Ink: Living Life as Serena Gleis

XXXIII: Clye

“Hang on, Az.” I begged. He's losing a lot of blood as we walked through the thick snow. He's unconscious but talking to him was the only thing that I could think of to at least ease my worries.

The track that we were taking seemed endless. It's the same series of bare trees, pine trees, bushes and snow. The entirety of my body felt numb due to the cold and as well as the injuries that I acquired earlier.

“Az, stay with me. Please.” I felt relieved everytime I saw his chest going up and down, though it's not stable, at least he was breathing.  I wanted to find a cave where we can take shelter and it took me half an hour to see one.

Once I safely lied Az down on the cave's floor, I tried everything I could to start a fire, but to no avail, it wouldn't work. We would freeze to death here without fire. I felt my eyes watering up, I cannot let this man die.

I tended to his wounds first, ripping out some of my clothes to put pressure to his bleeding wounds so that the bleeding stop. Az shivered, he's cold and he is in pain and it broke my heart to see him in that state because of me, a stranger that he chose to help.

I had no choice, there's only one way for us to be warm. This might be inappropriate but our survival is more important. “Az, I had to do this okay? I have no ill intentions, I swear.” I whispered as I stripped off Az's clothes, only leaving his undergarments. I stripped off mine too. The sudden direct contact of the cold snow to my skin made me shiver. I quickly lied down beside Az, keeping him close as physically possible. I also put all the clothes, including the fur coat over as to act as insulator of our body heat.

This is awkward, lying naked with a stranger that I met just a few days ago. I chased that thought away as thinking about it will only make it more awkward than it'll ever be.

I already felt warmth, which was a good thing. It just means that we won't freeze to death. I just had to wait for the snowstorm to pass and then I can support Az again to walk and find the nearest town here, which I hope that there is one near.

Az's breathing had became stable, which was a great relief. I can now finally rest without worries of him just stop breathing all of a sudden. The warmth that I was feeling at the moment is too comfortable that it made me sleepy.

“Rena?” A voice woke me up from my sleep. I groggily opened my eyes and saw Az, sitting just beside where I am laying down. He's fully clothed, much different from what I last seen him. More importantly, his injuries as well as the wounds he have seemed magically vanished.

I quickly stood up, held both of his hard and checked everywhere. How could that happen? He's on the verge of dying last night?

Az cleared his throat. I looked up to him and noticed how he avoided my gaze. “What's wrong? Are you hurt somewhere?” I asked worriedly.

“N—No.” He stuttered. Without looking at me, he quickly put the fur coat over my shoulders.  I looked down and saw that I am, was still, in fact naked. I felt my cheeks got hotter, as I panicked and tried finding where the hell did my clothes go.

“I did not see anything.” Az said, as if it would make me feel better. I know that my conscience is clear that I only did that for him to not freeze to death but I can't help but to feel flustered and embarrassed.  I faced on the opposite direction as I tried putting my clothes back on as fast as I could.

“Can you stand?” I asked as I felt him stood up. He just hummed in response and went out of the small cave that we're in, probably to give me some space. I quickly finished putting my clothes back on and after that, I followed him out of the cave.

I saw Az just sitting on a rock, under a huge pine tree, staring at a distance. His expression were solemn yet he looked as if something was troubling him. As much as I wanted to pry in, I am embarrassed of the possibility that him, waking up naked cuddled up with me whose also naked was the reason that he's troubled and I don't plan to talk about that ever. I'll just keep that until my last breath.