but also concerned now of what would happen if she stayed. He had never been in the company of women, he had seen them but he had never had the fortune to be near them.

It did not occur to him until now that maybe he had been lonely after so many years in isolation. Touching her lightly, she remained perfectly still, quite peaceful on his body. Hands tried to feel her, her flesh, to touch the softness that lied underneath. He wanted more, he started to lightly scratch the clothing, hoping to rip through it even if it was just a little.

Clawing somewhat feverishly, this finally caused her to awake, twisting her body to look in his direction.

"Why do you keep scratching me?"

"Sorry, I was trying to wake you up. The sun is going down."

Shifting her body, she sat up, staring out into the open woods. The light was slowly waning away, the darkness creeping up in the distance. Trying to rise, she found that her body had become stiff from the awkward position she was in.

With a stretch, she had managed now to get a proper view of the outside, realizing how true his words were.

"Yes. I suppose it is." Yawning, she buried her face back in his fur, slipping into half consciousness as he tried to rouse her again.

"No...you will not be able to handle the cold, we have to get you to some place warmer for the night"

Lying back on top of him, she took hold of his fur, rubbing her body up against him with child-like glee.

"This is warm enough. I am too lazy to move. Besides, if I get cold in here, all I have to do is lie on top of you and hold on tightly."

Cole ears perked at the mention of her body against his, her scent constantly insulting his nostrils all night, her hands roaming his body, groping and tugging on his fur. He felt a stirring inside; a need that had been quelled for so long, rushing up into the depths of his body. Maybe her staying would not be such a bad idea after all. Relenting, he decided to give into her demands and would allow her to stay.

"It will get a bit cold here..."

"You are not cold." She smiled. Contented to just remain as she was.

Moving in closer, she placed her head on his side, inhaling his scent and running her face along his fur. This was what it might have felt like to be in heaven she thought. As she laid there, just nestled in him, she found herself yearn for him to touch her, to hold her as tightly as he could and to not let go.

"There is an abandoned cabin somewhere here. It is not that close but in relative distance of here. They should have something you can use. I do not want you out here at night."

Surprised by the tenderness, she figured it was best to just listen to him and begin the trek to the cabin. Rising from his spot, he watched her place her shoes back on and led her out of the den.

The distance was long, Ari getting tired and stumbling as the lights around her faded completely. Cole had to guide her the rest of the way, keeping her close to him which was the most pleasant thing about the journey. Usually, he would have eaten his meal, curled up inside his den and started to doze off but now, now he had someone beside him. He was enjoying the company, something he thought he would never have.

It was nightfall by the time they made it to the cabin; Cole having to carry her the rest of the way of the journey. Setting her down, she opened the door, stepping inside slightly. Cole ducked down, entering in behind her, standing close just in case something pounced at them.

With eyes much better than hers, he stepped ahead, leading her towards the fireplace. He let her hand go, allowing her to go down on all fours so that she could get to work on a fire.

Standing close by, Ari felt comfortable and was eager to get everything up and running. With some fortune, there was still some wood in the hearth and close by, everything she would need to get the fire started. Within minutes, light was emitted through the room. Turning around, she could assess how bad the state of the cabin was in.

"Well, it is not perfect but it will do."

Dusting off her hands, she walked past him; rummaging through some items within the little cabin. From what she could tell, it had been abandoned for years, but it was still in reasonable shape. Heading now to the back, she had thought maybe there would be bed but more importantly, a bath would suit her just fine right about now.

Following behind, he watched her as she made her way from room to room to see what the place had to offer. Cole was weary of the place, he had seen it often in his travels but never stepped foot inside. It was not something he was use to but, he was seeming to adjust to the new surrounds. Granted, he had to duck to avoid hitting his head.

"I do not understand the need to be in such tight confines."

"Well I cannot help that I am not 7 feet tall like you are."

"I am not that tall..."

"Yes, you are. Nothing but height and muscle. Ah Yes. A bathroom."

Going into the room, she headed towards the shower and turned the faucet on. Just her luck though that nothing was working.

"Great, no bath. I guess I will forgo one tonight."

Turning now, she went back into the living room to get warm. Fire crackling in the hearth, Ari sighed as she settled down in front of the flames, watching them dance and flicker about. Cole came behind her, settling on all fours, propping himself beside her to admire the fire.

She leaned against him, the warmth from his body along with the flames lulling her into a sense of comfort. She could not recall when the last time she every felt this way before. When she had wanted to be so close to anyone.

Cole was silent all the while. This was probably what it was like to be with someone. This was nice. Tail behind him made its way to her side, curling around her to give her added warmth. Ari just smile, hand touching him lightly as she caressed his fur.

Before long, the pair was asleep, bodies snuggled close to each other as the night around them carried on.