Wolfen One Part 2
Sunlight woke him up the second time. The light illuminated the small bed that he was stretched out on, brightened up the walls of the tiny cabin and outlined the man that stood beside the window, looking out at the snow.
The cabin contained the bed that he was lying on, a chair, two cupboards and a fireplace. A fire was burning on the hearth, spreading its warmth. Duo's coat was hanging on the wall beside it, and he could see that it still looked damp.
Duo cleared his throat, reaching for words. Heero turned around at the faint sound and met his eyes.
"You're finally awake I see. How are you feeling?" He moved closer to the bed, bent to examine Duo's pupils.
"All right," Duo managed. Heero snorted and handed him a small flask of water.
"Drink this. I need to look at your shoulder again. I cleaned it out last night the best I could, but I'm no healer. Why didn't you take my advice and go see one?"
"I wanted to catch the wolf first," Duo replied. "Even if I had to barter with a healer I needed something to barter with."
"I think they would treat you first and then ask for payment," Heero sat down on the edge of the bed and reached for the bandage. Duo focused his gaze on the headboard.
"Not where I come from. You could be bleeding at their feet and they wouldn't care for you without payment."
Heero's hands were gentle as they pulled the bandage off, his voice was gentler still: "Someone refused to treat you?"
"Not me," Duo shook his head. "My foster mother. She was pregnant- and something went wrong... my foster father was a hunter too, it had been a bad season, he didn't have anything to offer the healer- and so the healer refused to help..." He bit off the rest, not wishing to replay the memory in his mind.
"That's not right," Heero's fingers traced the edges of the wound, spreading some kind of salve over the area. "I grew up with healers. They would've helped first. I'm sorry your healer was so greedy."
Duo swallowed hard. He hadn't meant to say so much, had never told anyone that story. "You grew up with healers? And you didn't take up the calling?" He said instead, hoping to shift the focus off of his past.
"No, I wanted to, but fate had other plans for me." Heero's touch was soothing, the salve removing the traces of pain that lurked in his shoulder. "Your fever seems to have gone for the moment, but if you start feeling warm again, tell me. How is your head?"
"A little achy."
"Vision still blurry?"
"No."
"Good. You have a hard skull. I was afraid you cracked it."
"Thank you for helping me," Duo said. "I know you think I'm an idiot, but thank you all the same. I will repay you for this."
Heero was bandaging his shoulder now. "It's not necessary..."
"It is. You warned me, and I disregarded the warning..."
"Still," Heero sounded amused. "The things I would want in payment, you couldn't give me. So I'll simply take your thanks instead. You'll need to stay here for a few more days. Rest and regain your strength, give your shoulder the time it should've had to heal."
He got up from the bed. "I need to go hunt for some food for us. Rest while I'm gone. Try not to move your shoulder. The privy's over there," he nodded towards a door in the corner. "And there is bread in cupboard closest to the hearth. I shouldn't be gone long."
Duo nodded and put his head back down, feeling useless. He was more than willing to go along on the hunt, but he didn't think he'd stand a chance arguing with Heero. He hadn't come out well in any of their discussions yet, after all.
Heero left the cabin, closing the door firmly behind him.
Duo stared at the closed door for a moment, puzzled. Something was nagging at him. He pictured Heero by the door, in those green clothes that seemed too thin for the cold and realized that Heero carried no weapons. He had said he was going to hunt- but unless he had a knife hidden in his boot- and even then...
He frowned, trying to figure it out. Maybe Heero had snares and traps that he was checking. That would make sense. Duo snuggled down into the warmth of the bed. His head was hurting and he wanted to sleep.
~*~
The sound of the door slamming shut woke him up again. Duo blinked. Heero stood by the door, his clothes dusted with snow, a brace of rabbits in his hand. The light from the windows was dim now, and Duo wondered how long he'd been asleep.
"It looks like we have a blizzard coming." Heero put the rabbits down in front of the fireplace. "I need to bring some wood in." He vanished back out the door again and Duo shook himself. He needed to help. He slid from the bed and went to his coat, expecting his clothes to be hanging underneath it. They weren't there. He was standing in the middle of the floor when Heero came back in, his arms full of wood. Heero blinked at him for a moment, looking surprised.
"What are you doing out of bed- like that?" Duo flushed as he realized his situation.
"I was looking for my clothes, so I could come and help you."
Heero shook his head as he put the wood beside the fireplace, tossing a few logs into the fire, making the flames glow brighter. "Right here." He opened a small iron-bound door in the side of the fireplace and pulled out Duo's clothes. "Shirt's still damp," he put it back into the small opening and tossed Duo the pants. "Here."
Duo slid the warm fabric over his legs and shivered a little. Heero rolled his eyes. "Go back to bed idiot. You still aren't well."
