Cascade

Civilized Terms

The medicine Willow had given me worked surprisingly well. The swelling of Sil's wounds had gone down, their size shrinking as they closed up. She'd also given me herbs to help with Sil's pain, and while they helped, it was a bit of a chore to get him to swallow them.

He'd grumble at me, a grimace curving his lips and a low growl in his throat. To his dismay I'd merely raise an eyebrow and snicker as I coaxed him into eating them.

He'd give in eventually, his frown deep set as he smacked afterward. It must have tasted terrible, but he certainly seemed better for them. He'd soon recovered enough to shamble around; thankfully before I had to visit his food storage once more.

He could fend for himself now. At least enough to journey to his stash.

My own supply of cans had started to dwindle at some point. I'd managed to slip away in the early morning while Sil was sleeping to get more. He hadn't seemed to notice my absence.

It was a couple more days before he was able to climb the stairs again. I'd tried to stop him at first, but he'd insisted on limping his way up after me when I went to find breakfast. There wasn't really much I could do against a stubborn cannibal.

The sunshine seemed to do him good though, a little more color returning to his skin. We spent the day lazing out doors for a bit before I led him back inside. The way the temperature had dropped, it was too cold to stay out for long.

It was two days later that I was met with a slight dilemma. Sil's wounds had healed considerably, his cannibal healing seeming to have finally started working properly.

Sil whined, watching me with wide eyes and a furrowed brow from where he was lounging on the floor of the den. I stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame. I held up my scissors and snipped them together, a frown on my lips. "I need to take out your stitches."

Sil gave me a 'mrph' as I crossed my way over to him, his brow smoothing out as I settled beside him.

I waved my hand in a roll over motion. "Come on, time for medical treatment."

He snorted, but complied, rolling onto his back to let me work. I worked quickly to remove the stitches, Sil grumbling whenever I pulled one out.

It didn't take long, and soon I was stowing my scissors away. "K, I'm done now. You can proceed with your day now."

He gave a purr, stronger than it had been in days, as he pulled himself up. I blinked, jumping a touch, when he nuzzled into my chest. He moved closer, leaning most of his weight into me. The sudden motion caught me off balance and I was pushed over, back against the furs.

This seemed to please him, his purr deepening as he snuggled closer. He let out a sigh, his body relaxing.

I gave a light laugh and moved a hand up to run it along his back. It wasn't long before I heard snoring.

A smile curled my lips. Well, I could probably use a nap too.

~ ~ ~

I woke up tangled with Sil, a pleasant warmth in my bones. I gave a light sigh, pressing closer and burying my nose into his chest.

He murmured, rubbing his cheek into my hair as a purr filled the air. It was deeper than it'd been in days. I felt something in my chest relax.

It was a moment before either of us moved, simply enjoying our shared warmth. Neither of us really had anything that needed to immediately be attended to, but Sil and I would both need to eat at some point.

A shower would be good too. Sil would also need his bandages changed. Maybe I could get him to shower too? I'd cleaned off what I could of the blood, but a shower would probably do him good. Hmm.