Vampire Hunter D: Stolen Sunlight

Chapter 6

When Leigh woke up the next morning she found herself alone in the cave. She assumed D was outside getting everything ready for them to leave. She wondered briefly about the fact that he hadn't used a pallet and felt bad for taking both his bedroll and his cloak. She hadn't needed the extra blanket though since the weather was still fairly warm. She had started to fold up the bedroll and was about to get up and leave the cave when D ducked back in. His sudden entrance surprised Leigh so much she almost dropped the bedroll but managed to hold on. She handed it over to D without preamble.

He took it and set it beside the pack without looking. His focus was still on Leigh. "There is a stream not far from here. I think we are clear for the moment. Would you like to clean up before we leave?"

Leigh was struck dumb for a moment. She had thought about finding a way to clean up the previous night but had decided it would have to wait. His consideration that morning in that regard was surprising. "If you think it is safe, I would love the opportunity. Just getting this blood out of my hair would be wonderful." D nodded at her reply.

Before she could stand though, D was at her side and had her lifted into his arms. He ducked out of the cave and was already walking to the east before Leigh could find the words to stop him. "You didn't need to carry me. I can walk!"

"I told you last night you should stay off your feet for a couple of days. We're here already anyway." Leigh was mortified but noticed they were indeed near a small stream. It was shallow but clear and she wondered why she hadn't heard the water the night before.

D gently sat her down on a boulder next to the stream and picked up one of her feet before she had a chance to say anything else. He quickly unwrapped the foot and then reached for the other one. Leigh grabbed his hand to stop him before he could finish. "I can take it off myself, thank you though." She didn't want him to think she didn't appreciate it, but she couldn't handle the embarrassment of being waited on any longer.

Thankfully he drew away without protest. "Fine, I'll rewrap them once you are finished. Call out to me when you are done. I will hear you." With that, he handed her what looked to be a cake of soap and walked back toward the cave. Leigh watched him for a moment and found that although he was prepping everything to leave, he kept his back turned to her the whole time.

She was still a little wary about disrobing in the open but feeling her hair once more convinced her she needed to wash up. She undid the last bandage and looked at her own foot briefly for the first time. There were a few cuts and it was bruised, but not as bad as she had expected. There were luckily no signs of infection. She was thankful he had taken the time to clean and wrap them the night before.

She gingerly stood and unclasped the cloak. She took the time to lay it on the boulder she had just been sitting on. She looked once more to the cave to make sure D was still occupied and then pulled her nightgown off as well. Standing there in only her underwear she took the time to look at her gown. It was cleaner than she expected, but it made sense when she thought about it. She had been wearing D's cloak when she was splattered. She didn't see the signs on his worn cloak, but she was sure it was in much worse shape. Unfortunately, it was still the most protective thing she had to wear, and she could not afford to be without it while it dried. She promised herself she would take the opportunity to clean it before she gave it back.

She slipped out of the last of her clothes and stepped into the water. It was chilly but not unbearably so, especially since the weather had been so nice. She waded out to the deepest part and found it still only reached her thighs. She decided to get it over with as fast as possible. She knelt in the water, so she was almost completely covered and leaned her head back. She suppressed a chill and got to work lathering her hair and body with the soap. It looked to be some variety of castile soap thankfully. If it had been pure lye it would have been even harder on her hair, but she wasn't going to complain. At least it would be clean and blood-free.