Marshall POV:
I groaned as I threw my satchel over my shoulder. My wounds finished healing over but the muscles underneath still ache. I haven't been able to see Mika in 3 days. Now that I have the clearance from the doc I am headed out with a team to go fetch more bush berries.
He told me the other day that Mika's power seems to be increasing by the day and he had to increase the dose of the medicine he was giving her. I will need to hurry back with the ingredients.
Mika is in heat and is in confinement for another almost 2 weeks. She will be bored in there. I was thinking about asking Ishi to keep her company but I haven't seen her in a few days.
I walked out of my room and over to Ishi's door. I knocked. I could sense that she was inside, but she wasn't answering.
I knocked again.
No answer.
"Ishi?" I called out. When there was no answer I continued, "I know you are in there. I can smell you. I need to talk to you."
I heard her get up and come over to the door.
I have never seen her look anything other than impeccable. Even when she was dying she didn't have a hair out of place. However, when she opened her door I was shocked. Her hair was messy, like she hadn't brushed it in days. She reeked of liquor, she had dark circles under her eyes, and her sleeping clothes were wrinkled; as if she had been wearing them for days on end.
She looked at me with a complicated gaze, then waved me inside. She was stumbling around so I helped her to a chair. She kept avoiding my eyes for some reason. She seemed troubled by something but I didn't know what to say to her. I was trying to think of what Mika would say to her when she finally broke the silence.
"I know why you are here." She sighed heavily, holding her forehand in her hands, "I don't know why I did it. The pheromones shouldn't have affected me like that. I'm sorry." She whispered the last bit.
I cocked my head to the side in confusion. What is she talking about? She didn't do anything wrong, she helped give Mika her medicine.
"Don't be sorry. You were helping." I told her.
"I shouldn't have. She is your mate." She replied.
"I'm glad she has a friend like you. I wouldn't trust anyone else." I'm totally confused.
"Don't you get it, dog?! You shouldn't have trusted me! What if you guys suffered the backlash? I was so selfish…" She hid her head further in her hands.
What is she on about? Backlash?
Wait…
"Did you do something to Mika?" I asked.
"Isn't that why you are here?" She asked, looking up at me with red, tortured eyes.
Ah… so she did do something.
I felt jealousy and possessiveness… but also a sort of kinship towards her. Perhaps she is also Mika's mate? It would explain the odd feelings we have been sharing towards her. Especially if they were intimate and there was no backlash.
She mistook my silence as anger, adding, "It doesn't matter. I deserve to be punished. Do you want to kill me?" She had an almost manic look in her eyes.
"I warned you not to do anything." I told her.
"I know you did. I tried to resist… Or maybe I didn't. I don't know any more." She ranted.
"There was no backlash though, so it's okay. As long as Mika isn't hurt then it's okay. And, I think…" I took a deep breath, "I think that the gods wanted this. Perhaps you are-" I was going to suggest she might be Mika's next mate but Ishi leaped forward and covered my mouth with her hand, cutting me off.
"Don't." She said in almost a whisper. "I can't be. I don't deserve it."
I removed her hand from my mouth.
"Why?" I asked.
"I don't deserve her. I don't deserve happiness. I don't deserve to be happy while Isola is suffering." She was ranting again.
I grabbed her shoulders to shock her out of it.
"I am leaving for the mountain peak today. I need you to snap out of this and protect her." I said in the most commanding voice I could muster.
She looked me blankly at first.
"Look at you. You and this room are a mess. Pull yourself together." I talked to her like the commander would talk to us back at home. She is warrior so it should work.
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ISHI POV (Flashback):
"Look at you! You are a mess! It's time that you pulled yourself together. Your sister needs you!" Yuuki yelled at me, slapping me across the face.
My parents just died a few days ago and I know I have not been handling it well. Isola and I haven't eaten in days; we have no money and no jobs. I have been hiding in this treetop all day when Yuuki found me.
I felt hot tears stinging my eyes as I yelled back, "My parents just died, I am allowed to grieve!"
"You are allowed to grieve, yes, but this is just pitiful! You haven't taken care of yourself at all. Is this how your parents would want to see you?" She scolded me.
"Don't you talk about them!" I roared at her.
I knew it was a risk since she is the head warrior, but I wasn't being rational.
I swung at her.
"You know nothing about them!" I cried.
She stopped my tiny fists easily with a smile on her face.
"Let's get you washed and fed, little warrior. Your sister is too young and fragile to survive like this. She is already very weak."
"Isola?" I asked, full of concern.
I was so consumed by my own feelings that I completely forgot about her. She was frail as a baby and was usually confined to the house. I can't lose her too!
"She is okay for now. My mate, Harlem, is taking care of her. We will help you this once, but if you want to survive you need to help yourself." She said with all seriousness.
I wiped the tears from my eyes as best I could, they wouldn't stop falling. I looked up her, accepting the challenge.
"I will do whatever it takes." I said, and meant it.
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ISHI POV (Current):
His words reminded me of my past. He's right, I'm wallowing in self-pity right now. There are people who depend on me; Ishi and Mika. I need to pull myself together.
I stood up tall and looked him in the eye. I was still a tipsy from everything I drank, but my mind was clear.
"You are right. I will do what I have to." I told him.
"Mmh." He grumbled in response before nodding and leaving.
My room was covered in trash and empty bottles. I decided to start by cleaning the room while I sober up, before I move on to making myself look presentable.
Tomorrow I'll find Kori. I'll take the job she offered me and I'll find someone to keep Mika company while I'm busy. I will make money for supplies for the rest of the trip while Marshall is gone.
Although, if I'm being honest, part of me is just avoiding Mika. I am not ready to face her after what I did. I deserve her anger, but I don't think I could handle her rejection.
I shook away the thoughts as I cleaned my way though the mess I made. My stomach was empty and I could feel the booze sloshing around every time I moved.
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Mika POV:
I'm so bored!!!!
I'm not even half way though the first week of my 'confinement' and I'm losing my mind. I have been performing the maneuvers that Ishi taught me every day. I have also been doing basic cardio and strengthening within the confines of my room. I've been running place, doing jumping jacks, yoga, pushups, crunches, squats…
I wonder if this is how prisoners feel?
There is nothing to do here. I would love to read, if they had any good books here. I was told that they only have medical books here and most of them are case studies and research. They wouldn't even let me look at them.
I groaned and flopped on the floor. I wish I had my phone. I would kill for a video game right now.
I also don't have anyone to talk to, which doesn't help. Marshall can't come in here due to my pheromones. Apparently mine are very potent. I was told that most women don't go into heat because they mate and produce children. The ones that do go into heat usually take the medicine and stay home for 1-2 weeks.
The girl that delivers my medicine and food is very quiet. She rushes in and out as if she's afraid she might catch some contagious disease. The doc sometimes talks to me from out in the hallway.
I've noticed that my second tail is fluffier and looks exactly like my first tail. I can move them independently of each other which has brought me some amusement.
I know that Marshall can't stop by, but I wonder why Ishi hasn't come to see how I am. I wonder if she's still mad at me. Now that I think about it, I haven't seen her or Kori lately.
I have been trying to figure out who my beast wants me to accept, and I think it's Kori. I already accept Ishi for who she is; sarcastic and occasionally rude but caring on the inside. I don't know why, but I never liked Kori. Something about her made me feel irritable.
Perhaps my beast was telling me to accept her, like get to know her and become friends. Maybe I need to accept her help and her relationship with Ishi for some reason. For some reason, the thought makes me grumpy… I will try though since my beast told me to accept her.