The Hunt

Chapter 8

"We can explain, Alex." Without hesitation he springs up and starts to run out of the camper, only to be tackled to the ground by Clio. I know how he feels all too well, probably even more since I've been pinned by her in more than one way. She slowly drags him back and sits him back down at the table across from me. He looks like he's seen his ghost. "Just sit and relax, Alex." "How do I relax with..." He can't even find words to describe her. I glance over, of course she only has her tiny clothes on that would make anyone have issues trying to pay attention. I also feel bad because that's all she has. "Look. Stay here and we'll explain. If you decide to run, you won't get far like before." He nods as I make her get up and lead her to the bedroom. I pull out my biggest hoodie and pair of pajama pants and throw them at her. I look up at her towering figure and see what I can only assume is sadness in her eyes. I pull her into the tightest hug I can, listening to her heartbeat slow down. I feel bad; she thinks I hate her. While her methods of claiming someone are immensely unorthodox, I don't hate her at all. I feel quite the opposite about her, however. I need to start showing her I don't hate her and that I care. I am brought back to reality by the sound of her tail hitting the wall behind her in happiness. "Here, hon. Put these on." She tilts her head, the ear twitch indicating confusion. "Why? I have clothes on already!" I know she sees the slightly concerned look on my face because she starts putting on the hoodie without further questioning. The hoodie is tight around her chest as expected, acting more as a crop top on her larger frame. The pants do not fit without the need for modification. I pull my knife out of the nightstand so I can modify the pants when I hear growling. I turn around to see my brother at the door to the room, frozen in place. "I'm just checking to make sure she didn't kill you..." I sigh and go back to cutting the elastic from the waistband as well as a hole for her tail. "If she wanted to kill us, you think we'd still be alive right now?" I hand her the pants to try on again and look at him with a "really, dude?" look. I look over to see the pants still tight, but fit better without being uncomfortable. I put my knife away and motion for my brother to go back to sitting at the small table. We sit across from him once more, Clio cuddling up to me again only closer this time. I can tell she is still not a fan of Alex. She pulls me tight against her, the warmth emanating from her still despite her new clothes. "So who is... she?" "Clio." She growls her name. I need to defuse this before it gets dangerous. "Clio. This is my brother. Please relax, he won't hurt us." I turn to my brother and give him a glare to indicate he is not helping this situation. "Alex, this is Clio. Clio, this is my brother Alex." He smiles weakly with a nervous chuckle and reaches his hand out slowly to shake her hand. I've never seen her more confused, and probably never will again. I reach out and shake his hand, showing Clio what he means by this. I remove my hand and moved her to do the same. She reaches out and takes his hand and gently shakes it, still unsure of what's happening. "That's a greeting that means peace. Means he doesn't want to hurt us." She loosens up a little and her eyes relax slightly. She is still on high alert, but it's progress. "Okay. First, you can't tell anyone about this. Not even your girlfriend for that matter." He nods slowly, but I'm not convinced. "Remember, you don't want to cross her." I hear him gulp as he glances at her. I know I've made my point now. "Second, you're going to be learning with me." I see his face change to confusion. "I don't know everything. We will learn together. You kind of interrupted this conversation when you showed up." "What the heck do you mean?" I sigh. "I know it sounds weird but trust me, it'll be worth it." I've never seen my brother this scared before. "Clio, how long have you been around here?" She looks at me, still unsure about this. I offer a small relaxing smile, which proves to be enough to calm her to the point of talking to us. She tells us she has been living around here for at least a year now. She found my scent after I closed the camper up for the winter, accidentally leaving a sock outside. Because of that, she decided to stick around until I came back to see if I was worth it. To no one's surprise, I was worth it because here we are. As she is telling us this, I feel her relax and become more cuddly. I can also see my brother relax to the point of even sharing a few laughs with her. Her kind prefers those of the more submissive side, and that she chose me because she thought I was caring and calm. If the last 2 days are any indication, you'd think she was crazy because I've been a nervous wreck for most of it. She pulls me tight to her without thinking about it and starts playing with my hair. I relax and lean my head back into her, feeling a gentle kiss on the back of my head melting my worries away. I'm slowly starting to fall asleep to the sound of my brother and her talking about hunting of all things, as well as the exhaustion I haven't entirely slept off from the night before. I fall asleep in her warm embrace, her chest as my new favorite pillow.