A Strange Union

Chapter 10: A morning bath

Amatsuchi opened her eyes, looking straight up at the sky. It was still fairly dark as the sun hadn't peeked over the mountain peaks yet. She rolled around to lie on her stomach and stretched out like a cat, arching her back and stretching her arms out in front of her. Then she rose up, deciding to hunt a little to find some food for breakfast for the three of them. Moodozer, herself and… Ravna. She still hadn't gotten quite used to the other draenei. Something about the priest sent shivers down her spine. It was like Ravna knew something Amatsuchi did not, and it was as if she was watching over her all the time.

The hunt ended shortly, due to massive luck. She had seen a deer and been able to sneak close to it, had petted it. Animals liked Amatsuchi, probably feeling her connection to the nature. Either way, all it had taken her was a quick strike across the deer's head with her mace. She hated to kill animals, but she knew she had to. But she killed them as fast as possible to make them not suffer too much. And she always used all she could of the meat, so nothing would go to waste.

When she had finished skinning it she cut off the useful meat, collecting the meat parts in a bag. The innards she left for the predators to eat. She had never been too fond of eating innards, even if she'd like to use all parts of the animals she killed.

Flint and tinder was easily accessed from Moodozer's bag, so she took some to make up a fire to bring heat and light to the camp. He wouldn't mind anyways. Besides she had to do something to the meat – couldn't eat it raw. She found some spices from her bag and started preparing the meat.

Moodozer would be so happy with her, as they now wouldn't have to eat dry bread for breakfast. They were all quite tired of that – would have to come to a city soon to buy other foods. Then she poured water into a stewing pot together with herbs and peeled potatoes.

For a while, as the meat, potatoes, spices and herbs boiled into a fine soup, she watched the sky grow brighter and brighter by the second, her nostrils filled with the scent of the food.

She closed her eyes, slowly drifting back to sleep, but managed somehow to stay in between the realm of dreams and reality. She felt at peace now, feeling the nature waking up, letting out the first howling yawns in the form of gusts of winds, feel the trees rustling in the wind, moaning and complaining about the day coming too soon.

It was only a while later she opened her eyes to see the fire having died out, only glows remaining. After using a stick to stir the stew, she took out pottery plates and poured some of the steaming food into one of them, and crawled over to the sleeping tauren, poking him gently.

His eyes opened at once. He slept fairly lightly.

"Good morning, Moodozer. Slept well?" She asked, smiling.

He looked around a little, then spotting her, yawning.

"Yeah," he muttered. "I slept well. Wish I still was sleeping…"

Then he looked up at the sky to try to tell what time it was. As it was sunless as the sun hadn't risen, he figured it was early. He could only hear a few birds chirping.

"What are you doing up this early?"

"I just woke up," she half lied half spoke the truth. "I do that sometimes… Anyways, I'm going for a bath. Want to join me after you've eaten?"

She handed him the plate and a spoon. "Enjoy the meal, Dozer!"

The big tauren held the blanket tighter around him, as if trying to shield him from the cold water he imagined she had thrown him in.

"Isn't it a little cold for a morning bath?" he complained, looking at the draenei who was shaking her head.

"No, not at all. It is perfect now. I can greet the new day better this way. Wanna join?"

"No thanks… I'll pass this time… I'll rather stay here where it is warm…" he closed his golden eyes, to not look at Amatsuchi's disappointed expression.

"Oh… Okay," she smiled, standing up. "Enjoy the breakfast."

And then, she was gone among the trees of the forest, leaving the camp behind to greet a new day. As she reached the shore of a pond, she started to undress and stepped into the freezing water, watching the fog above the surface embrace her body.

Ravna, who had woken up by the conversation between the other two, asked what was going on. The half asleep tauren just said she was going for a bath, whining a little about the temperature.

Snickering, Ravna thought that was just like Amatsuchi had always been. "She's insane, isn't she?" She whispered sensually as she crawled closer to Moodozer. "I'd really like a hug to keep me warm, handsome…"

Dozer opened his eyes at once. He didn't want to hug Ravna. Not in the slightest. Therefore…

"Here," he said as he handed her a soft bundle. "Blankets work much better…"

The stubborn priest refused to yield. "No! A hug is much better! Nothing is better than another body's temperature to get warm!"

"A blanket by the bonfire is much more effective, you know…"

She still refused to give in and shook her head. No way was she going to pass on a hug from him, so she crawled even closer to him while smiling seducingly.

"Seriously… the fire works better – trust me!" he desperately tried to convince her.

"But I want a hug…" she whined, this time sneaking into his blanket, pressing her body against his.

"Go join Ama!"

"But it's cold there!"

Moodozer stood up and got dressed. "I'll go for a walk – to get some blood pumped around my body!"

"Eeh? But it's so cold! There are other ways you know," she purred and winked to him. He pretended he didn't see.

"It's the way I've always done it – the way I'm used to – and I'll keep doing it this way…"

The draenei pouted, calling him a meanie and whined about him leaving, and then suggesting that she at the very least was going to come with him.

