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Kaitlyn Williams

She had to admit, she slept wonderfully. The vivid dreams she had all that night were great, since Timoteo was with her. She could remember every bit of it too! She woke up that morning and yawned with her arms upwards. Feeling way better, she looked around her and saw Timoteo sleeping nearby. She smiled warmly, he actually stayed there with her through the night!

She giggled and stood up, shakily. ”Woah,” she murmured to herself, as her legs felt stronger to her. She then walked out and after a long time she returned with some food. Of course. She had made a fire and had cooked some fish, made especially for him. Though, would he like fish? Had he ever had it? Will he be disgusted? She groaned quietly as her mind whirled.

The smell of the fish was rather great, or what she’d say: fishy. She constantly glanced to him to see if he would awaken. When the fish finished, she ran off again and returned with some water in a bowl. Putting out the fire with ease. Now all she had to do now was wait.​
 
That morning Timo woke up sore from sleeping on the cold, hard ground, and was startled awake by the sounds of waking nature around him as well as the faint yet familiar smell of pan-seared or woodfire fish. He rubbed the bleariness from his eyes and looked about.

Slowly he was starting to recall the events that led him here -- the sights and sounds, the adventures and the misadventures, and the frayed nerves from the fear that he would lose his friend to a snake bite. With a glance in her direction, he found that she was . . . surprisingly well! The bedrest did amazing things for her, it seemed, and she almost seemed as if she was not bitten at all. Seeing her hale again brought much relief to the young man as he sat up, yawned, and rubbed the sleep from his eyelids, a sleepy smile on his face.

"I thought I would beat you to being awake," he replied, a small chuckle erupting from his throat.
 
Kaitlyn Williams

Good morning!” She exclaimed to him with the sweetest smile to him. Her tail swishing gracefully behind her, her face was also not as pale as before. She got up with what looked like a plate and sat beside him and handed it to him. “Here. I made this for you. Hope you like it,” she did a closed-eye smile as she spoke.

And I don’t know if you have to go home after this. But um...” she paused, rubbing the back of her neck. “I wanted to show you something. That I feel you must see. It’s an animal, but I think you’ll like it.” She also had an apple in her right hand and was throwing it up then catching it.

And one more thing,” she turned to him once more with a serious expression. “I wouldn’t be here in this state of life if it wasn’t for you. I want to thank you.”​
 
"Uh, yes! Good morning!" uttered Timoteo groggily in response, trying to shake himself free from his earlier slumber. She sat next to him and offered him a crisp fish whose smell made his mouth water. Those two things definitely helped in clearing his head, but a number of things baffled his brain as a result.

"Thank you. This fish looks delicious . . . but are you sure we can't share it? Have you eaten yet? I only gave you a small portion of bread and cheese earlier."

His empty stomach snarled at him at the thought of food, perhaps because he himself had not eaten much of anything since breakfast yesterday. Timo looked bashfully toward Kaitlyn and graciously accepted the fish before pulling it open and eating the flesh of the fish by chunk after chunk. Manna from heaven! he thought to himself. This is good, and cooked to perfection. Wait, cooked?

It was indeed cooked. Then again, he would be a bit foolish to think that she could not do something so impressive as lighting a fire by herself without others teaching her. She had a way of surprising him.

"Please, there's no need for thanks . . . and besides, you have have thanked me twice before. It is the least I can do for a friend, especially one in your situation." He scratched his ear. "While I should head back to town because people are likely missing me, I would rather bring you back home to prevent you from being lost. But I would love to see this animal you are mentioning," he answered with an excited smile. He partially envisioned Jerry the fawn when talking about the topic at hand, but had no idea what this new animal was like.
 
Kaitlyn Williams

Nah. I already ate this morning. No worries, I insist,” she held the same smile without any issues. Her cheeks flushed a light pink as he did seem to enjoy the fish, she was taught and had seen a fire made many times at an early age. Her tail thumped lightly against the ground and then stood up and dusted off her skirt.

It’s near my waterfall. Kind of a trip there, but it’ll be worth it, trust me!” She waited to him to be finished, then led him to meet another animal friend. She led him on and would turn over her shoulder to make sure he was keeping up with her. After a long time, the waterfall was heard nearby and she went off to what seemed like a meadow surrounded by a well-made fence.

She leaned over it and motioned him to come up beside her. She let out a high-pitch whistle and called out, “Target! Here boy!” She smirked over to Timoteo then back to the meadow before them. Way in the distance there was a black figure running towards them, it was kicking up much dust on its way to them.

