Jenny and the Beasts

7. Rejection

Originally posted: July 18, 2022. Edited: February 17, 2023.

Jenny spent the day taking care of Harvey. Simon hunted for them and Jenny cooked. She only left to use the sand pit. Harvey woke up that evening and Jenny insisted that he eat. She fed him tiny bites in case he didn't have the energy to chew.

Harvey felt that the experience was novel. He was still in bad shape, but knew he would heal. The serene part was being cared for. He was used to healing others, not others healing him. He took the food offered to him with some rather fuzzy feelings.

Harvey did not comment on the other male present. It was a given that someone would hunt for Jenny. He was disappointed that it was a male no stronger than himself. He could hunt for Jenny, but would not be able to protect himself from other males. Harvey noticed Jenny's bug-eaten limbs immediately, but only pried after the meal was over. He was shocked to learn that she went looking for him.

"That is too dangerous. You shouldn't ever do that," Harvey scolded harshly. He didn't plan to come off that badly, but he was genuinely scared by Jenny's actions. She could get herself captured, hurt, or killed very easily and that knowledge made him come off strongly.

Jenny wasn't expecting a rebuke from Harvey. No, she could see him scolding her for that, but hearing it immediately after he was up didn't make her feel good at all. She ground her teeth. To them, she must be an incomparably stupid female. Maybe she was. None of her choices or actions so far could be called wise at all.

Last night was especially stupid. She could just found a single and batted her eyelashes at him. If he didn't work out, she could've found another or tried some waterworks. Hell, she could've begged the piece of work that started this. There were things she could've attempted before taking a night hike in the forest, looking for a man she'd known for less than two weeks.

Simon felt nervous. He was unsure on how to intercede, but felt compelled to defend Jenny's action. His emotions did anyway. Logically, he understood where the leopard male was coming from. He never heard of a female engaging in such a dangerous pursuit of an injured male. No male would be okay if they found out their female was taken or died because of them. Simon kept his mouth closed and his thoughts to himself.

Jenny nodded her head surprising both males. Neither were used to having a female agree so readily. Simon remembered how bold Jenny was last night and marveled at her accepting attitude now. The female he was courting was more complex than he originally thought.

Now that Harvey was well enough to scold her, Jenny went to the river. She wanted to scrub herself clean. Simon followed her. She asked if he would stay behind to keep watch over Harvey, but both males refuted her. Harvey looked embarrassed while Simon looked conflicted. Jenny couldn't make them do anything and didn't try to. If Harvey's pride was more important than his life, there was nothing more Jenny could do.

She sprinted to the river and arrived after a couple of minutes. She was careful to hop over any large roots or rocks and it reminded her of her runs through the state park closest to her house. Her ankle throbbed lightly and she took a look once she got to the river. She did trip a lot last night. The run through the woods just now did not help.

Jenny stripped off her shirt and skirt, no longer caring who saw her. She wasn't naked and didn't want to spare the energy on that, not when she went through a crappy night like last night.

Jenny scrubbed her body and undid her braid. She scrubbed her scalp with herbs and silt until she felt as clean as she could. Once done, she dove under the water and swan. She liked swimming, but hated swimming publicly. She wouldn't swim in water she couldn't see through either, leaving her with few options left in her state of residence.