Falcon's Flight

Twenty-Six

Within a few days, they were far away from the other tribe. Shan Yu was eager to put distance between them, though he wouldn’t say why, not even to Odsar.

They had reached water. Fen wasn’t sure if it was a wide stream or a small river but either way, it was a chance to wash herself. A lot of the others thought similarly, as they soon spent time bathing. Fen didn’t join them, she wasn’t quite comfortable sharing her body with them. She had asked Shan Yu to bathe with her and since he hadn’t joined the others, she assumed he was still going to.

“I’m going to bathe tonight,” said Fen. It would be cold but the ger was warm and would still be warm when they returned. “Are you still going to come with me?”
Shan Yu nodded. “I said I would.” Fen smiled.

He was true to his word as he accompanied her to the small river not long after sunset. The cold didn’t seem to bother him as he striped down and entered the water. Even though it wasn’t very wide, it was quite deep, which is why Fen had decided it to be a small river rather than a large stream.

After looking around to be sure there was no one else around but the two of them, she started removing her clothes and walking into the water, gasping at how cold it was.
Shan Yu chuckled. “I warned you it could be cold.” He had warned her, but it was colder than she could have ever imagined. Fen wasn’t even aware that water could be this cold.
“I know,” she said, shivering slightly as she walked towards him, which was further into the river.
“Don’t stay in the water too long, you aren’t used to it,” he said. Fen nodded in agreement. She didn’t want to stay in the water longer than she had to, now she knew how cold it was. “It will make you ill if you’re not careful.”

Fen found herself surprised at how comfortable she felt around him. Back at home, bathing with the person you were going to marry hadn't even been a conceivable idea. And yet, here she was. Smiling, Fen continued bathing. Perhaps the inevitability of intimacy meant she was more willing, or perhaps it was because there were no strict rules, and there was no one to tell her not to bathe with him.

Once she was certain she was clean, Fen stepped out onto the dry land. The air felt even colder than the water. They headed back to the ger together, but as Fen lay next to him, she found herself shivering.

“I feel colder now than when I was in the water,” she whispered.
“You get used to the water after a while,” Shan Yu said. “And it takes longer to get warm again.”

Fen hummed as she shuffled closer to him. He was warm despite being on the cold water for longer than she was. She supposed it probably had something to do with being part demon.

“You're warm.”
“I know,” he said. “And you are cold.” Fen nodded even though she was lying down. Shan Yu pulled her even closer than she already was as she felt herself start to feel a little less cold.

“I'm lucky,” she said, seemingly changing to topic. She yawned and then looked at him with a grin on her face.
“Lucky?”
“I get to be warmed up by you by cuddling,” she said. It was nice, and they had been doing it the last few nights too but this time it sort of felt special. Or maybe she was just tired and cold.
Shan Yu chuckled. “You do.”