The West Woods

Chapter 4 : Nice and Warm

The night was terribly cold and the two of them spent it shivering even close to the fire. Wes had retrieved rocks from one of their chests and using their alchemy machine he prototyped a thermal stone. He made a second which he gave to Woodie. Neither of them slept that night. The chill in the air too uncomfortable for them to find any rest. And they nestled under their grass sleeping bags, looking for any warmth they could find. Both of them exchanged looks of nervousness back and forth. This was cold, but it was nothing compared to what the winter would bring them.

In the morning, after things had become warmer, Wes crawled out from beneath his grass bed mat and left the house. He checked his traps as always, gathering silk and meat from them. There were no glands this time, but he tried not to worry. They had saved up enough at this time.

He adjusted the backpack he wore and he wandered around looking for something, for anything he might be able to make useful. He did find some tails. Catcoon tails as they were. He had come to find that - for whatever reason - this part of the animal did not decay when the rest of it did, and spiders seemed not to like the meat of it.

Struck by an epiphany he began to collect any tails he could find. He had a plan he was certain would work, if he had enough materials. He spent the day gathering, ignoring the nip of the chilly air against his cheeks. He collected all the tails he could and headed home.

Woodie seemed confused when he produced all the tails from his bag, spilling them into the alchemy machine and combining them with the string they'd woven from the silk. Much to Wes' delight, which he made clear by leaning on an 'invisable wall' and prompting cheers from an absent audience, two caps were produced with striped patterns along them.

Woodie stared impressed by the product and poked at the fire with a stick to stir it. Wes smirked and bounced his eyebrows at the man before him, rather impressed himself, and more than cocky enough to look for praise from Woodie. Woodie chuckled and nodded his head.

"I like 'em. They're gonna be nice an' warm when the snow comes."

Wes smiled and nodded his head. He found Woodie quite handsome, and even more handsome when he was receiving compliments from him. But he was almost certain the man had no interest in him, and he left the subject me for now.

In the early days of their settling Wes had come across the remains of many survivors, and he'd been lucky enough to collect a good amount of rabbit fur. It wasn't as though they would have any use for it these days anyway being dead, and Wes and Woodie were alive and needed the warmth more than them.

Wes took their bedrolls then and wove the tufts into them, and Woodie watched him blinking with what seemed to be utter shock.

"That's a good idea!" Woodie exclaimed, getting a bit closer to watch what Wes was doing.

The mime smiled at the others interest in his work. Woodie made him feel very appreciated, and after so long without a lick of affection Wes craved the attention.

Woodie watched for a time and then moved to retrieve food to bring to the fire to begin cooking. Wes stopped in his work, looking up to the man. His eyes alone held enough inquiry to prompt the answer he was looking for from the lumberjack.

"I've been sittin' at home all day. You've been out getting stuff to keep us warm, and keep the house comfy. The least I can do is make yah dinner."

Wes felt his heart swell, his cheeks warm and he smiled at this and looked back to his work. This feeling in him, it was not one he was unfamiliar with. He'd felt it before a handful of times, and he knew it as infatuation. But he would spare Woodie his advances, content to just live with him, to survive. They worked well together and Wes needed nothing more than that.

He was happy.

By the time Wes was finished with his work on the mats the food was done. He lay the mats out and took his food from the other man with a thankful nod. He then set to eat, listening to Woodie bicker with the ax. A one sided conversation with Lucy as usual. Wes didn't let this bother him, only focused on his food.

When the both of them had finished dinner and the birds had been fed, Wes and Woodie crawled into their sleeping bags. The fur against their skins was soft and warm, and it was the most comfortable they had been in their time here. They slept soundly.