"I can help you cook," Duo offered. Anything to feel like less of a burden. Heero huffed, but then he nodded.
"All right." He vanished out the door again, presumably for more wood. Duo knelt down by the hearth and found a skewer. The rabbits were already skinned and cleaned, so he placed them on the skewer and then suspended them over the flames.
Heero came in with several more armfuls of wood. He stacked them neatly by the fireplace. When he had finished, he hung his coat up and sat down beside Duo to watch the rabbits cook.
"Should we ration it out?" Duo asked and Heero shook his head.
"No need." He nodded towards the other cupboard, set in the wall by the door. "That opens on the outside too and serves as a cold storage. The snow keeps the meat cold- and I managed to come back with quite a bit. With that and the bread, we should be fine."
"I am sorry that you're stuck with me," Duo apologized and Heero shrugged.
"Waiting out blizzards is tiresome. Making sure you don't do something stupid will keep me occupied." The small curve at the corner of his mouth told Duo that he was teasing. "I do wish the weather had been more amenable though, I wanted to go to your campsite and retrieve your things- but I didn't make it that far."
"I left them secured," Duo said, turning the rabbits again. "And my pack is water-proof."
"Good." Heero leaned forward and examined the rabbits. "Mine is finished enough."
Duo blinked, but pulled the skewer off of the fire. "It's still half-raw."
"I've gotten used to eating it that way. The fire will have warmed the meat enough." Heero pulled one of the rabbits off the skewer, and then pushed at Duo's hand. "Keep cooking yours. I know my tastes are odd."
Duo put his rabbit back over the fire. He watched it carefully; turning the skewer, as Heero quickly and neatly ate his share. Duo wondered why the other was used to eating raw meat- was he just impatient or a bad cook? Maybe he just liked it that way.
The light grew dimmer, and the wind picked up. Duo shivered and moved closer to the fire. "Once you eat, get back in bed," Heero said as he got to his feet and moved to look out the window.
"I'm okay," Duo examined the rabbit and deemed it ready to eat. He pulled it off the skewer.
"I think I said you need to rest?" Heero turned away from the window and frowned at him. "Besides, your clothes are mostly too damp to wear. Once the storm truly starts, the bed will be the warmest place to be."
Duo nodded, mouth full, seeing the truth of Heero's statement. As he ate Heero collected a bucketful of snow and placed it by the fire. Duo shivered at the cold blast of wind that blew through the cabin when Heero opened the door. He noticed that Heero didn't seem to notice the cold air, though he frowned again when he saw Duo shiver.
He grabbed a blanket from the bed and tossed it over Duo's shoulders. "Where are you from?" He asked as he sat down next to Duo. "You don't seem like you're used to the cold."
"I'm from the south," Duo answered in between bites. "It's always warm there. I never saw snow until I came north."
"Why did you leave the south?"
Duo swallowed hard, wondering how much to confide. "Lots of reasons. One of them being the kinds of animals you have here- they are different from the south, more challenging in some ways..."
"So you were looking for a challenge?"
"Among other things." He smiled then, remembering something else he could share. "I was also avoiding trouble."
Heero's eyebrows went up. "Why am I not surprised? Do I dare ask what kind?"
"The kind that I wouldn't be out of again. The kind that has curves and big blue eyes that lure you in and don't let go."
"Ah," Heero nodded sagely. "Female trouble. Bad enough to run north for though?"
Duo finished the rabbit and sighed. "Oh yes. Not that she wasn't lovely and all, but her parents hated me, and there were several other guys in the village that would've been tempted to get rid of the competition. So I left."
"Smart," Heero's mouth curved in a smile when Duo blinked at him. He leaned forward and looked at the bucket. "The water is warm enough if you want to wash a little." He got to his feet and dug out a scrap of cloth from the same space that he had stored Duo's shirt in. He tossed it to Duo.
"Thanks." Duo put the blanket back on the bed and then did as Heero had suggested. As he washed, Heero went to look out the window.
"It's getting bad out there." Duo put the cloth down and joined Heero at the window. All he could see was swirling white. He shivered at the touch of the cold air that leaked through the window joints. Heero snorted. "Bed- now."
Duo did as he was told, sliding under the blankets and moving to the far side. Heero went to the hearth and pulled off his shirt. Duo watched as Heero used the cloth to give himself a quick cleaning, his skin gleaming in the firelight.
The hunter shivered under the blankets, but not from the cold. Heero cast a glance at him, his eyebrow raised. "Still cold?"
"A little," Duo's eyes widened when Heero rose to his feet, kicking his boots off and then shedding his pants, placing them in a neat pile with his shirt beside the fireplace.
Heero slid under the blankets beside him, leaning back against his pillow. "Do you think you can manage not to squirm so much tonight? Or do I need to hold you down again?" He drawled.
TBC...
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