Escape Games

Chapter Twelve

Mac wasn't sure how long he'd slept, but he felt a little refreshed when Jorik woke him up. He blinked and rubbed his eyes.
"Sleep well?" Jorik asked.
"Yeah," he answered. "How long was I out for?"
"A few hours I think," Jorik answered. "I don't have anything that keeps exact time."
"I'm guessing nothing happened while I was snoozing?" Jorik shook his head.
"No," he answered. "I just woke you up after a while like you asked. I think I'm ready to sleep now."
"Okay," Mac said. "I'll keep an eye out this time and wake you in a bit." Jorik nodded before closing his eyes and leaning on Mac.  Teddy had apparently decided to fall asleep on Bear, who was curled up next to Mac.  She raised her head to check the puppy before turning to lick Mac's chin. 
     "You're a good girl," he told the dog, rubbing her back.  "Was Teddy behaving himself while I was asleep?"  Bear looked at him, her tongue lulling out one side of her mouth, her tail wagging. 
     "I'll take that as a yes," Mac said. He scratched behind the armor hound's ears. "I think he'll make a good little brother for you once we get out of here. Would you like that?" The dog wagged her tail faster.  Mac gently scratched the fur on the side of Bear's neck.  Mac noticed after a moment that Teddy had opened his eyes and was looking at him. 
     "Hi, pup," he said.  "Do you want some attention too?"  The puppy crawled off of Bear and toddled over to him.  Mac scratched behind Teddy's ears as he climbed into his lap.  The puppy sniffed at Jorik, the elven unaware as he was sound asleep, still holding the hand Mac had around his shoulder. 
     "Don't wake your daddy," Mac told the pup.  "He's sleeping, like you were earlier."  Teddy looked at Mac for several seconds before plopping down on his lap.  He began nibbling on Mac's jacket sleeve. 
     "Please don't put holes in my jacket," Mac told him.  "We'll get you some teething toys once we get out of here, okay?"  Teddy looked at him as he used his free hand to reach for a stick.  Mac offered the stick to the puppy and Teddy began chewing on it.
     "Do you wanna play?"  Mac asked quietly, trying not to wake Jorik.  "Can you fetch?"  He gently threw the stick, not wanting to make it go too far, and Teddy leapt off his lap to chase it.  Bear watched, too as the puppy dragged the stick back, holding his head high and strutting like he was proud of himself. 
     "Good job," Mac praised the pup.  "You're just like your big sister!  Soon you'll both be chasing toys and racing to see who brings it back first."  He gave a short laugh and smiled as Bear sniffed at the stick Teddy chewed on. The puppy rolled onto his back, still holding the stick.
"You're silly," Mac gently tugged at the stick until Teddy let go. He threw it again, but the puppy didn't give chase this time. He simply stayed on his back and cuddled against Mac's leg. Mac tickled his belly until the pup yawned and closed his eyes again. Bear shifted and put her head on Mac's lap.  He rubbed the fur on her back and sat quietly, looking around once in a while and listening. He sat for what he felt was a few hours, occasionally talking to one or both the dogs, before he decided it had been long enough and gently woke Jorik. 
     "Huh?"  The elven seemed confused at first.  Then he rubbed his eyes and blinked. 
     "Did I wake you at a bad time?"  Mac brushed a strand of hair out of Jorik's face.  Jorik shook his head. 
     "Must've been more tired than I thought," he answered. 
     "Or your body wanted to heal more than you realized," Mac offered, ruffling the elven's hair.  "How's your foot feel?"  Jorik cautiously moved his injured foot. 
     "It's definitely fusing," he said.  "It's just taking a while."
"Do you feel like you could walk on it?" Mac asked. "Or do you think you still need to stay off it?"
"I could probably walk on it if I was careful," Jorik answered. "Probably wouldn't be a good idea to run on it yet, though."
"So no chasing Teddy if he steals a shoe, then?" Mac joked. He got a small half-smile out of Jorik.
"What shoe?" The elven asked with a short laugh. "Yours? That would be your problem." Mac gave a small laugh himself.
"He's your puppy, though, Mister Barefoot," he sassed back.  This made Jorik give another short laugh, smiling fully this time.  Teddy had crawled into the elven's lap, and Jorik scratched behind the puppy's ears for a bit. 