When it got close enough, it looked like a huge cow. It stood directly before them from behind the fence, flickering its huge ears in greeting. “Timoteo, meet Target, he’s an Aurochs!” She then placed her hand on the large bull’s forehead and smiled softly. “Pet him, he doesn’t bite,” she offered, gently grabbing Timoteo’s hand and placing it on the bull’s forehead. The bull waved its ears in response and closed his eyes.

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Upon hearing that she had already eaten, Timo smiled, as would his stomach if it had the ability to do so. The fish really hit the spot and was not too boney, tasting amazing all by itself without any additives like honey and flour breading. If this fish was fresh-caught, he would certainly like to have some more sometime.

Once finished and the supplies were protected from blowing away, the two went deeper into the forest, but she was leading! Did she know this forest well if so? Either way, he tried his best to keep up and eventually did. She was fast and fluid in her movements, unlike him who chiefly used a walking stick when going in the forest. Later he resorted to carrying his walking stick rather than using it.

When they reached what looked like pastureland, he stood nearby with interest of the well-maintained fence and, later, an auroch! The beast was majestic in comparison to the village cattle, standing taller than he did. He gulped when Kaitlyn offered up his hand to the bovine and placed it on its forehead, but after sensing no hostility from the adorable cow he stroked its locks and behind the ear with a open-mouthed expression of joy.

"Wow, he's amazing! I have never seen a auroch before. Target, was it? I wonder how you two have gotten along. Was he around here for a while? This is a lot of fencing for one person."
 
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Kaitlyn Williams

Once again, Kaitlyn smiled when she noticed he was fond of the bull and so was he. "Yes, this is Target. He was a calf when I was let on my lonesome," she then leaps onto the fence and lay on the big bull. He only waved his ears and tail in response, "yes, he has been out here for some time now. I come to check on him every two or so days." How Kaitlyn was perfectly fine with laying on the oversized bull was extraordinary. The bull then dove his head at Timoteo and sniffed his head, curiously. "I'm glad he's fond of you. He hasn't really known anyone else, except for me," she muttered, rubbing her bull's head.

She then leaped down and gave one last pat to the bull before he mooed and walked away. "Goodbye, Target!" she waved and turned back to him. brushing against his side as she walked past him, "What would you like to do now?" She had also begun walking back towards her waterfall abode.​
 
My, she was alacritic as she leapt off of the fence and onto the bull seemingly with ease! Target was so mellow about it, too. He had to learn some tips to bring back home for how to better the communion between people and creatures.

"I have always had a fondness towards animals, but not all of those I meet are as friendly as the animals here," he answered in response to Kaitlyn's mentioning of the bull's amicability toward him. His hand dropped back down to his side as he cracked a grin toward her. "It must be your care or something. The village has cows and other animals, but none are quite as peaceful as here."

As for what to do . . . he knew what he had to do, but he did not want to go back to the village. His parents must have been furious that he did not head back for the night, and without permission, too. He was in for an earful for work as well with the blacksmith. He recalled a few things that was awaiting delivery for the ferrier and nails for the furniture maker and the carpenter, too. He hoped everyone would take it well.

But -- and this was a big but -- would it be all right to skip work just this once? He had never done it before and . . . no, that would be a terrible idea. He had to go back, elsewise his parents would probably be beside themselves in fretting. There to him was no choice but to break it to Kaitlyn.

"Sorry, but I have to head back to my village. I really enjoyed the past two days with you, and I will come back, definitely, when I am not busy. Honestly, I kind of wish I could live around here without the need for keeping people's expectations met. To me, this right here, what you have, is freedom in the best sense."
 
Kaitlyn Williams

She nodded and smile slightly faded, but she understood that he had to leave. “I understand. Your village needs you and I’m glad to see that they all look up to you,” she then led him back the bush where they had first met.

I brung you here so it’s be easier for you to find your way home,” she said standing by him with a broad smirk. “I guess this is where we depart. Goodbye, Timo!” She said with a little bit of sadness in her tone. She began walking back home, then a sudden thought hit her: there’s got to be a way to show I care for him. She then had a flashback of what her family did to her every night before bed and when departing.

Wait!” She called running back over to him. And without any hesitation, she dove in for a hug. After a moment, she pulled back and said goodbye again...​
 
"Huh? Look up to me?" he questioned if only to himself, his eyebrows scrunched in thought as he walked alongside her. He did not see it as such before, but looking back maybe, just maybe, he really was depended on in the village and did not know it. This filled him with a sensation of warmth he did not expect, and that lasted the rest of the way until they stopped near the berry bushes.

