Kael slowly opened his eyes, still embarrassed by her presence. He looked down and saw Kitsu sleeping on him once again. Why did she always fall asleep on him whenever they hugged? It made him happy regardless. He gently shook her to wake her up. She opened her eyes and smiled at him. "Hello, Kael."
Kael sighed and lifted her up, realizing she wouldn't get up unless he helped. "Our bodies will get wrinkled if we stay in the water too long," he said. Kitsu leaned closer, wrapping her arms around his neck and letting him carry her back to the cave. She fell asleep again in his arms. Kael smiled softly at her peaceful face as he carried her.
Once inside the cave, he gently placed her on the big bed in the middle of the room and covered her with the blanket. He paused for a moment, brushing a strand of hair from her face before turning toward the counter. He started rummaging through her things, trying to find something to make for dinner. The only ingredients he found 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 occurred to him 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. As the fire crackled and the meat sizzled, Kitsu woke up inside the cave. She blinked groggily, then sat up and looked around. When she didn't see Kael, panic set in. "Where is he? Did he leave? Did something happen to him?" she thought, her heart racing. Tears started forming in her eyes as she ran out of the cave, looking for him.
When she finally saw him by the fire, cooking meat, relief washed over her. She ran toward him and hugged him from behind, burying her face in his back. Kael, startled, almost dropped the skewer. "Kitsu, what happened? Are you okay?" he asked nervously.
She sniffled and replied, "I thought something happened to you. I was so worried."
Kael turned around, wrapping his arms around her waist to comfort her. "It's okay. I'm here. Nothing happened to me. I was just making dinner."
Kitsu's ears perked up at the mention of dinner, and her tail started wagging. "Dinner?" she asked curiously.
Kael chuckled and gestured toward the fire. "Yeah. I found some meat in your cabinet and decided to cook it. Oh, by the way, do you usually eat meat raw?"
Kitsu's cheeks flushed a little. "I don't need to cook it, but I can eat it either way."
Kael nodded, pointing to a nearby boulder. "You can sit there. I'll let you know when it's ready."
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 lightly flicked her nose. "Enough talking. Here, it's ready." He handed her a skewer with freshly cooked meat.
Her eyes lit up 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 her innocence. He began eating his portion, and the two sat in comfortable silence for a while. As Kael finished his meal, he glanced over at Kitsu and noticed she was starting to look sleepy again. He chuckled to himself. "She sleeps a lot for an adult," he thought.
Looking up, Kael saw the stars beginning to appear in the sky. He turned back to her. "Should we sleep, Kitsu?"
She nodded, her voice barely coherent. "Yes, I'd like that." She stood up and grabbed his hand, expecting him to lead her. Kael gave her a warm smile and guided her back to the cave. Inside, he gently placed her on one side of the bed before lying down on the other.
Staring at the ceiling of the cave, Kael's mind wandered. Despite only knowing her for two days, he felt an unexplainable connection to her. It was like he had known her his entire life. He decided to stop overthinking and just go with the flow.
As he was lost in thought, he felt small hands wrapping 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 sound of the night outside, Kael closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, feeling a sense of peace he hadn't felt in years.