Rykka (Beastborne: Book 1)

Part 15: Companionship

Song: Two Evils - Bastille

They ate in silence and remained so until they began to crawl inside the den. Whatever was not eaten, they stored within a snow bank and allowed the kilthra to carry off all evidence of the carcass. No one would think twice if they stumbled across a goat that had been clearly eaten by the predators. In the den was quite warm with five bodies and now two small melting stones available for use. They were only meant to heat a single person each but combined with the closed quarters and body heat the three were able to strip to their lowest layer. For Lythias that was a wool vest top that ended at her belly button where it met her thin fur tights. This material was great for insulation despite the bared strips of flesh on her sides and the sides of her legs where the tights had small laces that could be undone up to the thigh for holsters and boots. She'd made them herself. The top was also sleeveless so that the plating in the layer she wore above it could mold better to her lean muscled arms.

Althira practically wore nothing from the waste up aside from a thin strip that bound her chest and a tight pair of legging of similar material to Lythias own. She eyed the cut outs on Lythias pair. "Did you make those?" She asked, leaning forward and pressing her fingers through the small gaps on the upper part of Lythias thigh. She jumped in response to the other woman's warm touch on her skin. "Yes." She answered, her mouth slightly dry. As much as she didn't want Althira here she could not help but be amused with her antics. She was like a ray of sunshine that penetrated even the darkest corners. The fierceness within her was like a force that burned away anything that would dare try to stop her. 

She didn't have to wonder what it was that drew Lynsias in, despite their differing personalities. As she though of him, she turned to Lynsias to see him watching the two of them with that same haunted look she'd caught him with several times throughout the night. "He's jealous." Althira said boldly, Lythias almost jumped at how the other womans mouth was suddenly mere inches from her ear. One of Althira's hands was still on her thigh while the other staid on her shoulder. Being that they couldn't stand in the den that meant the two were leaning quite close to each other. Lythias tried not to focus on all of the exposed flesh touching her own bare arm. Althira was clearly messing with Lynsias, but Lythias wondered if she was being toyed with as well at the moment. 

Instead she tried to focus on the fact that neither of the two seemed all that fussed by the darkness. She'd noticed before it seemed that the two had senses almost as good as her own. The small light from the Starlight Stone seemed to be plenty, though she knew the average person would likely only be able to see vague shapes. Possibly modified magically at one time or another or simply trained. Althira was the first to lay down, with her body curled into Aakine's flank. The beast turned and looked at her quizically before nuzzling her hair with his nose and going back to laying with his head down and ears up. Othanis was snoring from behind Lynsias who was using him as an overgrown pillow. His ear twitched lazily in his sleep. Lythias crawled into the pile in the only space available, between Althira and Lynsias with her head also laying on Othanis.

It was cramped with the extra body but warm and cozy enough that sleep instantly weighed on her heavily. Althira didn't hesitated to reach over and sling an arm over her stomach as she laid on her own belly. Her back was pressed into Aakine and she was using his bushy tail as a sort of pillow. On the otherside of her Lynsias seemed so unsure that she almost wanted to laugh at him. She'd spent nights curled up on his chest for body warmth but now that his lover was tossed in the mix he seemed much less comfortable and not for the reason one would think. If an outsider looked in on the situation they would likely say he was the odd one out the group and that Althira was Lythias's lover by how uncertain he looked between the two women. It was amusing enough that Lythias actually laughed.