"Hah! I suppose you're right," he laughed, enjoying her reasoning. Recalling that he had done the same, it seemed that neither one of them wanted the other lost. "Thank you, Kate. Goodbye!" he spoke with a bit of renewed vigor, smiling at her back as she started toward her home before turning as well.

He did not make it very far, but he reacted just in time to the "Wait!" before being snagged by a surprise hug, her arms wrapping around him. He hesitated, unsure of what to do. Should he hug back? Should he not? In the end, he decided to forego forethought and wrapped his arms around her as well, giving her a quick, tight squeeze and smiling as they broke away.

"Thanks for that. I, ah, I . . . thanks." He seemed embarrassed, but happy. A blush burned bright on his face, possible to be seen from space. Perhaps if Kaitlyn were able to have enough insight, she could tell that he was hesitating to say something on his mind. "I will head back when I get the chance. Bye, Kaitlyn."

With a parting smile, he waved back at her and dove into the brush where he would proceed back to collect the things he had gathered from Esmere's last night. All the while back to the village he thought, How can I handle this? I should not and must not, but can I fight how I feel . . . that I love her?"

((I will post a timeskip of perhaps two or three days, if that is okay.))
 
(Yes, that’s fine! I have to work today for 9 hours, so I won’t really be able to do a response except for one time during work)
 
((Ah, gotcha! There is no rush, so feel free to post at your own timing. =) If you wish, you can do an end-day post to wrap up the day or beginning-day post to start the scene. I can get started on ideas in the meantime.))
 
Kaitlyn Williams

She knew Timoteo deserved that hug more than anything. He is the sweetest person she has ever met! Or, known at least. She headed home with a light blush on her cheeks and ears and a bright smile. She just hoped that he’d make it home safely and take good care of his village. He was her world now. She had to admit: she really liked him. But it seemed more than just “like”. She wished there was a different word to describe it.

A stronger word to express her intense feelings, dreams, and the way she thought of him constantly. She got home and lied in bed staring at the ceiling in silence. Cupping her eyes laughing, “oh Timoteo! Get out of my head!”​
 
((I adore the fact that we are leaking the title into the story every now and again. =P It just makes things so . . . *Italian finger kiss*. Nice work on the last post! A post of mine is inbound.))
 
Three nights came and went, and the longer he stayed in the village the more desirous Timoteo was to leave it and head into the woods. He found himself staring out of open windows and toying with his food instead of directly eating it. None of this was unique -- he felt similar on many situations when it came to ladies -- but this was perhaps the strongest he had ever been enamoured by someone. He sighed as he shook his head free from thought.

"Girl troubles?" came a soft, teasing voice of a youthful, freckle-faced girl around her early teens, seated in a finely crafted bed that, from the stains and bleaching of the wood, has seen generations of use.

"Yes. No. I don't know," he answered, gesturing with his hands his confusion on an equivalent with his speech.

"Then take it from me that there is something on your mind. I can tell from how hard you are staring at the storm outside when I am right here. Get your head out of the clouds! Esmere is right here!"

He sat stock still as he looked at her bewildered, causing her to laugh hysterically. Her gaunt face and brown locks bounced on her fragile neck as she dared a peek at him and stopped laughing.

"You know me, I could not help but tease, but I must ask: does it have anything to do with that girl you mentioned?" She did not even wait for an answer as she leaned back, hands dancing in her lap and with a huge smile plastered on her face. "She made it through the night, it seems, and something happened between you two, right? I may not be able to walk well, but I can read people well enough for three. You were not sad but happy only until now. You returned the quilt in good time the following evening, and you did so with a smile to Mumsy. You went back to work. That is what I am going off of. So, you miss her?" she pressed again, leaning forward with a wide smile on her countenance.

"I do," he replied, feeling the strangest semblance of relief as he said so. It was as if a weight was lifted off of his chest. "I do, but it is raining."

"You say that, but the clouds are breaking up."

"What?"

Esmere looked at him with a teasing grin before pointing at the sky.

"For someone who stares at the sky as much as you do, you cannot read the weather well. Now go. I banish you. You are not to come in my sight until either the day is over, or the blacksmith gets over his cold, or . . . you bring your ladyfriend for me to see."

Again he stared at her in disbelief, to which she tittered and pointed at him.

"What? Can't I, your good, good friend, judge your courted lady?"

"No, it is not that. How old are you again?

