Kael slowly opened his eyes, still in embarrassment from her presence. He looked down and saw Kitsu sleeping on him once again. Why did she always fall asleep on him every time they embraced? Despite this, he found it delightful. He softly shook her to wake her up. She opened her eyes and smiled at him. "Hello, Kael."
Kael let out a deep sigh as he lifted her; otherwise, she would have never risen unless he helped her. "We shall wrinkle ourselves into prunes if we continue staying in this water." Kitsu nuzzled into him and wrapped her arms around his neck as he carried her toward the cave. She again had fallen into his arms, asleep. He smiled at the peace that seemed to outline her features while she was sleeping as he carried her.
He picked her up and gently placed her on the big bed in the middle of the room and covered her with the blanket. He stopped for a moment and brushed a strand of hair from her face, then turned toward the counter. He began rummaging through her things, searching for something to make for dinner. The only ingredients he could find were some meat and a few fruits. Kael thought hard about what he could cook with these, but without a stove or anything similar, it seemed impossible. After some more searching, it finally clicked in his mind that she might eat the meat raw since she was part Kitsune. He called himself dumb for not thinking of it sooner and decided to cook the meat outside instead.
Kael left the meat on the counter and stepped out of the cave. He gathered some wood, lit a fire, and started preparing the meal. The fire crackled, and the sizzling of meat on the fire woke Kitsu inside the cave. She opened her eyes groggily, sat up, and looked around. Since she did not see Kael, panic set in. "Where is he? Has he gone? Has he been taken away?" she wondered, her heart racing. She ran out of the cave, her eyes brimming with tears, looking for him.
Finally, she saw him by the fire, roasting meat; she felt great relief wash over her. Running toward him, hugging from behind and burying her face into his back, she got Kael so startled he almost dropped the skewer. "Kitsu, what happened? You okay?" Kael asked Jumpy.
She sniffed and answered, "I thought that something happened to you. I was worried."
Kael wrapped his arms around her waist in an attempt to comfort her. "It's all right, I'm here; nothing happened to me. I was only cooking dinner."
Dinner sounded a lot better than Kitsu had realized; her ears rose at the word, and her tail wagged. "Dinner?" she asked.
Kael chuckled and nodded toward the fire. "Yeah, I found some meat in your cabinet and decided to cook it. Oh, by the way, do you usually eat it raw?"
Kitsu's face colored slightly. "I don't have to cook it, but I can eat it, however."
Kael nodded, motioning to a nearby boulder. "You can sit there. I'll let you know when it's done."
Kitsu sat down, her tail swishing with excitement. "Thank you, Kael. It's been so long since I've had anyone to talk to or share a meal with."
Kael smiled and playfully flicked her nose. "Enough talking. Here, it's ready." He handed her a skewer with freshly cooked meat.
Her eyes brightened as she took it, the aroma making her mouth water. She took a bite and closed her eyes in delight. "This is delicious, Kael! Thank you so much!"
Kael couldn't help but smile at such innocence. He started eating his portion, and the two sat in comfortable silence for a while. When Kael finished his meal, he looked at Kitsu, who started to look sleepy again. He snorted softly at that. She sleeps a lot for an adult, he thought.
He looked up to see the stars begin to appear within the sky before he faced her again. "Should we sleep, Kitsu?
She nodded, her voice barely coherent. "Yes, I'd like that." She stood and took his hand, assuming he would direct her. Kael smiled warmly and led her back to the cave. He set her down gingerly on one side of the bed and then personally laid down on the opposite side.
Kael stared at the ceiling of the cave as his mind wandered to her. There was just something about her that he couldn't explain, as if he had always known her but had only really met her two days ago. Kael made his mind shut off and just go with it.
Lost in thought, he felt small hands wrap around his body. Kitsu was hugging him, her tail draped over his stomach. He smiled at her actions and turned to face her, wrapping his arms around her in return. He placed a soft kiss on the top of her head.
With her warmth against him and the night outside, Kael closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, feeling a peace he had not known in years.