Beauty, Beasts and Balance

Part Seven

Parker came back with a large stone bowl of river water, made a kind of shelf with long flat stones and placed the bowl over the fire to heat it. Only when he was done did she broach the subject of urination.

"Parker, I need to pee. Where should I go?"

He walked over to her, "I'll take you to the sandbox." And without waiting for her consent, picked her up, carrying her outside. It was dark out now but he didn't need to go far. Just behind his hut was the sandbox and it was exactly as how it sounded. A wood framed square, filled with sand, out under the open air, was the bathroom. She knew he was a cat but she didn't think he'd have a litter box. She would've laughed if she didn't have a broken leg and needed him to help her.

"How the hell am I supposed to do this?" She muttered under her breath. With a fractured tibia, it wasn't as though she could pop a squat.

"What if I hold you like this?" Suggested Parker as he shifted her body so he had her back against his chest and her spread thighs in his hands.

"No." That was easy. There was no way in hell she was going to pee like that. She'd die of embarrassment first. "I still have one good leg. Can you face away from me and let me hold your shoulder for support?"

"I guess. But wouldn't it be easier-"

"No. Please. No."

He acquiesced and while supporting her, set her to stand on her one good leg. Then he turned his back to her and squatted down so she could use his shoulder. "I really don't get why you're embarrassed though. You're my mate. When we reproduce, I'll see everything anyway."

"Please stop talking." She said as she struggled to lower her leggings and pop a one-legged squat.

Parker couldn't understand it but when she said please, he also couldn't bring himself to reject her requests. When he heard the sounds of her relieving herself, he blushed despite himself. He waited patiently for her to finish and pull up her furs. Then, he picked her up again and headed inside, unable to bring himself to look at her. He set her back down on the bedding and checked the temperature of the water over the fire. "I think it's warm enough." He said as he took it of the makeshift stand and moved the bowl next to her. Then he grabbed a thin, soft piece of leather and dipped it in the water.

"What are you doing?" She asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

He cocked his head to the side in confusion, "I'm going to help you wash. You can't do it with your hands like that."

He wasn't wrong. She didn't want the healer's work to go to waste. Figuring as long as she could keep her underwear on and as long as he could keep himself in check, she could accept his help with the sponge bath. "Fine. But do you have any clothes...um...furs I can change into? I can't wear these again until I wash them." She said picking at the blood-soaked capris.

"I can sew you some new clothes. I just need to measure you." He gave her red top a long look. "Can I take that off? I won't be able to clean you or get a good measurement with it on."

Since he'd already seen her in her bra, she unhesitatingly lifted her arms so he could pull it off over her head. He put the hoodie to the side and then looked at her lower clothes. He reached out to slip his fingers under the waistband. She tensed but when she didn't stop him, he peeled her pants down and off her legs, careful of her bite wound. When she was in nothing but her underclothes, it was like he had become hypnotized. The sight of her thighs and hips, and the delicate cloth covering her sex made his abdomen hot and his mouth turn dry. His pupils dilated, and his penis stood hard and firm beneath his skirt. Before he could register what he'd done, he was on top of her, pushing her down on the bed.

She didn't squirm or try to fight him off but something froze him in place all the same. Her hazel eyes that looked straight into his golden ones held no light nor warmth despite their color. She looked at him as though he was dead and just didn't know it yet. Like he was prey. Then, through clenched teeth, her voice, cold as ice, reached his ears. "Get. Off. Me."

The rage in her eyes made him flinch even though he was obviously the stronger predator. If she had claws and fangs like a male, he had no doubt she would have ripped out his throat. The thought that she probably hated him now stabbed at his heart. He jumped away from her so fast and so far, his back was pressed to the opposite wall. "I-I'm sorry! Please don't hate me!" He yelled and then fled the hut like his tail was on fire. The door slammed shut with a bang and a moment later, she heard a splash as if something had fallen into water.

She took a few deep breaths to try and calm herself. "Fucking animal instincts." She muttered, trying to brush off the incident as best she could. But when she reached for the cloth and water to bathe herself, bandages or no, her hands wouldn't stop trembling.

Parker didn't come back until Caitlin had finished cleaning herself and had fallen deeply asleep wrapped tightly in the bed's furs. He felt horrible for what he'd done to her and spent the entire night outside, making her clothes beneath the moonlight as penance.