Beauty, the Beasts and Other

Chapter 4

The next morning, Isa woke up to feel smooth fur under her cheeks. She nuzzled her face deeper into the smooth surface. The fur beneath her then started to vibrate, ridding her of any sleep in the process. She raised her head to see she had made a pillow out of Harvey's stomach, was contentedly monopolizing him in her catatonic state with her hands loosely wrapped around him.

Well, my sleeping self is one brazen bitch, huh. I ain't mad at it. I'm reaping the benefits now.

"Good morning, Harvey," I greeted.

Harvey purred in response and brought his face close to mine to give me a swift lick on the cheek.

He just kissed me, didn't he? Well, he's in beast form so I'm not counting that as our first kiss.

Adorned in the animal skin top and skirt my leopard made for me yesterday, I made my way outside to the sand pit I was shown, to do my business.

This is going to be the worst part about living here. Some sort of toilet must be made soon. Privacy is a necessity.

After relieving myself, I returned to Harvey's hut, to see him in human form preparing breakfast.

We had a bit of small talk; Harvey absolutely fell in love with seasoned meat and continued to sing its praise. After eating, we were off.

As we stepped out of the house, I took the time to get a better look at the village. It was more stone aged than I expected. Most of the huts seemed to be made from clay and were crudely done. I also noticed that any advancement towards an easier way of life seemed to be at the bare minimum.

The walk from Harvey's house to the river was about thirty minutes at our leisurely pace. Along the way, I took notice of the towering vegetation and was too stunned to speak.

Back home could never. Bet the fruits here are massive.

My mouth salivated at the thought, I'll have to ask Harvey to show me any berry shrubs nearby or something. I could take a walk during the days and pig out.

The river was calm and clear. I turned to Harvey, "I'm going in, if you need to leave let me know. I can find my way back so you can rest assured I won't get lost."

My leopard nodded and headed off to the side to give me some privacy. My leopard.

I grinned as I stripped and dove into the river's cool embrace. I felt refreshed already, despite the lack of soap, the fact that the water was flowing and not stagnant around me made a world of difference.

I know all this time I've seemed level headed and quick to adopt to my new circumstances but don't be fooled. Remember that saying "fake it till you make it?" Yeah, I'm fully aware my ass could die...again or worse in this harsh environment. I'll allow the pity party when I'm safe and protected. Gotta keep my priorities straight.

After some time, Harvey told me a leopard requested his aid with his female's injured ankle and that he had to leave.

Huh, looks like Qingqing is making her appearance. Wasn't that supposed to happen yesterday? Whatever, I need to go snake hunting.

"I'll be fine Harvey, go see your patient," I said with an encouraging smile.

"Are you sure? If anything happens scream as loudly as you can, I'll listen out for you," the worry was deeply etched in his features.