literature

Tisis - S74

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The end of the storm


The next morning, Nym is still curled up in her little corner. I can't believe that she hasn't moved since. I go over to make sure that she's still alive, but the instant I get close she yells at me to go away. Not that I can blame her...it must've hurt her as much as it's hurting me...no, for her it has to be even worse, since she was never taught to deal with all this.

I sigh and look around...if Nym isn't talking to me, it's going to be a long day...
I look over to the strongly diminished supply of food and sigh again. It isn't going to last long and unless we get some more soon, it's going to get even harder.

I curse at myself for not keeping a larger supply stash for days like this. I really should have known better than to think that I could go out and find food every day.
I look over to the largely empty bottles we made and think, 'That's right...we're running out of water too...well, at least we can do something about that...

I pick up the makeshift bottles and head towards the exit, when I hear Nym's voice from behind me. It's only weak and I can't make out what she's saying, but I still stop and ask, "Sorry, what was that?"
"...wait...I...I'm sorry. I...I don't know what's happening...to me...to us...what's...what's wrong with me? I...I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. I just was...so...so angry..."
Nym's voice cracks after every second word. It's obvious that she's trying to suppress tears.
I respond honestly, "I don't really know. Though from my point of view, I'm guessing you..." and bite my tongue before it slips. I don't know that. It may be an Asmodean thing I'm not familiar with. But then again, we're similar in so many aspects, so just why not now?

Nym looks up at me, her eyes still watery but with a questioning look.
I reply, "Look, I'll tell you everything. But before that, I need to go out and fetch us some water. We don't want to die of thirst, do we?"
"Do you...know what's wrong with me?", Nym asks.
She's scared...she's really scared out of her mind. She survives a crash on an alien planet, withstands fire raining from the heavens, charges out against a humongous creature which has teeth that are larger than me...but now she's scared...

I respond, "I'm not sure...but there are some things I need to explain. Maybe then everything will make sense for you."
In my mind I add, 'Or maybe it'll just scare you more...'

I leave the cave with the bottles in my hands and notice something right off the bat. The constant chill of the wind that tears through my clothes each time I leave the cave is gone.
I look over to the exit and at long last, the storm has died down. The snow continues to fall, but the wind isn't closely as strong as in the past few days. The snow is also letting up.

I walk over to where Zero is cuddling himself to the wall and say, "Looks like the weather finally cleared up, huh, old friend?"
"Sirus, cheerful?", Zero asks without looking up.
"Relieved is more like it...thanks for yesterday."
"Sirus not mate. How relieved?"
I laugh and say, "One thing at a time. It's...a little more complicated for us."
As I say that, I remember my mother once explaining the concept of kissing to me.
I remember her saying, "A kiss is not only a sign of affection, but it's also often the best way to communicate what you really feel. So when words just don't seem to work, try that."
She then laughed and added, "My own mother once told me, that Kiss stands for 'Keep it simple, stupid'. You may do well to remember that."

I do remember, sure...but then again, if I tried that now, Nym probably wouldn't understand it. I need to be careful with her...she's scared enough as it is.

I head over to the basin and fill the bottles. The water is still freezing and the snow around my feet goes up to my ankles making them feel numb, but for some reason I don't feel like I'm in immediate danger any more.
I laugh to myself and think, 'Stupid hormones, making me feel happy when I should be scared.'

I head back to the cave to put the bottles back, however when I approach, I hear Zero ask, "Sirus, hunt?"
I think about the question for a little bit and then decide that it might actually be a good idea. There's no telling when another storm hits us and we don't want to be out of food when it does...plus, I'm not that keen on talking that stuff over with Nym.

I drop the bottles in the cavern and explain, that the storm has let up and that I need to go hunting for some food. At the same time I promise that I'd explain everything once I'm back. Nym gets up, stating that she wanted to come with me, but I tell her to stay.
"It's still freezing outside and you're not built to..."
"But..."
"No 'But'. I'll take Zero with me and we'll be back as soon as possible. You stay here and rest some more. After all, I need you to be fit to make an actual meal out of what I'm bringing back."
Nym looks at me enraged and shouts, "Don't you dare treat me like your servant!"
I raise my hands in defence and reply, "I'm not. We're dividing the work."
"And just what am I supposed to do until you're back? Twiddle my thumbs?"
I think for a moment and reply, "You know, it's still mighty cold out there. How about you try to come up with something to keep us warm and dry?"

Nym looks at me suspiciously, but then replies, "I guess I could try that...but...don't run off, okay? I...I don't want to be all alone..."
I smile and say, "Sera is still around. So you're not alone, even while I'm gone. And you'll see, I'll be back before you know it.

I grab my gear, shout over to Zero to meet me outside and step outside myself.
Zero lands next to me after about a minute, his large tongue hanging out of his mouth.
While he doesn't speak, I can tell that he's happy to finally be out and about again.
I sit myself on top of him and say, "But don't go too fast, got it?"
Zero nods his large head and together we trot over to the nearby forest, where we hope to find some food.

Halfway through our trip, the snow finally lets up and the sun breaks through the clouds, making the snow glisten in many different colours. When I notice, I stop and take a look at the blanketed ground all around me and can't help but wonder how something so beautiful can be so deadly at the same time. My mind wanders back to Nym who's waiting at home for us to come back and I return to the task at hand.

Zero sniffed out a few smaller animals, but they're just barely enough for one meal. Plus, I have yet to find something for Nym to eat. All the plant spots I've learned about so far are frozen over and even if I dig around, the plants are gone.

After a long and extensive search, the sun is already on it's way back down, I finally call over to Zero to take us back. It's no use searching for any more, what isn't there just isn't there. We seriously need to find alternative food sources, if we want to see the end of this winter.

As we return to the cavern, I say out loud, "Nym, I'm back...sorry, it took a bit longer than I anticipated. It's really hard to..."
My mouth and thoughts stop dead in their tracks as I turn the corner.

It takes me a while to comprehend the image before me, but after a few seconds, I finally snap back to reality. Nym is there, all right. She's sitting right there, up to the neck in the hot spring, her clothes tidily piled next to it. She's sitting there with her back to me and I can only guess that she fell asleep.

I'm uncertain whether to approach her or to retreat back around the corner.
Sure, I asked her to be my mate, but she didn't agree with me yet...but at the same time, she's taunting me like that. Is she expecting something from me here? Cause she can't be that oblivious and clueless, right?

While I still ponder all these things, Nym begins to move and turns her head. Once she realizes I'm there, she begins to scream in a high-pitched voice, causing me to shout, "I'm sorry!" and retreating back out of the door.

Alright, she is that clueless and oblivious...this is going to be one rough ride...
Yeah, well...not much to say here. Now, if it was anyone else, I'd say she's doing that on purpose...but it isn't anyone else.

Some more awkwardness and treading around a touchy topic coming up next Saturday (or sooner ;))
As always, comments are very welcome.
Comments6
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AuthorKatieOlson's avatar
You do have a tendency to torture poor Sirus. But I think that's what all writers do. We play with our characters until they try to escape from us. =D