"Thirteen with a birthday next month," she stated proudly. "You'd better come, else I will never forgive you."

"Are you sure? You certainly do not sound thirteen."

Laughter echoed through the room before she ushered him out with wave of her hand that only increased in speed and emphasis.

-- -- -- -- --

After the main part of the storm, scattered showers drizzled the last remnants of rain on Timo as he travelled along the forest floor, admiring the bounce in the ground as the water seeped into the years' worth of pine needles and oak leaves. The forest always seemed so alive after a rain, or at the very least awake. During the storm birdsong had stopped and the only things travelling about were toads and errant birds, but now things livened up a lot more. Half of the animals that caught his attention seemed to pause before scampering or fluttering away, and he wondered to himself how many of these creatures Kaitlyn had helped train. Perhaps that was the main difference between this place and the west: the animals here were slightly less timid, but generally smaller, like squirrels and raccoons. None of these things were remarkable to hunt, only bigger game that could feed more or make the forest more peaceful.

Water flowed slightly more heavily in some areas, the rains filling the streams to a swollen appearance in the areas where he crossed them, almost reaching the coattails of his overcoat as he skipped across stones or . He did not pause to stop and think about it for long as he so often did before. He was as if he were on a mission. Perhaps he truly was.

Passing the bushes and heading to the base of the waterfall where he exited twice before, he eyed about for Kaitlyn, partially worried that he would cause another incident with catching her indecent. He hoped that perhaps she would find him first, but he was likely not to be seen in the underbrush. He had to step out into the open, and step in he did, taking off the cloth hood over his head and scanning the area.
 
Kaitlyn Williams

Kaitlyn had dozed off on her bed for many hours that day. Rain was the main remedy for her to rest, it soothed her, helped her think, and of course, sleep. Hearing some chirps from her Cardinal friend, Red, that the rain had stopped; she leaned up and stretched her arms up. Jerry was also there, cuddled up in the corner, snoozing peacefully.

Yeah, I’m going! I’m going!” She chuckled then seeing a figure outside, approaching her abode. Standing up, she quickly, within seconds, put on a dark blue dress. She then flattened out her hair and pulled out done rough, obvious tangled.

Staring at the entrance, recognize that form she had seen so many times. The man she couldn’t seem to erase from her mind, destructing her from all her daily chores. But today was her day off. Perfect timing.

Timo!” She exclaimed happily when he entered.​
 
Glancing up as he showed up near the entrance, Timo was happy to witness Kaitlyn, neverminding the fact that she was probably not fully prepared for his arrival, or perhaps not recognising that at all. He was just glad to see her.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, his face lit up with a joyous smile. "I found a moment finally to come see you. The blacksmith is out sick today, all deliveries were done early, and Esmere shooed me off here instead of having me teach her today. With that, I am free, even if it is nearly the end of the morning. Are you, um, available now? The rain has stopped and things are looking like it will be sunny for a while now. Nice dress, by the way."
 
Kaitlyn Williams

Her tail was at a calm pace at swaying behind her. She bounced over to him with Redfkting over and landing on Timoteo’s shoulder. “I’m glad you came! Of course, I was in no rush... Funny how Esmere bosses you! I’d sure like to meet her! And you’re in luck! I’m on my break today!” She jumped in place with a happy, shy squeal.

Oh thank you!” She smiled from the compliment, she had made much new clothes over the few days. “How about today, you chose what we can do? I’ve shown you a lot from me, recently. Since that snake bite... So you chose!”​
 
Timo did not expect the cardinal, barely stifling a panicked swat as it came close and onto his shoulder and being very glad that he withheld his hand. Looking between Kaitlyn and Red, he formed a sheepish grin and looked away towards what probably could be assumed was a stone wall.

"Esmere is . . . quite the interesting individual. She pokes and prods and teases, but I know she means well. She has been asking about you, actually, wanting to know what my la- . . . what you are like." A slow burn started up on his face as his eyes darted toward her, then away just as quickly. He was about to say all that she said to him, "ladyfriend," before he caught himself. "I would love to set up a time and place for you two to meet, but it is difficult. She rarely leaves her house due to her legs, and her house is near the middle square of the village. It would be almost impossible to sneak you in in the day, or to have her come outside."

He shook his head free from thought and laughed a few notes.

"I am sorry. I am heading in the wrong direction with our discussion. For me to choose, you say?" He mused over this, bringing a fist up to his chin with a lopsided arm. "Sadly I did not bring anything to show you except . . . well, I can probably show you an easy way to start a fire. Have you ever seen flint stone? It's a common enough rock, but only when you strike it with metal can you make magic happen."

