The Wolf and The Blossom

Chapter 5

Anne

Warmth seeps into my body and I nestle into the furs. My eyes flutter open and I see Waya laying beside me, body still mostly bare, hair sprawled between us. I lean over looking down at his face.

Clothes lay near the foot of the furs. Carefully I crawl over him, but he wakes up anyway. I point to the clothes and to me. "Are those for me?"

He nods. "Uh, uh."

"Yes?"

"Yes." he mimicks my word, his voice deep and lilting. The sound makes me shiver and my skin tightens over my bones.

"I'm going to get dressed," I say.

Waya nods, turning his back to me, I struggle with the wrap around skirt, my eyes bulk at the small chest wrap. The whole ensemble exposing my midriff.

I nudge him with my foot and he yelps as my cold foot pushes his bicep. Against my better judgement, I giggle and he turns to face me, standing. "Is this how it's supposed to look?"

He looks me up and down, nodding. "Yes, osda."

Smoothing my hands over my skirt, I fidget from foot to foot. "Marriage, today?" I ask, gesturing between us.

Waya nods, washing his face in a bucket, taking his hair down from its topknot. They really waste no time. Before I can comprehend what's going on, he takes off his breeches and I gasp when I catch sight of his intimate parts and turn away. Waya laughs, a full belly laugh as he puts on a clean pair and touches my shoulder when he's done.

I turn, scowling at him, crossing my arms. He continues to chuckle and pokes my mouth. I bat his hand away and stick my tongue out at him.

Now that I see him in the morning light I see a knot above his heart. Without thought, I reach out and trace it with the pad of my finger, the nail scraping his skin. Waya inhales sharply and grabs my wrist, pulling it away from his chest, shaking his head.

"I'm sorry," I say, biting my lip, his hand scorching my wrist.

His thumb strokes over the sensitive skin of my inner wrist before he drops it and his guard snaps back up, almost visibly. He walks away from me and I follow behind, feeling exposed and alone as I walk behind him through the village.

People are gathered around, everyone with their arms crossed, eyes hard upon me. Especially the woman who yelled at me yesterday. Waya slams his hands against the tent flaps and doesn't bother holding them open. My shoulders curve in as I stare at the flaps. I might be their captive, but I won't let them defeat me. Squaring my shoulders, I take a deep breath and slip into the dimply lit tent.

The elderly woman from yesterday stands in the center of the tent in front of a circle of flowers, big enough for only two people, a blue blanket covering the woman's arm. She glares at Waya, mouth pursed. She smacks him over the head, admonishing him. He mumbles something and I barely smother a giggle. She winks at me with a mischievous smile, beckoning me to the circle.

I step into the circle with Waya and the woman puts my hands on his chest. My skin stark pale against his copper skin. I look up and realize he is much taller and muscular than I thought. A warrior. He closes his hands and takes a deep breath, cupping my shoulders. my arms tiny in his hands.

The air between us is much too thin. The situation is too intimate for us to be in, practically embraced.

The elderly woman speaks and Waya's eyes lock on mine and stay there, a decision having been made while they were closed, for that is acceptance I see. My heart thunders in my chest, but beneath my palms his heart is steady, calm and strong. Without realizing, he steps closer to me and me to him. I take a deep breath and press my palms into his chest.

From this point on whether we like it or not, I am his and he is mine. We are in this together.

The elderly woman touches my back and gestures to Waya. I glance at him and take strength from his steady heart. I nod, giving him my eyes again. She touches him and he nods as well. She wraps the blue blanket around us, making us seem even closer and to my astonishment he leans down, resting his forehead on mine and I tip my face up so they fit together.

We are now husband and wife.

Bound forever.

-~-

After the ceremony Waya immediately took me into the forest. We walk in silence the whole walk until we reach a river. He sits down by the rivers edge and I hesitate before sitting beside him. He hands his head to his chest. I look out over the river, flowing swiftly past us.

Otters play in the water and I squeal, jumping up, hitting Waya's arm. "Otters!" I splash into the water, sinking chest deep, swimming.

The otters approach me, swimming around me, brushing my legs, fur tickling my feet. I submerge my head and barely come up to see Waya, touching some sort of figurine. My heart squeezes. I swim closer towards him and splash water up onto the edge, spraying him.

He looks up, eyes incredulous, causing me to laugh as his hair hangs limo around his face. I splash him again. His shoulders shake with laughter and he charges into the water with me. He splashes me back and before I can get away, he grabs me, picking me up and before I can protest, he launches me away, into the middle of the river. I scream as I drop into the water.

I come back up, gasping for air, choking on my laughter. "Again!"

Waya laughs and he throws me again and again until even his muscular arms can't pick me up anymore. We play all sorts of games. Seeing who can stay under the longest, racing across the river, finding the other with eyes closed and only noises to guide the direction, we even animal watch.

We lay on the grass and I point to the wooden figurine he'd been holding onto earlier. "Did someone you love give that to you?" I ask, using gestures to help my words come across to him.

He nods sadly, pointing to himself and beside him, like a copy, a brother. "What happened to your brother?"

Waya hesitates, not because he doesn't understand but because he doesn't want to tell me. He points to my arm then drags a finger across his neck. My breath catches. "My people killed him..." I whisper.

"Yes." he nods sadly again, touching his tattoo. "For him," he says.

"That's really beautiful," I tell him.

He looks up at the branches above us, his arms behind his head.

Chewing my lip, I wriggle my feet in the grass. "I have a sister. The man my mother is married to, took her and my sister and locked me in my room so I couldn't come." tears fill my eyes.

He nudges my hand with his and I close my eyes, letting the sun soak into my skin and our tragedies hang in the air.