"Why do you insist on being close to me, Ravna?" he said, sending her a glowering look.

"Why, of course, it's because you make me feel safe, you're a hunk and I love you!" she chirped, ignoring the hateful look he sent her.

"Let it go… Your feelings are not returned!"

She shook her head. "You're just playing hard to get," giggling as she said it. "Well, I'll let you go alone anyways…"

The big warrior tauren walked around in the dark forest, wondering why Ravna had to be the one loving him. He let out a deep sigh. He kept walking for what felt like hours, though by the shade of the sky he could tell only minutes passed. After a short while, he arrived at a fog cloaked pond. It wasn't big, but it looked cold and deep.

Out of a sudden, he could hear something break the surface, and close to the shore he could see the silhouette of a woman. Amatsuchi. Quickly he turned around, afraid to be caught. 'That was Ama, wasn't it?' he thought.

It was not a moment too late, for the next second the sun in all its glory rose up over the peaks of the tall mountains, the golden rays reaching the lake, chasing the fog away, revealing Amatsuchi's naked, wet skin. And she noticed the tauren at last.

"Ah! You came for a bath as well, Moodozer?" she said as she walked closer to the shore, the water only reaching her to the waist.

"N…no I just happened to stumble…" he didn't even manage to finish the sentence because of embarrassment.

"So… You won't be taking a bath with me?"

"No…. It looks too cold…"

"You haven't even looked," she complained.

"I already have looked…" he tried to explain. Amatsuchi giggled.

"You mean you were looking when it was all foggy? Of course it looked cold! But it is always like that in the morning before the sun rises… I've even heated the water with my fire totems…"

He looked at her, amazed by the power that rested within her slender frame.

He started to undress, still not looking at the shaman woman in the lake. "I guess it won't hurt trying…" he said as he stepped into the water, half expecting it to be freezing.

But he was pleasantly surprised. The water was lukewarm, neither too cold nor too warm. A sigh escaped his lips.

"Well?" asked Amatsuchi as she surfaced after her dive.

"It's warm…" he said, not realizing she was just trying to stall him off. She was swimming towards him, eyeing him like a kid might eye a cotton candy that's just within reach.

And then… without any pre-warning she struck him, wrapping her arms around his waist, pulling herself close in a wet surprise hug.

"Wh…" blood was rushing to his head, realizing the draenei was hugging him. She looked up at him, smiling shyly, not seeming to notice anything that was going on below her.

"Why are you doing that?" he tried again, this time successfully managing to ask her.

"You looked so cold, looked like you needed a hug…" she whispered innocently.

"The water was taking care of that… b…but I don't mind…"

That remark was enough to make her let to and stand up and back off a few feet. "Oh… Sorry…"

Dozer did his best not to gaze upon her naked, now fully exposed body. Though he knew by heart how it looked like. Slim yet full curves… pale, almost white skin. Wet, ebon hair sticking to her back and chest. Soft lips curved in a smile. The arc of the back… He felt a change of the flow of his blood. This was bad. Real bad. If she noticed all chanced he had ever had on her would be ruined.

"W…Why did you want to bathe this early in the morning?" he asked, desperately trying to come up with something sensible to say.

"Because I like cold water, I suppose…" she said as she rubbed her arm, trying to bring some heat into it by friction and to get rid of the goose-bumps. "The water at the bottom of the lake is still kind of cold, you know…"

Moodozer saw his chance to hug her, to pull her body close to his.

"Here, have some heat…" He hugged her gently. "I still can't see why you like cold water thou--"

He was pushed away by two arms. She had pushed him away. Why?

"I won't force you to hug me… You seemed to mind even if you said otherwise…" she whispered, looking a little sad.

"I thought I said I didn't mind…"

"You seemed to mind," she countered.

"I didn't mind at all," he continued. "You just surprised me, is all!"

He was starting to get desperate. She seemed… different… She seemed like she didn't want him to be here out of all sudden.

"Yeah right…" she said in a half choked voice, swimming away from him, leaving him dumbfounded behind. What had he done wrong? Where had he failed? Why did she just swim away like that, as if he'd done something bad? He had just tried to not be polite and not look…

'Women… Complicated creatures,' he thought, still trying to come up with something to say.

"I was just surprised! I didn't see you coming!" he nearly shouted.

"You don't have to pretend, warrior…"

Those words pierced his heart. Why did she coldly call him 'warrior' instead of calling him by his name, or nickname?

"But… but I'm not pretending!"

"Yeah right… that's probably why you and Ravna always seem to be cuddling when I'm gone…" Ama turned around and glared at him. "I bet you just wanted me to get away so you could be alone with her!"

With this, the draenei walked out of the water, got her clothes and vanished into the forest, her sobs could be heard long after she was out of sight.

Moodozer was left behind to stare after her, not moving an inch for a long while. But as he felt the water grow cold as the totems vanished, he stepped out of it, not knowing what to do.