Cult of the Lamb : The Man in the Forest

Chapter 18: A Mostly Happy Birthday

After breakfast, Merida made her way outside to find Kenedra. According to Narinder, the apple trees were west of the cottage, not deep into the forest. Following his instructions, she soon began to notice shimmering red spots amongst the leaves and knew she had arrived.

"Ken...?!" She called out, her eyes scanning the area for any sign of her beloved. Without warning, an apple came hurtling in her direction. She lifted her staff, skewering the red fruit on the end of the sharpened blades. Her eyes cast up towards the tree it came from and, to her surprise, Kenedra was up on a high bough. Her sunshine yellow dress waved in the breeze as she smiled down upon Merida. "Look at you." Merida laughed, approaching the base of the tree, her hand on her hip. "I thought you were afraid of heights."

"I have been working on it!" Kenedra chirped and dropped a few apples down, they landed in her large basket, cushioned by a blanket the cat had added to avoid bruising. She looked like she was about to descend, judging by the way she grasped the trunk. Merida smirked and set her staff aside.

"Just jump down...!" She urged her mischievously.

"Jump? What if you are unable to catch me?" Kenedra frowned nervously at the idea.

"I'll catch you, come on! Don't you trust me?"

"I... alright." Kenedra agreed apprehensively. She took a moment to gather her nerves before sliding off the branch. It was a short freefall, one that ended with the cat cradled in Merida's arms. The weight of her fall only caused her to bend at the knees a bit, but her stance remained otherwise resolute. Kendra huffed softly, then giggled, slipping her arms over Merida's shoulders.

"Told you I'd catch you~" Merida grinned.

"That you did..." Kenedra leaned over to place a deep kiss to Merida's lips. The sensation was enough to make her melt. She hadn't realized just how much she'd been missing Kenedra until that moment. She could feel one of the cat's soft hands rest against her cheek, a thumb caressing it sweetly. Her breath hitched when Kenedra's tongue grazed Merida's bottom lip, asking permission. With an immeasurable level of self discipline, she declined and broke the kiss. Immediately, Kenedra pouted which only made Merida chuckle.

"Thought you were smooth, eh?"

"I was...!" She whined, "My birthday is in just two weeks, Merida."

"Then you can wait two weeks." She winked and set the pouting feline back on her feet.

"It is only a kiss." She added to her argument, her ears laying flat against her head.

"If it's 'only a kiss' then why are you so upset about it?" Merida retorted as she grabbed her staff. She pulled the apple from the end and bit into it, awaiting Kenedra's reply which did not come. Instead, the cat sighed in defeat.

"Oh, very well." She grumbled and bent over to toss apples into her basket. Merida raised a brow and walked over to her, a smirk still on her face.

"You're not angry at me, are you?"

"Angry?" Kenedra asked, refusing to look at Merida in the face, "I am furious!"

"Furious, huh?" She took another bite of her apple and shrugged, "Well, I guess I'll give you time alone then. I'm sure I can convince Narinder to let me continue training today." With that, Kenedra stood up and looked at her with an upset expression. Upon seeing Merida's cheeky grin, she rolled her eyes and laughed.

"Okay, I am not angry with you. I am only a bit... well, one might call it pent up." She said, picking up her basket.

"Hm, well that makes two of us." Merida chuckled, slipping an arm around the cat's waist as they started walking back towards the cottage. "Have some patience."