He offered up a crystalline stone in his pocket, having learned his lesson from last time with the snake bite incident, and showed it to Kaitlyn by putting it in her hand.. It was a little damp from travelling in the rain, but it could be quickly dried to produce its spark.
 
Kaitlyn Williams

“I understand. But hopefully I’ll be able to meet her,” Kaitlyn said with a slight shrug. Her ears pointed up more as he spoke of an easier way to start a fire. Though, her way was hard and scrapped her poor hands. “Yes, I’d like to know an easier way! Or your way, at least,” she wagged her tail quicker now.

Timoteo then placed an object in her hand, she looked at it curiously. “Oh?” She bring it up it her eyes to examine it, awfully interested. “Show me how it works, please!”​
 
Timo offered her a grin and pulled out a small, rounded piece of steel that seemed to go around one's fingers in a large C, made in the blacksmithy. Equally damp from the travel as the flint. He dried it off a bit on his drier pantleg and pulled it up in view again.

"So this here is a piece of metal called a striker. To my knowledge it only works with steel, but I haven't really experimented. If you grind the two together in a dry place, it can produce sparks, and those sparks can set things on fire much like rubbing sticks together. If I may."

He took the flint stone gently from her and looked for a good place free from burnable materials. Finding a good spot of stone, he moved over to that place and readied the two in either hand.

"Curl your fingers around like so with the striker so you can put the two together without worrying about your hand. Hold the flint so that the sharpest edge is facing the striker, but hold the edge up a bit. This helps with having the two meet the way you want. Bring the two together"--he made an up-and-down motion with the striker a several times, grinding some sparks into existence that quickly fizzled out--"and you get sparks. Just be careful not to cut yourself on the rock. It can be quite sharp."

He looked up and smiled, hoping it to be interesting to her. He had a liking for this sort of thing.

"I brought some tinder as well, some dry scraps of paper. It is difficult to light anything thicker than dried grass or leaves with this method, so keep that in mind if you want to make fire."
 
Kaitlyn Williams

Her eyes widened way more when he pulled out another object, but it was shaped differently. She listened closely, her curiosity showing in an obvious manner. Her ears pointed upwards and forward, her tail swaying eagerly. “Yes, of course!” She let him have the other piece back, handing it to him.

She watched him intently as he explained the process of the objects to create fire. Her eyebrows raised dramatically when sparks were created. “Wow! That’s impressive, Timo! I would’ve never thought of that!” She said, her tail swishing.

“Oh-“ she lit up like I lightbulb “-maybe I can show you my way of cooking fish with your way of making fire?” She suggested.​
 
His ears perked at this proposition, interested in marrying these two ideas into one. He will readily admit that he was curious about how she cooked fish after the delicious fish she gave him earlier.

"I say that's a great idea!" he exclaimed, nodding with an afterwards smile. "Do you still happen to have fish? I know you once had a basket's worth of fish earlier delivered by a bear, but I am not sure if you enjoyed fish that much or it was shared with your animal friends."
 
Kaitlyn Williams

"Great! And don't worry about the fish, I have plenty left! I mostly do fish on special occasions," she chuckled, grabbing his hand and leading him out. She led him to a drier spot outside and ran back to her home, coming back with a basket. She had two large basses laid in it, she sat near him and smiled. "I'll show you how I do it and teach you along the way," she pulled out the fish and lay them down. She pulled out a small blade and cut down the stomach of the fish. "You see? I do this to pull the bones out," she spoke, pressing her fingers in and pulling up all the bones by the spine. She then cut off the head, fins, and tail.

She handed him the second fish and the blade, "now you give it a go."​
 
"M-me?" Timo sputtered, looking at the size of the bass and then at the knife. He had only gutted and deboned a fish twice in his life, and never quite like that. That was quite the technique, too. Could he perform it? "Well, um, here goes."

Trying his best to mirror Kaitlyn's movements of the knife, cutting deep enough to meet the resistance of bone and slicing along. He felt like he did it right and, inserting his fingers, realised that he did not. Disappointed but not dissuaded, he cut another time and another time until it was able to mostly be pulled out intact.

"That was tougher than I expected," he stated, licking his lips before exhaling. That was tough under potential scrutiny. The head, fins, and tail followed suit, considerably easier than the deboning process but not for the squeamish, and not with Kautlyn's finesse. "I admit I need to learn more about this. I am not much of a cook."
 

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