     "I think I'd like to take a bath before we move on," he finally said after a few moments of quiet. 
     "Fair enough," Mac said.  "I'm probably going to take one as well, since we're here."  Jorik placed Teddy back on the ground and the pup toddled over to Bear, who nuzzled at him. 
     "Watch him, please, Bear," Mac told the big dog.  "We'll be back in a bit."  The dog wagged her tail and touched noses with the puppy. Mac stood and offered his had to Jorik.
The elven took it and Mac pulled him up, gently taking hold of his other arm to support if he needed it. Jorik clearly still favored his right foot, but he was starting to put weight on the toes. He put his hand on Mac's shoulder as he stood for a moment, trying to gage how his injury felt. 
     "You good?" Mac asked, still holding him. 
     "I think so," Jorik said.  "I just need to go slowly."  Mac nodded. 
     "Come on, then," he said.  He slowly began walking, letting the elven hobble along next to him. They went about twenty yards off the path and found the stream bubbling cheerfully as it flowed through the trees. Mac helped Jorik sit and knelt beside him as both began to undress.
"I can let you bathe first if you'd be uncomfortable washing at the same time," Mac offered. Jorik shook his head.
"I'll be fine," he said, but his cheeks began to turn slightly pinkish.  Mac gave a cheeky grin. 
     "Are you thinking naughty thoughts again?"  He asked mischievously. 
     "Maybe," Jorik answered, blushing more. 
     "Later," Mac told him, as the elven put his jacket and shirt next to Mac's.  "If we find somewhere more secured."  He began to unbutton his jeans and take them off. 
     "Fair enough," Jorik turned partially away to pull his own pants off.  "I suppose it would be easier to get into the mood if we have an actual door between us and whatever that beast is for safety." 
     "I just don't like fucking outside in general," Mac said as Jorik turned back to face him.  "Sex is a very private thing for me and I don't like feeling exposed without walls around me." 
     "Again, that's fair," Jorik said as they both slid into the water.  "Not everyone likes being outside during sex." Mac slid into the water, followed closely by Jorik.
"I just don't find it enjoyable," Mac said as he began splashing water over himself.
"It's not for everyone," Jorik ducked under the water before quickly coming back up. He shook the water out of his hair, splashing Mac in the process.
"Hey!" Mac laughed. "You're as bad as Bear when we play in the water."
"Oh, am I?" Jorik grinned mischievously. He scooped more water in his hands and threw it on Mac.
"You little," but Mac grinned as well, splashing the elven back. Jorik put up his hands to block the water, but he was grinning. A small splash behind him got both men's attention. Teddy paddled around the side of Jorik, his little paws moving efficiently to get him around.
"What are you doing?" Jorik picked the puppy up out of the water. The little pup stared at him and barked once.
"He's fine," Mac told him, tickling under the puppy's chin a few times. "Hellhounds are surprisingly good with water. It usually doesn't harm them, aside from a few drownings. People are always surprised when they see one swimming, but even these guys need to keep cool once in a while. Teddy is probably thinking it's play time or something." He spotted Bear trotting through the trees.
"Uh-oh," Mac barely had time to speak before the big dog leapt into the stream beside him.  Water splashed high, despite the stream not being very deep.
"Really, dog?" Mac asked good naturedly. Bear waded over and licked his face. He patted the dog's side.
"Bath time for everyone," Jorik said, placing Teddy back in the water and letting him swim. The puppy swam over to the big dog and swam under her belly. He came out from under her and swam to Mac. 
     "Hi puppy," Mac said, crouching in the water.  "You're a good swimmer."  The pup swam to his shoulder and tried to scramble up it.  Mac put a hand over the puppy's back and stood back up. He walked a couple steps over to Jorik. The elven had ducked under the water again, but came back up quickly.
"He likes you," Jorik told him as he offered the puppy.
"He likes you more," Mac told him, handing the now-squirming fur ball over. The puppy licked Jorik's face excitedly, the small, blue-black tongue wet on his already-wet skin.
"Sweet puppy," Jorik told the little creature. "Good Teddy." He placed the pup on the bank, where he began to shake off.  Bear climbed out as well, also shaking and sending water drops everywhere. 
     "Looks like bath time is over," Jorik said as he began to climb back up the bank.