The Unveiled

Veiled Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Study

Agnar set up slowly and rubbed at his eyes. He wanted to go back to sleep, but he was hungry, and they probably shouldn't waste any time starting Turid's training. He needed to get back to looking for a possible hunt. These things had to know that they'd left home, not that the place wasn't probably being watched, but he was at least fairly certain they hadn't been followed. He turned to see if Turid was awake and jumped.

He started to panic until he realized she was breathing evenly. The girl was lying diagonally across the bed, on top of the covers, with the dog from earlier laying longways across her legs. How the mutt had gotten in here, he had no clue. He walked over and shook her by the shoulders, he was leaning over her examining her with concern when she opened her eyes slowly. A moment later she jerked up so fast she almost slammed her head into his.

"What's wrong?" She asked, looking around in panic, he shook his head.

"Nothing wrong, but are you okay, and what's that thing doing in here?" She looked down seemingly a bit startled by the presence of the dog across her legs, but then shook her head.

"Sorry, I let him in earlier to keep me company, I was having trouble falling asleep so I took a bath. He was asleep in the bathroom, but I guess he woke up." He opened his mouth to tell her that she had promised him she wouldn't go outside when she interrupted him. "I didn't go outside okay, I just opened the door a crack." He sighed and nodded.

"I'm going to go take a shower, then we'll go pick up some food. I didn't think to bring the cooler, but it shouldn't be hard to pick one up for the road." She nodded then looked down at the dog in her lap.

"In a minute." She told it in an exasperated voice he smiled a little.

"What's it want?" She looked up tilting her head in confusion at him a moment before shaking her head.

"Food, he's as hungry as I am I think." He smiled as he bent to grab some clothes out of his bag, but he straightened with a sigh.

"You know we can't keep him Turid, the road's no place for a dog." She looked down and sighed, scratching the dog behind the ear.

"I know, but I have to find him a home before we leave, he's a good boy," He smiled. She had such a kind heart. He walked into the bathroom and stripped off his pj's jumping quickly under the hot water. It was mid-November and freezing, no snow yet, but it wouldn't be long. He was just thinking about snow tires when he walked out of the bathroom with his shirt slung over his shoulder and a towel in his hair. He jumped when he saw Turid.

He'd forgotten she was there. Being on the road was something he was used to. But he was always alone, he put the towel down and pulled the sweater over his head. She was holding a change of clothes and arguing with the dog in a low voice. When she turned her head at his approach her expression softened a little, then her face inexplicably reddened, and she stomped past him into the bathroom.

He stood there and looked between the closed bathroom door and the dog. He shrugged and walked over, setting down on the bed he'd slept in. He never really talked to animals much, didn't really find it practical in the way he hunted but he was curious.

"What was that all about?" The dog turned his head.

'Lady said human's don't sniff each other's butts.' He laughed.

"We usually try to avoid it."

...

It was a little after five in the afternoon when they returned from getting lunch and a few things for the road. Agnar was staring at his phone, probably scrolling through the internet for any strange news stories nearby. The dog was happily gobbling up the dog food she'd bought him. She found herself staring out a gap in the curtain, from this angle there was nothing to see but trees. Agnar sighed and set his phone down.