The Beast Within Us

Chapter: 20 ⑄ Chala

⑄ Yara climbed onto her back without question, her weight feather light upon the tigress' back as she began the journey back to the caravans. Making sure to keep her gait steady and smooth, it didn't take long for the two to reach their destination. The tears wetting her pelt earlier on in their walk hadn't gone unnoticed by the huntress, and she felt a heavy coil of fear and melancholy in the pit of her stomach. Strangely enough though, the emotions didn't feel like her own. It made her pause outside of the warden's caravan, watching her back curiously, worriedly. After a few contemplative moments, she entered as well, poised to climb back onto the bench she'd been sleeping on before.

Needless to say, the girl was surprised when Yara offered - well, feebly commanded - her a spot in her bed. But Chala could hear the distress in her voice and how scared she was. It made her heart ache a little, and the huntress felt she could at least do this given the danger she'd put her charge in. Figuring Yara had no desire to share a bed with a tiger big enough to squish her, Chala shifted back and approached her side cautiously.

Once she was sure her 'order' was being followed, the warden had laid back down. The fabric dipped with Chala's weight as she settled, pulling the covers over herself and facing away from the other inhabitant of the bed. Some time passed before Chala felt comfortable enough to fall asleep, and by then Yara's breathened had long since evened out to the steady rhythm of slumber. Before she succumbed as well, the tigress found herself wondering what the days to come would hold for her.

• • • • •   

Chala woke to something tickling her nose. It wasn't new or unusual; the girl often slept holding her tail, so she figured it was simply another one of those cases. There was, however, something else odd. She felt a weight on her shoulder and midriff, causing her to notice that she lay on her back rather than her side - the position in which she'd started the night before. Opening her eyes and looking down, she was met with soft brown curls and breathing against her neck. Her tail was wrapped around Yara's waist, and the woman in question had pulled her close, arms still wrapped around the hewan huntress. The warden was cuddled up to her intimately, had probably sought ought her warmth in the night subconsciously, and Chala was doing her best to calm her thundering heartbeat.

As she thought of ways to carefully extract herself from the other girl's grip, she found herself distracted by the peaceful expression on her face. This was the most relaxed she'd seen Yara in the few days they'd been in each other's company, her fair features not hardened by stress, authority, or anything else the alluded to her title. Casual as she was in that moment...Chala found her to be rather pretty. Blushing at the realization of what she was thinking - which did nothing to slow her already heightened pulse - the tigress' breath caught as Yara exhaled heavily, the sigh ghosting across her neck, and re-tightened her grip.

It seemed Chala wasn't going anywhere, anytime soon.

• • • • •   

When she woke for the second time, Chala was alone. It was both a relief and slightly disconcerting, but she decided against worrying over it for too long.

Chala spent much of that day as a tigress, following along with the caravan, still sauntering near the warden as usual. She never really got a good glimpse at the other girl's facial expression after the precarious position she'd no doubt found them in that morning despite watching her often. In the end, it was never brought up. The huntress couldn't decided whether or not she minded.

• • • • •   

The next week was spent travelling off and on. They marched during the day and rested overnight, as they had been for the days before Kiir's visit. The warden and her hewan bodyguard had returned to casualty after a day of awkward interaction, which relieved the latter of the pair. It meant less stress on both of their plates that way, although Chala did find herself thinking about it every now and then. Those thoughts were always put to rest, however, when she saw Yara and Darryn together, knowing what should've been obvious to anyone with eyes. It made her chuckle a bit how oblivious the warden's other banners were.

She and Darryn continued to spar, improving their friendship as well as their fighting skills. Occasionally, her friend managed to best her in combat, pulling new tricks in his own clever way that'd earned her respect. It was after one such match that she was approached by her warden as Chala rested in a tree near a stream she'd found close to the caravan's path.

She looked down at the other woman expectantly, tail hanging lazily in the air and feline form stretched along the sturdy branch she'd chosen. ⑄